Despite the fact that I haven't had a lot of time on my hands recently (see last post), and the fact that I haven't intentionally been looking for pedals, I have still managed to pick up a handful of new (old) effects over the last couple of weeks... and best of all: there were some real bargains among them!
* * *
The story started when I saw an "effects pedal" listed on eBay (UK)...
This un-named pedal was in fact a Guyatone MO3 Micro Octaver - regular readers (and those of you that know me) will know I have a soft spot for Guyatone pedals. Fortunately, for me, it was a Buy It Now listing for a very reasonable price; far cheaper than I'd ever seen one before so I couldn't resist buying it there and then.
The MO3 is a crazy pedal - there's no other way to describe it. This is a pedal I've been having a lot of fun using and I am looking forward to reviewing (and making a video for) very soon.
Then, a few days ago, I was walking past a second-hand goods store in the city I live and happened to spot a Zoom PD-01 Power Drive sitting in the window. I have had one of these before and had mixed feelings about it, but having recently rediscovered the Zoom UF-01 Ultra Fuzz (which I reviewed recently), I was keen to give it another go...
I couldn't believe how little they were selling it for, especially considering that pretty much every other pedal in the window display was wildly over-priced, so I went in immediately to buy it and see if they had anything else interesting...
And they did! Although I didn't see it until I was about to pay for the Zoom and leave, I spied a Vox V829 Tone Bender Fuzz behind the counter; the V829 is a pedal I had always kept an eye out for. I bought both and rushed home to try them out.
I haven't spent much time with the Zoom Power Drive yet, but the Vox Fuzz is a lot of fun. While it can be a bit abrasive on its own, it blossoms when ran through another source of overdrive/distortion (whether that's a pedal or an amp). I'm really happy with it - and it looks so cool!
* * *
Lastly, I saw a Dinosaural Tube Bender pop up on eBay for a great Buy It No price - so I bought it without hesitation. Funnily enough, there was another one of these which I made an (unsuccessful) offer for recently... which I am now delighted about, as that one, which didn't look in the best cosmetic condition, sold for over 60% more than the one I ended up buying - which, while it is a bit grubby (but cleanable) is complete with the box and instruction booklet. The only issue with it is that the status LED doesn't work, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest - I am used to using old, LED-less pedals... or I could just take a few minutes and replace the LED...
Initially, just as with the Lovetone Brown Source overdrive, I was a little underwhelmed by the Tube Bender. However, the more I use it, the more I like it. The Tube Bender is a slightly unusual design in that its whole character changes as the gain is increased; it makes an excellent clean boost, and the low-mid gain settings are very authentically 'tube-like' in sound and feel. Increase the drive further and it becomes blatantly apparent that the Tube Bender is a fuzz. There is also a 'Tone Shift' switch on the side which adds even further to the versatility of this pedal. Actually, describing the Tube Bender as merely 'versatile' is an understatement.
|
|
|
