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nickname009
Published on 04/11/11 at 21:14
specs:
level, high, low, drive knobs
Mic with: off axis, center, classic positions
mod with: hot wired, high gain, clean settings
amp with: california, tweed, british settings.
This is an analog preamp and/or distortion pedal with quite a few different settings of which any of them can be combined to give you analog guitar tones from clean to death metal high gain!
UTILIZATION
It is a pedal, and is designed like one with a very easy to use configuration. Just set everything one at a time to how you like it. You don't really need the manual for something like this.
Switching the switch in the mic section mimics how the location of a mic on a cabinet. off axis meaning just slightly off center, center being the center of a speaker cone and classic bring distance mic'ed without ambiance.
Mod refers to the type of 'tube amp' setup you can have. Clean being a typical tube amp, high gain being a typical tube amp plus an extra preamp tube adding more gain, and hot wired being a super hot rodded-esque tube amp with a scooped mid-range quality.
Amp of course refers to the mimic'ed type of amp you want. Tweed being a fender-like clean. British being the vintage marshall-like style and california refers to the mesa boogie-like sounds.
One thing I do not like is that there is no mid control knob. Guitar is a mid-range instrument, everything guitar-related should have a mid control.
Remember this is pretty much a preamp. Not really JUST a pedal, it will not really 'add' to your sound, more like it IS your sound. You can't really use it as an overdrive to layer on top of an existing sound as it will most likely just replace the sound you've already got coming out of your amp. I've tried this. I set my amp on clean, and used the pedal to get a completely NEW clean sound, I've done it the other way around. Had the amp on high gain dirt and tried to 'overdrive' the existing distortion and it was a nightmare!
I've also experimented, having the amp set for high gain and setting the pedal to a clean setting, which actually pretty much turned my high gain amp into a clean amp (ALMOST!). Minus some gain hiss and whatnot. I can see this being useful for those who have single channel heads or non master volume amps, you can use this pedal to clean up your signal DRAMATICALLY.
SOUND QUALITY
for the clean settings: They all sound great! Very chimey if needed and very clear. It's a very consistent sound also which I like. Not to mention that way I used it to clean up an amp's distortion also, which I think is unique but very very useful!
as for the distortion: It's generally a bit too gritty for me, I have to set the high knob quite low and boost the low to get it sounding remotely useful. Though the analog distortion is good, it's tight and clear and every note can be heard in a chord and therefore sound amazing for tight rhythm. But the leads is where it begins to fall apart, this is where the weakness is. Chords/rhythms come out strong and tight but leads come out thin, and sterile.
I also found it to be a bit noisy under high gain versus other pedals I've tried, I did use an ISP decimator to reduce any feedback/ground noise but also found I had to turn up the decimator adjustment higher than I would a regular tube amp under high gain.
I think this pedal would sound great for downtuned metal. It's crisp and tight! And cleans are great too! But anything inbetween...it most likely will not satisfy.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall it's a decent pedal for somebody wanting either extreme cleans or extreme dirt. It's good for tight rhythm work but not fluidy enough for leads and a bit sterile.
It does sound quite similar to the trademark amps, I'm beginning to think that they all have a very similar build to them and thus sound similar as well.
I personally would not get another one. I know how it sounds and what it would be used for, and even though it's one of the better analog distortion pedals out there right now it is not versatile enough for me.
level, high, low, drive knobs
Mic with: off axis, center, classic positions
mod with: hot wired, high gain, clean settings
amp with: california, tweed, british settings.
This is an analog preamp and/or distortion pedal with quite a few different settings of which any of them can be combined to give you analog guitar tones from clean to death metal high gain!
UTILIZATION
It is a pedal, and is designed like one with a very easy to use configuration. Just set everything one at a time to how you like it. You don't really need the manual for something like this.
Switching the switch in the mic section mimics how the location of a mic on a cabinet. off axis meaning just slightly off center, center being the center of a speaker cone and classic bring distance mic'ed without ambiance.
Mod refers to the type of 'tube amp' setup you can have. Clean being a typical tube amp, high gain being a typical tube amp plus an extra preamp tube adding more gain, and hot wired being a super hot rodded-esque tube amp with a scooped mid-range quality.
Amp of course refers to the mimic'ed type of amp you want. Tweed being a fender-like clean. British being the vintage marshall-like style and california refers to the mesa boogie-like sounds.
One thing I do not like is that there is no mid control knob. Guitar is a mid-range instrument, everything guitar-related should have a mid control.
Remember this is pretty much a preamp. Not really JUST a pedal, it will not really 'add' to your sound, more like it IS your sound. You can't really use it as an overdrive to layer on top of an existing sound as it will most likely just replace the sound you've already got coming out of your amp. I've tried this. I set my amp on clean, and used the pedal to get a completely NEW clean sound, I've done it the other way around. Had the amp on high gain dirt and tried to 'overdrive' the existing distortion and it was a nightmare!
I've also experimented, having the amp set for high gain and setting the pedal to a clean setting, which actually pretty much turned my high gain amp into a clean amp (ALMOST!). Minus some gain hiss and whatnot. I can see this being useful for those who have single channel heads or non master volume amps, you can use this pedal to clean up your signal DRAMATICALLY.
SOUND QUALITY
for the clean settings: They all sound great! Very chimey if needed and very clear. It's a very consistent sound also which I like. Not to mention that way I used it to clean up an amp's distortion also, which I think is unique but very very useful!
as for the distortion: It's generally a bit too gritty for me, I have to set the high knob quite low and boost the low to get it sounding remotely useful. Though the analog distortion is good, it's tight and clear and every note can be heard in a chord and therefore sound amazing for tight rhythm. But the leads is where it begins to fall apart, this is where the weakness is. Chords/rhythms come out strong and tight but leads come out thin, and sterile.
I also found it to be a bit noisy under high gain versus other pedals I've tried, I did use an ISP decimator to reduce any feedback/ground noise but also found I had to turn up the decimator adjustment higher than I would a regular tube amp under high gain.
I think this pedal would sound great for downtuned metal. It's crisp and tight! And cleans are great too! But anything inbetween...it most likely will not satisfy.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall it's a decent pedal for somebody wanting either extreme cleans or extreme dirt. It's good for tight rhythm work but not fluidy enough for leads and a bit sterile.
It does sound quite similar to the trademark amps, I'm beginning to think that they all have a very similar build to them and thus sound similar as well.
I personally would not get another one. I know how it sounds and what it would be used for, and even though it's one of the better analog distortion pedals out there right now it is not versatile enough for me.