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sat4n
Published on 11/07/08 at 06:12
The Route 66 is a two in one pedal. On the right (first in the chain) is a compressor that is more or less supposed to sound like a Dynacomp. On the right is an overdrive that is supposed to sound like an old Tube Screamer. I'm not sure how accurate either is, as I've never used the old pedals they're based on. Both sides have tone and volume knobs, then there is a compression knob (maybe labeled "sustain" on the compressor side and an overdrive knob on the overdrive side. Simple.
Each side also has an eq-related toggle switch. The compressor's toggle simply switches the "tone" knob in or out of the signal chain. The overdrive side has a bass boost.
The pedal is not "true-bypass" but Visual Sound insists that the always-on buffer stage is well-designed and should do more to preserve your tone than would true bypass.
UTILIZATION
Here is my big discovery. I got this pedal because I figured I should have something around to make a Tube Screamer-like sound, even though I wasn't sure exactly what the big deal was about the famous TSs from the days of yore. I tried this on my guitar when I got it, but it just sounded too bluesy for me. It seems like it would be a great pedal if blues or guitar-driven country is your thing, but not for me (indie rock).
Then I tried it on by bass, just to see what happened. OMG! This is the bass pedal I never knew I was missing. The compressor is perfect for taming dynamic changes, or, if you use it as a clean-boost, for emphasizing them. The overdrive, with the tone all the way down and the bass boost on, gives you exactly the right amount of grit without (and here's the big revelation) cutting off any of your low-end thump. The worst thing in the world is when you turn on your distortion and your tone seems whimpier rather than tougher, and that problem faces bass players about ten times more often than guitar players, since most distortion pedals assume you're not using the ultra-low frequencies anyway. This is the only pedal I've tried on my bass that makes the signal grittier AND THICKER!
SOUND QUALITY
Sounds too bluesy for me on guitar, but if blues is your thing that's probably fine. It's actually a pretty neutral overdrive sound. I'm more into sounds that really color the tone a lot (most of the pedals I like best are fuzz-face style).
OVERALL OPINION
Like I was saying, it sounds great on bass. I play a Ric 4001 through an Ampeg V4B on top of an SVT-style 8X10 cab. This is, quite simply, the sound of rock bass. I never use any other pedal on bass, unless I'm using chorus as a joke.
Each side also has an eq-related toggle switch. The compressor's toggle simply switches the "tone" knob in or out of the signal chain. The overdrive side has a bass boost.
The pedal is not "true-bypass" but Visual Sound insists that the always-on buffer stage is well-designed and should do more to preserve your tone than would true bypass.
UTILIZATION
Here is my big discovery. I got this pedal because I figured I should have something around to make a Tube Screamer-like sound, even though I wasn't sure exactly what the big deal was about the famous TSs from the days of yore. I tried this on my guitar when I got it, but it just sounded too bluesy for me. It seems like it would be a great pedal if blues or guitar-driven country is your thing, but not for me (indie rock).
Then I tried it on by bass, just to see what happened. OMG! This is the bass pedal I never knew I was missing. The compressor is perfect for taming dynamic changes, or, if you use it as a clean-boost, for emphasizing them. The overdrive, with the tone all the way down and the bass boost on, gives you exactly the right amount of grit without (and here's the big revelation) cutting off any of your low-end thump. The worst thing in the world is when you turn on your distortion and your tone seems whimpier rather than tougher, and that problem faces bass players about ten times more often than guitar players, since most distortion pedals assume you're not using the ultra-low frequencies anyway. This is the only pedal I've tried on my bass that makes the signal grittier AND THICKER!
SOUND QUALITY
Sounds too bluesy for me on guitar, but if blues is your thing that's probably fine. It's actually a pretty neutral overdrive sound. I'm more into sounds that really color the tone a lot (most of the pedals I like best are fuzz-face style).
OVERALL OPINION
Like I was saying, it sounds great on bass. I play a Ric 4001 through an Ampeg V4B on top of an SVT-style 8X10 cab. This is, quite simply, the sound of rock bass. I never use any other pedal on bass, unless I'm using chorus as a joke.