GUITAR- STRANDBERG Salene ....welcome to the 21st Century!

 STRANDBERG SALENE 

New and not new. Strandberg have been around for awhile known as ...with what most consider a cult guitar.
Well listen up guys. In '51 the Fender Telecaster was a 'CULT' guitar!! Then a few years later everyone else was playing follow the leader.
So what's the big deal?
The first thing taken care of is weight, balance  and comfort. Gone is a heavy headstock and all the hardware is 'machined' from titantanium not cast or molded from heavy alloys that not only add weight but are aerated in the process causing air pockets to trap and kill your resonance and sustain. 
In short it is in every way state of the art!

No plastics or high tech materials for body and neck materials. It was felt the electric guitar needed improvement not change for the sake of change. Stradivarius made a violin ...a wood violin ...that has never been surpassed for tone. There is a wide choice of PU's even electronics ...BUT this is to cater to styles of playing. Stanberg feels passive pickups are still in every way a legitimate voice of the instrument.

CONCLUSION
I feel this an important advancement. Not just a trendy gimmick.
Sooo... I went down to my friendly neighbourhood Pro shop.
I played one for an hour. Occasionally I moved my hand in a way that made me aware I was playing an odd shaped neck. The fan frets do not f. you up anywhere near what you would think. It is just a bit odd to look at. It makes the neck feel really short even though it isn't.
In short I think anyone can adapt.
Hell I'm 72 ...so you have no excuse check it out. Actually play one!!!

OVERDRIVE- NADY TS-30 a nasty take on a Tube Screamer that sounds so wrong it sounds great!

$45.00 USD

 NADY TS-30 OVERDRIVE 
It started life as a Tube Screamer but somehow down the line it became a 
Turd Screamer. LOL
The only video is a shoot out with a TS-9 but
w.t.f.
Simple set up with gain, tone and level. 
Surprisingly the casing is metal.

I was working on a tune today I wrote with my bass player and at a break neck tempo the only pedal that worked was a $20.00 USD Dano FAB Overdrive.

This another little gem that is handy to have on 'board' for those type occasions. Pun intended. :-)



CONCLUSION
Nady make 5 pedals and Amazon has 4 in a bundle for $100.00 USD. I expect if you look around you can find one new for $30 or used for $20.
It has no resemblance at all to a ts9 so the vid is a joke. On the other hand thousands of OD pedals tart like as a ts because in the design the bulk of the sound comes from using a single chip. A bit of trial and error and you will get a dirt pedal. You just will not always get a Ibanez ts 'wannabe'.

But judged on its own merit the ts-30  could stacked it with a good OD you could get a great poor mans ProCo Rat sound. It can easily sub for a Fuzz. Sometimes I find I get totally P. off when something like an intro or bridge in a tune just doesn't cut . That is when the little cheapie and outrageous pedals come to the rescue. Ironically it would probably sound great stacked with a 'real' ts.

OVERDRIVE- STONE DEAF PDF-1X ..a cocked wah distortion pedal that is a total screamer!!!

$165.00 USD

 STONE DEAF PD-1X 

Basically a high gain cocked distortion with gain and level and two controls for the 'wah' sound.
One for where in the sweep you want it and one for depth.

CONCLUSION
It sounds great but Daredevil gives you a couple of choices with the cocked wah on it's own the Atomic Cock to use with a dirt pedals you already have.  They also do a Cocked and Fearless a all in one with the dirt pedal part of the box. Check out the Posts.

AMPLIFIER- BUGERA T5 INFINIUM ...5 watt lunchbox Brit sound

$250.00 USD

 BUGERA T5 INFINIUM 
This one has been around since 2015. Bugera got a bad rap for quality in their early days. The price went up a bit but so did the quality. The build has always been good but
cheap unreliable parts almost killed them.
All tube with the usual 12ax7 for the pre.
The power amp uses a singe Brit choice EL84 since it gives you that Plexi like vibe.
A great choice for headroom in such a small amp.

CONCLUSION

It sounds half decent ideally even better thru a 12' speaker or even a 10.

I like the idea of the classic EL84 tube for a Marshall sound.

They make a Tolex covered wood box for a few more bucks but

I like the lunch box. Easy to tote or store. It has its own cool vibe too.

NOISEGATE- SMG Cock Blocker ___SOLD OUT !!!___

 SMG COCKBLOCKER GATE 

$219.00 USD

Better than the best Gate I have tried and I own 5 gates!!!
Even ones that cost a hundred of your 'hard earned' more!!!
And NO it is not a handgun accessory! LOL

It is a Limited Edition pedal only available for 3 months ...cut off date is Dec. 12.
You have to prepay and wait! ...then wait some more. LOL

...Is it really a big deal???...
...is it even worth a lot of hassle???

YES !!!!

I have mine on order and expect I was certainly damn close to the first!!!!  LOL

Check out the Eytsch i42 on Youtube. He has a review on it
that Youtube has 'blocked' because the title has a naughty word in it. LOL

CONCLUSION

My only reservation is will it work on the High gain loop on my board. I do not want it in the FX loop on my amp as I have 4 other loops with their own gates. No matter how good a gate is ....one setting will not work in all situations. Used in the FX loop  you will have to turn it off to play clean at the very least.

FINAL WORD
The hits to this Post are 200% higher than all 850 Posts on this sight.
Funny as hell ...the most popular pedal ever ....makes NO SOUND at all. LOL
I expect the 'SOLD OUT' sign to be listed right here reeeeeeeeeeeeal soon!

NEW VID ...JUST OUT

NOT SOLD OUT YET
But I have mine and really is as good as they claim.
I use mine at the end of my pedal chain. Not in my amp but it works just fine.

WARNING CANADIANS
It is sent UPS and they will collect all taxes and charge you $20 to do it.
You will get a bill for about $45.00 cdn
It is coming from the Czech Republic. I suspect it is made there.

OVERDRIVE- SOLID GOLD FX Super Drive ...the classic DOD 250 on steroids!!!

 SOLID GOLD SUPER DRIVE FX 

$165.00 USD

A Custom Shop LTD. reissue.
It was a tribute to the Classic DOD 250 with a nod to the equally old favourite the MXR Distortion +

It has the familiar layout but one added goodie is a switch that gives you 3 different bass boosts.

The thing has a nice slashing sound in the highs with a 
Mack Truck  low end!
Punch and balz are a given!

A classic made even better with a great price for a 
handmade pedal of this caliber.

OVERDRIVE LAWRENCE PETROSS DESIGN Combustable Lemons...Page's 69 Vox AC 30

$180.00 USD

LAWRENCE PETROSS COMBUSTIBLE LEMONS
_________________________________________________

On Led Zeps first 3 albums he used Marshalls and a hot rodded Supro. But he also used a 69 Vox AC30. Either pushed to crunch or flat out.Well good ol" Lawrence has done it again. No sh@t guys this thing gives me a chill when it's cranked.
I have my Fender with that Duncan Custom Shop 55 Tele it sounds damn good thru my Supro Drive for chord work.
...But for a little shredding this thing is just KILLER!!!

Not the best video but check out the sound at 4:30
Then check out the pedal.
slightly different but we have 2 guys settings and a hummie vs. Strat
But damn! The pedal still sounds so Vox like these differences inconsequential.

CONCLUSION

I bought and thru back out there on Reverb more Vox wannabe pedals then I care to mention.

This is hands down the only pedal that even sounds like a Vox. No bull I heard 'em all!

WARNING STAY AWAY!!! This Post is for Gibson guys only!!!

 This Post is for Gibson guys only!!! 

What the F. is this all about. Well G. guys I will have to tell you.

In polls the best guitar on the planet winner is always the Gibson Les Paul Standard.
Yes in actual numbers the Fender Stratocaster out sells it in volumes!

There are two well armed camps.
The Fender lovers who are mostly divided between a Stratocaster or a Telecaster 
The Gibson lovers that are mainly Les Paul then secondly SG lovers.

1959 Les Paul Standard

1950 Telecaster

1954 Statocaster

Now whichever camp you join in order to learn your craft you became very impressed with players that played both Fender's and Gibsons. In fact you from time to time
felt the urge to own one.
Admit it !!!!
But there are many reasons why you didn't give in.

BUT !!!
So you were at your fav music store and pulled down a Strat and plugged it in. The very first thing is the neck looked longer then a flag pole!!! it felt even longer. The 9.5 neck radius with the skinny frets choked your string bends.
The Strat neck PU did have that chime you secretly admired and the middle PU was passable but the neck PU distorted sounded like a cheap Asian  guitar!!! It was a joke!!!!

You then checked out a Tele with another looooong neck. the neck pickup was as bland as dish of cheap vanilla ice cream. BUT the spank on the bridge pickup distorted was damn nice ...so nice you forgot about the neck. Well you forgot for a at least a few minutes.

Bottom line FORGET IT!!!!
but yooooooooou haven't forgot it ....have you?

OK GIBSON LOVERS
There is an answer to the Fender dilemma.

Just Google .... 
THE SECOND BEST GUITAR ON THE PLANET!

Gibson guys only.
Fender guys not welcome.   LOL 

The LENARD F-4G 
 expected
March 2020.

PREVIEW

manufactures first sketch of the prototype being worked on as you are reading this note.

No whammy ya don't use one. So ya got the hardtail bridge.

The only consistent and great PU in a Tele ...the bridge. Ya got one

The only real Strat PU's in every Strat ...the middle and neck. Ya got em.

The all maple neck looks Fender BUT ...Fender necks are not 24 3/4"scale with medium Jumbo frets with a medium C profile neck with a 12" radius!  It does not look like a Les Paul neck but put your hand around it and surprise ...it is a Gibson R9 neck!

The Strat came out in 1954 and the Tele in 1950. The body on the F-4G is our take on a 1952 Fender that never was which is a cross between the two.

Best of all your buddies will not rib you of going over to the Fender camp after bragging for years about your Gibson!

Finally the model name F-4G

 F ...Fender

 4 ...for

 G ...Gibson aficionado!

PARALLEL BOX- GIGRIG Wetter Box ...do not just stack 2 OD run them side by side... Killer!!!

 GIGRIG WETTER BOX 

$285.00 USD

No blah from me just give the vid a look! 
A very simple idea that sells itself.
A bit pricey but a great idea.
Let's face it most of us are going to run it in mono and certainly will not use it's endless bells and whistles.
A similar box with basic  functions
at a basic price is what we need.
I for one would like to run OD's in parallel as
in series the first box can easily overwhelm the second with to much gain going into the input of the second. You can not get a killer fat sound easily by stacking.
How about a Rat for lows and a Klon for highs? NICE very nice idea. If run in series the Rat would eat the Klon alive. LOL
Blend them in parallel it would be a whole different story!

I am working with a very good designer/maker
to come up with a cheap one. Maybe even half price with quality build and parts & totally pro!

CONCLUSION
Good idea over done. They should have made a simple one and made this one the Deluxe model. 

OVERDRIVE- TL PEDALS King Klon- ....a KOT & a Klon in one box ...that is as good as the BEST!!!

 TL PEDALS KING KLON 

$250.00 USD

TL is Tim Lewis who reminds me of Jesse Davey of King Tone Guitar who takes Classic pedals and turns them into something of his own.
Jesse does this by using the best of the best parts and better still like Tim Lewis he has the'ears' to know what 'really' does sound better. 
You wait forever in line for a pedal from Jesse and it is just a matter of time before this will be the case for Tim.
Both guys are players themselves with enough chops to put their machines through the gauntlet and to insure they not just sound good but play good.
Tim busts his butt to find and get 'the' parts that key to the tone many are NOS which makes it tough.
The trick is to make the pedals  so the sum is greater then the parts.
WOW and just like a King Tone Pedal. Tim's King Klon is a KILLER!

At $250.00 USD he is giving this box away!!!

CONCLUSION

Well you wouldn't be here if you did not know what a KOT and a Klon are all about. So I dispensed with my usual blah blah blah. Just give this pedal a listen then dig into that wallet of yours and go for it!
Remember guys ...if you don't support the Tim's of this world you will be left with the BIG guys who spend 10 times as much on marketing then making you a great pedal, Yes they 'pay' for reviews & make demos in studios that can turn a turd into a diamond with millions of dollars of post production equipment.

OVERDRIVE-KMA MACHINES Logan Transcend OD ...versatile aggressive OD with an American voicing

 KMA MACHINES LOGAN TRANSCEND OD 

$225.00 USD

A German company makes a very American sounding OD.
It has an unusual controls. The standard level, Gain/drive. a bass and treble and a sweepable mid boost that is more like a wah type circuit, Often called a parked, cocked or fixed wah.
You can set the gain post or pre EQ.
KMA are famous for their twists and confusing turns. They have a very big following. In the end these pedals are a very high quality product. In short they sound good.

Unusual is the fact that the over all sound is more American then Brit. It has more of an amp with 6L6 tubes then EL84 power tubes.

CONCLUSION
It sounds damn good. Much tighter then your average  Plexi type sound. The pedal has excellent clarity and it has very good definition on the attack of the note.
A worthy choice if you are looking balzy gutsy aggressive sound.

Note: just for fun I set it up against the Origin Revival Drive Compact 
Damned if the Revival isn't noticeably better! 
but $385.00 USD ....OK who do I have to kill to get one !!!  LOL

OVERDRIVE-KOSSEK FX MoreDee ....punch with a velvet hammer

 KosseckFX MoreDEE 
Peter Kosseck is a Danish one man show. His MoreDEE is a transparent style OD but my ears tell me there isn't a hint of Tube Screamer about it. In fact it has a very warm Marshall like sound.
To make a pedal this warm but transparent is a major feat.
I am very impressed.
The set up is straight ahead with a simple Gain Volume and Tone with a Fat switch for a bit more lows.
The tone does not just change the highs and lows but seems to change it's character in a very pleasant way as you move through it. Tubes do this but this does not use tubes.
I hate to use such mundane terms as "very musical" but I just can
not find a better way.

CONCLUSION

I can not fault it but for the most part I like a bit more aggression in my OD's. 

my idea of a great sound is a Rat. LOL 

OK I exaggerate but for Fusion Jazz like sound with a very broad range I have not heard better!

OVERDRIVE-(J. ROCKETT DESIGNS) SIB Cuda Tube OD ...$100.00 USD ...$100.USD

 SIB CUDA TUBE OD 

$200.00 USD

Sold and tied in with J. Rockett Designs this is a simple but impressive tube OD.
If it were not tube it would be fairly pedestrian but the tube pill it up a notch or two.
The sound is aggressive with a lot of bite
Cuda only make 2 pedals an OD and a 
delay. J. Rocket make several 'lines' of pedals but this is not one of them they sell this a separate brand.

CONCLUSION

Well a $100.00 USD tube drive is worth some serious thought. 

They also do the Cuda LT as in light for a bluesy low gain pedal.

CHECK OUT THE LT & COMPARE

Well I like it better then the LT.
To be honest it is a ...NO BRAINER buy it !!! I am sure you can get hundred bucks for it used if it doesn't work out!  
It is on sale on the J.Rockett site U.S.A. only ...no exports. Sorry guys. :-(

OVERDRIVE- FULLTONE RTO Robin Trower Signature OD ...a classic sound. NAILED!!!

$200.00 USD

FULLTONE RTO ROBIN TROWER SIGNATURE OD

Well Trower has been a players ...player for decades. A very nice unassuming guy playing the Blues rock genre of the late 60's with his own and very compelling style.

If anything unlike modern metal ...tone is everything ...quite simply because the music is laid back and very much about savoring every note.

It is a basic set up. I expect they wanted to nail just Robin's
sound as close as possible so the voice is fixed with just a bit of tone to match the room as Robin uses Marshall 50 watt Plexi's. 
In my mind you can not get a better sound. Sure there are
other great sounds ...BUT better? No.

Conclusion

Well it is as classic a sound as you can find. If that's your thing ...bingo

stop right here!

The pedal is rich in harmonics without a trace of fizz or fuzziness. Even more impressive there is not even a hint of graininess ...pedals that try for this are often very liquid the tone has no texture but not this one. It may seem nothing special but getting this sound with the gain pulled back is near impossible. In fact the only pedal I  can think of the Free the Tones String Slinger and it very Fender sounding and TWICE the price!

When I think of a dirt sound but with great tone I think of this!

Bullet proof tone!!!

OVERDRIVE- SITEK Wuffy Distortion ...high gain with an 80's thru 90's Metal like distortion!!!

 SITEK WUFFY DISTORTION 

$165.00 USD

These guys are from Poland & have been under the radar for years. They are now building in Cork Ireland.
Their pedals are beautifully made and they have a sound just a bit left of center ...unique but never just weird. 
Check out the Post on their Cocoa OD while you are here. It is my favourite.

The controls are level drive scoop and tone. A switch gives you a choice of clipping options. You can make it growl or go for a smooth creamy tone.
The prices are very good on all their pedals because they are $50 cheaper then any comparable pedals out there.

Backed off you can get the classic hard rock and blues sounds of the 80's but move into a 90's Metal sound between the two.There is a lot of variation between the two sound to nail a tone perfect for your rig and technique.

CONCLUSION

A lot happening in one pedal. 
It could be a real problem solver. 
Perhaps you are into a more medium gain 
OD style? 
The pedal will give you a little or even a lot more 
here and there on your tunes.
The 50's cheesecake graphics are very 
much past their 'best before' date but the 
MXR look of the pedals though a little tired 
are more then passable.

OVERDRIVE- FRIEDMAN Motor City Drive ...a tube OD & as good as the hype!

 FRIEDMAN MOTOR CITY DRIVE 

$250.00 USD

There is a lot of buzz going around about this pedal

It sounds great ...real tube and reasonable price.

Well it lives up to the hype ...but does not surpass it.

The lay out is straight forward with Drive, 3 way EQ and volume.

It goes to the high end of low gain to a healthy crunch. There is no denying it's tube sound. It is fat but not at all tight.

It is more like buying an amp because it sounds like one so much. You either like it or not. 

It comes with it's own power supply because tubes

need high voltage.

It has that romance that some players get from an old
50's budget amp made in the Chicago area.

CONCLUSION
Well it has a lot of funky charm. It reminds me of an old mid 60's National I started out on.
BUT ...it is just too muddy and wooly for me and if I want a chunky, funky sound my 
$20.00 USD Danelectro FAB D-2 OD will cover for that one tune that it is perfect on.
Finally although it is a little smaller then it looks it is still big.
There are very good tube OD but they are really preamps and the price reflects it.

OVERDRIVE- PedalPalFX Pedal Pal800 JCM Emulator ....Stunning!!! a real JCM 800 in a box!!!

 PedalPalFX PAL800 JCM EMULATOR 


This is a second update review as I have had this pedal for a long time.
It is quite simply a manner of taking the schematic of a real Marshall and replacing the tubes with FET transistors.
They tune each transistor by hand to be like the matched tubes in the actual amp.
The result is if you substitute the pedal for the pre amp in the actual amp they are the same.
How cool is that.
The amp they cloned is a 1984 Marshall JCM 800 50 watt which had no master volume. 
 .....(that came in 1985)
I run it thru a 50 watt Plexi on 4 with a power attenuator.
It does everything the amp would do so playing is a blast and a half.
I actually take it for granted and is second nature to play it. I would never part with it.

CONCLUSION
Just one killer pedal. It is like owning a second amp!!!

NOTE:
If you buy one
Set the Bass and the Mids at 11 o'clock
Set all else at 4 o'clock and the volume to taste.
That will give you a dead on classic sound!
This was found out by using a real Marshall JCM 800 stack and
putting the pedal in the effects loop & then going from the amps 
 pre to the pedal and back until you could not hear any difference!!!
I was never so amazed in my life!!!!

____WHATCHA MISSED IN SEPT. !!! ___

TL PEDALS RAT
A Rat is like a Tube screamer sooner or later you gotta have one. So you check out the current one then head for the zillion clones and can not decide. Well let me tell you. The best Rat was the Big Box Rat and equally good was the same circuit in a 2 other boxes that followed it. Then the heart was torn out of it when the LM 308 chip was discontinued. The chip is still kicking around covered in dust at warehouses world wide. So many small gourmet pedal makers can get a few. The trouble is everyone wants to reinvent the light bulb and they crush the soul out of the design. Not Tim!!!! Check out one Killer pedal!

KM MACHINES LOGAN TRANSEND OD
A n amp in a box but with a refreshing American sound that is made in Germany!
It even throws in a Cocked Wah. Nice! Balz/ Yes!!!

LAWRENCE PETROSS DESIGN COMBUSTIBLE LEMONS
Crazy name but what a pedal. It his take on Jimmy Pages ...69 Vox AC30 
and he just nailed it!!! I even put up a Vox amp to prove it!!!