tjon901 « Cool Comp »
Published on 06/06/11 at 21:27The Tumbleweed is a compressor and boost pedal designed for country players. This pedal may be designed for country playing but it can do much more. Its combination of boost and compressor which switchable voicing capabilities is very versatile. You can get aggressive rock tones with more sustain and presence as well as thicken up your clean tones so they stand out more. The Tumbleweed has a simple exterior. The whole pedal is yellow with three knobs. The knobs are labeled B, G, and S. There is a 3 way switch that lets you switch between Brit Cali and Jazz settings and this switch is not labeled at all. The boost and compression switched are labeled thankfully and each have their own indicator LED
UTILIZATION
I feel sorry for anyone who buys this pedal used without the manual. With only two switches fully labeled this pedal may be confusing at first. To me this is a set it and forget it pedal because if you try and do too much live tweaking with all these un-labeled knobs you may find yourself lost. The pedal is heavily built and feels sturdy. The pots are very smooth which some people may or may not like. I prefer a little resistance in my pots.
SOUND QUALITY
The pedal has a lot of range within the realm of perceptibly compressed tones. Even with the level and sensitivity close to or right at wide-open settings, the Tumbleweed neither squealed nor sucked tone. You can get some great singing solo tones from the pedal. It may reduce the attack of your pick a little but that is to be expected with a compressor pedal. It adds a decent amount of sustain and you can really make your country bends and double stops sing. The added boost function sets this pedal apart from other normal compressor pedals. You can add more grit and get back some of your lost pick attack with the boost engaged. The brit and cali switches add more tonal variety.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a very dynamic compressor pedal. With both low- and higher-wattage amps, the compressor can help you get traction and bite for a lead or rhythmic hook when the band isn’t going full throttle and it can still hang its own when playing loudly, thanks to the boost function. The only thing that people may not like is that it is a little too boutique in its appearance. Half the knobs are not labeled and the ones that are just have a single letter, and even those letters on the one I had were half covered up by the knobs. There is nothing wrong with some usability.
UTILIZATION
I feel sorry for anyone who buys this pedal used without the manual. With only two switches fully labeled this pedal may be confusing at first. To me this is a set it and forget it pedal because if you try and do too much live tweaking with all these un-labeled knobs you may find yourself lost. The pedal is heavily built and feels sturdy. The pots are very smooth which some people may or may not like. I prefer a little resistance in my pots.
SOUND QUALITY
The pedal has a lot of range within the realm of perceptibly compressed tones. Even with the level and sensitivity close to or right at wide-open settings, the Tumbleweed neither squealed nor sucked tone. You can get some great singing solo tones from the pedal. It may reduce the attack of your pick a little but that is to be expected with a compressor pedal. It adds a decent amount of sustain and you can really make your country bends and double stops sing. The added boost function sets this pedal apart from other normal compressor pedals. You can add more grit and get back some of your lost pick attack with the boost engaged. The brit and cali switches add more tonal variety.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a very dynamic compressor pedal. With both low- and higher-wattage amps, the compressor can help you get traction and bite for a lead or rhythmic hook when the band isn’t going full throttle and it can still hang its own when playing loudly, thanks to the boost function. The only thing that people may not like is that it is a little too boutique in its appearance. Half the knobs are not labeled and the ones that are just have a single letter, and even those letters on the one I had were half covered up by the knobs. There is nothing wrong with some usability.