FUZZ- GREAT EASTERN FX CO. Focus Fuzz Deluxe ___NEW___ ?

GREAT EASTERN FX CO. 

· FOCUS FUZZ ·

   DELUXE

$390.00 USD
WTF !!!

This small gourmet builder is #1 with the worlds 'Cork Sniffers' 😇. 

The guy takes the usual classics and removes all the wort's, in fact even 

a freckle has no place on the pedals. A real Fuzz addict would tell you he ripped the soul out of it. You get the worlds absolutely best vinyl bomber jacket but for double the price of a good ol' top grain real leather one.

The unit combines a Germanium Fuzz Face with a a rather tame Octave Fuzz. The layout is Focus, a gain boost with EQ sweeping the frequency, 

Level, and Fuzz is your usual Gain with a change in BIAS and saturation. 

A rotary switch lets you choose between Boost, Fuzz or Drive. 

     CONCLUSION __ 

It is like a bicycle with training wheels. The perfect beginners Fuzz. 

But a beginner may resist the near $400 price. The new Wampler 

achieve the same goal with his $200 Cryptic. but does it sound

any good. yes it is a fantastic Fuzzy Drive. 

 

SAMPLE SUSTAINER- TC ELECTRONIC Infinite Mini - all you 'Need' nothing more

tc electronic    

INFINITE

SAMPLE SUSTAINER MINI

$110.00 USD

A simple latch pedal. Nail a chord or note or short riff and let it play until you are though playing over it. Or, you can hold down the switch with your foot for quick on and offs when you lift your foot. It will do all the crazy 

sh*t the full featured one will do. You however have to chose it from a download and use it to replace the factory sound.  

The layout is self explanatory. Level of the effect, Fade to have it fade 

in and Decay so it fades out and does not abruptly stop. 

CONCLUSION__ 

First of all in live use you will on a practical level will have just the use the one sound per set. It new one can be can be downloaded in literally a minute but a minute live is 10 minutes to an audience, lol. Unlike a Looper you do not have to deal with tempo and count on the band to get in time with the Looper. It is beyond great in a trio when without another guitar or keyboard player unless you are going to shred triplets the band can sound like a big empty hole was pitched through its sound. Yes there are others

but they have multiple functions and/or are pricy. They are aimed at 

Shoegaze etc. and you don't need all that. TC have a great rep for 

a quality build and sound. The price is more than reasonable.

OVERDRIVE- HIGHWIND AMPLIFICATION Dire Wolf MkII - 6 years old and still scary

HIGHWIND AMPLIFICATION 

 DIRE WOLF 

$200.00 USD

Yes as it is hardly subtle but this is a Metal OD, Boost that's been a favorite for years. The tweaking is is exceptional as it can push the pedals very high classic tube sound to a cutting edge modern one and everything in between. 

The layout is Volume, Gain and Tone. There is a blend that accommodates a bass player but it also allows other Dirt pedals

and Boosts to blend with the pedals dirt sound. 4 toggles add the spice. You get Bite which boost the highs, Growl which fattens mids or lows , Mode which give's you LED diodes for more aggression, Lift and Asymmetrical which is classic tube. Boost then gives you 

3 levels of Gain. 

   CONCLUSION ___ 

A serious problem solver if you have one 

or a few OD that are good butt... Stack 

this on them and tweak your problem away.

OVERDRIVE- VS AUDIO Royal Flush V.2 ___NEW___ 9 yrs a winner, their updated BBx2

 VS AUDIO

Royal Flush  V.2

This pedal has been their biggest seller for 9 years. Back then there came a new interest in a Blues Breaker pedal but the only pedal talked about literally every day was the Analog Man King Of Tone. Ironically it is 2 modded BB in a box.  In comparison the Royal Flush is a lot more like a real BB. The KOT was about dynamics but the actual sound borders on muddy and the low end is very sloppy and mushy. The Royal Flush is much more tight and clean. The layout is Volume, Tone and Gain for each side. One side is hotter and can be stacked with the other for more gain. A v.2 has a toggle for 

both sides to add more gain.

        CONCLUSION __  

It sounds excellent and can be run as a clean boost

right up to a high gain pedal. The perfect OD for a 

small board. Especially ideal for a Wedding cover 

band or related gigs. Yes this one pedal will give 

you a very good Pro sound & cover all the bases. 

OVERDRIVE- WAMPLER Euphoria- 12 years vs. 24 years

WAMPLER 

 Euphoria

$200.00 USD

This pedal has been available for 12 years. According to Brian Wampler it 

is a transparent Dumble-in-a-Box. Why does the Crunch sounds like a low gain Fuzz with a blanket over the speaker? WTF, lol.

The layout is Tone, Bass, Volume and Gain. You get 3 voices on a toggle. 

Smooth and Crunch are diode clipping, Crunch having more. Open is just the OpAmp's Gain without any diodes.  

 

 CONCLUSION __ 

The sound of a Dumble according to Robben Ford is a 2004 Hermida 

Zen Drive, but what would he know. Just because he owns a real Dumble is no reason to think he's right, or maybe it is every reason. 

In fact he still uses the Zen Drive and leaves the amp at home. 

Even on studio gigs.

thefineprint 

If you  want a great Dumble sound check out the Demonfx  Z-Drive. 

It is not a clone but a replica using all the same parts as the real 

Zen Drive. I have one and totally love it!

It is $35.00 USD . The price incudes the shipping.

ANTENUATOR- TWO NOTES Reload II ___NEW___ simply unsurpassable!!!!

Two Notes Reload II 

Play a full stack at bedroom levels or in a studio with zero problems. 

Yes use 2 amps in stereo. 

It has an answer for every,   ''Can I ?''  ...you can throw at it.  

    

$1000.00 USD

CONCLUSION ___

Not cheap but about as full featured as it gets. Add to that it is more than 

hard to think how it could ever become surpassed or redundant. In short 

worth every penny.

OVERDRIVE & BOOST- ROCK & ROLL RELICS Stinger pedals___NEW___ all hype???

$280.00 USD

ROCK & ROLL RELICS

Stinger Boost &   

Stinger Overdrive

Not too much to describe. The site tells me nothing of what these 

are based on but boasts NOS parts without saying what parts.

    The Overdrive sounds like a pedal based off of the usual OpAmp/clipping diodes. A formula that is effective but cheap, 

cheap, cheap! In short a basic Fuzz blended with cleaner sounds.

   The Booster appears to be a Rangemaster but with a choice 

either silicon or germanium transistors. 

     CONCLUSION ___ 

The Overdrive sounds great. I really 

love its bite and open sound. 

The company lays on the hype about 

these with a shovel. The relic job is 

beyond pretentious. The price is easily 

$100 too f-ing much.  

OVERDRIVE- MISSING LINK AUDIO The Big Kahuna ___NEW___ the handy man special

MISSING LINK AUDIO

THE BIG KAHUNA

$180.00 USD

The company has many pedals that are nearly all a MIAB but the MIAB that a famous guitar hero used including voicing the pedal to capture whatever that guy used in his cabs etc. The AC/DC pedal blew my mind not because it is my preferred sound in a MIAB but because they nailed it.

This pedal is more my thing. It is taking all the MLA pedals and pulling out the things that can mold the most different sounds and have it as a Swiss Army Knife of classic Marshall sounds. The layout is Volume, Tone and Gain. You have a choice of Silicon, LED or Germanium clipping 

diodes and two levels of gain both on a simple toggle. 

    CONCLUSION ____ 

I can not even find any lint to pick. 

This pedal can hold its own or be 

used in a stack to turn the 

combination into whatever 

you're missing.  

REVERB- CATALINBREAD Ghost v.2 ___NEW___ buyer beware?

catalinbread

$320.00 USD

TALISMAN 

GHOST 

It is a take on the infamous EMT Plate Reverbs. There were 2 of them. a big one and a smaller one. They needed a medium size room to keep them in as they literally looked like a huge dining table. A signal went in one side and it was in essence captured on the other as if were a set of strings ringing thru a guitar pick up. Digitech a new company cloned the sound in a very early chip to be in a rack mount. Later that sound was put in a pedal.

The layout is Tone, Time ...the sustain of the effect, Pre Delay which delays 

the sound coming in a Mix of dry and wet sound, and Volume. 

           CONCLUSION ___ 

It indeed sounds excellent. I had the first version. A great reverb should be like the frame on a painting. If the frame on the Mona Lisa was bright red would it enhance the painting or distract you from the the experience of getting the full effect that the painting evokes. 

Beware? The Talisman is a bright red frame around your playing.

The Digitech Polara version is that perfect compliment. Dave Friedman 

personally gave me the advise to buy it. He is 110% right. It however 

is currently out of production.

BOOSTER- XOTIC EFFECTS AC Booster V.2 ___NEW___if pedals could talk, "I'm back!!!"

$180.00 USD

Xotic Effects AC Booster   V.2

Twenty five years ago Xotic introduced the world to the 'Must Have' RC Booster and made having a booster and even an always on pedal for many a thing. It was a very dead sound. It was followed with the AC which had more gain and was preferred by the single coil guys. It also started the trend of 'Low Gain' Overdrives. The company takes years before releasing a new pedal. They are very methodical about getting their pedals right. It has paid off as they make pedals that by word of mouth are in demand indefinitely. They were the first to have the serious 'Cork Sniffers' look at getting a new pedal instead of only desiring the vintage ones.

The layout is Volume, Gain, Treble, Bass with internal dip switches for low or high mids and Compression. 

   CONCLUSION __ 

When the it comes to Low Gain pedals the sound is 

in the detail. So it is a love it or leave it thing. 

Most players are willing to spend a lot more to nail it. 

I like a BluesBreaker and am on my 3rd one, LOL.