OVERDRIVE-NRG Purrer ...not a King of Tone but selling to the same crowd

NRG EFFECTS PURRER 

$400.00 USD

It all started when tube amps got dimed just to be heard over the crowd.
Things that needed a cleaner sound even to be passable were dropped and things like sustain and new techniques like the Blues vibrato and string bending became the new vocabulary for the electric guitar. Fuzz added to the mix but the early OD's gave the player better articulation. These early drives were their own thing. They morphed into OD's that could imitate fully dimed amp sounds. In the end the winners were those that could get nearest the center of the bullseye in making you think a Fender Deluxe sounded like a Marshall stack at the click of a switch.

In the last few years some makers have gone back full circle to an OD that is literally it's own thing. They take the most usable elements of distortion and tone and touch sensitivity to create an OD that is in a word 'musical'. they suggest the sound of a real tube amp but are not a mirror of any of them.

The most obvious is the King of Tone and the Klon. There are several others all with a similar vibe or they lean towards a 'dumble' thing but they all have a distinct fingerprint.

The NRG is firmly in that niche. Like the Klon and the King of Tone it has morphed thru many versions. It is quickly getting scooped up by guys that even own a real King of Tone and other pedals of that niche including the Dumbelish things.

The newest enclosure give the pedal a classic 'Serious Tool' look from the 'It's Only Rock & Roll' roots. Both are available, but the line up is in front of the new model.

The layout has treble and bass with a gain and level for both channels and a master volume.

CONCLUSION

It has a very natural and warm tone. Even at very low gain there isn't a trace of any nasty square wave fizz. Doing that borders on the near impossible. It ain't your Grandfathers Tube Screamer. The price certainly underlines that.

The real problem with a pedal like this that no matter how good it is, that buying it is like buying a Ferrari only to find out your 'thing' is a Porsche. The result is you are going to stay with your Ford F-150.

AMP- because you are all curious __EVH 5150 Icon vs. PEAVEY 6550 II__

 EDDIE vs. EDDIE

This a 'Need to Know' thing. Even if like me neither amp is your thing there is no reason to not have a ...'I'm so cool' smug look on your face as you pontificate your seemingly well informed opinion to friends over a few beers with friends.

FUZZ- DIRTY HAGGARD AUDIO Arachnid ...a BASS FUZZ ...that is not a bullsh@t !!!

 DIRTY HAGGARD AUDIO ARACHNID FUZZ 

$95.00 USD

Most bass players hate pedals. Some may get an EQ or Compressor but they are not effects but simply an extension of their amp. 

The number one effects killer is 99% of Bass effects FORCE you to use a pick. 

Many players, do not use a pick, do not want to use a pick and will never use a pick. Next, most effects either thin out your sound, kill the punch, muddy 

your sound or all three. The Haggard DOES NOT.

Sometimes you need a bit more aggression or simply need to have the bass out front. The Arachnid does all that.

It is based off of the defunct Fender Blender and uses vintage germanium diodes to give you a fat warm but never muddy sound. They simplified the layout and brought down the size. The layout is simple with just Gain and blend. You can just add that right amount of it or push it hard into totally out of control in your face sound.

CONCLUSION

It simply F.ing works! It is well made. It is cheap for a gourmet brand made in the USA pedal.   What's not to like?

FUZZ- POGO PEDALS Moder Fuzz... NPN transistor Fuzz ...modern? ...No ...cool? ...Yes

POGO PEDALS MODERN FUZZ

$135.00 USD

A new company with a gimmick. They promote a package from a group of 6 mini pedals where if you buy two you get a third one free. Each has a novel slant. It is all too much of 

a circus for me. I am intrigued by them borrowing the Tom Oberheim 1972 version of the original Fuzz Tone using NPN transistors. The PNP transistors  arrived and went quickly as they were very poor for audio and meant for switching circuits like a garage door opener. They became resurrected because they are the guts of the grid in solar cells that are ridiculously robust outdoors.

The layout is level, gain, clean and a switch for voicing. Blending in clean is magic. 

The blend makes the Fuzz very usable as without it you get a total garage band 'bee-buzz'.

CONCLUSION

I love the sound but I am not impressed by the price as it is con job for you to buy the package of 3 pedals. I find their other pedals unremarkable and there are $30 Chinese cheapies you can get as good.

Fuzz is at 4:10

OVERDRIVE- STUDIO DAYDREAM KCM-OD Silver V10 ....another Klon ...impressive?

 STUDIO  DAYDREAM  

SILVER KCM-OD V10

Yes another Klon. If not dead accurate it is not beefed up with a lot of
pointless changes with the pretense that "ours better because ..." lol.

With a Klon it really gets down to the sound. 

The thing that gets lost with most of the budget ones is that original 

Klon gloss over the sound whether it is backed off or pushed is gone.

The Silver is $240.00 USD... there is a Gold for $350.00 USD.

The Gold is all about bells and whistles.

CONCLUSION

What you hear is what you get. 

It sounds very impressive with the gain 

turned off which in a Klon is the giveaway 

to just how good it is. The price for the Silver 

is very competitive. 

The Gold is all about state of the art parts and 

bells and whistles. Perhaps justified if this is your 

only OD or you are really just trying to turn your 

Fender Deluxe into a poor man's Dumble:-)

In either case if the original Klon is a Ferrari this 

at least a Maserati ...I think I can live with that :-)

____THE BEST PEDALS OF 2021___ THERE AREN'T MANY???

 THE BEST ???

THE STATE OF THE UNION

It is in many ways the Golden era of Rock Music Gear. In spite of the endless moan about inflated prices anyone can find a serviceable guitar for a couple of hundred dollars. Fifty years ago that got you a breadboard for a body with a warped baseball bat for a neck and PU's that were thin noisy and microphonic and things that looked like tuners but did not actually tune. The cheapest of these cost the average citizen an entire paycheck for a week. Today's entry level guitar if used through the same gear as a guy with a Gibson Les Paul or an American Strat played by a competent player will produce a sound in a blindfold test equally as pro sounding.

It is the same with entry level pedals. Yes better pedals and guitars in most cases create subtleties you can literally feel from your fingertips but a better sound being perceived by the listener is all but non existent. 

Pedals sold for $30 for the most part have limitations not with build but parts. Double to triple the price and you are still under a hundred and a killer pedal can easily be made by using high tech equipment in countries where both the wages and just as important the cost of utilities and infrastructure are cheap.

The coolest thing I've seen happening over the last year is a small but noticeable increasing number of Asian companies starting making gourmet pedals at affordable prices. That took place in the '90's in the States. It started by making 'clones' with improvements. That indeed is what is happening in Asia.

HOT NEW PEDALS for 2021?

I went to other sites and soon noted they were discussing the best pedals to them were judged on sales over 2021. Hence the Tube Screamer and the Boss SD-1 and the usual MXR and Electro Harmonix classics were among them. 

Most of the pedals that impressed me over the last year were not introduced this year but over the last 10 years.

The bulk of what was on offer this year is digital. Strymon's tech is now 12 years old and still used on some of their still best pedals. These chips sound great and are now cheap enough even for budget Asian pedals. The problem is you can make some cool things with delays and reverbs but you really only have modulation, envelope filters and pitch to work with. In short Strymon did it all 10 years ago, so for all the hype and total bullsh@t we are not getting anything new. Add to that most of these pedals are gimmicky toys. Choose 10  people at random to ask you to play their favorite tune and not one of these wonder toys can be turned on as it would turn your chord changes into electric farts.

Yes it is great to have choice and better value for money. BUT! WTF!! It's the same old sh@t.

PEDALS, PRICE & VALUE

First and obvious is the sound. Great sounds can show up at any price point. A pedal only needs one sound. Why pay for more when at a gig you can not access them, nor can you use those other sounds in the same tune. If a pedal dies or needs an upgrade you have a smaller investment in it. Selling it is quicker or dumping it is less painful. Sooner or later you need a switcher & a board. Big pedals take up too much space and more that one footswitch is redundant. Mini pedals are great but not if they need nano knobs. Ideally the standard 2.5" Hammond B style box is an ideal size. Big enough for regular size knobs that are easy to use and to read. Wide enough not to use the footswitch without moving or falling over. 

WHAT IMPRESSED ME

...only 4 pedals that are new for 2021

   made my list

JHS SERIES 3 HALL REVERB

For $100 you get a verb that simply sounds killer. In lower settings it will take the place of an always on verb in the same way you would use a spring reverb.

In the highest settings you get an excellent ambiance 'shimmer'. Everything in between is not just usable but equally great sounding. In short I find the pricey sh@t like buying a Maserati to deliver pizzas. Unnecessary to get the job done in a pro matter.

In  short, it has it all covered! Hell it is even Made in America :-)

COLUMBO AUDIO ELECTRONICS PLEXI BREED

There are 2 basic amps that totally define Rock.

The Fender Deluxe Reverb and the ...
Marshall Super Lead (model 1959 100 watt). 

ALL else that matters is derivative from those 2 amps. 

If I take the best analog pedal of a Fender 

Deluxe amp-in-box on the planet and we plug

it into your rig with the real amp beside it 

to match the sound the results will be laughable.

If we did that with the Plexi Breed and 

your amp you will have a very big WTF 

moment! In short it nails it! 

It also does a JTM45 and the 50 Watt 

(model 1987) Plexi in more than convincing 

manner. But I did not buy it for the 

horderve and the dessert.

REVV G8 NOISE GATE

It is simply noticeably better than any 

gate that comes in a pedal you can buy. 

If you play modern Metal and had it for 

a few days it would be like driving your 

car for years with only having 3 wheels 

on it and bolting on the fourth.

ELECTRO HARMONIX Nano MEMORY MAN

It is analog but has the clarity of a digital delay. Like all analog delays it tends to not clutter or cause dischord to your sound and always lays back in the mix. 

It nails the sound of the original by using new analog chips designed 

to mimic the originals. At $200 it is a good deal.

__________________________________

The fine print

There are lots of killer pedals still in production

for years that are worthy of our attention to buy.

Unfortunately this year all we got were things

that were at best the same. If they were marginally 

better or the same but much cheaper they would be 

here.

UPDATE

The current run has more than few NFG  pedals.

One guy exchanged his only to get a second dud.

OVERDRIVE- CRAZY TUBE CIRCUITS Black Magic MkII ...a massive sound with a Hiwatt vibe

CRAZY TUBE CIRCUITS BLACK MAGIC MkII 

$225.00 USD

This company has been bringing out innovative pedals for years. Most I
reviewed. I find them a hit and miss maker. There is a fine line between genius and stupid. With every 't' crossed and every 'i' dotted their stuff is never cheap.

I must apologize for missing this one as it came out in 10 years ago. Ouch! Having owned a Hiwatt years ago I was hit by this pedal's Hiwatt vibe. That said you can also dial in an American high gain amp too. The kind that has that overly boosted 6L6 power tubes thing going on.

The layout has level, gain, presence and a 3 way EQ. A 3 way boost 

with its own level that gives you a choice of volume, gain or both.

CONCLUSION

It has a sledgehammer balzy punch and incredible headroom coming at you in it's attack. it is certainly fat!! The gain can push past the 70's into a modern Metal thing. What's not to love.

....I just put it on the top of my short list!

the fine print

I still would like a pedal that has a classic amp vibe but will work

for a Modern Metal overkill thing. Even with my ENGL Powerball 

I need to stack it. My impression is that the Wampler Pinnacle  'Might'

do it. The Mosky Brown is a part for part replica clone. I should arrive

in a few weeks. So until then this pedal stays on the back burner.

FUZZ- REEVES ELECTRO Red Dot Jnr ...a masterpiece of construction & design

 REEVES ELECTRO RED DOT JNR FUZZ 

$350.00 USD

These pedals possess magic inside and out. I know guys that their whole
thing is collecting original vintage Fuzz pedals and the only new pedals they have are made by Markus Reeves. Crazier still they want ever different one that he has designed. All the circuits use killer NOS parts and state of the art new parts. Everything is hand wired in a very linear way from point to point without any circuit board. His pedals are hand etched. The pedals are his own design not clones though he works very much in the spirit of all the early designers with very simple designs that are brilliantly creative. Nothing is just weird to be different but different to be even more usable than the Tone Benders and offshoots of that era.

The Red Dot is a perfect example. On this one there are no germanium transistors 

but the earliest ever made silicon ones. Once you hear it you would swear you are 

hearing germanium transistors.

It covers the kind of sounds you can get from both the V. and V.2 Tone Master with confidence. Add to that you can add it to your ri without sweating dependability 

or any other pedals interfering with its operation or sound. 

CONCLUSION

Yes they are pricey.The only silicon alternative is Big Knob Pedals Color jumbo. It is a take on the 1970 Colorsound Tone Bender Jumbo which is a MkIV Tone Bender. It is a deliberate silicon design and a superb copy and $150.00 USD. It sounds killer in it's own way but the Reeves has your ears convinced you really are hearing an original germanium Tone Bender.

In short it would be a forgivable splurge.

*** MY GUITARS ...10 of 'em

MY GUITARS

I swap between 10 guitars using different guitars for different
tunes. One guitar might have a Tele at the bridge but a Ric at the neck. I can cover PAF, P90, Strat, Tele, Ric, Gretsch, & Gold Foil sounds and even have pedals that best suit their voices. All but my SG and Ibanez are heavily modified. Many are ancient so the wood is totally aged with the tone at its best.  All have excellent fit and finish. Upgrades to make them up to date like hardware, PU's etc. have been done. 

In 1953 Leo felt the Tele would be like a car where last years Tele would be discontinued and replaced by a new model. Just like cars the best parts from the pervious model like the Tele bridge PU would be kept but the neck PU would be improved. He designed what became the Strat PU's for that job. The single cut Tele would became a double cut. The old 3 saddle bridge would be replaced by the 6 saddle hardtail etc. I designed and had the Lenard made. I get the best of a Tele & a Strat from just one guitar. 

The Fernandes Gotoh whammy even though 30 years old always stays in tune. In fact this guitar can hold tune for days. My handmade 89 MIJ Washburn semi sold new for $2400.00 USD.  Back then that was obscene money and Washburn did not have a big enough name so they only made one batch and killed it. I know a few old guys that have one. All are Jazzers that also have big bodied Gibson's or old 335's. No one who gets one sells them. Mine NEVER needs a set up, the neck never moves. I got mine from an estate sale for $350.00 USD in near mint condition. 

Many estate sales are just regular people selling granddad's stuff and do not know the value of musical instruments. I got my Ltd Ed SG for $800.00 USD with the tags still on it. Never ever played. The flawless hardshell case came still in it's plastic bag.

My Lace guitar is designed by Grover Jackson and the pickup is a gift from a guy who does not want me to tell others. He is in a '3 piece band' and on the 'Top' of many guitarists lists as one of the greatest players for decades :-) I got it cheap too. Chicago Music Exchange had it for over 10 years and for 3 years in a row I offered them $500.00 because I knew the history. They sold it to me in the end as a used guitar. 

The Washburn H35 is a 1975 MIJ by Terada who also designed it. They only make full bodied Jazz guitars and some semi's like the highend Gretsch models. It was only made for a year but was in the Washburn catalog for 2 years. No stores even ordered them as they sold for $2400.00 USD. They were discontinued and years later resurfaced made finally in China for half the price. The guitar is literally flawless. It NEVER needs a setup as the action is beyond low without buzz and never moves and even the intonation is always dead on. I owned a 1959 Gibson ES 335. It was muddy and feedback was a big problem. This sounds killer and does not have any feedback issues even with high gain.

The guitars and how many  tunes I use them on.

Silvertone 1449 _5 tunes

Lenard F-4G _7 tunes 

Washburn H35 old semi (MIJ by Terada) _2 tunes

Gibson SG Std Ltd Ed _4 tunes

Fender Duo Sonic _3 tunes

Fernandes Native Pro (MIJ) _3 tunes

Ibanez Jet King _2 tunes

Airline H88 _2 tunes

Godin Radiator _4 tunes

Lace Cybercaster _2 tunes

>>>> total tunes 34

1975 Washburn M35  MIJ &
Fender Duo sonic 
w/ 55 Tele & 66 Ric hand wound PU's

Lenard w/ 59 LP spec neck
Vintage Tele & Strat PU's
...body shape from Leo's 53 sketch.
Ltd. Ed. Gibson SG Standard

Silvertone 1449 w/ PAF neck 
& hand wound 64 Strat, PU's
Lace Cybercaster/designed by Grover Jackson
w/ hand wound Billy Gibbons PAF

Fernandes w/PAF bridge & Gretsch
TV Jones neck PU's.
Airline H88 Stratotone Doublet
PAF & Harmony S Gold Foil, PU's

Ibanez Jet King reissue of first Ibanez
(which was a Guyatone LG 70
with Ibanez put on the headstock)
w/ P90's and my Godin Radiator
w/Duncan Pegasus (Prog Metal)
& a 50's Magnatone MkIII PU

So this is my present rig. Every pedal and 

Every guitar gets played every day.

Different guitars have different PU's.

I have tunes that work best with HB 

PU's others that need a Single coils.

Some tunes have parts in them that

could be played on an acoustic guitar so they

sound best on things like Rickenbaker

or Gold Foil PU's.

I do not like split coil sounds. To me they

sound like a junk single coil PU.

________________________________________ 

WISH LIST

Vola are bringing out their handmade in Japan Vola OZ V3 guitar with a  Gotoh Floyd Rose. At the moment the best made with zero shortcuts on manufacture and on highest quality metals. (note: the German made ones ...are all but gone and a new shop in the U.S. is in flux)

I expect it will be shown at NAMM 2025. 

My guess is it will be about ___$1200.00 USD

VOLA OZ V3 ... MIJ
$859.00 USD

FUZZ- FORMULA B PEDALS Mini Bender ... 2 classics in a classic box

FORMULA B 

MINI BENDER

$260.00 USD

From the shop of Marco Bevelli come 2 classic Fuzz pedals in a box. They are both the same. They are both different. The classic Fuzz Face is quite simply a Tonebender Mk1.5. Yes a few changes but only in the values of some of the parts not the schematic. The Fuzz Face was designed by taking a Tonebender 1.5 and changing a few values of things like resistors etc. 

Ol' Marco spent some time at Macaris/Solasound home of the Tonebender to learn his craft and has now stepped out on his own to make his own pedals. Needless to say he never strays faraway from NOS parts and traditional spec in his wire and off course his enclosure. 

The layout is simple with volume, gain and a switch to choose the two voices.

CONCLUSION

What's not to like. This is about as close as most of us will get to the original classics. Both in the look and sound. I have to admit the casing is the closer

_______________________________________________________________

 NERDS ONLY 😎            

'click' 

Watch on YouTube

NEED TO KNOW SH@T- Amplifier EQ Settings____'How To get a Great Sound'

RULE OF THUMB FOR GREAT TONE 

MASTER VOLUME - put at a comfortable but not silly audible level

VOLUME - put on 5

TREBLE  - put on 6

MIDS     - put on 0

BASS     - put on 2

Now, move the bass up until your high E and your 

low E sound balance to the same level.

Bring up the mids to 3.

Play a bit. If the highs are not crisp push them up to 7.

Alternative
Solution

Put the master at playing level and play some more.

You should be in the ballpark. If not listen for what is missing.

If it's 'cut' then notch up the highs but do the balance thing 

again with the bass. If its fatness then notch up the mids.

Always make small changes and check by playing. 

Actually do bits from the tunes you play not just 

hot licks and slamming chords.

Good luck :-)

DEC. 23 2015 to DEC. 23 2021 ... 5 years of decadence ...having had too much to think

DEC. 23 2015 to DEC. 23 2020

UNDER CONSTRUCTION  WARNING DO NOT READ

It is another anniversary for Stomp Box Steals. 

I had got out of music for a time. I went back to school and took Interior Design and Decorating which included Industrial Design as part of the course. The idea was to have a 'real job'. I was never less than top of my class through the whole thing. I found it fascinating. It was all about studying and learning from designers from the past who rejected how all the buildings and their furnishings looked. They saw these things like they were acoustic guitars that the best anyone had come up with is slapping on a pickup. In short everyone was a Leo Fender with a Telecaster idea.

Surprise, surprise after graduation one finds that the real world jobs are like jobs in music. Or to put it another way if a building and its furniture were a guitar everyone wants a Stratocaster and the most I will get to do is pick the color. 

The short story is I am only cut out to be an artist. Being an artist is NOT something you choose, it chooses you. It has nothing to do with skill or aptitude. Do not confuse the artisans with the artists. Once an artist draws a circle he goes on to draw a square. An artisan draws a circle and spends a lifetime drawing better and better circles. You can make a better living drawing circles but it is not as much fun, lol.

I as always, digress.

STOMP BOX STEALS

I needed new gear when I got back into music since I only played original music since my 20's I was highly skilled at surviving being poor. I discovered the made in China pedals and online stores like AliExpess to buy direct from the source. I found that some pedals made by some Chinese makers were both equal to and even as well made as others in the West. When I started there were many screaming 'clone, copy, rip off' Had these people taken apart the pedals of every maker in the West  they would have found everyone had for example cloned the Japanese Ibanez Tube Screamer or a Japanese Fuzz by only changing a diode or two. Exactly what the Chinese makers did. Add to this most of the early Chinese makers were just one guy or a family business making their own version, not a direct copy. They were meant for Chinese guitar players who could never ever afford a pedal from the West. Also keep in mind that the average Chinese guitar player knows what is cool and sounds great as much as you and I. He likely has even less money than us but expects a great sound. Brands like Nux, Joyo, Caline and Byang would have been out of biz before the West bought them if they made crap. Actually selling internationally came almost accidentally because online international retailers needed product and pedals to them were no different then toasters or shoes just 'product'. Makers soon found that the myth of a deliberate clone sold pedals. It was best to keep their mouth shut. The bottom line it was not a rip off conspiracy from the guys that made them and family businesses are not sweat shops run by tyrants.

 

Anyhow like most Xmas holiday times one has overkill busy, busy over busy festive times followed here and there with total dead time.

I thought I would share what I learned especially with young guys in garage bands at school or had a McJob. I thought over the holiday I would do maybe 4 or 5 posts then just move on. Big BUT! It went viral. Keep in mind the You tube thing was small time then and stuff on gear was mainly infomercials for MXR, Boss, E-H etc. You got only the established names with budgets for promotion. Anything really cool was totally under the radar. Small companies that sold regionally were all over the planet. I had to hunt for them. I often went to online stores all across Europe that were not in English and get the name of a new pedal and trace the company from that. I wrote to the companies who often got a friend or staff member that spoke English to help. I still do. I also watch vids in foreign languages so I hear a pedal played by different players using a different kit and playing in different styles.

1,884 PEDALS LATER

Of all these pedals I have bought about 200+ for myself. I also flipped off the bottom of as many and did my best to find out what I was looking at and researched how they worked. I also learnt how to 'LISTEN' and look. In short I can tell what in a review on a video review is the sound of the pedal or the guitar or amp and what is post produced surgery that makes a pedal sound better or even different then it will if a guy has getting it has a modest rig. No, I do not get it right every time so it is best to wait for my Hands On attachment to the review.

After carefully listening to over 1800 pedals there are very,very few that I have not covered that are not the best or the best value for money or simply very Pro but stupidly cheap.

I have added other things I considered 'Need To Know' stuff.

Like guitars that are innovative or reissued brands from the past or again, are great value for money. I also try and explain some basic tech used in making pedals so you can compare and know what you are getting. 

I also try and break 'Myths'. A finished guitar or pedal may create magic but the parts used are not the magic and some parts are merely cosmetic or structural but do not create the sound. Like a light bulb that creates a different look from its light does not do so because your house has vintage wire behind those walls, lol.

For example different wood types change the sound your guitar makes. Wood on a solid body guitar does vibrate and keep you strings ringing. Wood mainly absorbs sound. The frequencies it absorbs are going to be removed from the strings and NOT be transferred to the pickups. The result of literally whats left 'IS' your sound. So think of wood as removing bad sound not producing good sound. Tell that to your friends that say they know that science has proven wood doesn't matter :-).

 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The market has morphed into those that use digital modeling to replace amps and pedals without an amp at all to on the other end Marshall stacks with a few pedals. On the whole though there is bit of everything. Good  pedals and a tube amp are what created the vocabulary of rock. 

There is a loop between the player with his guitar and the amp that cause literally a signal coming back from the amp going back thru the pickup and into the amp again that causes an effect which a player can learn to control and create complex changes in tone and sustain and even make the overtones be stronger then the root note they are playing. With digital this is lost. To over simplify when playing digital one is playing a recording of the guitar amp end of the chain. It is not unlike sampling tech on a keyboard where the plastic keyboard is really a just electric switches that you turn on and when you lift your finger the switch turns off. What you are hearing is a recording of a piano note. There is zero nuance. Yes modeling has nuance but it is not remotely more than a fraction of what comes from a real tube amp. It is appealing to new players as it hides sloppy and inarticulate playing. Things like making a concise clean note free of fret rattle and still be able to mute unused strings at the same time that are a skill that take countless hours of very hard work and frustration are never mastered. In short in totally dumbs down the electric guitar as unique instrument with a unique voice. 

Fortunately their is enough backlash to create a hybrid using real tube amps that are loud enough to allow for enough feedback to create all the advantages of a real tube amp. Modeling has allowed for and will continue to make new ambient sounds and modulation effects that can enhance ones sound without in the least rip the guts and soul out of one playing, technique and sound. Only a few years ago many reviewers predicted the end of analog pedals and the amount of choice would soon shrink. Go figure it has not shrunk there is more than ever. Thankfully more choice of skilled and creative makers has killed off hundreds of amateurs virtually selling us 'kit' pedals as serious product.

From me it will be more of the same. If it's not broke don't fix it. Everything here is relevant and the only other real review Blog is Guitar Pedal X. Other blogs review by sales they never listen to them. In what's new you find things like a standard model Boss SD-1 WTF! I comment often on the Pedal X site. I suggestive he should publish the price. He now does that and now uses YT video's as well. He does his from London UK. He has a lot of contacts with local builders and I am sure has got himself on the grapevine with a lot of makers in Brit and Europe. 

I bought a camera and mixer to do YouTube video's of my hand's on. Only to find the software, operating system and Laptop to do it right needs at least a $700.00 USD model as a minimum for a Pro rig. A sit and talk show

is fine with my system but not audio that needs headroom.

THE NEW MADE IN CHINA

A made in China Mercedes car is dead equal to a made in Germany car. In short it is not about a lack of skill or know how etc. It is all about perception. If you make a $30.00 USD pedal in China it can be as good as a $100.00 USD pedal made elsewhere. If you make a $100.00 USD pedal in China it will be equal to a $300.00 USD pedal made elsewhere. Dah!!! The problem is perception. We over simplify because we ignore the price and think that within our collection none of our best pedals are made in China. It makes us feel a $100.00 made in China pedal is not as good as a $200.00 pedal made elsewhere. The fact is it can easily be as good as a $300.00  pedal we have. A few young makers in China are trying to change that. I just got a killer pedal, the handmade LILT Gladiator 1 which is a $112.00 USD pedal (with free shipping) of the Cornerstone Gladio that once you add shipping is $400.00 USD. 

Do you think the Gladio is over three and a half times better??? You better otherwise WTF are you thinking???

At a hundred bucks the Chinese builder can afford to NEVER have to dumb down a any parts or take any shortcuts.

My main point is this year and am going full circle and keeping a daily eye on this new underground group of builders.

MORE GOSSIP

Lots more 'Need to Know' sh@t which of course 'must' include gossip will be here for sure. 

Nearly all the pedals that seem only to appear online on Ali Express sell in Asian Music stores. I have contacts with some who give me a heads up on ones without a Western vid. Guys in sales occasionally get to go to small Chinese trade shows or factory visits. I also get all the gossip and secrets about who does and who makes what under a different brand name. Things like the head of Mooer's wife owns and even runs Joyo. Mooer also own Flamma. Mooer also had a state of the art factory fitted out by the guys that did it for BMW. It puts out 2000 units a day!!! A company with a serious Fratal Axe-FXIII clone is negotiating with Mooer to make it. Ballpark price is guesstimated at $500.00 USD. Yes, you heard it here first. I know a lot more but if I say my source would bail as I would be dropping him in 'it'. I am not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

One thing for sure is every couple of years you will see a company move production to China. They will keep a small Pro shop but the gear you can buy will be MIC. The quality will be just fine but do not expect a deep discount. At least one such company will be a big name. Once one does they all will.

LET ME MAKE A POINT 

The big money guys are predicting by 2030 ALL cars will be made in China. The money being invested in electric vehicles is rising at 20% a year. Sales of Chinese made electric cars increased by 40% in 2020. That's insane for only one year.

Telsa just finished a massive factory in China that are bring out a $22,000 compact car in 2022 that has a 200 mile range and blows a $60,000 Audi out of the water in style, performance speed and comfort. 

A prototype battery with a 200 mile range that juices up in 6 minutes is being tested and is hoped ready for production 2023. The company making it are neighbors of the near ready massive new Telsa plant. 

My point? Expect the unexpected in music gear too.

OVERDRIVE- DEMON FX Jan Ray ...Vemuram Jan Ray 'CLONE'

Demonfx Jan Ray  

$40.00 USD

Yes a clone of a $375.00 USD pedal that certainly does not try to hide it. Demon Fx have been around for 6 years and are the handmade and R&D (Rip off & Do?) part of Mosky. Both are under Moogoo. No complaints. They do a good job of it.

In any case the original has been around for 10 years. It was in a category that was referred to as a 'Dream Pedal'. My first impressions back then was a WTF one. I thought the thing was crap. To me it was just another Tube Screamer. The fact is this and most lower gain pedals are soft clippers based from OpAmps chips not cascading JFETS that actually mimic a real tube. The ts was the first of these OpAmp wonders.

In any case outside of buying a real Fender blackface amp these are perhaps a necessity if you are a Strat guy and need a crunch sound that  

leaves some of that Fender chime left in the mix.

$375.00 USD

The layout is simple with gain, level, treble and bass.

CONCLUSION

There is only one video and it tells you little. Anyhow, I put 

a video up of the real one so you can compare.