Effect Extra

eBay isn't perfect, by any stretch of the imagination...

2012-01-22T11:52:00.002Z

...but sometimes you have to love it!

I've been trying to limit my pedal-buying for a while now [to have more time to focus on making music], but sometimes you see a deal that is just too tempting, don't you?

About a week ago, I was casually browsing on eBay, when I saw a TC Electronic Sustain+ Parametric EQ (SPE) with a Buy It Now price of £60 (approx €72 / $93 at today's exchange rates).

Due to the way eBay shortens long listing headings, in the list of search results it just read as "t.c. electronic sustain + eq. vintage guitar effect ped..." .

I thought to myself: "Those things normally sell for a lot more than that, so it's probably broken... but I'll have quick look at it anyway..."

So, I click the link and then notice the full listing heading and the second photo... "Oh, it must be two broken pedals. I'll just read the description as they may still be worth buying to fix up."

My suspicions [that the pedals were broken] proved to be completely wrong!

£60 for an 80s TC SPE and a 70s (MIJ) Loco Box Mysto-Dysto?

Yes please!

Both are fully working, and in great condition; the Loco Box has a couple of chips to the fluorescent paintwork, and the TC only has minimal signs of wear along the front and left-hand edges.

Here they are:

TC Electronic Sustain+ Parametric Equalizer

Micro Effect Series

Made in Denmark

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Loco Box Mysto-Dysto

Micro Effect Series

Made in Japan

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)
See also: Electra 500D Distortion

It was actually the Mysto-Dysto I was most interested in [regular readers will be fully aware that I have a fondness for older Japanese pedals], and I was fully expecting to try the SPE out and then sell it on. That all changed, for now at least, once I tried it out...

TC Sustain+, that's a compressor, right?

Kind of, but not really. It can't really be used in place of a typical compressor, as even with the sustain turned right down, it is already super-squashed. The compression ratio is very high so it almost functions more like a limiter.

For a modern day alternative, the SPE can be compared to the Pigtronix Philospher's Tone for the endless sustain effect that they can both do, but the SPE is much better at it in my opinion (I don't like the way the Philospher's Tone affects the note attack, making it too clicky for my taste - the SPE is much, much smoother).

I had read some complaints about the SPE being noisy, but I haven't found that at all... I was playing today with the SPE boosting a maxed-out Sovtek Big Muff, with my Epi Casino (a signal chain that would be expected to be noisy), and the noise levels were still acceptable with the noise suppressor turned right down (off); turn it up a little and everything was fine.

The parametric EQ is really good too, and very useful. The 'distortion' switch is very subtle, but does make a difference.

The Mysto-Dysto is an excellent pedal too if anyone's interested... it goes from completely clean to a moderately high-gain, ragged, fuzz-tinged distortion - exactly the sort of distortion sounds I like - and the tone control is highly effective.

All in all, a pretty good deal, I think.

I'll spend some more time using the pedals and plan to be back soon with full reports.

* * *

Last thing: here's a scan of a 70s Loco Box catalogue, showing the Mysto-Dysto (top-left) with the rest of the range.

...

FUZZ OFF!

2011-07-19T18:59:00.001+01:00

Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi: (L-R)

V4 op-amp version, w/tone-bypass
V5 op-amp version, w/tone-bypass
V6 w/tone-bypass

Needless to say, they all sound great; the op-amp models instantly recall early Smashing Pumpkins tones, and the V6 is filthy - easily the fuzziest Big Muff I've heard to date.

* * *

The amplifier pictured is my mid-1980s Session Rockette 30; an excellent, solid state British amp with a couple of nifty tricks up its sleeve. This amp is worthy of a full article of its own...

A quick link, a mini review and a bargain or three

2011-06-24T17:14:00.015+01:00

* 1 *

For anyone interested in Electro-Harmonix and - more specifically - their Big Muff pedals, here is an excellent website which is packed with information: Big Muff Pi Page.

[This has now been added to my Links page.]

* 2 *

Who likes reverb?

Who likes reverb, but doesn't want to spend loads of money on an all singing, all dancing multi-function pedal, or one with unnecessary, gimmicky modes ('shimmer', 'modulated reverb' etc.)?

If you answered "I do", "me", or something else to that effect, I may have a suggestion for you....

I will start off though, by saying that I have never really been a fan of reverb pedals for guitar. I don't know why, but it could be because I am used to using amps with real spring reverb, or studio rack reverb processors (or plugins) which are (subjectively, of course) of a much higher quality than most guitar reverb pedals.

[NOTE: 'Plugins' refer to software effects in a computer-based recording set up.]

The only reverb pedal I've really liked is the DOD FX45. But that's a fairly quirky analogue pedal; excellent for a touch of subtle room reverb-type ambience (or weirdness at extreme settings) but not really a 'proper' reverb pedal or what I needed. The Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai can also be dialled in for a pretty good reverb, but then you're missing out on everything else it can do. Other delay pedals - in particular the Danelectro FAB Echo and Guyatone PS-006 Analog Echo - are excellent at ambient effects and, at a push, can be used as substitutes for a genuine reverb unit.

Even when I used a very popular, oft-raved about 'boutique' reverb pedal*, I was completely underwhelmed and actually found it reminiscent of a budget Zoom reverb/multi-effects processor that I used to own over a decade earlier.

* Mentioning no names, although I suspect the maker is neither a doctor nor a scientist.

So, what do I want from a reverb?

Something that approximates a surf-y spring reverb or a small-medium hall will do just fine. In other words, something that sounds traditional and not too effect-y. What I don't want/need are gimmicky modulated or pitch-shifted reverb modes. Reverse reverb sounds good and can be a lot of fun, but I don't need that either.

So, what could I buy?

As I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something that isn't that important to my sound - I wanted something to add a touch of ambience to a couple of amps that don't have on-board reverb of their own, there weren't that many options...

At the lower budget end of the market:

The Danelectro Corned Beef Reverb - actually, this isn't a bad pedal but it isn't really a reverb; it's more of a metallic, slap-echo...
One of the Behringers? For reasons I can't be bothered to explain, despite having a passing interest in a few of their pedals, I haven't yet been able to bring myself to buy a Behringer pedal. (That was actually about to change, but that was not by choice. See below.)
Biyang RV-10 Tri Reverb...

* 3 *

Biyang RV-10 Tri Reverb

Baby Boom! Series
Made in China
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The Biyang RV-10 currently sells for just under £50 in the UK, but when I found one for under £30, it was definitely worth a try. I didn't expect much from it, but I have been very pleasantly surprised.

It has a very basic feature set: three modes (Hall, Spring and Room), with two variations for each (A and B) and finally, blend and time controls. The build quality seems fine - although only time will tell on that score.

How does it sound?

In a word: excellent.

The sounds from the Tri Reverb are on a par with those from many rack processors and plugins I've used. It's really - and I mean really - quiet; I haven't noticed any extra noise whatsoever.

True, the Spring mode isn't the most authentic or believable, but it's still a good sound in its own right. The longest settings (in Hall mode) maybe aren't quite long enough for ambient music, but do verge on being cavernous as far as I'm concerned.

What I really like, is that it actually sounds good when combined with distortion/fuzz and doesn't change the tonality of the distortion. Nor does it swamp your distorted tones; I can quite happily have a nice reverb sound for cleans, kick on a fuzz and it still sounds 'right'. Sometimes reverb can wash out fuzz and distortion, or seem like too much. Not with the RV-10.

Things I like:

Good range of sounds - for standard reverb effects (although, truth be told, the hall, spring and room modes aren't radically different)
Sounds equally good with fuzz or distortion as it does with clean sounds
No nonsense

Things that some people may NOT like:

Lack of gimmicks - no 'special' modes

I'll try to knock up a video of it in action soon.

* 4 *

Last thing for today...

At prices like this, you can never have too many pedals!

Boss TU-3 - "new and unused"

Behringer CO600 - clone of Boss CE-5

Pumpkins pedals

2011-06-17T12:58:00.007+01:00

I just watched this and thought it may be of interest to some of you:

Hands up who else was looking for pedals that they own too!

Tremolo Round-up (Part.2) - UPDATED

2011-06-03T17:08:00.002+01:00

[Originally published 21/10/10; updated for new additions.]

Click here for Part.1.

* * *

Danelectro Cool Cat CT-1 Tremolo
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Very simple and straightforward. You have a choice of two waveforms, but for some reason, the Depth control is disabled (and fixed at 100%) in the square wave mode. The Cool Cat Tremolo offers a decent range across its settings, and goes about its business in a very workmanlike way. If you're only an occasional tremolo user, the CT-1 is still worth a look and it is very hard to beat on price.

Some people don't like the aesthetics of the Cool Cat pedals, but I happen to think they're OK (they definitely look better in person than in pictures). And besides, the way a pedal looks should be way down your list of priorities!

* * *

Danelectro DJ-5 Tuna Melt Tremolo
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Essentially the same in features and performance as the Cool Cat Tremolo. Some people complain about the small, fiddly controls, and that it's hard to see where the controls are set; neither are complaints that I share.

So, like the Cool Cat - and reliability issues aside (see below*) - this remains a good choice for those with occasional tremolo needs, or who don't need a feature-laden pedal. The low price makes it an even more attractive proposition.

For what it's worth, I like it.

* Reliability issues?

Detractors often comment upon the plastic casing, but, in my experience, these pedals should hold up just fine so long as they are treated with respect. My main concern (long-term) would be with regards to the PCB-mounted jacks. Over time - for a variety of reasons - it is possible that the jacks will develop problems. These problems are easily fixed, but will still be an unwelcome inconvenience for many guitarists.

* * *

DOD FX22 Vibrothang

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

OK, so it's not just a tremolo, but it could be pressed into service as one if there's nothing else available. Ignoring the phasing capabilities, the Vibrothang can do a good, round, pulsing tremolo... the BIG drawback though, is that with the phasing turned down, the tone from this pedal is overwhelmingly dark. In some musical situations that may prove useful, but usually it won't.

[In the Tremolo Table I give this two sets of ratings; first as just a tremolo (where it doesn't score too highly) and secondly for the pedal as a whole (where it fares rather better!).]

Read my full review - with videos - HERE.

* * *

Guyatone VTm5 Veri-Trem
(Mighty Micro Series)

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The VTm5 has lots of features for such a minuscule pedal. Mighty Micro indeed!

There are three waveforms on offer (sine, triangle and square), a master volume control and even a high roll-off control. The Veri-Trem has a wide range of speeds and is very versatile.

This is a stunning little pedal offering a range of effects from soft flutters, through deep throbs to abrupt pulses. Every time I use this pedal, I have a big grin on my face.

If I'm being fussy, I'd say the square wave mode isn't as choppy as on some other pedals - but then this is a 'vintage' style tremolo after all. And, the high roll-off control is an unusual addition, which many people will find no use for. [The control was included as all of the Mighty Micros share the same format: 3 full-sized controls, one sliding toggle switch and one mini trimmer. I can't help but think there may have been a better use for the mini trim control though.]

My only gripe - and this goes for all of the Mighty Micro pedals - is that they are VERY expensive (in the UK and Europe at least); these pedals cost a considerable amount more than those from their competitors such as Boss and Digitech (Hardwire).

* * *

Nobels TR-X Tremolo
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

More options than most other low-to-mid-priced tremolo pedals. Four waveform options - although, there are actually only two available waveforms (sine and square) with two variations of each. There is a lot of overlap across the waveforms, and I don't think many people would complain if there were only two choices. Also, the square wave settings aren't that choppy - there is a definite ramp up/down to the waveform (particularly evident at slower speeds), so I'd describe this as more of a retro tremolo pedal.

It scores points over other pedals by having a volume control; I've read reviews that claimed even with this all the way up there is a volume drop, but that isn't the case with mine (unity with the bypassed signal is at around 2:00, thereby giving plenty of scope to boost level).

A very interesting, noteworthy feature is the 'Tone' control. This doesn't work as you'd expect, and the manual doesn't go into any great depth to offer an explanation. The Tone control acts on the high frequencies, so at it's minimum position, you will get a standard, full-range (tonally transparent) tremolo. As you turn the Tone up, you will notice the treble frequencies are less modulated and seem to sit on top of the effect. At the maximum position, the treble frequencies are practically untouched and the bass will be pulsing away. It's a great feature.

The metal casing and general construction inspire confidence, but the potentiometers are of the plastic-post variety (and are not chassis-mounted), so I could easily envisage them getting broken if you're not careful.

* * *

Onerr CT-1 Copper Tremolo

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The Onerr CT-1 is a decent sounding, traditional, amp-style tremolo.

It is similar in many ways - and comparable - to a Boss TR-2, sharing an identical control set and a strong sonic resemblance. Much of what I have said about the TR-2 will also apply to the Copper Tremolo; it is a no frills, solid (Onerr effects seem to be well built and rugged in construction) and predictable effect - it does what it was designed to do; no more, no less.

Much like the TR-2, the Copper Tremolo excels at soft, subtle tremolo and even with the Wave control set all the way to the right - the 'square wave' setting - it doesn't get that choppy. It will probably do just fine for most people, but I like square wave tremolo to be a complete on-off chop.

One point worth mentioning is that the Rate control has a very wide sweep. Most of the more usable speed settings are in the first half of the Rate pot's travel; above halfway it gets really fast and - depending on where the Depth and Wave controls are set - some psuedo-ring modulator sounds can be attained.

* * *

Red Witch Pentavocal Trem
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Good sound; volume control with plenty of boost available; nice looking pedal. Those are the good things about this pedal. It also has a unique 'Bottom' feature, which cuts treble and mid frequencies by a user-defined amount as the amplitude decreases. It sounds lovely and is a major selling point above other tremolo pedals.

There are however, some not so good things. You have a footswitch-able choice of soft or hard tremolo, yet there is no visual reference. Also, the whole Pentavocal feature is lost on me; I know some people like this feature, but I don't want my tremolo pedals to alter my tone too much.

This could have been a great pedal - the 'Bottom' feature is worth another mention - but I feel it is let down by some strange design choices.

* * *

Rocktron The Surf
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Great for choppy tremolo - which is no doubt aided by the built in 'Hush' (noise gate) circuitry which you can use to tighten the chop. Also has a triangle wave mode, but rather than using a toggle switch to change the mode, there are separate outputs.

This is one of the best square wave trems I've used, and the addition of Rocktron's signature 'Hush' effect and a separately switch-able compressor/enhancer increases it's usefulness.

Quite hard to find, but well worth checking out.

* * *

Voodoo Lab Tremolo

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The Voodoo Lab offering is yet another excellent, traditional amp-style tremolo. This one benefits from an additional Volume control (so there will be no perceived volume drop unless you want one!) and a Slope control which fine-tunes the waveform of the modulation.

This is an excellent pedal and one that I like a lot. It is another one like the Demeter Tremulator and Monster Effects Swamp Thang that are slightly limited in features, but do exactly what they are supposed to - nailing a specific vintage amp tremolo style.

* * *

Chorus Round-up (Part.3)

2011-04-02T11:52:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since I started this series, but here is Part.3 of my Chorus Round-up; just a small (but varied) selection this time.

You can find the first two parts and also the Ratings Table via my Pedal Round-ups directory).

* * *

Boss DC-3 Digital Dimension

[aka Boss DC-3 Digital Space D]

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Often overlooked in favour of - and deemed far less desirable than - its predecessor, the DC-2. But that does it a disservice. I'd wager that its lesser reputation is more evidence of prejudice from (some) guitarists towards digital effects than of it being an inferior effect.

When judged on merit, with complete disregard for the nature of the circuit within, this pedal does exactly what it sets out to (particularly when used in stereo), which is to produce a very spacious, dimensional effect.

The effect is quite subtle compared to some other choruses – the vibrato is fairly shallow – but the ‘Tone’ control allows lots of variety; allowing the DC-3 to sound bright and processed or (when dialled back) very natural and not 'digital' at all.

In all honesty, I prefer the DC-3 to the DC-2 (which I find very limited).

The name of the DC-3 was changed from ‘Digital Dimension’ to ‘Digital Space-D’ in 1989. At the same time, Boss stopped offering the DC-3 to other markets than Japan.

* * *

Danelectro DC-1 Cool Cat Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

[Note: This is for the original 18v version; I haven't used the 9v model.]

For some reason, I was expecting a bright, shimmery chorus, but it's actually very warm sounding; the modulation blends nicely with the dry sound to create a very characterful effect.

At slower speeds the DC-1 adds a thickness without being too chorus-y, while at higher rates the modulation is very audible and the Cool Cat wobbles with the best of them. Really, it does.

The DC-1 Cool Cat is a 'stereo' pedal with a one wet, one dry output pairing and - with a dummy jack in the second output - can be tricked into being a vibrato.

There is an almost gritty quality to the modulated signal (it does use an analogue delay circuit after all) which I really like, although, it does add a little noise too. It's by no means noisy - I've heard much worse, but it may bother some people. There is also a very apparent volume boost when the effect is engaged too, which could also be considered a mark against it.

Overall though, the DC-1 is pretty impressive and is worth investigating.

My one real issue with this range of Danelectro pedals is with regards to the construction, more accurately, the jacks. They are PCB mounted and are not bolted to the chassis. I would worry that over time, with regular use, there is a chance that the jacks could develop problems. However, the pedals as a whole feel well made and are pretty hefty, so I'm probably worrying about nothing.

* * *

Digitech PDS-2715 Rock Box (Distortion and Chorus)

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

With the Digitech/DOD range of PDS pedals, the most common and familiar are the various digital delays. However, there were several other pedals in the range, including this dual pedal combining (individually switch-able) analogue distortion with a digital chorus.

The distortion is nothing special in all honesty, it's good for lo-fi crunch but is about as bland and generic an 80s 'metal' distortion as you'll ever hear. But that's not why we're here today...

The chorus is digital but please don't let that put you off. After using the effect, I had no idea it was digital until I read the manual... and I had to read it several times before I believed it.

In keeping with several early DOD/Digitech pedals (and a trait that is shared with many Electro-Harmonix offerings), the controls are very wide ranging and get in to extreme territory pretty quickly.

The chorus half of this pedal has controls for Effect Level, Speed, Depth and Delay Time.

For 'normal' chorusing effects, the controls (particularly the Depth and Delay Time) need to be kept quite low. Beyond halfway on the Depth control for example, the detuning is very pronounced to the point that everything you play will sound wildly out of tune.

The PDS-2715 would be one for the more experimental among us, but even despite its quirks and limited musical applications, I really like it: I wish there was a single pedal version of it.

* * *

Ibanez CS5 Super Chorus

(Soundtank Series)

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

A budget chorus but not a budget sound. The CS5 is a very nice sounding effect; it is very much in the bright, shimmery school of chorus pedals, and thanks to the delay time control, a wide variety of chrous effects can be achieved. From subtle, almost imperceptible movement to blatant, spacious doubling this does it all.

My only reservation is with regards to the build quality; these plastic pedals do feel very fragile. That said, I've seen lots of Soundtank pedals which are still going strong after years of use.

* * *

It's that time again: Melx's Red Nose Day Charity Auction 2011

2011-03-11T15:52:00.015Z

UPDATE:

_______

"I just wanted to say a massive big thank you to 'LaceSensor' who won the auction and just as importantly, thanks to everyone who bid on the auction.... you all did your bit, if you lot didn't bid the auction up then we wouldn't have raised as much money.

£21 might not seem a lot of money to us, but to some people it is the difference between life and death.

well, just... Thanks to you all......... as you know, to someone somewhere it will make a massive difference.

....... you are all brilliant people!!! :)

80p for a malaria testing kit? £1.20 for emergency drugs to keep people alive until they get to hospital? ... lets go and buy some and save some lives.

thank you." - Melx

Guyatone MO3 Micro Octaver

2011-03-08T16:54:00.011Z

Micro Effect Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

"The MO-3 Micro Octaver is a 100% analogue octave divider based on a vintage 1970’s Guyatone circuit. The MO-3’s operation will vary greatly depending on input signal and playing dynamics. Featuring One Octave Down, Two Octaves Down, and Dry Blend, the MO-3 can create a wide variety of effects, from standard “doubling effects” to more bizarre synth-like tones reminiscent of such desirable vintage pedals as the MXR Blue Box and Mutron Octave Divider. If you are an experimental musician looking for a unique effect with tons of personality and a highly unpredictable nature, then the MO-3 is the pedal for you!"

- Guyatone description

The MO3 was something of a surprise to me. I have used other analogue octave-down effects - such as the Korg OVD-1 - and had always presumed the Guyatone octavers were the same kind of thing. I was wrong.

Whereas something like the Korg unit can be used to simulate bass tones using an electric guitar (admittedly with limited success), you can forget about that with the MO3. Unless, of course, your idea of a bass is a distorted, glitchy mess.

It doesn't sound too promising, does it?

Well, here's the thing, while it can sometimes - initially at least - be a little unpredictable (as promised by Guyatone), and it glitches, wobbles and generally destroys your carefully crafted tone, it is a lot of fun to use and very usable. For subtle thickening of riffs and lead lines, the MO3 works a treat. But where the fun really starts is when you push the controls to the point where your guitar sounds like a broken synth.

It takes a little getting used to but pretty quickly, the once 'unpredictable' nature will actually be accepted as part of the effect; you'll work out that where and how you play your notes influences the overall effect, and even the glitches will become somewhat controllable.

Controls:

There are three level controls to set the volume of each octave respectively (normal/dry, -1 and -2). In addition there is a mini gain trim control which, as you'd expect, sets the signal level going through the effect circuitry. A lower input will result in less distortion but significantly improved tracking of notes, whereas a stronger input will result in more distortion but less accurate tracking. There is also a 3-way 'Filter' switch which also affects the overall amount of distortion and quality of tracking; with the filter switch turned off, the maximum amount of distortion is available. The remaining two filter options tame the distortion (and improve the tracking) to varying degrees.

Playing technique is also very important in getting different sounds out of this pedal; your control of dynamics can be seriously tested.

Guyatone Octavers - The Evolution:

___________________________

PS-106 Dual
Box Octaver

For simpler doubling effects, it is best to just use one of the lower octaves in combination with the direct sound. This will produce the cleanest, smoothest sound with the best tracking of notes. It isn't really going to sound as accurate or natural as you'd get with one of Electro-Harmonix's pitch shifters (either the HOG, or one of the POG series), but that's not really the point.

It is worth pointing out at this moment (better late than never!) that the MO3 is monophonic, so it is unfair of me to even mention the EHX HOG/POGs as they are very different things. Playing power chords through the MO3 can sound OK, but playing chords will usually result in the octaves jumping around.

I notice that the MO3 lacks sustain (running a compressor before the Micro Octaver doesn't even seem to help). It seems as though once the signal level falls below a certain threshold, the octave signal sputters out in a fashion reminiscent of how a gated fuzz strangles the life out of your notes.

It is when you start to blend the two lower octaves that some of the more interesting effects occur. The two octaves - one and two octaves down - will at times fight with each other for dominance. This can result in 'evolving' synth-type sounds which, when combined with other effects (e.g. filters, phasers, chorus, distortion etc.) can produce some very un-guitar-like textures.

VERDICT:

The Guyatone MO3 Micro Octaver is certainly a niche product, but I'm sure most guitarists would get a kick out of using it. Just as I do. No, it's not something you'll want to use all the time but the same can be said of many effects. Think of the MO3 as a fun little 'instrument' for special occasions and enjoy it.

Also, it has to be one of the cutest pedals I've ever seen.

______________________________________________________

NOTE: In this video, I had the pre-gain control set quite high - this means the tracking is quite slow; you'll hear the effected signal lag behind the direct sound.

Gear used:

Guitar - Epiphone Casino

Amp - 1980s Roland Cube 20
Recording set-up - via Palmer PDI-09 Speaker Sim/DI, to Adobe Audition on PC (via MOTU audio interface) with no additional processing.

"Call that a demo?"

2011-03-07T15:22:00.015Z

Well, no, actually.

I have received several messages through YouTube from people complaining about the lack of thoroughness in my 'demos'. The specific complaint is that I don't (always) make a point of methodically sweeping each control through its entire range to show everything it can do.

Personally, I find those kind of 'demos' a bit boring and not always representative of how a pedal would sound, or be used in a real life situation.

When making the videos I tend to play around with the pedal and try to find sounds that I like. After recording between 5 and 10 minutes of material (depending on the complexity and versatility of the pedal), I'll edit the video (I try to keep the videos fairly short), picking out what I think are the best sounds OR a selection of sounds which I think best show the range of the pedal. That's it.

Some of the much-appreciated constructive criticism I've received has included such insights as "Call that a demo?" and "Why did you even bother?" about one of my DOD Vibrothang videos.

Helpfully, in response to my video for the Boss MZ-2 Digital Metalizer, I was called a "stupid guitarist" for recording the pedal in mono. Given that 96.3% of guitarists* play in mono, I thought it was sensible to record it that way.

*64.7% of statistics are made up on the spot.

Anyway, with regards to my videos, I don't think of them as "demos" as much as I think of them as companion pieces to this blog. And they're not so much full demonstrations as they are teasers, like a trailer for a film.

In other words, watching my videos will show just some of what the pedal is capable of. Hopefully my videos include enough to help you decide whether you want to try the pedal for yourself, but you can rest assured that if you do, there is usually plenty more to be discovered.

More and more pedals...

2011-02-12T17:41:00.032Z

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.

Dinosaural is/was a company set up by Dan Coggins, the Lovetone co-founder and circuit designer. I've read (on the ever-informative but not always accurate or reliable internet) that only 100 Tube Benders were made.

I haven't given any exact prices for the individual buys, as I don't want it to come across as though I'm bragging about my skills as a bargain-pedal finder (which I guess I am, really!), but I will say that the total cost was a few pence short of £150 - so that's roughly £37.50 per pedal. Not a bad haul in my opinion.

Back Soon...

2011-02-03T16:26:00.004Z

So, I've been a bit quiet of late - no new posts in over a month! - but don't worry, Effect Extra is still going strong and more reviews and features will be up soon.

I had taken a little break over the Christmas and new year period, but I've also had some personal/family stuff going on - which has taken up the bulk of my time in the last few weeks.

We're all interested in music/pedals etc., otherwise we wouldn't be here, but I'm sure we can all agree that there are far more important things in life.

Anyway, as I said, some new reviews and features are forthcoming.

Zoom UF-01 Ultra Fuzz

2010-12-15T18:24:00.038Z

Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

When thinking of Zoom effects, no doubt the first things that will come to mind are their multi-effect units - either rackmount or floor-based. It comes as a surprise to some people that they also produced a range of 100% analogue pedals. This range included the UF-01 Ultra Fuzz.

A factory of fuzz?

Many people consider the Ultra Fuzz to be a 'poor man's Zvex Fuzz Factory'. They do certainly have a lot in common but, if anything, the UF-01 has slightly more up its sleeve.

Whereas the Fuzz Factory is solely derived from a classic fuzz circuit, the Ultra Fuzz offers two different fuzz voicings and (with its 'Color' control) allows the user to blend between the two to create new tones and textures.

* * *

Fuzz Voicings:

Zoom refer to the two different fuzz voicings as 'tight' and 'boomy' but they are generally regarded as Fuzz Face and Big Muff Pi voicings.

Other pedals
from the
same series:

PD-01
Power Drive

HL-01
Hyper Lead

TM-01
Tri Metal

They're not that authentic in my opinion, if that is indeed what they're supposed to be. Personally though, I prefer to judge the UF-01 in its own right.

* * *

Like the Fuzz Factory, the Ultra Fuzz is very tweakable - as you'd expect from a pedal with six controls - and is capable of some very extreme effects. A slight adjustment of the controls (particularly the Gate and Reso (resonance) controls) can take you from 'normal' fuzz tones, through gated effects, to harsh ripping sounds and velcro fuzz. And that's before you get into the realms of oscillations and glitches.

As is common with many other fuzz pedals, the UF-01 is very responsive to changes to your guitar's controls; adjusting the volume and/or tone controls on your guitar can 'tune' the resonance and feedback of the Ultra Fuzz. To make the most of this pedal-guitar interaction, the Ultra Fuzz needs to be connected directly to your guitar - i.e. it should be the first effect in your chain and should definitely not have any buffers in front of it. [I have had mixed results with (bypassed) true-bypass equipped pedals in front of the UF-01.]

The Ultra Fuzz, particularly when you take the two fuzz voicings into consideration, has a very wide gain range - from clean to high gain. It doesn't have as much gain on tap as a Big Muff, but it should have enough to satisfy most people.

This video should give you a taste of the

sounds the Ultra Fuzz is able to produce.

* * *

The UF-01 is a great pedal for experimentalists. In combination with some other effects and with a little imagination, a wide range of tones can be produced; from searing, synth-like sounds to aggressive fuzz and more textural noises. In addition, it should also be able to keep all but the most ardent fuzz traditionalists happy. However, I must add that at times I find it a little synthetic sounding, even with the resonance turned down/off.

More good news is that the Ultra Fuzz can be found on the used pedal market for much less than a Fuzz Factory (or other comparable pedal). While it's true the Zoom name may not be as impressive to your friends, it shouldn't put you off. Keep an open mind and take a chance - you may like it!

* * * Notes about the video * * *

Gear used:

Guitar - Epiphone Casino
Recording set-up - 1980s Roland Cube 20 amp (DI'd through a Palmer PDI-09), to Cubase 5 (via a MOTU audio interface) with no additional processing.

EFFECT EXTRA Presents: Guyatone PS-007 Phaser, Omnifex 700D Distortion/Overdrive & Yamaha DDS-20M Digital Delay

2010-12-10T14:16:00.013Z

Testing and making videos of pedals in isolation only tells part of the story; how pedals interact with a guitar, amp and each other is where most of the fun in using them resides. The results can sometimes be very unexpected - which was certainly the case here.

Pedals used:

Guyatone PS-007 Phaser Effect Box Series Made in Japan (Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)
Omnifex 700D Distortion/Overdrive 700 Series Made in Taiwan (PCB stamped with 'Japan') (Discofreq’s Effects Database page.) Reviewed here.
Yamaha DDS-20M Digital Delay/Sampler Series 10 Made in Japan (Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The distortion is fairly standard (but fuzzy), the delay adds some thickness and density, while the phaser adds spice...

Here's a quick video showing this pedal combination in action.

For what it's worth, the Guyatone PS-007 Phaser can also produce standard, familiar phase and vibe-like sounds, but the resonant effect I stumbled across (completely by accident) inspired me to make the short video; I thought it was a noise worth sharing. [Note: I'm playing the same chords when I switch the phaser on.]

* * * Notes about the video * * *

Gear used:

Guitar - Epiphone Casino
Amp - (1980s?) Roland Cube 40 Chorus
Recording set-up - Shure SM57 via DAV BG1 preamp, to Cubase 5 on PC (via a MOTU audio interface) with no additional processing.

Omnifex 700D Distortion/Overdrive

2010-12-01T18:35:00.022Z

700 Series
Made in Taiwan (PCB stamped with 'Japan')
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Related: Electra 600D Distortion/O.D.
600 Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The Omnifex 700D is a re-branded version of the Electra 600D and was also sold as Solec DO-131 Distortion+O.D.

While the Omnifex 700D is billed as a distortion and/or overdrive, that doesn't really tell the whole story; nor does it present a very accurate picture. There's no need for me to delay in saying that the 700D is - more often than not - a nasty sounding effect.

The tones from this box are generally harsh, messy and aggressive, as opposed to being smooth and fluid; the overdrive could also - at times - be described as brittle. I know that isn't a very promising collection of words but please read on anyway; things aren't always as they seem...

Controls and features:

Distortion/Overdrive toggle switch

Level

Depth - gain/distortion

Equalizer

Input jack

Two output jacks; 'Stereo' is a direct, dry output.

Check (status) LED

Distortion or Overdrive? Both? Or neither?

Firstly, there is a big difference between the two modes. It sounds to me as though the Overdrive mode merely removes the clipping diodes from the circuit; thereby reducing the level of distortion (and compression) but raising the overall volume. [A cursory glance inside seems to support this theory, although I could be wrong; there is a mass of wiring inside, which is bundled tightly together and I didn't have the patience to trace things out thoroughly.]

On its own, the 'overdrive' (with the gain turned up) is aggressive, dry and brittle; it has a 'vintage' sound to it and the way it breaks up begs for you to really bash out some chords - the decay is messy so sustained notes and chords are less well served. The overdrive (with a clean amp) is not pretty - it is not a tubescreamer by any stretch of the imagination (which is how I've seen it described on ebay!) - but its tone and texture could have uses in a band/mix setting.

BUT... if you think of the overdrive mode as an overdriver - like the Colorsound Overdriver for example - and use it to boost an already driven amp or another pedal, the 700D becomes much more powerful, flexible and useable. In this role, the Omnifex 700D really can perform well.

Flip the switch to 'Distortion' and the 700D greets you with a boost in gain/distortion and a change in overall tone. Whereas the overdrive mode is warmer (requiring the tone control to be turned up for definition), the distortion is much brighter and, in a word: harsh. Again, like the overdrive mode, the distortion is not pretty and verges on being a fuzz tone (I think of it as a 'fuzztortion').

The tone control has a wide range, going from soft, muffled and mellow (when turned down) to abrasive, harsh and rasping (when turned up). Adjustments to the tone control can bring out and highlight certain overtones and, at times, I can almost hear a superimposed 'screech'.

The 700D can be very picky about the amp it's paired with - I prefer it with a darker voiced-amp - but, if you want a dirty boost, a harsh distortion or a lo-fi overdrive, it could fit the bill.

One quick mention re: the 700D's bypass...

It sounds fine to me when the switch is set to distortion (although, I'm not one to really complain about tone-loss, so some sensitive souls out there may disagree with me) but, with the switch set to overdrive, there is a clearly audible effect bleed through (when the gain is turned up).

* * *

0:00 - 2:54; Distortion mode
2:44 - 6:42; Overdrive mode
6:43 - end; Overdrive mode as a boost (with Barber LTD Silver overdrive pedal)

* * *

Should I stay or should I go?

The Omnifex 700D is one of those pedals that I don't always like, yet it has a quality and roughness that is sometimes desirable; sometimes a trashy guitar sound is exactly what is required. Failing that, it could find its niche as a boost - which is where I think it's at its strongest - with as much tonal colouring as you want, or for twisting and mangling your nice overdriven tone into a wall of noise.

I don't like it. But I really do.

* * * Notes about the video * * *

Gear used:

Guitar - Epiphone Casino
Barber LTD Silver overdrive
Recording set-up - 1980s Roland Cube 20 amp (DI'd through a Palmer PDI-09), to Cubase 5 (via a MOTU audio interface) with no additional processing.

Additional video content (details here):

Pedal evaluations:

When evaluating a pedal, it is important to remember where, when and how you will be using it. Pedals that may sound great on their own (e.g. Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi) don't always sound good live or on a recording, whereas other pedals (e.g. tubescreamers and suchlike) that may sound nasal or thin on their own, are perfect when you need to cut through in a band/mix.

Vox 1905 Chorus

2010-11-25T18:31:00.016Z

1900 Series
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)
Made in Japan 'to Vox specifications'

Related: Guyatone PS-110 Chorus Machine Box

Effect Box Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

As I mentioned in my review of the Vox 1901 Distortion, the six pedals that made up Vox's 1900 Series of effects pedals were largely just re-housings of selected 1970s Guyatone effects (from their Effect Box Series).

The Vox 1905 Chorus is very straightforward to use. There are three controls; the usual Intensity (depth) and Speed, and also an 'Input' control. The Input control is a gain control for the chorus circuit but almost acts more like an effect level control.

The instructions state that the Input should set so that the peak LED lights up occasionally, but I find that its setting is also linked to the effect depth and prominence. Lower Input level settings (even with the Intensity dialled right up) will produce a fairly mild chorus; around halfway sounds right to me for most things; or by turning it up further the modulated signal will become louder and stronger with a very vibrato-esque effect the result. [It's not quite a vibrato as the direct signal can still be heard - although not always very easily.]

Even with the Input level turned up (so the peak LED is almost constantly lit), I don't really hear any negative artefacts in the output; there is no increase in noise (the effect is very quiet, especially for its age) and there isn't any noticeable distortion. [Although, if your guitar has very high output pick-ups, your experience could differ from mine. The only time I've ever encountered any distortion from this pedal was when I tried it as a studio processor, feeding it with a line level signal - I had to heavily attenuate the signal to remove the distortion.]

Being a 1970s-designed effect (this is when the original Guyatone pedal was first produced), the effect is more warm, soft and subtle than what we're used to hearing today. Unlike most modern chorus pedals, the 1905 Chorus runs at 18v.

While the 1905 Chorus is excellent at subtle thickening effects, it is also capable of more prominent sounds with extreme settings. The waveform is nice and wobbly; not too precise and has a bit of a spring and bounce to it.

If you are in the market for a chorus pedal but don't want a bright/sparkly/shimmery/cheesy/80s/delete-as-appropriate effect, the Vox 1905 is one that is well worth investigating. It is one of the best I've used for subtle movement and thickening - I've even used it in a delay unit's effects loop for a very authentic tape-like flutter - but it can also be pushed for more out-there sounds. And it looks great.

* * * Notes about the video * * *

Gear used:

Guitar - Epiphone Casino
Recording set-up - 1980s Roland Cube 20 amp (DI'd through a Palmer PDI-09), to Cubase 5 (via a MOTU audio interface) with no additional processing.

Chorus Round-up (Part.2): Guyatone Edition

2010-11-24T14:55:00.013Z

Following on from Part.1 of my Chorus Round-up, here's the second instalment: a special Guyatone edition!

Don't forget to have a look at my Chorus Ratings table, which you can also find via my Pedal Round-ups directory.

* * *

Guyatone PS-002 Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Also sold through the following brands: Ampeg, Rozz and Westbury - see Discofreq's site for details.

Very similar to the Yamaha and Korg pedals which I looked at in Part.1, this is a simple pedal and veers towards the more subtle and musical end of the spectrum rather than being extreme and processed. It does - usefully - feature a hi-cut tone control (Guyatone labelled this as 'Brilliance' on several of their early pedals) which is something I wish more pitch modulation pedals had.

There is a little hiss when the effect is engaged but it isn't excessive and is very much on a par with other BBD-based pedals (e.g. analogue delays, choruses, flangers etc.). Also, the hiss can be tamed a little using the Brilliance control so it's not too big of a problem.

The PS-002 has two outputs which, when used in 'stereo', are deployed as a wet/dry pairing. HOWEVER, when used like this, the second output (which carries the effected signal) is only active when the pedal is engaged. This is a big drawback in my opinion and would also mean that while you can in theory use this pedal as a vibrato effect (with a dummy jack in the Direct Output), as soon as you bypass the effect you will also mute your signal. Of course, there are ways to get around this but as I have just said, this is a big drawback and a mark against the pedal.

The PS-002 is a bit of a mixed bag; it has some good points, some bad but is a solid, reliable pedal with just a touch more versatility than a typical two-knob chorus.

* * *

Guyatone PS-013 Stereo Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Also sold as Nady PS-013 Stereo Chorus - see Discofreq's site for details.

This, alongside the Pearl CH-02 and Electro-Harmonix Small Clone is a long-standing favourite of mine.

It does have a very shimmery quality to it which - in the wrong hands - could make it sound very 1980s, but it is a very versatile pedal and is particularly effective when used in stereo...

Each output has a dedicated Effect Balance (mix) control, so it is up to the user whether they want to have a wet output and dry output pairing, or varying degrees of chorus/vibrato from each output (the effect from the second output has had its phase inverted).

I have mixed feelings about the Rate and Depth controls being sliders rather than potentiometers; while I quite like them in a way, the taper isn't as responsive as it could be and not a lot happens in the middle section - i.e. the Depth slider will go from shallow to deep pretty quickly in the upper reaches of its travel.

One noteworthy use for the PS-013 is as a spacial, dimensional effect when used in stereo... it's easy to dial in a subtle but rich, widening effect which - in my (perhaps-biased) opinion - is better than a certain highly-regarded Boss pedal which would cost several times as much. [I've used them side by side and the PS-013 was the clear winner for me.]

* * *

Guyatone PS-017 Distortion & Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Also sold as Nady PS-017 Distortion & Chorus - see Discofreq's site for details.

The PS-017 is one of Guyatone's Double Effect pedals and included basic distortion and chorus effects which could be used independently or together - the pedal's function being decided via a three-position switch (toggling between chorus, distortion plus chorus and distortion only).

The distortion is very much of the retro variety and is very reminiscent of the Guyatone PS-001 Distortion.

The chorus effect is a little limited with just Rate and Depth controls and the amount of delay seems shorter than in the other Guyatone choruses, resulting in an almost flanger-like sound at lower speeds.

The PS-017 has the weakest chorus of any of the Guyatones and is definitely my least favourite. As a quirky, two-in-one pedal it holds some interest but, unless you find one very cheap, or are a collector, it is not one that I'd recommend too highly.

Also, I should just add that the combined distortion plus chorus mode sounds predictably dated and horrible. Although, of course, that's just my opinion.

* * *

Guyatone PS-023 Chorus/Flanger

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Also sold as Nady PS-023 Chorus/Flanger - see Discofreq's site for details.

Like the PS-017, this is also billed as a 'Double Effect' but is actually a three-in-one pedal; the mode switch toggles between chorus, flanger and vibrato.

The four knobs are Depth, Rate, Manual and Resonance - although the latter two are only active in flanger mode.

The range of speeds available isn't as wide as with the PS-018 Jet Sound Flanger (which goes both slower and faster), but that mild complaint only really applies to the flanger mode. In the chorus and vibrato modes, the range of both the Rate and Depth controls are perfect for most uses and the effect itself is rich and warm. Lovely.

The flanger mode is incredibly versatile with a lot of sounds on offer; from swooshes and sweeps to metallic chimes, oscillation and much more besides.

I rate the PS-023 as one of the stars of this range of effects.

* * *

Guyatone PS-028 Bass-CH Bass Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Very warm sounding; not overly bright and shimmery - but it does have a trick up its sleeve to get around that, if bright and shimmery qualities are desired.

The modulation is fairly mild but it has a lovely, irregular wobble. The PS-028 has a fairly limited range of speeds available; the top speed is sensible, yet I think some people (not myself, I should add) would like it to go a little faster.

This pedal has a wet and dry output pairing (if Output A is used alone, the wet and dry signals are summed to mono) which works well, and you can also use this purely as a pitch vibrato (a role which it performs with aplomb) by putting a dummy jack in the dry output.

Did I mention something about a the Bass-CH having a trick up its sleeve?

While a limited number of chorus pedals have a tone control - usually a low-pass filter, the PS-028 has a semi-parametric equaliser which acts upon the effected signal only. There is a Gain control (which boosts and cuts) and a Frequency control.

I have found that cutting frequencies sounds better, i.e. to make the chorus seem brighter and more shimmery you can cut some of the low frequencies, whereas if you want the effect to sound warmer, or more subtle, cutting the high or mid frequencies will achieve that.

Boosting with the EQ introduced some undesirable qualities at times... Too much low end muddies the effect, too much midrange or treble seemed to result in a honky or harsh sounding output. HOWEVER, I did find that (with the chorus speed and depth turned so the effect is unnoticeable, and/or using the wet output only) this can make a pretty decent boost pedal - it sounds great pushing my Matamp.

* * *

Guyatone MCm5 Chorus

(Mighty Micro Series)

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Very compact size but packed with features; unusually, there is even a master Level control so the MCm5 is not afflicted by any kind of volume boost/drop which can be very common with effects of this type.

It of course has standard Depth and Rate controls - the range of speeds is huge and the modulation can go a lot faster than I'd usually have any use for, which is both a good and bad thing. Good as it provides a wider palette of effects but bad as it makes fine adjustments slightly more difficult.

As with all of the Mighty Micro pedals, there is a mini trim (external) control which, in this case controls the dry:wet blend. Mix controls are something that I'd like to see on all chorus pedals as it opens up so many more possibilities; from very subtle, through very pronounced chorusing to 100% vibrato.

The final control - I saved the best for last - is a three position waveform switch. This is pretty much unheard of in compact, mass-produced chorus pedals. It essentially gives you three pedals in one as each waveform is very distinctive.

The three waveforms are:

Sine - fairly standard and traditional chorus/vibrato
Triangle - can be very deep, (and especially at faster rates) seasick and wobbly
Square - very unusual; it's more of a rhythmic effect and has a touch of tremolo about it.

Sonically, the MCm5 leans towards a sparkly, shimmering effect which can sound very pretty BUT, while I am a big fan of this pedal, I have to point out that it isn't perfect as, in some circumstances there are noise issues...

When used in front of an amp there is a noticeable amount of hiss (while the effect is engaged); this doesn't really bother me but I know a lot of people are very touchy about any kind of noise in their effect chains. HOWEVER, I've found that it is almost silent when used in an amp's effects loop or when I've used it with line level signals in a recording/mixing environment.

The second issue, is that when in bypass (Guyatone use a true-bypass method) you can hear an LFO tick through your amp which is in tempo with the effect. I have experienced this problem with the two MCm5s that I've used (including the one from my own collection) but the good news is that this issue is easily eradicated if not technically solved. As long as there is some kind of active circuitry* between your guitar and the pedal, the ticking goes away completely.
*This active circuitry can include a variety of things such as the preamp in an active guitar/bass, a buffered pedal or a true-bypass pedal that is left on (e.g. clean boost), and of course an amp's preamp if you're running this pedal in an effects loop.

If you can live with, or find solutions for its noise issues, the MCm5 should be able to cover all of your chorus or vibrato needs - and more.

* * *

Vox 1905 Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Included here as it is related to the Guyatone PS-110 Chorus Machine Box.

Warm sound. Excels at adding subtle movement or thickening effects but can also be pushed for more out-there sounds.

Read my full review - with video - here.

Part.3 to follow...

Children in Need Fuzz Pedal Auction!

2010-11-20T15:06:00.009Z

UPDATED: Melx's auction for his Marshall Supa Fuzz clone has ended, with the pedal selling for £44.43. Thanks to all those who bid and helped raise money for Children in Need.

Chorus Round-up (Part.1)

2010-11-13T16:32:00.050Z

As my Tremolo Round-ups proved quite popular, here's the first part in my Chorus Round-up.

* * *

Aria CH-5 Chorus (Stereo)
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Very warm – some may say ‘dark’ – tone, so it’s not your average bright, processed, 80s chorus sound. Due to this, it works really well when combined with distortion and would also be ideal if you have a preference for subtle modulation, or just don’t want your effects to completely take over your sound.

Good range and has an Intensity (mix) control so can be used as a vibrato too. Stereo outputs ARE stereo outputs and not a wet/dry pairing.

Read my full review - with videos - HERE.

* * *

Aria CH-10 Dual Stage Chorus (Stereo)
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Same as the CH-5 but has a 'Dual Stage' footswitch; press the switch normally (first click) to engage the first setting, press the switch firmly (second click) to engage the second setting.

This function allows the user to switch between two user-defined chorus/vibrato rates. However, I didn't find this function that useful as when changing the speed of a chorus effect, I'd usually want to adjust the depth too. It is a nice idea though.

* * *

BYOC Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

(See Electro-Harmonix Small Clone.)

This offers slightly more control than the Small Clone as it has a depth control rather than a two-position switch but, of course, the beauty of BYOC (and other DIY) pedals is that they are so easy to customise with countless modifications that can be made or extra features that can be added.

* * *

Danelectro Cool Cat CC-1 Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Unbeatable in terms of features and function to price and will give far more expensive pedals a run for their money. It really does sound great.

The mix and tone controls are very useful and add a lot of flexibility, making this pedal a very good choice whatever your budget and status.

As with the rest of the Cool Cat range, some people complain about the aesthetics, or the control layout, or the fiddly dual-ganged control (for the Mix and Tone on the CC-1) but really, none of those 'issues' bother me.

* * *

DOD 460 Mini Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Limited in features (mono and only two controls; Speed and Depth) and a little noisy (hiss) with a slight volume drop but it has plenty of character and is easy to use. Plus, 'vintage' pedals, like bow ties, are cool.

Steer clear though if:
You're fussy about the type of DC jack a pedal has. (These old DODs - being American - have 3.5mm mini-jack inputs for power.)
You must, must, must have true bypass pedals.

* * *

Electro-Harmonix Small Clone

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

OK, so it doesn't have a depth control meaning you're stuck with two preset options - one which some may complain is too deep, the other too shallow. And yes, it can be a bit rich, over the top and overwhelming (in true Electro-Harmonix fashion).

But, it just sounds so beautiful. Magical.

A flawed classic? Or just a classic?

If you can't get a great sound from a Small Clone, chorus probably isn't the effect for you.

* * *

Korg CHR-1 Chorus (Stereo)

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

(Yamaha CH-03 FB Chorus.)

This is a standard, typical 1980s stereo chorus (wet/dry outputs). It's not the most powerful sounding effect but sounds good and has a second mode which sounds very flanger-like and adds to its versatility; it's a fairly mild flanger though and not really viable as a replacement for a dedicated flanger.

I haven't examined the circuit but when switching to Mode 2 (what I've referred to as the flange mode), it sounds like the delay length is shortened AND some of the effected signal is fed back on itself.

By putting a dummy jack in the direct output, (like many other 'stereo' chorus pedals) the CHR-1 can be used as a vibrato.

A good all-rounder but not spectacular.

* * *

Pearl CH-02 Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Disclaimer: This is one of my absolute favourites.

The CH-02 has a gorgeous sound and thanks to additional Tone (low-pass filter for the processed signal) and Mix Balance (wet:dry mix) controls, a wide variety of effects can be coaxed from within.

Whether you want liquid chorus, subtle shimmers, vibrant vibrato or gentle, warm wobbles (and more besides) the Pearl delivers.

If you can find one (they're usually not that expensive) I highly recommend you buy it. [If not, the Danelectro CC-1 is the next best thing - it has identical features, a very similar sound and is readily available.]

[I've read that the Pearl CH-02 is based on the Boss CE-2 circuit - if anyone can confirm or deny this, please let me know (or leave a comment below).]

* * *

Peavey BAC-2 Bi-Amp Bass Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Produces a rich, hi-fi chorus effect with a very wide range. The bi-amping feature may have limited appeal - even to bass players - but is still a clever idea and distinguishes the BAC-2 from the crowd. It is suitable for use with a wide range of instruments and signal sources, and is very quiet in operation.

There were also guitar versions (CMC-1 Companded Chorus and DSC-4 Dual Clock Stereo Chorus) which - if they're as good as the BAC-2 - could be well worth investigating.

Read my full review - with video - HERE.

* * *

Washburn A-SC7 Stereo Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

A bright, shimmery 80s chorus effect; it doesn't get particularly deep but for what it does, it sounds good. At slower speed settings it sounds quite flanger-like.

The A-SC7 has also been available through several other brands - see the Effects Database page for details.

I don't see many of these for sale, but when I do, they are usually very cheap.

* * *

Yamaha CH-10MII Chorus (Stereo)

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Very similar in operation and sound to the Korg CHR-1, but lacking the second (flanger) mode.

* * *

Yamaha DSC-20M Digital Stereo Chorus

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Some people will immediately be put off by the fact that this is a digital effect, but they shouldn’t be.

It does add a hi-fi, 'digital' sheen to your sound which works really well for sparkly, shimmering clean tones but that is no reason for prejudice. This hi-fi quality is not so favourable when combined with distortion though as it can sound quite processed.

The three chorus types on offer are very different and some extreme, warbly effects can be achieved.

This is another one where you can use a dummy jack in the direct output to produce a vibrato effect.

* * *

Part.2: Guyatone Edition >>>

Part.3 to follow...

Peavey BAC-2 Bi-Amp Bass Chorus

2010-11-06T11:02:00.011Z

[NOTE: I'm reviewing the BAC-2 for use with a normal 6-string electric guitar.]

Made in the USA
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Peavey were obviously very proud of the range of effects which included the BAC-2...

"Hand crafted in the USA"

"Rack Mount Performance...
Floor Pedal Convenience"

Those are just two slogans they were throwing around as part of their marketing for these pedals.

* * *

The BAC-2 Bi-Amp Bass Chorus employs a fully companded, low noise design and Peavey state that it is equipped to handle high input signal levels - i.e. it is fine with line level signals.

The Bi-Amp function is mainly aimed at bass players, but it could probably be useful if you wanted to run an electric piano through it for example, or use it as a studio processor.

While using both outputs, the BAC-2 splits the signal at a crossover frequency of 350Hz; everything below that (the low frequencies) are sent to Output B and remain uneffected, while the mid and high frequencies (everything above 350Hz) are processed and sent to Output A.

This means that with a bass instrument, the low-end will remain intact, resulting in a cleaner processed sound with no low-e

nd loss due to phase cancellations.

Or, you can use the BAC-2 in mono, whereby Output B provides a full range effect.
[NOTE: The bi-amp frequency split remains
while the pedal is in bypass too.]

* * *

The BAC-2 is an easy to use pedal with just two controls to worry about; the usual, self-explanatory Speed and Depth. These controls have a considerable range from slow to very fast and barely-there to heavily-detuned respectively; so there's plenty of scope to dial in a wide range of chorus tones.

The resulting effects are very rich and complex. There is definitely some added sparkle - this is an 80s chorus pedal after all - but it isn't overly bright like some can be, and thanks to the companded design, it is 'studio quiet'... So maybe Peavey weren't too far off with their claims!

As I alluded to earlier, you can dial in a multitude of chorus effects with this pedal, from subtle shimmers and ripples to springy wobbles to over the top detuned undulations. These effects aren't always pleasant, but if you follow the general guideline with chorus pedals of low-speed/high-depth and high-speed/low depth you can't really go very far wrong.

Here's a short video:

In my tests, I didn't find bi-amping useful with a 6-string guitar in standard tuning (probably as the crossover frequency is so low - there typically isn't a lot going on below 350Hz) but in full-range (mono) mode, I really like it. It has such a wide range with lots of sweet spots, a pleasing hi-fi sound and will stand out when compared to many other chorus pedals.

* * * Notes about the video * * *

Gear used:

Guitar - Epiphone Casino
Amp - 1980s Roland Cube 20 with just a touch of reverb
Recording set-up - Shure SM57 dynamic mic, through DAV BG9 preamp, to Cubase 5 (via MOTU audio interface) with no additional processing.

Award MB10 Matchbox - [Shadows Version]

2010-11-02T18:38:00.007Z

MB10 - Shadows Version
Matchbox DI/Direct Recording Preamp
G12-Blue Speaker Simulation
Vox AC30 (Clean) Guitar Amp Emulation
Made in England by Award-Session
Original price £89.95/$160

If you know of UK-based company Award-Session, it will more than likely be their Sessionette amps or the JD10 Jerry Donahue preamp pedal you're most familiar with. The MB10 Matchbox was part of their early 90s range - from before the JD10 was introduced - and while it is a simple guitar DI-box/preamp at its heart, there is more to it than it first seems.

The Matchbox can be used with a wide variety of instruments and input sources thanks to its 'Sensitivity' switch and input gain control. The manual* suggest setting the switch to 'Inst' (instrument level) for use with electric guitars and basses, electro-acoustic guitars, effects pedals and high-Z microphones; and 'Line' (line level) for active guitars and basses, preamp outputs and studio equipment. [NOTE: It should never be attached to a power amp's speaker output.] The input gain control can be used to boost the output level quite considerably - which will help in providing a good signal level to the intended destination (mixing desk, PA, recording interface etc.).

*As with a lot of musical equipment, some rules are merely guidelines and the manual goes on to suggest trying the 'Input Sensitivity' switch in the wrong position - as it will provide a variation on the base tone (you'll need to compensate with the input gain control though)... using a (passive) guitar with the switch set to 'Line' will yield a softer tone - more about that later. [The reason for the change in tone is due to an impedance mis-match.]

The next function is a 'Guitar EQ' switch and treble control; the 'Guitar EQ' is a 3-band passive (amp-style) EQ voiced to produce an emulated amp sound - with fixed, preset bass and midrange settings and an adjustable, front-mounted treble control. [The treble control is only active while the 'Guitar EQ' switch is engaged.]

The final control is a switch to engage the 'Speaker Simulator' - the MB10 is equipped with Award-Session's (Celestion) G12T (12") speaker simulation, which is based upon the speaker simulation from their AW10 Sessionmaster preamp (the predecessor to the JD10).

Early models of the Matchbox only had 1/4" inputs and outputs, but pretty soon an XLR output was added - no doubt at the request of users wanting to integrate it with their studio equipment.

The Matchbox can run on a single 9v PP3 or a variety of power supplies; like most (all?) of Award-Session's preamps, the MB10 uses their 'Autosense' circuitry, allowing the use of any DC power supply of 9-30v, positive or negative polarity.

* * *

There were similarly equipped Matchbox versions for electro-acoustic instruments (the MB11 - with more acoustic-relevant options and voicing) and electric bass (the MB12 - which has a bass amp voicing and 15" speaker simulation).

The MB11 has been superseded by the AP10 Electro-Acoustic Preamp (which was known for a while as the GG10; 'GG' being Gordon Giltrap - a longtime Award-Session user).

* * *

The model of MB10 I have is a special Shadows Version. This has the same features as a standard MB10 but the 'Guitar EQ' is voiced to emulate the clean sound of a Vox AC30 w/Top Boost - as used by Hank Marvin in the Shadows.

Award-Session say that using the Shadows MB10 with guitar, but set for line level input signals will yield a warmer tone (with reduced upper mids and treble), which will be more reminiscent of the early non-Top Boost AC30s. The difference in sound between the two voicings is most prominent if you're using an overdrive, distortion or fuzz pedal with it; in the 'Instrument' mode you may find things can be a little bright, brittle or aggressive. If that is the case, switching to 'Line' makes a world of difference.

The Matchbox is a very handy device and can perform a number of duties very well; if you are a multi-instrumentalist or home-recordist especially, I think you'd find the MB10 very useful.

It is definitely worth experimenting with the different input selections, and also using it with and without the amp and speaker emulations engaged. Although, for guitar use, I prefer everything turned on and, for clean tones, the MB10 set for instrument signals.

It has to be said that, while the Matchbox is feature-laden for a guitar DI box, it is a rather minimalist amp/speaker emulator - especially by modern standards. It is highly recommended to add some extra processing power via other devices; a little splash of reverb adds to the realism, and depending on your playing style, some compression may be welcome too. Some additional EQ-ing may be useful too with certain guitars to tame any boominess - although I haven't had any such problems as yet.

There's not a lot more to say about this, so let's hear what it sounds like...

Video 1 - A run through of a few settings and then, towards the end I use distortion and overdrive pedals.

Video 2 - A shorter, edited version which has had some additional processing (light compression and reverb).

* * *

In my opinion, it sounds good; with clean tones especially this does a fine job. Of course, it won't compete with some of the digital amp modellers (e.g. Line 6 POD) in terms of versatility, nor perhaps will it measure up to some of the more recent analogue amp emulators (e.g. Tech 21 Sansamp Character series) in authenticity. And it certainly isn't in the same league as some of the advanced software products (e.g. Native Instruments Guitar Rig) - this is almost 20 year old technology after all.

But, if all you want is a nice clean Vox-like base tone (for recording or playing through a PA) and have various other effects and processors to refine your sound, the MB10 Shadows Version is most definitely up to the task.

[I'd imagine the standard MB10 would be equally good, but I don't know exactly how it compares in terms of its amp voicing.]

* * * Notes about the videos * * *

Gear used:

Guitar - Epiphone Casino
Recording set-up - Award MB10 direct to Cubase 5 (via a MOTU audio interface)
[Video 1] No additional processing
[Video 2] Additional processing in Adobe Audition, using included plugins for light compression and reverb

SUPERFUZZ pt.3: Guyatone TZm5 Torrid Fuzz

2010-10-30T17:27:00.012+01:00

Mighty Micro Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

I've already looked at earlier Guyatone fuzz pedals (the PS-030 and TZ2), so it's about time I got around to the third part in this series and featured the TZm5 Torrid Fuzz - from Guyatone's most recent range of pedals; the Mighty Micros.

Torrid - (adj.) Intensely hot and dry; passionate.

Fuzz - (n.) A fluffy or frizzy mass.

While the PS-030 and TZ2 shared some characteristics and are part of the same lineage, the Torrid Fuzz is totally unrelated and - as Guyatone say - "a new take on the classic three transistor fuzz circuit". The TZm5 was designed by Toshi Torii of HAO pedals.

* * *

The TZm5 is unique among the Mighty Micros in that - as I have just said - it is a new effect for Guyatone, whereas all of the others in the range are improved versions of - or derived from - their counterparts from the Micro Effects series.

* * *

All of the Mighty Micro pedals share the same layout; with three full size pots for the main controls, a mini toggle switch (either two or three position depending on the pedal) and a mini trimmer control. There is a striking, imposing and very welcome aluminium 'Stomp Guard' which protects the controls from accidental adjustment and stray feet.

The input, output and DC power jacks are top mounted, and the pedals have quick access, top-mounted battery compartments; you just loosen the two thumbscrews and the battery cover pops off. All of the Mighty Micro pedals feature true bypass switching if that sort of thing is important to you... but now isn't the time to get into the whole true bypass vs buffered debate.

While I know at least one person reading this who won't be happy with the white plastic ring around the footswitch, Guyatone have used glow in the dark rings to help you find it on a dark stage! Very considerate of them!
One final note: I haven't looked inside all of them yet, but the MCm5 Chorus and VTm5 Veri-Trem have hidden attenuator switches accessible via the battery compartment - allowing the user to use the pedals with a variety of instruments and input signals. I'd imagine most of the other pedals in the range have them too - the TZm5 doesn't as it has an external input attenuator control.

* * *

Now for the important stuff...

How does it sound?

Without giving too much away, it sounds very good. If you like fuzz, you should be able to find plenty you like within this little box... It's very versatile.

What controls does it have?

It has the usual Level, Tone (a low-pass filter; turning it down reduces the treble content) and Depth (gain) controls, but also features an input attenuator (the mini trimmer) and a 'Phase' +/- switch.

The biggest factor in defining the overall tone from this pedal is decided by the 'Phase' switch. In the '+' (positive; up) position, the fuzz has a much thicker, chunkier sound; good for 90s-esque alternative rock and much more besides. In the '-' (negative; down) position, the fuzz is thinner with much less bass, more treble and more of an old school fuzz flavour to it. It is also noisier in the negative phase position, but most of the noise can be dialled out using the Tone and/or Input controls.

The Input Attenuation control is supposedly there to allow you to match the effect to your guitar's pick-up strength but, it too plays a big part in determining the vibe of the fuzz; it's basically a pre-fuzz volume control and has the same effect as turning down the volume on your guitar - less volume going through the circuit equals less gain and a change in character...

With no attenuation, your notes will ring out long and true - even with something like my Epiphone Casino (which isn't the most sustain-y guitar in the world). It won't quite rival an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi in the sustain stakes, but then it doesn't try to. When fully attenuated, the fuzz can be really gated and sputtery, especially when the Phase switch is set to negative; perfect for ripped speaker sounds and vintage, garage rock tones.

The Depth (gain), Tone, Input Attenuator controls all have an impact on the amount of fuzz this kicks out, and it is the interaction between these controls that makes this pedal so versatile.

As far as gain levels go, in much the same way as it can't match it for sustain, it doesn't have as much as a Big Muff, or even the Guyatone TZ2... Even so, I've never really found it lacking gain in any situation I've been in; lots of people tend to use too much gain anyway! The TZm5 is very responsive and rewarding; encouraging you to really attack the guitar strings.

* * *

This is a small pedal with a big sound. It's just a shame - in my opinion - that for whatever reason (such as the high street price in the UK, maybe) it - like the rest of the range - is still very much under the radar of most guitarists.

I really like it. I definitely prefer it to the other Guyatone fuzzes I have; it's not as wild as either the PS-030 or TZ2 can be, but I'd say that is in its favour. The TZm5 could easily be your main fuzz pedal, whether you use it for playing rhythm, lead or everything.

* * * Notes about the video * * *

Gear used:

Guitar - Epiphone Casino
Recording set-up - 1980s Roland Cube 20 amp (DI'd through a Palmer PDI-09), to Cubase 5 (via a MOTU audio interface) with no additional processing.

Nobels TR-X Tremolo [VIDEO]

2010-10-27T14:52:00.005+01:00

Here's a quick video of the Nobels TR-X Tremolo (as rated here).

And here's the summary from my Tremolo Round-up:

The TR-X has more options than most other low-to-mid-priced tremolo pedals with four selectable waveforms. Although, there are actually only two available waveforms (sine and square) with two variations of each. There is a lot of overlap across the waveforms, and I don't think many people would complain if there were only two choices. Also, the square wave settings aren't that choppy - there is a definite ramp up/down to the waveform (particularly evident at slower speeds), so I'd describe this as more of a retro tremolo pedal.
It scores points over other pedals by having a volume control; I've read reviews that claimed even with this all the way up there is a volume drop, but that isn't the case with mine (unity with the bypassed signal is at around 2:00, thereby giving plenty of scope to boost level).
A very interesting, noteworthy feature is the 'Tone' control. This doesn't work as you'd expect, and the manual doesn't go into any great depth to offer an explanation. The Tone control acts on the high frequencies, so at it's minimum position, you will get a standard, full-range (tonally transparent) tremolo. As you turn the Tone up, you will notice the treble frequencies are less modulated and seem to sit on top of the effect. At the maximum position, the treble frequencies are practically untouched and the bass will be pulsing away. It's a great feature.
The metal casing and general construction inspire confidence, but the potentiometers are of the plastic-post variety (and are not chassis-mounted), so I could easily envisage them getting broken if you're not careful.

* * * Notes about the video * * *

Gear used:

Guitar - Epiphone Casino
Amp - 1980s Roland Cube 20
Recording set-up - AKG C4000B condenser mic, through DAV BG1 preamp, to Cubase 5 (via MOTU audio interface) with no additional processing.

Melx: Adventures in Effectors: In Conversation with 'Effect Extra' Blogger Kev Demuth.

2010-10-21T18:32:00.009+01:00

I've just been 'interviewed' by Melx for his Adventures in Effectors blog!

Melx: Adventures in Effectors: In Conversation with 'Effect Extra' Blogger Kev Demuth.: "(Melx) Your 'Effect Extra' blog is a favorite of mine. Most pedal review blogs seem to just harp on about whatever is new on the market that..."

Click the link for the full discussion!

Guyatone Flip AD-X Analog Delay... with Tube Power!

2010-10-19T13:12:00.022+01:00

Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The Flip AD-X uses a Panasonic MN3101 multi-tap BBD for the echoes; this is a short delay chip (the specs I've seen say 150-200ms max) which was typically used in analogue reverb units in the 70s and 80s. Apparently, this pedal was only officially available in Japan, and is now discontinued.

It has two modes:

Single delay

Double tap delay

This pedal is full of quirks, so I'll start by running through the features...

Like most delay pedals, it has the usual 'Delay Time', 'Repeat' (feedback) and 'Level' (effect volume) controls, but in addition, it has 'Input' (gain for the tube section) and a Mode switch; 'Mode I' being a single delay line, 'Mode II' a double tap delay line.

There is a single input and dual outputs; unconventionally, when using both outputs, Output 1 (which carries the effect signal) is only active when the pedal is engaged - Output 2 carries the direct sound. This - plainly - isn't the most useful implementation of a dual output system; it would have been better had the pedal been equipped with a buffering system allowing both outputs to be used constantly, regardless of whether the delay was on or off.

When used in a mono, one-in/one-out arrangement, Output 1 is a mixed output.

* * *

The first thing that strikes you when using this effect, is that the available delay time is so short, with much of the range on the Delay Time dial being pretty much useless. Up to about 7 on the dial, the echoes are imperceptible and the resulting doubled, comb-filtered effect may not be to everyone's taste. There is a definite sweet spot around 8 on the Time control; this is a good slap-back echo setting, and is the longest delay length before the repeats start to degrade too much and generate too much noise.

Noise? Yes, this thing can get noisy. Perhaps due to the lo-fi analogue technology, the AD-X can be quite noisy. With the delay time above 8, things quickly deteriorate and the background noise increases and the echoes audibly distort. Also, if you set the Delay Level control too high you guitar (or other instrument) will be swimming in a pool of hiss and hum.

It is a balancing act to get the Level and Time controls just right; you have to compromise on either or both to get close to the desired effect.

Uses for this pedal?

It's good for slap-back echoes - if you play muted notes or in a staccato fashion, but in most cases the effect will be lost behind what you're playing. And you can forget about using this for any kind of rhythmic delay effects.

What I will say though, is that as subtle as the AD-X can be, it does add a lovely fullness and richness. It doesn't come across very well in the video I made, but it is definitely apparent when using the pedal. It's almost as if your tone is breathing.

Much the same as the Danelectro FAB Echo I reviewed a while back, the AD-X is at its best when used to provide a touch of ambience and depth to your sound.

Isn't this 'Tube Powered'?

Increasing the 'Input' level - which drives the tube section - can lead to the repeats getting very overdriven. The extreme settings don't seem that useful to me, but from around 5-7 on the dial, the tube gives the echoes a little edge lacking from other analogue delays; it's a subtle difference, but it's a difference nonetheless. Subtlety seems very much to be at the heart of this pedal.

A few sources I've read regarding the Flip Series pedals suggest swapping the stock tubes. This isn't something I've tried myself and I'm honestly not sure how much difference it could make with this pedal anyway. Still, the option is always there.

Yes; it's noisy. And it makes noises.

Like many delay pedals, the AD-X oscillates very easily when you max the Repeats, and the oscillation sounds VERY different in each Mode. (See the end of the video, around 3:56.)

* * *

The Flip AD-X is an enigma. Put this in the hands (or at the feet) of someone wanting a 'delay' pedal and they're likely to be very disappointed. The tube factor is no doubt an attractive proposition for many guitarists, but it comes across as quite a gimmicky add-on in all honesty; it certainly adds very little - except for noise - at most settings and could easily have been omitted.

And yet, dial it in just so, forget that it's a delay pedal at all, and it'll add a touch of fairy dust to your sound. Leave it on. Play. Smile.

More pedal round-ups?

2010-10-19T13:07:00.005+01:00

Part 2 of my tremolo pedal round-up will be along shortly, but do you think it would be useful if I were to do more round-ups for other pedal types?

Please let me know what you think by voting in the poll on the right.

Thanks.

[EDIT:]

And... feel free to leave a comment with any ideas or requests for things you want to see here.

* * *

[EDIT 2:]

Thanks to everyone who voted; 100% voted for more pedal round-ups...

So, I think I'm going to be busy!

Tremolo Round-up (Part.1)

2010-10-15T18:31:00.035+01:00

Those of you who know me, will already know that I'm a big tremolo fan.

As is often the way with musical equipment, particularly things like pedals which are usually relatively cheap and easily obtainable, it’s easy to get caught in a constant buy/sell/upgrade situation; always chasing something ‘better’.

But just how do you find something ‘better’? Spending more money, or choosing something with more features isn’t always (or often) going to result in an ‘upgrade’. A simple pedal which does just one thing may be perfect, whereas you could spend a huge amount of money on something with more features and it could still be lacking - and may not even do the one thing you want from it!

Sadly, or in some cases happily (yes, I'm looking at you, Mr Semaphore), I no longer have all of these pedals, but this seems a good time to do a little tremolo round-up.

I have added a Tremolo Table page with ratings and short summaries, which will be accessible via the link just below the title banner. (This page will be updated, amended and added to as an when the need arises.)

Here are some slightly more in-depth summaries...

Boss PN-2 Tremolo/Pan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

For whatever reason, the PN-2 wasn’t the success Boss had hoped for when it was released. According to BossArea.com, manufacturing lasted only 10 months during 1990, with only around 16000 units made. Perhaps its failure to meet expectations was due to the time period; the tail-end of the rack dominated years and the shift to floor-based multieffect units?

More to follow...

Perhaps even a full review...

* * *

Boss TR-2 Tremolo
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Good sounding, dependable, predictable and ‘safe’. Those words could apply to countless Boss pedals and are certainly applicable for the TR-2. Whenever people ask me to recommend a tremolo pedal, the TR-2 is always one of the first I mention.

It’s main strength is that it is so ordinary; it doesn’t apply any weird filtering, wobbles or other tricks some of the other pedals do, it is just a standard, generic tremolo and I mean that in a complimentary way.

Also, with the ‘Wave’ control all the way to the left, it does a lovely soft, fluttery tremolo that few other pedals I've used can replicate 100%.

You may hear talk of a perceived volume drop with regards to the TR-2. Boss have – by all accounts – revised the circuit to fix this issue; but if you find yourself with an older one, you may find that the volume drop isn’t that big, and if it is, swapping one resistor will completely remedy the situation.

* * *

Build Your Own Clone (BYOC) Tremolo [EA Tremolo clone]
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Vintage amp-style tremolo*. Little control over the effect, but there are plenty of mods allowing you to make adjustments to the overall tremolo depth and range of speeds available. There are lots of tremolo pedals which are based on (or clones of) the EA Tremolo – Earthquaker Devices Pulse Machine being one of them. Or, of course, you can build your own using a freely available schematic or a kit from the likes of Build Your Own Clone or General Guitar Gadgets.

My BYOC Tremolo – to which I’ve made a few slight changes and which was painted for me by Melx – is one of my personal favourites.

* * *

Catalinbread Semaphore
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Lots of waveform control, incredibly wide ranging rate control, handy level control with plenty of boost.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like the tone from this pedal. It always seemed to add treble to my sound; it was OK when playing with a clean amp – the treble boost adding a little shimmering sparkle, but when combined with any kind of distortion, this treble boost was shrill and piercing. This issue appears to be rig dependant though; while I have heard similar negative experiences like mine, plenty of people rate this pedal highly (they either aren’t having the problem, have really dark amps or love treble!).

It's only fair to mention that that my Semaphore was an earlier version - bought new in late 2007 - and I believe there have been one or more revisions of the circuit since then.

* * *

Colorsound Tremolo (Reissue)
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Very limited in features - just rate and depth; fairly limited range on the rate control - although the range is sensible for most musical styles; only one waveform* (square wave) with no real control over it... despite all of this though, it is redeemed by the fact it has such a lovely tone (with a beautiful decay to the pulses ) and the effect perfectly accomplishes what it sets out to do.

* * *

Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Excellent at Fender-style tremolo - with a little extra control over the waveform* (via a trimpot) - but ultimately limited. Whereas the perceived volume drop is the bane of many tremolo effects, the Tremulator suffers from an annoying volume boost! Demeter say this boost makes the Tremulator usable as a line driver too (if you turn the depth down), but while this boost is fine if you want your tremolo to jump out of a mix, I found it irritating. [This boost could easily be fixed though if you’re handy with a soldering iron.]

* * *

Electro-Harmonix Pulsar (‘Classic’ series/big-box version)
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The good points? It has a very wide range of adjustment on the controls – from slow pulses to pseudo-ring modulation, and there are lots of options making it possible to dial in practically any tremolo style...

And the negative phase thing it does (when you turn the ‘Depth’ control past 100%) is really cool!

The bad points? It has a very wide range of adjustment on the controls(!) making it hard to fine tune settings, such as if you want to match the exact tempo of a song. Also, I found it to suffer from a very noticeable perceived volume drop on some settings.

Electro-Harmonix Stereo Pulsar (XO)
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)
(Same as above.)

But... I really think it's a shame that if you use this in stereo, you can't get a tremolo effect from it; it will be an auto-pan.

* * *

Empress Tremolo
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Lots of options; 3 waveforms, tap tempo, tempo ramping, rhythm patterns, level control...

Once the honeymoon period wore off - and I got over the gimmicky features - I just found the whole thing to sound a little sterile... the rhythms were useless to me, I don’t really need tap tempo (although I appreciate that many people do like this function), the ‘vintage’ and ‘triangle’ waveforms sound very standard... I did like the square wave setting though.

* * *

George Dennis GD-220 Tremolo
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Great sound; level control, good range of speeds, useful ‘symmetry’ control over the waveform. The downside (depending on your taste) is that the waveform is always based on a sine wave, so it can’t really do the choppy tremolo style. If you like old-school amp tremolo though - and want a little more control than most pedals allow you to have, this is a very good choice. A VERY good choice.

(Also available in a Ping-Pong Tremolo/Volume and Tremolo/Volume versions.)

* * *

Monster Effects Swamp Thang
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The drawback being that it lacks versatility* and while the range of speeds available is sensible from a musical point of view, some people may like an extended range (particularly at the faster end of the spectrum). But this does a pretty perfect, traditional ‘Blackface’ Fender-style tremolo which doesn’t disappoint.

* * *

TC Electronic Vintage Tremolo / T-Rex Tremster

(Discofreq’s Effects Database page for TC and Tremster.)

Nice authentically vintage sounding tremolo; good range, useful volume control but perhaps (like some of the other trems listed here) it falls down in terms of versatility*.

Part.2>>>

*I'm not the kind of person to worry too much if a pedal is limited in its use, but I understand that for lots of musicians, versatility in a pedal is very important (for budgetary or pedal board real estate reasons etc).

Roland Cube 20

2010-10-15T12:24:00.039+01:00

DISCLAIMER: This is not one of the current production COSM-based Roland Cube amps with DSP effects; this is a small, solid state, 20 watt combo with an 8" speaker - made in Japan in the 1980s.

First of all, I'll quickly run through the features:

Two inputs; 'Normal' and 'Overdrive' (but no channel switching)
Volume (input level/gain)
Master Volume
Reverb (level)
Bass, Middle and Treble EQ control
On/Off toggle switch
Headphone Output (which disables the speaker)

Depending on which input you use, the amp has a slightly different overall character.

Using the 'Normal' input the amp is very clean with quite a round sound. Turning the 'Volume' (gain) up doesn't really change the sound in any way (other than boosting the level, obviously), but towards the top of its range, there is a subtle-but-noticeable compression taking place.

The 'Overdrive' input is much the same but much louder. Turning it up doesn't do a lot and the amp stays pretty clean until near the top of its range when it starts to distort. [The point at - and the extent to - which it distorts will depend upon the instrument and its output level.] Even with the gain all the way up, there isn't a great deal of distortion - I'd say it's comparable to a low-gain overdrive pedal such as a Barber LTD. The Cube 20's overdrive is fairly un-compressed and a little lacking in sustain. [NOTE: To get the most overdrive out of this amp, you need to crank up the gain AND tone controls.]

I have to admit that I don't really like the way this amp breaks up. It sounds quite 'cheap' to me. The good news though, is that the 'Overdrive' channel - with the gain up to 5 or 6 - produces a nice jangly clean sound.

I always think it's a good sign when you can put all the controls at halfway and it sounds good, as is the case with this amp. Although - as is the tendency with combos equipped with small speakers - there is a pronounced midrange focus, so I tend to roll the mids back a little to get a more balanced, pleasing tone.

One noteworthy - and surprising - addition is the built in reverb; it's really good. I've used small amps before where the reverb was often terrible and made me wonder why it was even included. The Cube 20's reverb is a delight; it's dead quiet and almost splashy enough to satisfy the most ardent of surf-freaks... and it's usable at any setting. Dare I say it, but the Cube 20's reverb is a match for most reverb pedals I've used - including expensive modern ones.

* * *

This is predominantly an effects blog after all, so how does the Cube 20 take pedals?

In short: with mixed results. [See Update box below.]

It takes all the modulation and delay pedals I've tried with it beautifully; the clean-ness of the amp making a great platform to work from. But, as the Cube 20's overdrive is barely worth talking about, there is little choice but to use pedals for any dirty tones you want.

This is where things may get complicated. Of course, it's purely subjective and a matter of personal taste but already I've concluded - not surprisingly, given the amp's midrange focus - that mid-heavy pedals are out of the question.

Using an old tubescreamer-alike, I gave up pretty quickly. It was just too nasal and brought out a brittle quality in the speaker. I persevered long enough with my early 90s Rat 2 to get a passable sound; but that was still a bit too raw and biting.

The next thing to try was my Award-Session JD10. This has a 3-band EQ section, so I was able to dial the mids down on the pedal to get a very nice natural break-up and (upping the gain) full-on overdrive and distortion. Turning down the mids further I could get a surprisingly big, heavy, scooped sound. (Not that I'm in the habit of doing such things!)

Update:

Having now had more opportunities to try more drive pedals with this amp, I'm having far more success in finding suitable matches. The trick seems to be to avoid mid-heavy overdrives, such as tubescreamer-derived pedals (as my initially experiences suggested), but almost anything else seems fair game.

The Cube 20 is perhaps happiest with tonally 'transparent' overdrive pedals or with distortions and - especially - fuzzes. This little amp can sound BIG with the right effects.

As with many solid state amps, the addition of some subtle compression will help improve the overall 'feel' when playing the amp clean, as it will smooth out the strong transient peaks that can occur at times.

* * *

The Cube 20 has a lot of Roland's famed Jazz Chorus character (less the chorus part) and for someone like me, where having a good clean sound is of paramount importance, this is a fine little amp.

* * *

NOTE: I've used this amp while recording some of my videos recently; including the videos for the Guyatone TZm5 Torrid Fuzz and Peavey BAC-2 Bi-Amp Bass Chorus. [Reviews tagged with 'Cube 20' use this amp for any video content.]

Flippin' 'eck!

2010-10-01T22:03:00.010+01:00

This is one of the pedals I got hold of yesterday (from Godlyke).

Guyatone Flip AD-X Analog Delay

It's an analogue delay with a tube gain stage.

According to the information I have, it uses a Panasonic MN3101 multi-tap BBD for the echoes. This is a short delay chip (the specs I've seen say 150-200ms max) and was typically used in analogue reverb units in the 70s and 80s. Apparently, this pedal was only officially available in Japan, and is now discontinued.

It has two modes:

Single delay
Double tap delay

Being such a short delay, it's suited more to slap back echoes, doubling and (what the literature refers to as) tile-reverb effects; it does all of these things very well, and with the 'Input' control (which controls how hard the tube is driven), you can get some very overdriven echoes and some strange noises.

This pedal has plenty of quirks, so I need to spend a bit more time with it, but expect a video and review soon.

Upcoming

2010-09-28T19:46:00.012+01:00

Due to a combination of a heavy workload and laziness, I've neglected the blog of late... but don't worry: I haven't forgotten about it.

I still have several pedals waiting to be reviewed and am planning to do a big round-up of tremolo pedals. I'm still working out the details of that though, and need to decide on the best format...

Do I write a complete review of each pedal separately as a series? On the plus side, that would mean thorough reviews and a lot of information but on the downside, I bet a lot of you would get bored reading endless trem reviews... it has come to my (bemused) attention that not everybody shares my passion for this fine effect.

How about group comparisons based on price, or by features? That seems quite sensible... but being sensible isn't much fun.

I'm leaning towards to a big round-up, just summarising the strengths and weaknesses of each pedal. This makes sense to me as it would be the easiest read, it would also allow me to continue adding to it, and I'd still have the freedom to do additional, in depth reviews where deserved.

The classic Boss PN-2 Tremolo/Pan.

* * *

I'll try and get a start on that in the coming week, and I also have a couple* of interesting pedals on the way - thanks to Kevin at Godlyke - so there should be more reviews and features on the way. Depending on how the tremolo feature goes, I may do something similar for other pedal types.

* One being yet another tremolo, the other is a tube-driven analogue delay.

* * *

So, here's what's coming up:

Monster tremolo pedal round-up
Part 3 in my SUPERFUZZ series
Various reviews and clips
And finally, a super-secret mystery article

Great Expectations

2010-08-27T12:39:00.013+01:00

In my recent review of the Arion SOD-1 Overdrive; a pedal which is generally well thought of but I found to be very disappointing, I raised this point:

"Perhaps the good reputations enjoyed by budget pedals such as the SOD-1 are partly, or largely, due to the Value For Money factor and lower expectations... but that’s a debate for another day."

Well, today is that day.

While I personally don't (consciously) base my expectations of pedals (or other products in general) on price alone, I often read reviews or hear people say things along the lines of "it's great for the price"...

I admit that - like probably everyone else - I have been guilty of this myself, but it is something I don't really understand; either something is good or it isn't...

Having read many Harmony Central User Reviews of budget pedals where the reviewer has stated that the effect is great for the price, then given it a 9/10 or 10/10 rating, I find this absurd...

It raises the question - for me anyway, that, if the pedal was more expensive, would the rating be lower? Even though the sound is the same?

Conversely, if you spend £200 on an overdrive/fuzz/whatever, and then only rate it at 6 or 7 out of 10 for sound, would it suddenly become 'better' and worthy of a higher rating if it only cost £20?

By all means say a budget/mid-priced/expensive/boutique pedal is great and give it a high rating, but leave it at that. Price is irrelevant in terms of whether an effect sounds good or not.

* * *

I was going to start delving into pedal comparisons, examples of pricing and was even going to bring up the whole Law of Diminishing Returns argument too, but have thought better of it. Luckily for you...

But, I would be very interested in hearing your views on this topic.

Aria MP-5... Metal Pedal?

2010-08-20T12:38:00.005+01:00

(Old) Pro II Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Having liked the Aria CH-5 Chorus so much, I've been on the look out for other pedals from the series. Although, a 'heavy metal distortion' pedal wouldn't usually be anywhere near the top of my wishlist, my experience of 80s 'heavy metal' pedals is such that they don't really sound very metal - a case in point being the Boss HM-2 - so I was willing to take a chance. And it was cheap!

Like the HM-2, it has four controls: Level, Dist (gain), Low and High (EQ) and is more of a moderate gained, slightly fuzzy distortion, whereas a modern heavy metal pedal tends to have insane levels of gain and a tighter distortion quality.

In use, it shares a quirk with the HM-2; the gain control does very little over much of its range. With the MP-5 though, this trait is much more pronounced and there is very little distortion at all until you get to about 9 (assuming a scale of 0-10) on the Dist control. [I show this in the video.] I don't mind this though; this pedal sounds best to me with the gain all the way up.

The High and Low tone controls are fairly interactive (and also affect the output level quite drastically), but where I'd say the Low control is usable throughout its entire range - although it does boom all the way up, the High control's usability is more restricted. I'd say its working range is 3-7 (using the 0-10 scale). Boost the treble too much and it sounds harsh and nasty, cut too much and it sounds cheap and lo-fi... although some people could find it useful as an intro/breakdown effect.

So, I'd say this is less a Metal Pedal and more a general fuzzy distortion (fuzztortion!?), more suited to 90s-esque Alt Rock, Shoegaze etc...

In its favour, the MP-5 is very tweakable (thanks mainly to the powerful EQ section) but BEWARE: it's just as easy - perhaps even easier - to get a bad sound as a good one.

Guyatone Crossover Box Auto Wah | Filter

2010-08-19T21:34:00.010+01:00

PS Box Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Auto Wahs. Fun though they are, I've never really had much use for them. I picked this up a while ago quite simply because it's a Guyatone pedal (which I like) and they're fairly uncommon; I may not have had another chance to try one out for years... or at all.

This is one of Guyatone's earliest PS-Series pedals, which were first made in the late 70s according to my sources. Production ceased in 1980/81 when Guyatone brought out their first range of the more familiar, compact 'Effect Box' pedals (which included the PS-003 Compressor I reviewed a while back). This new range expanded over the following few years, with yet another - although not so drastic - cosmetic shift (see the PS-014 Dual Time Delay).

Most of the early Guyatone pedals (including this one) remained in production for a short time (some with slight changes) under the Vox brand; the white, V-shaped pedals.

Auto Wahs are typically pretty simple, often with just two controls - different manufacturers use different names for them, but the controls are pretty much doing the same job from pedal to pedal, regardless of what they're labelled.

Here, the controls are:

Decay - Controls how long it takes for the filter to sweep back down after being triggered
Drive - Controls the sensitivity of the filter*

Despite its name, I think of it more as a filter than an auto wah (Yes - I know they're the same thing!); I always equate an auto wah with being funky and 'quacky', whereas the Crossover Box is quite dirty sounding.

I find it very disappointing on clean sounds, but much better with distortion or fuzz; it can add as much extra movement and colour to your tone as you'd want, without having to resort to modulation.

I'm a bit torn on whether to keep this one: on one hand, I quite like the sounds it can produce (when combined with distortion) and it's a nice addition to my Guyatone collection... but on the other hand - as I mentioned earlier - I've never found a use for auto wahs... and (as will be clear from the demo video below) I really don't know what I'm doing with it!

EFFECT(s in) BOXES

2010-08-05T18:53:00.021+01:00

Whenever I mail a pedal - or anything else for that matter, I always make sure it's in suitable packaging.

When sending a pedal, 'suitable packaging' to me means bubble wrap around the pedal, with the pedal in a box with extra packing material (if needed) to prevent it from rattling around... hell, even when the pedal is already in a box I'll sometimes bubble-wrap that and put it in a cardboard shipping box!

So... why is it that some people think it's OK to just stick the pedal in a padded envelope?

I've had two* incidents recently where I've bought a pedal on eBay which has arrived broken - where it was sent in just a padded envelope (albeit with a little extra bubble wrap within).

Anyway... one of these broken pedals is a cheap Danelectro, but the other is a rare 1980s Series 2000 MXR Stereo Flanger - which is (for now) totally useless as the 'Width' (depth) pot has broken. Very disappointing.

[For what it's worth, both of the people I bought the pedals from have handled these situations well; immediately offering refunds... I am keeping the MXR though (after a part-refund) and will hopefully get it up and running soon.]

* * *

* There have been numerous other occasions where people have done this but luckily, the pedal has survived. It sometimes shocks me what passes for packaging materials in the minds of some crazed individuals!

I've had all sorts:
The aforementioned padded envelope.
Huge boxes about 20 times bigger than they need to be.
A massive ball of bubble wrap and gaffa tape (which wasn't easy to get in to).
And one time I received a pedal which was very well wrapped up, nicely set in a sturdy box... but the box was wrapped in some very dodgy, 70s-looking wallpaper! (Which was pretty cool actually!)

* * *

EDIT: Here's some photo evidence to disprove the scandalous claim that I have been buying Behringer pedals and fraudulently claiming them to be something much more desirable. ;-)

MXR M-203 Stereo Flanger

(From the 2000 Series)

http://www.effectsdatabase.com/model/mxr/2000/flanger

Note the position of the 'Width' control on the left;

it now turns through 360°.

Very Linda Blair.

Arion SOD-1 Stereo Overdrive

2010-07-17T19:41:00.025+01:00

Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Many Arion pedals, despite their budget background, have quite a good reputation; I'm thinking of the SCH-1 Stereo Chorus and SAD-1 Analog(ue) Delay pedals in particular, but there are others too – such as the SPH-1 Stereo Phaser which I really liked, despite not being much of a phaser fan these days...

The SOD-1 is another which is quite well thought of... generally.

If you were to read the Harmony Central User Reviews (sometimes informative) and take them at face value (often unwise!), you could easily get the idea that this is a must-have overdrive – more than one of the reviewers claims this sounds like a Dumble!

Here’s a quote from one of the reviews:

“Hears the "Big Secret"...This pedal is the closest & inexpensive way to get a A Dumble OD sound w/o spending tons of ca$h chasing after Boutique pedals- -I have owned the following Pedals...SIB Vari-drive, Matchless Dirt & Hot Boxes, Kendrick Buffalo Phuzz, VooDoo Labs Sparkle Drive, Boss DS, OD & Bluesdriver, Ibanez TS-808 & 9...& I've even played through three different Dumbles!”

Note: Despite an almost overwhelming urge to do so, I didn’t correct the spelling/grammar.

Unfortunately, I'm having to file the SOD-1 - along with the SAD-3 Analog(ue) Delay - in the Arions-to-Avoid category.

I feel it is important to try to offer balanced reviews - not every cheap/old/obscure pedal will be a winner; most of my recent pedal reviews have been nothing less than glowing, and it’s a while since I wrote anything resembling a negative review - the Korg OCT-1 comes to mind.

Perhaps the good reputations enjoyed by budget pedals such as the SOD-1 are partly, or largely, due to the Value For Money factor and lower expectations... but that’s a debate for another day.

The SOD-1 does have some good qualities though:

It makes a nice lead boost/overdrive (with the drive kept low), but only when pushing a nice overdrive/distortion/fuzz/crunchy amp
The stereo options could be handy (more about that below).
It has an orange battery cover...

On the negative side:

With a clean amp I think it sounds completely fake – particularly with chords – and uninspiring... that’s about it really; I couldn’t get a sound I liked that made me want to play. And that’s a real shame; I wanted to like the SOD-1, but couldn’t bring myself to do so.

On a positive note though, they can be found on the cheap quite often – mine was £5.25, so if you want a low-cost lead boost pedal, then it may still be worth checking out.

Stereo World

As mentioned earlier, the stereo options on many of the Arion pedals can be quite handy. Typically, they offer a choice of a direct (clean) signal or a variation on the effect at the second output. In the case of the SOD-1 (and the other dirt pedals in the range), the second option is described as ‘Soft’ – with the SOD-1, this ‘Soft’ overdrive is a kind of muffled, hollow overdrive which I think sounds a bit weird on its own, but in stereo, layered with the ordinary overdrive sound, it adds a little extra texture.

So there you go, that’s the end of the review – I couldn’t even bring myself to record a demo this time as I dislike the pedal so much.

Sacred Arias

2010-07-09T15:42:00.010+01:00

Aria CH-5 Chorus

(Old) Pro II Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

The CH-5 Chorus comes from the original Pro II Series of pedals which were first available around 1986, and shouldn’t be confused with – or even associated with – the more recent, re-hashed Pro-II Series which are far more commonly seen on eBay (in the UK). The earlier pedals feature a rugged, metal construction whereas the later pedals are plastic and were definitely built to a budget.

The CH-5 is a stereo chorus pedal, with controls for Rate, Depth and Intensity (mix).

It is immediately evident when you turn it on that it is unlike most other chorus pedals – particularly other 80s chorus pedals – which tend to sound bright and shimmery... the CH-5 is noticeably dark in character.

This trait will likely endear it to those out there who find the trademark bright, swirly, 80s chorus sound to be grating. The darker effect generally comes across as being more subtle; sitting behind the direct signal rather than overpowering it. I also find darker voiced chorus effects sound better with distortion (although this is purely my own opinion), as the effect adds some thickness and movement without the watery, processed, sometimes-metallic character that brighter chorusing can impart.

The Rate and Depth controls offer a fairly wide range without really going far enough for extreme/weird sounds; it’s hard to find a setting that doesn’t sound musical. Using the Intensity control, it is possible to go from very subtle chorus to full on vibrato; small adjustments can make a big difference.

To sum up, the Aria CH-5 delivers a unique character and richness, and would be particularly well suited to someone using lots of distortion/fuzz, or someone not wanting their modulation effects to totally mask the guitar signal.

Clean sound demo:

I especially like some of the vibrato settings towards the end of this clip...

Distorted demo – using my Vox 1901 Distortion:

Absolutely FABulous

2010-07-08T21:49:00.008+01:00

Danelectro D-4 FAB Echo

FAB Series
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Despite having heard good things about the Danelectro FAB Echo and Chorus pedals, I had never really paid much attention and had no intention of buying either. I had an opportunity to buy the Echo for under £10 so I thought it would be worth trying; for that sort of money it’s hardly a gamble.

Also, as part of this blog’s purpose is to give some overlooked pedals a chance in the spotlight, it is an ideal candidate for review here.

First impressions?

As with Danelectro’s current Cool Cat range of pedals, (I think) the FAB Echo looks much better in person than the pictures suggest; it looks far less toy-like than I thought it would. It appears to be pretty rugged - despite the top part of the casing being made of plastic - and should survive many years of normal use... I wouldn’t make a habit of intentionally abusing it and throwing it around to test this theory though, but then I wouldn’t do that with any of my pedals!

It’s a very simple device; unusually for a delay/echo pedal, it only has two controls: Mix and Repeats. There is no delay time control, but for the retro, slapback echoes this pedal is designed to produce, it isn’t needed.

OK... so it looks better than expected... the build quality is better than expected... so what about the sound?

You’ve guessed it: Better than expected!

It is perfect for use as a slapback delay for thickening riffs and solos, or for surf styles, but where it really shines for me is when used for ambience: set the mix control just before the point where the echoes are too obvious and distinct, set the number of repeats to taste, and this is the kind of pedal you could leave on all the time... you could even use it as an alternative to reverb.

I’ve own or have previously owned lots of great delays - both analogue and digital, some of which cost 10-20 times as much as the FAB Echo, but the FAB is a more than worthy addition to the collection. It has a charm and an immediacy that some 'better' pedals lack. I like it. A lot.

NOTE: In this short demo, I set the mix control higher than I'd normally have it, just so the tone of the echoes can be heard more clearly.

Vox 1901 Distortion

2010-06-02T19:34:00.035+01:00

1900 Series
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)
Made in Japan to Vox specifications

The 1901 Distortion is a really simple pedal; no tone controls, just the self-explanatory 'Output' and 'Distortion'. It has a fairly wide gain range from totally clean to relatively high gain - it definitely has enough for me.

Tonally, the effect changes as you turn up the gain; all the way down, it is 'transparent' - sounding the same as the bypassed signal. As you turn the the distortion up, it gets quite beefy, and from halfway onwards, there is a very subtle, barely noticeable roll-off of the bass frequencies. This is a common trait of other distortion pedals from the 70s/early-80s that I've used; no doubt the theory is that the higher gain sounds would be used for playing leads, and you'd want your leads to have less low end to enable them to cut through a mix.

So, as I said, the lowest gain settings are really transparent - making this a great boost pedal. Things stay pretty clean up to halfway using my P90-equipped Epiphone Casino; predictably, the crunch kicks in earlier using my Gibson SG - thanks to it's higher output humbuckers. The low gain sounds are a little hairy - but in a good way; this pedal (with conservative settings) is really good for jangly rhythms. The distortion itself is more of a fuzz to my ears - and that's fine by me.

I really like this pedal; I like my overdrives and fuzzes to be dynamic and the 1901 definitely meets that criteria. Even with the gain all the way up, picking softly still yields an almost clean sound; dig in and it screams.

So, from clean boost to crunch, jangly rhythms to thick fuzz, this pedal can serve a number of purposes equally well and could be put to good use across a wide variety of musical genres... not that I like to label music, of course.

Related: Guyatone PS-102 Zoom Box Distortion

Effect Box Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)
I've wanted to try out these Vox 1900 series pedals for quite some time - even before I realised they were re-housings of the original Guyatone pedals*.
* When Guyatone brought out their then new range of compact pedals in 1981, they continued to produce six of their earlier pedals for Vox. These pedals were the distortion, chorus, flanger, compressor, auto wah and phaser.

They are mostly just straightforward re-housings but some of them have slight differences - the Guyatone Chorus Box has two outputs, whereas the Vox version - which I also have - has a single output.

The Vox versions are marked as 'Made in Japan to Vox specifications'.

(Guyatone also made their early analogue delay and chorus available through the JMX brand.)

[Update] Vox 1901 vs Guyatone Zoom Box

The key difference between the Vox and Guyatone versions, is in the overall tone of the distortion. The Guyatone Zoom Box is very noticeably brighter than the Vox 1901, and it also thins out in the higher gain ranges.

Due to these tonal differences, the 1901 is a bit more throaty. In my opinion, the Zoom Box is at its best when the gain is kept fairly low, giving a nice rhythm crunch or lead boost. The Vox on the other hand sounds consistently good at all gain settings.

I don't know the official reason why the two pedals are EQ'd differently, but I suspect the 1901 was 're-tuned' to make a better match with brighter Vox amps (such as the AC30TB).

If I had to choose just one, I'd choose the Vox.

(Picture of Guyatone Zoom Box borrowed from DiscoFreq's Effects Database.)

SUPERFUZZ pt.2: Guyatone PS-030 Fuzz Distortion

2010-05-10T21:59:00.010+01:00

Effect Box Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

I was planning to do a comparison review and video for this and the Guyatone TZ2, but it quickly became apparent that, while they have a lot in common, there are some significant differences too... largely that the PS-030 has many more tonal possibilities and uses - thanks mainly to the 'Filter' control. With that in mind, I decided against doing a head-to-head comparison.

There are three controls*:

'Depth' (gain)
'Level'
'Filter'

While the 'Depth'/gain and 'Level' controls are commonplace and require no explanation, the 'Filter' isn't as simple I first assumed... it isn't just a tone control... and it doesn't really work in the usual way (either as a hi-cut filter like on a Pro Co Rat, or a standard tone control like you'd find on a Tubescreamer and many other overdrives and distortions).

With the 'Filter' control fully clockwise, you have the base tone with the filter fully open. As you turn the 'Filter' control down, the treble frequencies initially start to roll off slightly, and there is a drop in volume (easily rectified with the 'Level' control - there's plenty of output on tap)... turning the 'Filter' down further reveals that the it is NOT merely a hi-cut filter, but it appears to shift the emphasis of your tone, restricting the frequency range and thereby thinning the sound and bringing out more of the gated fuzz quality - it also has a side effect of reducing overall gain/fuzz.

* Well... there are 4 controls really; one of them is hidden away inside.

There is a trimpot (as was found in some Superfuzz models) to adjust the upper octave. I found that turning it down reduced the amount of upper octave - but not entirely eradicating it, while turning it up only seemed to increase the gated-ness of the fuzz: in the end, I chose to leave it at the factory-set position.

The PS-030 doesn't have masses of gain available, but then 'high gain' back in the early/mid 80s wasn't the same as it is now, so it's understandable that the relatively recent Guyatone TZ2 is more gainy... likewise the low end; while I don't think the PS-030 cuts any bass, it doesn't boom like the TZ2.

Overall, the PS-030 is an authentically retro, vintage-sounding effect, with a wide range of tones waiting to be found inside... and I love it!

SUPERFUZZ pt.1: Guyatone TZ2 'The Fuzz'

2010-05-10T19:22:00.007+01:00

Micro Effect Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Guyatone - rather cheekily - describe the TZ2 as a multi-effect pedal... saying it is a distortion, octavia and ring modulator.

That's quite a claim for a pedal which, on first inspection appears to be a very simple effect; nothing more than a retro-but-aggressive-sounding fuzz.

The octavia and kind-of-ring modulation effects are largely dependent on how, where and what you play on the guitar; the upper octave effect is most prominent when playing single notes above the 12th fret, the ring modulation effect comes to the fore when playing certain chords/intervals.

For those of you who are interested, the TZ2 uses a diode ring in the circuit to create the octave effect - much like the Dan Armstrong Green Ringer.

Guyatone make no secret of the fact that the TZ2 is based on the old Univox Superfuzz.

The TZ2 has a fairly wide gain range and can go from quite a low gain, dynamic distortion/fuzz to full throttle, pounding fuzz. It has a really beefy low-end; perhaps at times there is a little too much bass... there is a looseness and sloppiness but I don't mind too much - it suits the way I play guitar! There are no on-board tone controls, but the pedal responds very well to pickup changes and adjustments to your guitar's volume and tone.

Despite the simplicity of the pedal, it is possible to coax a wide range of sounds from it... including old-school fuzz (perfect for power chord riffs), clangorous noise and very synth-like, searing leads and riffs.

I really like it; a teeny-tiny, cute orange casing that looks like a toy but has the heart of a raging monster inside!

Boss MZ-2 Digital Metalizer

2010-04-30T18:11:00.017+01:00

Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Part of the idea behind this blog, is to draw attention to the more unappreciated, often ignored pedals frequently seen for sale on the used market. An example of such a pedal is the DOD Vibrothang - which I reviewed recently - but another which fits the bill is the Boss MZ-2 Digital Metalizer.

The MZ-2 is a strange pedal, and I'm not quite sure who it was aimed at when it was conceived. For a lot of people, the combination of the words 'digital' and 'metalizer' in its name are reason enough to immediately eradicate any interest in it whatsoever.

I'm to blame for all I've heard...

Despite some fairly widespread misconceptions, the MZ-2 is built around an analogue distortion; it's just a standard Boss-sounding distortion* - but I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing.

* I've read that it is actually a Boss DS-1, but I'm not sure if that's true.

There are six modes on the MZ-2; the first ('Single') is just the distortion, the next three are doubling (very short delay) effects of varying lengths - the third of which is essentially a slap-back echo. The final two modes are both designated as being 'Chorus' but sound more like mild flanging to me.

There are actually two full-sized PCBs sandwiched together in the MZ-2; one for the distortion and one for the digital effects.

I'm not scared...

The distortion isn't the most exciting sound, but it's perfectly usable... it begs to be turned up all the way and provides decent sustain without having masses of gain (especially by modern standards). Interestingly - or not! - the MZ-2 actually works really well as an overdrive/boost with a cranked amp... as long as you keep the drive set low so it doesn't get all mushy and indistinct.

There is a little low end loss when you turn the pedal on, which - in a way - can be seen as a good thing; it means the distortion can fit easier in a band/recording/mix setting. The tone control is adequate and is usable throughout its entire range; it doesn't get too harsh even when turned right up, while turning it down yields a smoother overall sound.

All of the digital effects do add a - surprise, surprise - metallic quality to the distortion, especially the first two doubling modes. The digital effects really come to life when you make use of the stereo outputs. Running this pedal in stereo also gives the option of separately processing and EQ-ing the delayed/modulated distortion signal to make it stand out more (or less).

The MZ-2's digital processing adds some weird artefacts and side-effects to your signal, especially when you bend a string or let a note/chord decay. After playing with the pedal for a little while, it started to become apparent that this would be very good for use in an 'ambient' guitar style. (I haven't fully explored these possibilities, but there is plenty of potential.)

I can't wait to meet you there...

Don't be put off by the name, the Digital Metalizer could find a home in many a guitarist's pedal armoury; let's face it, nearly everyone could make use of a good distortion pedal. On top of that you get the extra digital effects - which are good for occasional use - and the provision for running in stereo too.

If you want to stand out from the crowd and try something different, this could be the pedal for you.

Hot Fuzz: Guyatone PS-030 Fuzz Distortion

2010-04-29T18:02:00.004+01:00

Effect Box Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Full video and review coming soon...

I have a Guyatone TZ-2 Micro Fuzz on the way right now (thanks to the lovely people at Godlyke), so I'll do a comparison review/video once I have both.

Lights will guide you home

2010-04-27T11:02:00.007+01:00

I recently acquired a Guyatone Rolly Box phaser - one of the late-70s/early-80s pedals but sadly, it didn't work; the LED came on and it passed signal in bypass mode, but turn it on and it was completely dead. Silence isn't always golden.

I had hoped it would be something simple wrong with it - a loose wire, dodgy jack or such-like so I could fix it myself but no... I didn't have a clue what was wrong and it was far beyond my limited electronics/DIY skills to even diagnose the problem.

I was left with three realistic options:

Throw it away
Sell it on eBay as faulty
Find an expert to fix it for me

After doing a bit of internet searching, I found quite a few seemingly reputable companies offering vintage pedal repair services, so started making enquiries.

Some of them quoted minimum charges of £30-40 per hour for any work, with that being the minimum amount to even LOOK at the pedal!

One company stood out to me - Owen Electronics. Martin Owen - the man who runs the company - responded to my emails in a timely and professional manner, and the overall service being offered seemed worth a shot: he'd diagnose the problem, then let me know what needed to be done and how much it would cost BEFORE* any work was done. The minimum fee is a mere £10.

* Not all companies work that way; some will repair/service equipment and THEN tell you what it costs.

£10 seemed very reasonable; if I had gone elsewhere, it could have cost £40 and I still may have been left with a dead pedal.

So, the pedal went on a little holiday but returned very quickly and working perfectly... and it only cost £20! (If anyone's interested, some of the parts - ICs etc - had been damaged and needed to be replaced. A few other minor repairs were carried out, all of the PCB and base screws (which were missing) were replaced and I'm positive it was given a thorough clean too - as it came back looking much shinier than it did before.)

So, anyone who has a broken pedal that they don't know how to fix or what to do with - particularly something vintage, or which is potentially quite valuable, you could do far worse than contact Owen Electronics. Your old, broken pedals could possibly be restored to their former glory and it may cost less than you think.

(Martin also produces and sells his own range of effects as well as offering other services for pedal repairs, modifications and cloning.)

A makeshift story of concern...

2010-04-23T14:55:00.013+01:00

I've been a little slack with the reviews lately... this has been due to a combination of factors; mainly, it's been because I've been really busy but also, my office/internet PC died at the end of last week - which meant I've only had limited web access.

The good news though, is that I have a few videos ready to be edited and uploaded.

Reviews on the way include:

Vox 1901 Distortion
Boss MZ-2 Digital Metalizer
Digitech RDS1000 Time Machine

Exciting news (for me, anyway!): winging its way to me right now is a Guyatone PS-030 Fuzz!

Congratulations you have won...

Spot the song reference and you can win a 'prize'!

DOD FX22 Vibrothang

2010-04-15T18:31:00.033+01:00

FX Series
Made in the USA
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Following its release in 1996, the Vibrothang’s initial sales figures were disappointing for DOD/Digitech; it has been suggested that this was due to the inaccurate and misleading name, and the unusually named controls (although the Vibrothang’s controls were far less confusing than those on a number of the other FX Series pedals).

What’s in a name?

The marketing for the Vibrothang described it as a ‘vibrato’ with ‘special phasing circuitry’ which could sound like a ‘rotating speaker’… hmm, I don’t know about that…

For a start, it’s a tremolo (amplitude modulation) and not a vibrato (pitch modulation)… and the special phasing circuit doesn’t sound that special; it’s a fairly subtle 4-stage phaser… and the rotating speaker part? I'm not sure... although, there definitely is a sense of movement with some settings.

By 1998, DOD/Digitech had obviously had a rethink, with a number of the FX Series pedals receiving a cosmetic facelift which included having their controls renamed. In the case of the Vibrothang, ‘RPMs’, ‘Drop’ and ‘Intensity’ became ‘Speed’, ‘Depth’ (tremolo depth) and ‘Doppler’ (amount of phasing). The fourth control, ‘Image’ (regeneration of the phasing), retained its name.

As a standalone tremolo (with the phasing turned all the way down), it has good and bad qualities… the tremolo waveform has a lovely pulsing feel, but the effect also rolls off some of the treble; dulling your signal a little… and as you turn the tremolo depth up, you get a fairly hefty volume boost (no doubt to counter the perceived volume drop you often get with tremolo pedals).

As a standalone phaser (with the tremolo depth turned down), it’s OK, but just a bit ‘ordinary’ and limited. Being a 4-stage phaser it’s quite a mild effect, but is good to use occasionally for a bit of variation in your sound… on a positive note, the Vibrothang’s subtlety (as a phaser) could actually be more useful - in a musical context - for more people than a stronger phaser such as an Electro-Harmonix Small Stone, as it doesn’t completely swamp your sound.

The ‘Image’ control really brings the phasing to life. Most of the best sounds are to be found with both the ‘Doppler’ and ‘Image’ controls near the top of their ranges. Here, you will find a plethora of filter-y, wah-like and vocal effects, as well as a kind of moving, doppler effect; although it's not exactly what was promised by the nice/crazy people at DOD.

Using both the tremolo and phasing at the same time is where the Vibrothang really comes into its own; the FX22 really is quite unique in the world of guitar effects.

Demo 1: Clean Sounds

Whereas most people would put a tremolo near the end of their effect chain, it’s not uncommon to put a phaser near the beginning. As the Vibrothang does both of these things, where should it go in the chain?

Demo 2: Post Overdrive*

Demo 3: Pre Overdrive*

* Overdrive pedal used was a Danelectro CTO-1 Transparent Overdrive.

When used with overdrive, I find putting the Vibrothang last accentuates the tremolo and the filter-like aspects of the sound. Whereas, running the Vibrothang pre-overdrive, the tremolo effect is reduced (as is the volume boost) and more of a vibe-y sound emerges.

Underwater Love

While the Vibrothang has plenty of flaws, I really like it; especially with clean sounds. I wouldn’t want it to be my main tremolo or phaser pedal, but it does have a unique charm and can do things that I’ve never heard anywhere else.

If you want a cheap pedal for occasional tremolo, phasing or vibe effects… or if you want to sound like you’re playing under water… the FX22 Vibrothang could be for you!

Hang out on clouds

2010-04-05T10:37:00.001+01:00

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 16 years…

New old pedal

2010-04-01T16:40:00.007+01:00

Just got hold of this today...

It's a Guyatone PS-107 Moving Box Flanger from 1979.

According to the brochure:

"This pedal takes phasing a step further with sweeping changes to tonality. Vibrato and reverb effects can also be achieved as well as a full bodied 12 string guitar effect."

From my initial play around with it, I can definitely say that it is extremely versatile with lots of great sounds to be found... I'll be doing a full review with clips soon!

Korg OCT-1 Octaver

2010-03-29T17:27:00.024+01:00

Series 1
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)
(Also available as: Yamaha OC-01.)

The Korg OCT-1 is a simple monophonic, analogue, octave down pedal. It is essentially identical to the Yamaha OC-01 pedal which debuted around 1980. (The earliest reference I have found to the Korg Series 1 effects - all of which are the same as the Yamaha PSE Series - is from a 1985 Korg product catalogue.)

The only difference between the Yamaha and Korg, is that the Yamaha pedals were designed to fit into one of the modular PSE pedal board systems, so have a non-standard power input (which I think also takes care of the audio inputs and outputs while the pedal is mounted in the board). The Korg pedals have the ‘standard’ 2.1mm barrel type DC input.

For details of the Yamaha PSE series pedal board systems see here, here and here.

The OCT-1 has self explanatory ‘Direct Level’ and ‘Effect Level’ controls and also a ‘Polarity’ toggle switch. This doesn’t seem to make any audible difference most of the time, although it may have something to do with matching the effect to your guitar/pickups… it tracks better with my Epiphone Casino with Polarity set to ‘A’, whereas with my Gibson SG, there is no discernable difference in either position.

I wish for real that I could turn it on and off

Oh yeah… it has a footswitch too!

With this type of effect, it is important for the pedal to receive a clear signal from your guitar in order to perform at its best. I find that using the neck pickup and/or rolling off some treble with the guitar’s tone control - therefore reducing the harmonic overtones in the signal and sending a truer pitch to the effect - helps a great deal with tracking. You also have to be very precise when playing (vibrato, pitch bends, string noise etc. can all interfere with the Octaver and cause a glitching effect… some people may like that of course!

TIP: Running a little compression before the Octaver can help significantly with tracking, particularly on sustained notes. However, the compression will also mean you have to be even more precise in your playing, as any other string noise will be increased.

Nothing’s ever real until it’s gone

To be honest, I wouldn’t use this with an ordinary guitar to replace a proper bass. The effect glitches too readily in my opinion. Although, once in a band mix, you could probably fool a lot of people with it.

In most situations, I think this effect sounds best if you keep the direct level at unity (retaining more note attack), and then mix in some of the lower octave (to add weight).

NOTE: Unity volume on the two dials is at ’5’, so there is plenty of additional volume available… I have even used this as a clean boost to very good effect (‘Direct Level’ on full, ‘Effect Level’ at zero).

DEMO 1: Simple ‘bass’ riff with…
Pedal bypassed
‘Direct Level’ - 0, ‘Effect Level’ - 5; bridge pickup
‘Direct Level’ - 0, ‘Effect Level’ - 5; both pickups
‘Direct Level’ - 0, ‘Effect Level’ - 5; neck pickup
‘Direct Level’ - 5, ‘Effect Level’ - 3; bridge pickup
‘Direct Level’ - 5, ‘Effect Level’ - 3; both pickups
‘Direct Level’ - 5, ‘Effect Level’ - 3; neck pickup

Combined with other effects such as distortion, the Octaver gets a bit more useful in my opinion… at subtle levels, it adds weight and body to single note lines but can also add a synthy, fuzzy quality. It even sounds OK to me with power chords and octave riffs; it gets messy with anything more complex than that though - even a straightforward major or minor triad.

DEMO 2: Octave riff. Distortion courtesy of an Award-Session JD10mk2.
Bypassed
‘Direct Level’ - 5, ‘Effect Level’ - 4; bridge pickup

The darkest hole is at the end of the road

So there you go, I’m not completely sold on the OCT-1 - or analogue octave down effects in general… this one and the others I’ve tried are just a bit too glitchy and unsatisfying for me.

Although, in certain styles of music, the glitchiness and synth-like qualities may have their uses...

Is music important?

2010-03-25T11:30:00.007Z

Yes, it is...

www.whymusicmatters.org

http://www.youtube.com/whymusicmatters

Hung on the line like a poison spider

2010-03-19T16:45:00.019Z

If you’ve ever read any of the effects pedal related forums, you’ll no doubt have seen numerous threads along these lines…

I’m putting together a pedal board and don’t know in which order the pedals should go.

Please help!

While there is a general consensus which says that your effects should go in a certain order (see below), there are no set-in-stone rules to follow and you should feel free to experiment, using your ears to decide what sounds and works best. Placing effects in the ‘wrong’ order can often produce new, unexpected results which may well prove to be inspirational when it comes to making music.

Convention tells us that our effects pedals should go in this sort of order:

Filters - e.g. wah
Compression
Gain - overdrive/distortion/fuzz
EQ/Tone - e.g. graphic equaliser
Modulation - e.g. chorus or tremolo
Delay
Reverb

That covers the most common and widely used effect groups, but others are not so easy to place… pitch shifters for example…

A hailstorm brought you back to me…

If it’s a straightforward octave up/down effect (e.g. Boss OC-2), then putting it near the start of your chain is often a good idea - this way it will usually track the guitar’s signal better, and produce a better effect. (Although, modern polyphonic octavers such as the Electro-Harmonix POG line of effects track so well, that they can go pretty much anywhere in your chain.)

If it’s a harmonising effect (e.g. Boss HR-2), then it will usually work best after your distortion pedals - a harmonised guitar line would ‘confuse’ the distortion pedal and probably come out sounding a real mess.

An example of one of my own pedal boards. Signal chain is:

Colorsound Tonebender (fuzz) -> EHX POG2 (octave) -> EHX Deluxe Memory Man (delay/modulation) -> Boss PN-2 (tremolo/pan) -> Korg Pitchblack (tuner).

There can sometimes be doubts when it comes to classifying your effects… a phaser for example, is often regarded as a modulation effect (so would be near the end of your chain), but can also be considered as a filter effect (meaning it would go at the start of your chain). But… it really depends on the other effects you’re using… if I’m using a phaser with distortion, I like the phaser first; if I’m playing clean, I like the phaser to be after my delays.

Free-fall, motorcycle, hang-glider…

A departure from conventional pedal order, as I said earlier, can often produce new, unexpected sounds… the side effects of running different pedal combinations in different orders, can sometimes be more usable (in a musical context) than the effect itself. In other instances, running effects in the ‘wrong’ order may maintain clarity and just sound ‘better’.

Running modulation (particularly tremolo, chorus and phasing) after your delay pedals will more often that not sound more pleasing and clearer, rather than the jumbled mess that may occur from doing things the 'right’ way.

What about if you have a ‘touch sensitive’ low-gain overdrive pedal… and then put your compressor before it? You’ll lose a lot of the dynamic feel of the overdrive. Try it the other way around and you’ll get all the best parts from both; the dynamic responsiveness from the overdrive and the extra sustain and level control from the compressor.

There's so much that I can't do…

Another factor in deciding upon your effect order can be the actual pedals in question. Some fuzzes for example have to be the very first pedal after your guitar to work properly.

Many people will have multiple overdrives, distortions and fuzzes on their pedal board, which opens up a whole other area of confusion: which order should they go in? This is down to personal taste and will depend largely upon which combos of pedal you use… if you only ever use one of your gain pedals at a time, then it obviously doesn’t matter which order they go in. If you stack you drive pedals, then there are a few things to consider…

Some people like to run their drive pedals in order of lowest to highest gain - boosting the amount of drive from the higher-gain pedal.

Some people like to run their drive pedals in order of highest to lowest gain - the lower gain pedal acting more as a level boost and equaliser.

My own ‘logic’ is more concerned with frequencies; the pedal which allows the widest range of frequencies through (therefore colouring the tone the least) goes last, the one which allows the narrowest range of frequencies through goes first. This seems to sound the most natural to me when stacking pedals.

Example:

If you have a tubescreamer-type overdrive (which outputs a fairly narrow range of frequencies) running in to a Big Muff-type fuzz pedal (wide frequency), the Big Muff will get a gain and mid-frequency boost, but won’t sound that different.

If you run the Big Muff in to the tubescreamer, there will be a huge change in sound. It will likely sound ‘strangled’ and nasal.

I've come a long way since the whatever…

Hopefully this article will help you when arranging your pedals, at the very least I hope you will ignore conventional thought, experiment and try things out for yourself.

Echoes nobody hears…

2010-03-18T18:16:00.038Z

Guyatone PS-014 Dual Time Delay - analogue delay

Effect Box Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Pearl AD-08 Analog Delay

Sound Spice series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

I just thought I’d have a quick look at a couple of often overlooked and seriously underrated analogue delay pedals.

These are both ‘vintage’ 1980s, Japanese-made, analogue delays of a high quality. Both are built to last; similar in build to Boss pedals and, in my opinion at least, they should be held in the same regard as the more sought after (and wildly over-priced) Boss DM-2 and DM-3.

The Guyatone PS-014 (which was also sold under the Nady brand name in some countries) is similar in sound to a Boss DM-3; it has the same kind of quality to the repeats, but is - dare I say it, more ‘organic’ sounding to my ears - and is cleaner sounding than a DM-2. However, it lacks the direct output of a DM-3 and has less delay time - mine has 220ms (although it is possible to get a bit more at the expense of audio fidelity by adjusting the internal trimpots).

It does have a unique extra feature though… there are two delay time controls. Only one (‘Main’) is functional as standard, the other (‘Sub’) becomes active when you plug a footswitch* into the ‘Foot Sw’ socket. You can then use the external footswitch to switch between two different delay times set by the ‘Main’ and ‘Sub’ controls.

* Most 'tap tempo' or generic channel changing footswitches should do the job.

The Pearl AD-08 is closer to the softer sound of a Boss DM-2, but is much cleaner - especially so on longer settings where the DM-2 turns to mush. The AD-08 has some other features that make it worth seeking out: it has more delay time available than most similarly-aged analogue delays - I measured mine to have 370ms, whereas most of its rivals have 200-300ms; it has two outputs and has independent level controls for both the effect and direct signals - very useful!

We’re faithful, we all believe…

I prefer both the PS-014 and AD-08 to the two Boss compact analogue delays: the Guyatone has a sweeter tone than the DM-3 and the bonus Dual Time feature; the Pearl has a wider range of uses over the DM-2 due to the longer delay time and higher fidelity.

Putting either of these on your pedal board won’t give you the same cred as having a Boss DM-2/3, but I bet you’ll still get as many (or more!) people commenting on the great sounds you’re making.

It goes, it goes, it goes like this…

Guyatone PS-014 Dual Time Delay demo...

Pearl AD-08 Analog Delay demo...

Yamaha MBD-20M Multi-Band Distortion

2010-03-18T12:34:00.029Z

This pedal is from the Yamaha 10 series range of pedals, which were made in Japan in the mid-late 1980s I believe. Given the time period, it was probably intended as a heavy metal distortion pedal… but don’t let that put you off!

It’s not your run of the mill distortion pedal, it has a little trick up its sleeve that sets it apart from the pack… namely that it is in fact two distortions rolled into one - more about that later.

There are four controls; the usual power trio of ‘Out Level’ (volume), ‘Distortion’ (gain) and ‘Tone’ are joined by a mysterious fourth member called ’Balance’. ‘Balance’ is a control allowing you to blend the two distortion circuits.

Distort the truth

The MBD-20M splits the incoming signal in to two at a certain frequency, and processes these signals independently - much the same as happens with a studio multi-band compressor or limiter - hence the name Multi-Band Distortion.

The ‘Balance’ control then allows you to mix the two signals however you want…

‘Balance’ control to the left is just the bass - on it’s own, this sounds quite fuzzy, muddy and indistinct…
‘Balance’ control to the right is just the treble and mids - so can be harsh and honky but is really clear and defined…

Start blending the two bands, and there are loads of usable sounds you can achieve with the MBD-20M; from jagged, garage rock tones, through classic rock, to loose, fuzzy distortion perfect for 90s alt-rock and more.

Also, for a moderately high gain distortion pedal - and one that most people would dismiss as being cheap and not worth trying - it is amazingly quiet (even with my P90-equipped Epiphone Casino). I've used plenty of higher-priced/'boutique' pedals which the Yamaha would put to shame.

Mix and match

The MBD-20M works really well in recording and band situations; for rhythm tones, edge the ‘Balance’ control towards the bass side and you'll blend in nicely... for leads and other overdubs, move it to the right and you’ll have no trouble cutting through even the busiest of mixes.

Can I hear it for myself?

If you want...

I’ve recorded a short demo, it’s just a simple riff; played clean first of all, then repeated at different gain and ‘Balance’ levels…

(‘Balance’ on full, minimum then halfway at three gain settings; 9:00, 12:00 and maximum. In all examples the tone control is at halfway.)

Or watch this...

Where can I buy one?

Some of the Yamaha Series 10 pedals are easily found on eBay (such as the CH-10MII Chorus) but others such as this one aren’t as easy to come by. The good news though, is when they do come up for sale, they don’t usually sell for very much.

Guyatone PS-003 Compressor

2010-03-16T18:17:00.017Z

Effect Box Series
Made in Japan
(Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)

Before I start this review properly, I should really get a little confession out of the way: I am a big fan of Guyatone pedals - especially the old Effect Box/PS-series pedals such as this one. Over the years I’ve had over 20 Guyatone pedals - not including the ones I liked so much I bought doubles of! - and I can honestly say, that only one of them was a disappointment. That one being the MC2 Chorus from the more recent Micro Effects series. All of the others have, at the very least been very good and some are exceptional.

So, on with the review…

Ground Control to Major Tom…

There are three controls on this pedal, Level, Sustain and Brilliance. The former two being pretty much the standard controls you expect to find on a compressor pedal, the latter is more unexpected and needs a little explaining…

What the Brilliance control does, is actually enhance your guitar playing. With the control all the way anti-clockwise (minimum), you’ll be hearing lots of fret buzz, bum notes and poor timing in your playing - kind of like the very first time you picked up a guitar. As you turn the control clockwise, your playing gets better and better until at the maximum setting, you’ll be ready to go on your world tour… as soon as you can get rid of all the record company A&R men queued up at your door waving multi-million pound contracts under your nose.

Good, eh?

It would be if it were true, but it’s actually better than that! The Brilliance control is actually a tone control; more precisely, it seems to work as a hi-cut filter. At maximum you get a slightly enhanced tone - great for jangly, clean rhythms; as you turn the control down you lose treble and the tone gets softer and ‘rounder’. It’s really useful actually.

Lastly, there is a (bias?) trimpot inside but I wouldn’t advise messing around with it.

Commencing countdown, engines on…

Compressors are not going to be very high up the list of the most popular effects pedals; most people get more excited over things that mess up their sound (overdrive, distortion etc.) or add to it in an obvious way (delay, reverb etc.).

Used ‘properly’, compression is an effect that quite often, you won’t even notice is there until you turn it off. By ‘properly’, I mean using sensible levels of compression for a little dynamics control… it just so happens that most compressor pedals will go way beyond those sensible levels, into the realms of completely squashed ‘sustain for days™’.

Like most compressor pedals I’ve used, you don’t need to turn the Sustain on the PS-003 up very much for normal applications; around 9:00 on the dial works fine for me - evening out the signal nicely and already adding an extra dose of sustain.

Turning the sustain up further quickly shows this pedal in a very good light; it doesn’t appear to add any extra noise (other than the by-product of compression, which is raising of the noise floor) and there is plenty of compression on tap. Letting an open A chord ring out for example, I had to physically mute the strings as I got bored while waiting for it to fade out on its own!

Combining this with other effects is the next step… running this at high compression levels into my Electro-Harmonix POG2 (on an ‘organ’ setting) was a real eye opener.

Check ignition and may God's love be with you...

This is very, very good; definitely a keeper and on the same level as the other Guyatone pedals I love so much. If you are in need of a compressor pedal and can find one for sale - these have been discontinued for a long time - it’s certainly worth checking out. (You should be able to get one quite cheaply - I paid £20 for mine on eBay.)

As a bonus, the PS-003 could also serve other uses… you could keep the Sustain control set low and turn the Level up for a volume boost, or use just the Brilliance control for extra tone-shaping possibilities.

eBay scores

2010-03-14T20:00:00.006Z

It seems that finding good effects pedal deals on eBay is getting harder and harder these days… at least from what I see on the UK and other European eBay sites I look at.

Buyers seem to be increasingly willing to pay over the odds for their pedals… even to the point where they buy a used pedal for near to - or sometimes more than! - the price of a new one. If it’s something which isn’t widely available, then it would almost be understandable, but I even see this trend with current Electro-Harmonix pedals!

To illustrate my point, a used but 'like new' EHX Nano Small Stone sold today for £67.65... despite the fact that - as a quick look on Google Shopping shows - you can buy them new pretty much everywhere for round about £50! Madness!

So why do people do it?

Is it because they haven’t done their research and just don’t actually know what the pedal costs? Or is it just that people get carried away seeking the ‘thrill’ of winning an eBay auction? Who knows?

* * *

If you’re lucky, check eBay regularly for newly listed items and are prepared to act quickly, then there is still the occasional bargain to be found…

You may chance upon an item with a stupidly low Buy It Now price* but these items usually go quickly.

* It’s hard to say why people may put really low prices on things they’re selling… maybe it’s because they're desperate for a quick sale, or maybe it’s just a genuine case of not knowing what something’s worth.

I don’t want to come across as if I’m bragging about my eBay-bargain-finding skills, but one such opportunity occurred recently when I bought a mint and boxed Boss DM-3 analogue delay for £50; the going rate for those at the time was around £100 for one in beat-up condition or £130+ for one in good condition. Needless to say, I was pretty happy with that!

Another possible way of finding a bargain, is to look out for pedals being sold as faulty…

Quite often it will be a really easy fix to get it up and running again; it may be something as straightforward as replacing a battery connector, or re-soldering a loose wire.

Also, on some occasions, these ‘broken’ pedals may not actually be broken at all…

Last year I bought an old, Japanese-made Rayder CH-70 Stereo Chorus (re-branded Washburn A-SC7) which supposedly didn’t work… in the eBay description the seller said that neither of the two controls did anything, and that the sound didn’t change between being in bypass or activated - i.e. there was no effect. As it was really cheap (I ended up paying about £6 for it), I thought I’d take a chance…

It turned out to work perfectly! The seller had been using the direct output instead of the effect output!

Also, if you’re looking for a specific pedal on eBay, it pays not to limit your search to the Effects Pedals category alone… you’d be surprised how often things get listed in the wrong category. The fewer people that see an item, the better your chance of getting it for a decent price.

Useful Links

2010-03-11T15:23:00.004Z

I thought I'd kick off this blog by sharing some useful links...

You've seen an interesting looking pedal for sale; something you've never seen before and have never heard of but, for some reason, it catches your attention. Where do you go to find out about an obscure pedal?

If the pedal is a current production model, then the manufacturer's website is usually a good place to start.

What if the pedal is no longer in production though? Manufacturers have a habit of removing every trace of a discontinued product from their websites. So where do you go then?

The first thing I usually do is head over to Discofreq's Effects Database...

This site lists just about every pedal which has ever been commercially available. For each item, there is usually a selection of pictures, a snippet of information taken from the manual or product brochure and various links to manufacturers websites and user-reviews (if applicable). Usefully, at the bottom of the page, there is a handy section allowing you to do a worldwide eBay search for whatever pedal you're looking at.

There are exceptions though...

My first port of call for any Boss effect is BossArea. Using the menus on the left hand side of the page, you can find out about every Boss effect unit, past and present (pedal, rack and other shapes and sizes). For each item there is usually a short write-up and some other information. If you dig around on the website, you can also find a Boss Serial Number Decoder which will tell you when your pedal was made (month/year).

There is a similar website devoted to DOD pedals at AmericasPedal.net.

There is also the User Review section and Effects Forum at Harmony Central... although... I wouldn't necessarily take everything you read there too seriously!

You can also search on YouTube but, a lot of the time the videos are of poor quality and don't - in my experience - give a true representation of how a pedal will actually sound.

To sum up, here are those links again:

BossArea and Boss Serial Number Decoder

AmericasPedal.net (DOD)

Harmony Central User Reviews and Effects Forum

Introduction

2010-03-10T11:51:00.002Z

It seems that these days, in the world of guitar effects, the majority of people are only interested in whatever is the current 'must-have', flavour of the month, over-hyped product. This can be said of standalone stompboxes or multi-effect floorboards/pedals.

People seem oblivious to the fact that a cheap, obscure, old overdrive pedal (for example) on eBay could be near-enough the same circuit - and sound every bit as good - as a 'boutique' pedal which may cost five times the price or more!

Of course, some of these more expensive pedals are unique and totally new designs, but will just be different and not necessarily better than an old [random-brand-name] pedal.

I'll use this blog to talk about some old pedals I have - or have had - with reviews and soundclips too... where possible I'll compare them to the higher-priced/boutique pedals I've used. I'll also talk about some of my other favourite effects (rack and pedals), simple pedal mods, getting the most out of your pedals (including signal chain), other musical/recording equipment... and whatever else is on my mind.

I welcome anybody to make comments, even if all you want to do is say how much you disagree with me!

Effect Extra

eBay isn't perfect, by any stretch of the imagination...

FUZZ OFF!

A quick link, a mini review and a bargain or three

Pumpkins pedals

Tremolo Round-up (Part.2) - UPDATED

Chorus Round-up (Part.3)

It's that time again: Melx's Red Nose Day Charity Auction 2011

Guyatone MO3 Micro Octaver

"Call that a demo?"

More and more pedals...

Back Soon...

Zoom UF-01 Ultra Fuzz

EFFECT EXTRA Presents: Guyatone PS-007 Phaser, Omnifex 700D Distortion/Overdrive & Yamaha DDS-20M Digital Delay

Omnifex 700D Distortion/Overdrive

Vox 1905 Chorus

Chorus Round-up (Part.2): Guyatone Edition

Children in Need Fuzz Pedal Auction!

Chorus Round-up (Part.1)

Peavey BAC-2 Bi-Amp Bass Chorus

Award MB10 Matchbox - [Shadows Version]

SUPERFUZZ pt.3: Guyatone TZm5 Torrid Fuzz

Nobels TR-X Tremolo [VIDEO]

Melx: Adventures in Effectors: In Conversation with 'Effect Extra' Blogger Kev Demuth.

Guyatone Flip AD-X Analog Delay... with Tube Power!

More pedal round-ups?

Tremolo Round-up (Part.1)

Roland Cube 20

Flippin' 'eck!

Upcoming

Great Expectations

Aria MP-5... Metal Pedal?

Guyatone Crossover Box Auto Wah | Filter

EFFECT(s in) BOXES

Arion SOD-1 Stereo Overdrive

Sacred Arias

Absolutely FABulous

Vox 1901 Distortion

SUPERFUZZ pt.2: Guyatone PS-030 Fuzz Distortion

SUPERFUZZ pt.1: Guyatone TZ2 'The Fuzz'

Boss MZ-2 Digital Metalizer

Hot Fuzz: Guyatone PS-030 Fuzz Distortion

Lights will guide you home

A makeshift story of concern...

DOD FX22 Vibrothang

Hang out on clouds

New old pedal

Korg OCT-1 Octaver

Is music important?

Hung on the line like a poison spider

Echoes nobody hears…

Yamaha MBD-20M Multi-Band Distortion

Guyatone PS-003 Compressor

eBay scores

More Links...

Useful Links

Introduction