Ladies and Gents, I'd like to introduce you to the insanely cool TWA Little Dipper. For those of you who didn't get a chance to play around with one at NAMM this year take it from me... you want one! TWA (Totally Wicked Audio) is the brain child Godlyke Distribution, they're responsible for bringing us such killer effects like Emma, Maxon, Guyatone, and the ever so useful Power-All power supply systems. I gotta tell you, these cats have really struck gold with this new design and I'm itching to see what else TWA comes up with. According to the good people at Godlyke, their goal is to knock out some of the most oddball, esoteric (but still useful) effects units the masses has scene in a long time. I say bring it on, it's a breath of fresh air from all the tubescreamer an fuzz face clones, not that I don't love you my dear oldies but goodies, but there's always room for new when you're playing effects pedals. The Little Dipper will be the flagship pedal of TWA and is due to hit the streets sometime late March or early April. Word around the camp fire is the first run will be very limited so keep them eyes peeled and hit your shops up for info. Here's a description of the LD-01 Little Dipper from Godlyke, which doesn't do the pedal justice but will give you an idea of what it can do.
"The flagship effect unit from Totally Wicked Audio, the LD-01 Little Dipper is an envelope-controlled vocal formant filter based on a classic 70's circuit. TWA has taken this holy grail effect and brought it into the future with improved tracking, fuller frequency response, lower noise floor, and the hippest packaging EVER! The Little Dipper's dual filters bend and morph your guitar tone into a blabbering, gurgling fury, creating peaks and notches that simulate the vowel sounds of human speech! Emulate talkboxes, filters, phasers, and get the most vocal wah-sounds this side of the Milky Way, all from one amazingly sexy, totally wycked stompbox. 100% made in the USA, the Little Dipper is built from the highest quality components available to handle light years of live abuse. Don't just reach for the stars - play them, with the Little Dipper from TWA. "
- Godlyke Dist.
Keep checking in with us for more info on other effects pedals from TWA, I say bring'em on, lord knows we're ready...
The new release of the JB2... clear cut jangle and chime, with a twist of bright focus and floating definition. There was a time not so long ago when I left all that had to do with compression up to the engineers in the studio, I saw no way to capture good compression in live situations so for years I just said to hell with it and went without it. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of great pedals out there that do the job and do the job well, it was my lack of knowledge in the effect that kept me from using it. Well a few months ago I had a run in with Steve Lasko's Janglebox version 1 while working a session, the box was unfamiliar to me but it caught my attention non-the-less. I plugged my semi-hollowbody into it and was shocked at the sound that was coming out of the amplifier, that particular guitar I had always had trouble getting a balanced, defined sound out of, within minutes I was hooked to compression in a box. So I did a little research on the Janglebox and discovered there was quite a buzz going around about it. Cats like Roger McGuinn and Mike Miller (both of whom have had a major influence on me) were using it today to achieve their signature classic tones. I thought there was no way the JB could be improved, I was wrong. The JB2 is capable if delivering the same studio quality compression as the first, has some new features that'll benefit your overall tone, and most importantly it's still built in the US with the same high quality parts and components. It's also loaded with it's own separate true bypass treble booster switch, adjustable gain and EQ knobs, and each switch lights it's own color LED to keep things easy while working on those nightmare lit stages. The new pedal is housed in a roomy, sturdy box which works perfectly for stomping in adjustments on the fly, no crammed knobs or switches here folks. But the real kicker is how easy it is to get a killer sound out of it, whether you're using it as a straight up compressor, clean boost, treble boost, or boost on boost. The overall balance and weight it gives your strings is addicting, once you use a compressor of this quality you'll never want to go without one. Now I might've not been around for The Beatles and The Byrds, but if you were to ask me to describe their tone I could tell you in heartbeat...The JB2! The missing link of your tone.
The new Jb2 is now available on the Janglebox website. Click the logo in our links to go directly to their website. Enjoy!
The good people at Effectrode are up to all good and have some fantastic new and old pedals on the way. For those of you who haven't had a shot at checking out these amazing pedals I highly suggest you hit up their website, check some stuff out and see if there's a Effectrode dealer in your town. Effectrode's genius creations go beyond the norm and surpass boutique quality effects. All of their pedals come equipped with vacuum tube technology and the highest grade components available today. If you're looking for a little something to upgrade your sound and add some killer retro style to your set-up, go with Effectrode baby.
:::PHASEOMATIC DELUXE:::
First up to bat and soon to be back in your favorite shops is the ever so sweet sounding Phaseomatic Deluxe. This pedal is capable of giving any lifeless tone a steady pulse and heartbeat with it's super clear, warm and lush phasing and vibrato. It can produce both extremes of vintage or sci-fi, and is extremely easy to dial in with it's flexible layout of controls.
:::VIBRA CHORUS:::
The next in line is the brand spankin new Vibra Chorus, an all tube, 100% pure analog and true bypass chorus pedal. It's beautiful, it's pink, and it's due to hit the streets in a few weeks. What more can you ask for? You won't have to ask for much by the sound of things. According to the Effectrode website, the pedal can produce "haunting and ethereal chorus voicings". Now I don't know about you, but that alone makes a man want to run out and write himself a song. For more info on the Vibra Chorus visit the Effectrode website.
The next two pedals on the horizon are a compressor and overdrive/distortion, both of which of course sport vacuum tube technology and audiophile grade components. Here's a little run down on both pedals by builder Phil Talyor, which will do a much better job describing them than I will.
:::PHOTO-OPTICAL TUBE COMPRESSOR:::
"I have been working on several pedal designs over the last few years and they are finally reaching completion...The first is a tube compressor which utilizes a photo-optical attenuator to achieve high linearity and low distortion gain control. The gain control element is based on a CdS photocell, which ensures the absolute minimum of distortion is introduced (much lower than V.C.A. and F.E.T. designs). Additionally, the natural decay characteristic of the photocell produces a smooth two-stage release characteristic which always sounds pleasing and natural to the ear as it eliminates 'breathing'. Additionally this compressor features A-weighted filter in the side-chain which has a similar response to the human ear and allows for heavy compression without the excessive 'pumping' normally associated with compressors processing low-frequency material, for much more natural and musical effect."
:::TUBE DRIVE:::
"The second pedal that is nearing completion is the Tube Drive, a pure class A tube overdrive pedal featuring three double triode vacuum tubes for a total of ix gan stages. The drive knob simultaneously controls the gain of all cascaded stages so that they progressively clip allowing the Tube Drive to respond empathically to your pick attack with graceful break-up characteristic as lower gain settings. At higher gains this pedal can be pushed into heavier distortion where the tone is rich in harmonic content and unrelenting without masking the natural sound of your guitar and amplifier."
For more info on all the up-coming and current Effectrode pedals you can go to their website by clicking their logo in our links, or go to www.effectrode.com
Phil is also always open to any suggestions you might have for pedal designs, drop him an email at sales@effectrode.com if you have something in mind.
Swedish stompbox artist C.J. Himmelstrutz has done it again, and in trio fashion to be exact. His newest creations the Gramps, Fetto Nord, and Fetto Nord 70 are available now, and more than ready to blow your amps to tone heaven. I will let the great C.J. explain a little bit about his new trio.
THE GRAMPS
Tympanic-Membrane Pleasure
"To simplify the explanation of this pedal we put it in the fuzz category, even if it's capable of so much more. If all you want is to make your guitar sound really old, like your grandparents, that probably likes the late sixties band CREAM, this one is for you. It features a three way switch
for some different ways to make the pedal fart, puke and sputter. The Tone control lets you dial in or out all the rumbling bass that will make your bell-bottoms flap"
FETTO NORD
Great Nordic Distortion
"Fetto Nord is an extended, signature model of the FETTO Standard. This beauty will give you one great sounding overdrive/distortion unit and one low noise, full bandwidth booster. Each of these effects can be run separately or concurrent with booster placed first in the chain, all fitted in a very small, space saving box!"
FETTO NORD 70
Great OLD Nordic Distortion
"Fetto Nord 70 is a 'More 70's voiced' version of Fetto Nord. Just likeall Fetto pedals you will get very musical distortions, rich in harmonics. Added to this is a pre-distortion-booster which will give you Great Nordic Distortion.....At Any Volume!"
(all quotes above by C.J. Himmelstruzt)
To read up on more info on all these pedals click the Himmelstrutz Electro Art logo in our links section. Or go to www.himmelstrutz.com - Look out for more on these great pedals in the hear future.
If you're looking for some of the greats from yesteryear, with a little twist and cool artwork, look no further. Husband and wife Ryan and Shannon Ratajski have teamed up to start Fuzzrocious Pedals, a small effects pedal company that builds some of the classics, like the EHX Russian Green Big Muff, Tychobrahe Octavia, DOD Envelope Filter, and a whole bunch more favorites. We all know how hard it can be to find vintage pedals, or how much they can go for these days when you do find one. Many of us also don't know how to build pedals, if you were to ask me to try and solder something you better also have a fire extinguisher on board. Fuzzrocious Pedals run from about 70 to 110 bucks, with mods or add ons they can run a little bit more. There's a new triangle version Big Muff Pi clone with 2 new mods available, a Feedback Expression Photo Eye mod, and a Mids boost/cut Switch mod. Shannon also does custom artwork colors, or you can send her your own designs as well. Besides there own stuff Ryan can also do a few simple mods, and he rehouses your pedals, for more info on which pedals he can work on check out the website. Fuzzrocious offers very fast turnaround, builds all their pedals custom to order, and are down with the environment by saying no to batteries which is very cool and very popular right now. Below are some more of their pedals and prices, if you'd like to check out more on Fuzzrocious or would like to contact them hit up the website and email address. Enjoy and support!!! Tell'em Analog War Cry sent ya.
new More Louder Pedal to raise money for breast cancer
The good people at Cusack Music Pedals, creators of the awesome Tap-a-Whirl and Tap-a-Phase pedals have just released a new pedal, the Cusack More Louder. A really cool thng about this new pedal is the cause behind it, 25$ of every pedal sold will go to the research of breast cancer, in memory of John's mother Mary Claire Cusack. The pedal is a buffer/booser in one, which gives you the choice of buffered or true bypass. The description for the pedal? "The Cusack More Louder is the tone of your guitar, but more of it, and louder!" -Cusack website.
How can you not dig this? Personally I think it's great, and the pedal comes in all out PINK!!! For info on this you can go to www.cusackmusic.com or call (616) 546-8888
Fresh for your viewing pleasure kids, a new Emma Electronic pedals website! The new website has the usual humorous layout and sports some cool new features as well. They have a news section up with info on their up-coming pedal releases, a comic strip, really cool videos featuring their sounds from their pedals, and a bunch more cool stuff. But my favorite is the humor link on the website that explains why all the funny pedal names, I'll leave it up to you cats to check out.
Also up on the website is the arsenal of new effects pedal that will be coming to a shop near you.
BE-1 Banjo Eliminator
noise gate/hush SB-1 Stinkbug
overdrive
LY-1 Leyenda
overdrive
PY-1 PisdiYAUwot
metal distortion
For more info on these killer new pedals click the Emma logo in our links or go to www.emmaelectronic.com
My good buddy Tom Dalton of Fuzzhugger.com is up to some madness again. Ladies and Gents, here we have the sick sounding, talk to whales, blips, synth tones, and fat octave drones... AB-Synth pedal. I don't even want to try to explain what I just heard in the demo video so I will just layout the control setup and let you go experience that 2-ring circus for yourself. You'll love it!!!
*Toggle: oscillation mode on/off
*Trip: in oscillation mode (toggle up), this knob is your main oscillation control
*Gain: harmonic, open fuzz, to overfuzzed, over-layered, liquid, sizzling synth
*Texture: lets you control the fuzz texture. Left=blistering, sizzling surge. Right=splattery
*Level: your master volume control, with mucho available my friends
Go on and take a listen people. Click the link or go to www.fuzzhugger.com
And this one I am very excited to tell you about, cause I designed the artwork for it...hehehe. My buddy Dave Archer built this pedal as a signature pedal for the band The Warlocks, one of my all time favorite bands. I believe the only way to get one of these is to go to the Warlocks website and put in an order, or by contacting Dave directly. As of how many of these will be made I am not sure of. But one thing I will tell you is that this baby is one badass mo-fo. The Heavy section of the pedal is a distortion, which is capable of knocking out some classic to all out maddness overdrive tones. A really cool feature in the Heavy section is the Comp switch, which when flipping it gives you these low-fi, garage band, super muddy tones. The Deavy section is the fuzz circuit of the pedal, and alone can stand up to anything out there (sorry everybody, but it can), combined with the Heavy section and you got a signature tone of all your own. A really sweet feature in the Deavy section is the Order switch, which lets you choose which circuit will come first in the chain. There are an endless amount of tones you can get with this thing. You can use it as mild to rockin overdrive, classic to heavy distortion, fuzz box and beyond. I say go out and get yourself one while you can, you know me, I love pedals, and this is one super cool pedal to add to your collection.
go to www.thewarlocks.com and click the Merchandise link, then hit other to find this pedal. You can also hit up the Vintage FX logo in our links and email dave for more info.
*Powdercoated Aluminum Enclosure & Rugged Construction
*Highest Quality Components
*Anti-pop Switching
*True Bypass
*Bright LED
*Durable Textured LEXAN Graphics
*Handmade in the USA
One knob, one switch, one killer fucking tone! I just got the new MythFX Midas Clean Boost and let me tell you my friends, this little devil offended me in all the right ways. In my twenty years of playing music I have come across many many boost pedals, some of them fancy, some of them not. Lots of them offering this that and the other thing, with bells, whistles and the whole nine yards. But when you sit down and think about it a booster should only have one purpose...to boost your tone. The Midas does this, and has a few more tricks up it's sleeve. The pedal itself is very simple, it has a knob and a switch, and knocks out anywhere from 6-32db of pure clean boost without worry of losing your guitar's tone. If you're like me and you work your ass off dialing in your tone you know how important it is not to lose your punch, dynamics, harmonics and clarity. The pedal runs on a standard 9v AC adapter, but the cool thing about the Midas is the internal voltage boost circuit which delivers a ton of headroom. The high impedance input and high quality components will preserve your picking dynamics, keep your tone in check, and have your amp singing and screaming till the break of dawn.
Roll the knob up full blast to push your amp into overdrive/dist, use it to liven up and boost your effects pedals or long effects chains, cut through any mix, boost and match levels for low output pickups, and my favorite....crank it and ride your guitar's volume knob for chorus's, solos, and anything else your hands can think of. Come rise above into the golden age of tone.
For more info on MythFX pedals click their logo in our links, go to www.mythfx.com or visit the myspace page at www.myspace.com/mythfx
Microtono Analog Effects is the tone child of Diego Gomez, a stompbox loving Argentinian with a talented hand for building, and a wicked ear for tone. What started as a hobby to build effects for himself and his friends, has turned into a passion to bring us some of the sweetest tones in the boutique effects pedal market. Microtono pedals have found themselves as far away as Chile, Spain, Mexico, Bolivia, and Uruguay. They're also starting to land in the good ol' USA, and by the looks of things it won't stop here. In less than two years of building effects Diego found the demand for his pedals becoming so high he had no choice but to go into business. The combination of his passion and demand have turned out some interesting devices and timeless classics. Always having a special place in his heart for things built in the late 30's to mid 50's, whether it be radios or cars, amplifiers or furniture, has given him a vintage touch to the way he goes about making his designs. But he keeps an open mind, creating a line of pedals that evolve into different flavors of themselves, always trying to offer alternatives to what is already available. Microtono's effects are all manufactured in-house, built by hand, and with the highest components available. This cautious, detailed labor makes each pedal unique and beautiful, that's right I used the word beautiful. These pedals scream class and quality, from the logos, graphics, chicken head bakelite knobs, nickel plated screws, true bypass switches, shellac finished wooden enclosures, snap-in battery connectors, sturdy rubber bottom plates(no slipping and sliding), chrome LED covers...all the way on down to the tone. They're even shipped in a killer wooden box, you can't go wrong kids, no sir you can't. For more info on Microtono pedals go to www.microtono.com.ar/ - or click the Microtono logo in our links list.
Coming Soon!! a review and demo of the Microtono Doctordrive II
Our good buddy Kevin at Wilson Effects has finished his amazing new Ten Spot Version 2 Wah. The Ten Spot 2 is Kevin's take on the super cool Ibanez WH-10 gray version wah. It is an exact replica of the old school Wh-10, carries all the kickass characteristics, only without the cheapo parts. The pedal is friendly to both bass and guitar with a flick of a switch, sports a Depth knob that blends in the signal, and knocks out a heavyweight boost. Like all Wilson Effects pedals the build is spot on, heavy duty and high component. For info on the Ten Spot 2 you can go to the Wilson Effects website. Kevin is taking names for a waiting list for his new pedal.
More news from the Wilson camp is the Standard and Adjustable Wahs have been discontinued. But there's a new kid in town folks....The Signature Wah! Named after the infamous Clyde McCoy signature wah. The new Wilson Signature wah was tuned and built to the exact specs of the old favorite, produces a sweet vintage vibe, and is tagged with an affordable price.
Here are some demos from Kevin for both the Ten Spot 2 and the Signature wah. Can you dig it!
There's a revolution going on kids, the people have had their fill of the bubblegum brat rock bands and everything that goes along with them. Our radios have been seeping with the same shit for the last decade, our stages flooded with carbon copy bands, and the record labels? Don't even get me started. So what is the remedy you ask? If you know who Bobby Hecksher is you're already on the mend, if you don't, come ride the river with The Warlocks and get your fix.
Listening to The Warlocks you'll quickly notice a feel in their music that you've heard before, an honest, pure and from the heart tone that has been extinct since the Golden Age of the 60's and 70's. Their live shows consist of a wall of fuzz that can only be rivaled by the screaming amps of the psychedelic rock era. I had a chance to catch up with Bobby and shot him some questions about his tone, some of his favorite effects pedals, his signature fuzz pedal, and the future of The Warlocks. Come now children and read on...
Analog War Cry:
I've been a huge fan of The Warlocks for a long time and one thing I've noticed is your love for effects. How much of your tone is based around your pedals?
Bobby Hecckser:
Cool man thanks! My tone is a combination of of a few basic things. I start with a really good guitar I like that feels good. I usually play a Gretsch Tennessee Rose these days, but switch back and fourth from my old grandpa the Vox Grand Prix. I tour with a Fender Deville straight up on the tone settings. I use two amps and split the signal when I need a delay sound or layered effect. Heavy Deavy was approached this way because all the guitar players quit so I modified my tone. Now that JC has returned has returned, and Ryan mans the solos, I am back to one amp. I run everything through a Line Driver and 80's Ibanez EQ. I use the Line Driver mostly for the Vox as those old electronics seem to cause a low output level.
AWC:
If possible would you share your pedal chain and rig setup?
Bobby:
Yeah, for recording I use 2 HM-1 Boss pedals, MXR Line Driver, Micro Chorus, Boss tuner, Ibanez EQ, and a SIB Delay. I switch phasers often dependent on my mood, Red Witch, Ross, to crap jobs and various lo-fi phasers. This is about the only thing that moves on my board. For touring same thing but switch out the Boss HM's and lately I use Dave Archers VFX fabulous custom job he did for The Warlocks, the Heavy Deavy Skull Fuzz. It's very cool!
AWC:
How did you get into pedals and which ones were you playing when you were growing up?
Bobby:
I've always been into sound and pedals. Seems like I've played them all at one time or another.
AWC:
I gotta ask. All time favorite fuzz box?
Bobby:
Hmm good good questions. I got a few...Vox on board guitar fuzz is the shit, It's dodgy though. Zvex is good but not practical, it's thin live. If you can find a real Fender Blender that's pretty cool, Colorsound, Vox Tonebender, I know they reissues some of those but that particular pedal (the Blender) is night and day between the classics.
AWC:
Who are some of your favorite companies right now?
Bobby:
You know, I'm not that up on all the newest stuff. There is a couple of new guys Joey Santiago from the Pixes turned me onto. Local LA fuzz makers, it's the one with the GRID on it scroll down - http://www.analoguehaven.com/
NYC's Death By Audio and John Cusacks phaser is good too but more recording type gear than live.
AWC:
Which bands have had an influence on you and The Warlocks?
Bobby:
Spaceman 3, Velvet Underground, Neu! They used pretty much all classic rigs. Vox, Gretsch, Fender, etc...
AWC:
Your signature box the Heavy Deavy Skull Fuzz from Vintage FX. I was stoked to have been a part of designing the artwork for it. How did you and Dave come about bringing it light? The thing sounds fucking killer!
Bobby:
Thanks for that! Well he sent me some pedals and I went through each one and gave him feedback. His stuff is based on the 60's classics so he was in the right direction. Good stuff. We started dialog on a prototype and low and behold he went and made it. You see I layer distortions and fuzz to get my sound. Dave put it all in one box which cut my pedal chain down and really helps me as a performer live. Less moving around with my feet. It's really great and really fun to play around with. It's fuzz & MXR + when you have them both on it creates a new boost great for solos and noise.
AWC:
Are you using the HDSF in your set right now?
Bobby:
Yes!
AWC:
I saw the "New record, New Website" post on The Warlocks website. What's the scoop with that?
Bobby:
Yes it's almost finished. It's some of the best songs I've ever done.
AWC:
Upcoming shows, dates, tours, etc...?
Bobby:
SXSW 2009 and not sure after that.
AWC:
Right on brother, thanks a bunch for for your time.
Bobby:
Thanks and take care.
(watch this video of The Warlocks playing on their last tour)
* durable graphics (will not peal, scratch or fade)
* minimal volume change when switching clipping
:::MythFX:::
Merrimack, New Hampshire
Builder: Brian Champigny
Years In The Game:4/ electrical engineer of 13
Websites: www.mythfx.com - www.myspace.com/mythfx
On my pedalboard lies a tiny little monster with the soul of a hot-rodded Plexi Marshall capable of devouring dead silence with it's rich harmonic war cry. This miniature tone god is the MythFX Minotaur, an all analog high quality component overdrive/distortion that can take you from classic rock rhythm tones to high gain screaming banshee leads. If there's one kind of effect I've owned many of and have gone through time and time again it's overdriver/dist boxes. It's the one stompbox sound we're constantly on the hunt for and always swapping out of our boards. Why, why the hell is this? I'll tell you why. Lack of versatility. We have to use up to 2 or 3 sometimes to fill the entire depth of our sound, taking up loads of board space. There are many one trick ponies out there that will hand you one great overdrive tone, but finding one with many voices that can help save pedalboard space is nearly impossible. Well my friends I'm happy to say that is no longer an issue with me since my discovery of the MythFX Minotaur. Dialing in some of my favorite tones with this pedal is a breeze, I can get my Neil Young crunch, Stones grit, SRV solo tones and Van Halen drive all from this little badass box. When you first see it you might think there is no way the itty bitty knobs aren't gonna be able to hold where you them to, then you plug it in and find out it damn near impossible to get it to sound bad. The pedal ships in a black velvet pouch inside a small box, very classy looking and well built. The Minotaur's control layout is - Pre-Boost, Gain and Volume knobs, and a three way toggle switch that gives you Silicon, Germanium, or Bypass clipping modes. The different blend of clipping options, pre-boost and gain give you a wide selection of tones. Pedal power can only be achieved by a standard 9v DC 2.1 mm negative tip power adapter, for less battery waste. The pedal offers you three different types of overdrive and distortion in one tiny box. Switching the toggle to the bypass clipping mode and using the pre-boost gain to drive the 2nd gain stage gives you an unbelievable amount of volume and distortion without the diode clipping. You can add in Hard or Soft clipping with the toggle switch, and unlike other pedals when you switch between the two you don't loose your volume level. Brian put a ton of TLC into this pedal, his many years of electrical engineering and choice of high quality components have brought onto us a timeless classic. Brian's building technique is unlike anyone else's I've come across, he has a special ear for tone and an killer eye for sleek design. The Minotaur along with his brand spankin new Midas Clean Boost make up a solid duo, and with everything his pedals can do you'll be saving much needed board space. The Midas is now available and the Minotaur is now offered in burgundy powdercoat. Look out for a Midas Clean Boost review and demos for both pedals in future posts. For more info on MythFX pedals click the MythFX Link on the side or visit the websites.
We've been very fortunate to have had the chance to see some really great pedals come from overseas ever since the stompbox landed in our setups and rigs. Japan has been responsible for some of our all time favorite boxes and inspired us to create some of our own timeless classics. Collectors go crazy for the MIJ version Boss pedals, hunting, seeking and searching them out and sometimes paying as much as hundreds for them. My recent discovery of Japan's Ovaltone Handmade Effect Pedals was one of complete satisfaction and has shown me some another classic in the making. One of these stunning pedals being The White Tiger v2. A low to high/med overdrive pedal with lots of character and plenty of class. I had the chance to put one through it's paces and the tone quality of this handmade effects pedal is absolutely stunning, the ultimate catch for the tone chasing perfectionist. The first thing that caught my curiosity was the Harmonics knob which works as a tube amp headroom emulator. The way it works is like this. By turning it clockwise it pushes the pedal to act as a higher wattage amp, giving you more clean headroom, less harmonics and more dynamic range. By turning the Harmonics knob anti-clockwise the pedal responds more like a lower watt amp, saturating much easier, giving you velvet like harmonics and less dynamic range. To open up or fatten the tone you go to the Fat/Wide toggle switch located on the side of the pedal. When in Wide mode the the Fat knob that is also located on the side of the pedal is bypassed and you get a wide open, more dynamic range to your tone. In Fat mode the Fat Knob is activated and you have control over the intensity and size of the overdrive. Then there's the Presence knob, like the presence knob on your amp it helps dial in and control the high frequencies that are mainly produced by overdrive. The last two knobs are the Volume which sets the output level, and the Gain which controls the amount of overdrive. I had trouble dialing my crunchy, gritty Tom Petty and Television tones. The response of the controls were as familiar as my amp, making the White Tiger a very very impressive build. The first thing anyone who builds an overdrive pedal will tell you is, the most important quality of the design is getting the overdrive effect as close to real tube feel as possible. Since many of us rely on our pedals for our tone these days, finding one that can deliver rich harmonic breakup is key. The Ovaltone White Tiger's intelligent layout of controls and high end components makes it easy for anyone to dial in that classic rock right in the shadows of breakup overdrive. Your picking and finger playing nuances come through focused and expressive. Adding the pedal to existing overdrive brighten up , fatten up and liven up it's sound. Whether you roll it back for clean to subtle grit, or crank the knobs for thick to high gain, the pedal holds it own and never gets fizzy or weak. Some problems I've come across with low to med overdrivers is the sputtery, square breakup that you get at low settings that is never usable. Those places in the knobs you wished you could dial in but always have to go lower or higher than your desired destination. If you're looking for something that is more than just a clone, that goes beyond no frills, the White Tiger will do you swell. Ovaltone also offers a handful of other great effects and a selection of killer mods for the Boss SD-1. Go to there website to checkout the rest of their line and listen to some clips and videos. Look for a demo from Analog War Cry of the White Tiger in the near future. Below are some of their demos and pics of more effects. You can contact Ovaltone by clicking their logo in our LINKS list, go to www.ovaltone.net - visit their Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/ovaltonefx - or visit the Ovaltone Myspace at www.myspace.com/ovaltone
For those of you who haven't heard or have been locked away in your room circuit bending and loosing your minds, good ol Zachary Vex has designed some new effects for 2009. The Distortron and Mastotron, two new additions for his new Vextron series. The Vextron effects series will carry a lower price tag but like always you can sure they will kick out the illest tones.
Some more interesting news are the insanely sick art designs that will be one his existing line of pedals. Lord have mercy, can you say Psychedelic Freakout Candy Session!? I can always respect some good hand painted artwork on a pedal, as an artist myself I know how difficult it can be to get detailed images on such a tiny box. These new designed versions will be available throughout a handful of shops around the world. Here are some of my favorite ones, hope you dig!
(for info and artist credits please go to www.zvex.com)
:Distortron:
The Distortron features similar knob layout of the Box of Rock engine (which alone is one sick little puppy). What makes this one unique and different is it's two mini-toggle switches. One switch toggles between Low/High gain, Low being the og Box of Rock sound, and a High which is a higher gained more sustained distortion that offers feedback. The other switch controls the pedals Subs which helps you shave the lows of the tone, great for those of you that have an amp with extenuated bass.
Steve Lasko the creator of the Janglebox has done it again! What most thought couldn't be improved has now come to light with the JB2.
:Here are some of the JB2's features:
*True Bypass like the original JB
*Now with Pin Negative Polarity
*Seperate EQ Controls for Treb/Bass
*The Jangle Boost (comparable to "Bright" toggle setting on original JB) Now a separate, preset EQ override on/off switch.
*Level knob controls JB gain, not labeled 2nd "Gain" to avoid confusion
*Two colored LED's
*Same IC chip used in JB1 so you get identical voicing and compression.
These features were added to the JB2 with a mind toward enhancing live performance. Use it as a straight compressor, a clean boost, a treble boost, or a “boost-on-boost.”
Apple is jumping into the effects pedal boom by creating a new '09 version of Garageband. The new version offers amp and effects pedal modeling for recreating classic tones or creating your own sounds. There are 5 amp models - Vintage Stack, Small Tweed Combo, Modern Stack, English Combo, and Blackface Combo. The effects pedals include - Phase Tripper, Vintage Drive, Grinder, Fuzz Machine, Retro Chorus, Robo Flanger, The Vibe, Auto Funk, Blue Echo, and Squash Compressor. There's a 3d view of your rig's controls for easy tweaking or you can choose from 30 complete preset rigs. It's a simple a quick way to lay down some tracks and great tool for song writing and dialing in tones you'd like to use. Another great tool for Garageband that is out there is the Griffin Technology Garageband Guitar Cable. The cable is high quality, electrostatic shielded and sports the standard 1/4" plug at one end and a stereo mini-plug at the other, this eliminates the use of adapters and according to Griffin Technology gets rid of the hum and other hassles.
Rhys Gillespie of Seppuku FX has come out with another kickass pedal, The Fuzz Overloader. The pedal features a Texture knob for blending two outrages fuzz circuits, a Volume knob, two toggle switches that control the Bass and Treb through different parts of the circuit. If know Rhys like I think I do we're in for a hell of a audio ride. Look for a review and demo of the Fuzz Overloader and other Seppuku FX to come soon.
In the last year or so I've met some great pedal builders, one of the cats that comes to mind is Tom Dalton. A man on a mission to build a new breed of fuzz tones and useful gadgets. With the combination of avant-garde artwork and intelligent designs Dalton's pedals are quickly becoming some of the most popular, highly respected stompboxes the scene has gotten their hands on the last year or so. He is the beatnik of the effects pedal world, avoiding the conventional look and sound of the guitar pedal as we know it. Tom's work ethic is like no other person I have come across, always working on a way to better and revamp his effects. The Algal Bloom Fuzz is an example of this, it's facelift consisted of a fourth Starve knob that was added to up it's tone possibilities. Another FH(fx) pedal that recently went through some changes is The Hugger, a Duel Boost Loop/Pedal Awakener with two toggle-switchable boost circuits and toggle switchable true bypass loop in between them. For more reliability and consistency from pedal to pedal, The Hugger will now feature printed circuitboards (courtesy of good friends Mellowtone). There is also a new foot switchable version of The Hugger wthout the toggles. And the one thing that's for certain, that you can always count on, is the change of the artwork on his pedals, it makes it so that you have cool limited runs of them. Tom is also responsible for the Fuzzhugger.com website, there is a Myspace page in the works and a handful of new demos coming soon.
*Duel Stage Boost (with boost and master controls)
*A True Bypass Loop
*A True Bypass Loop w/pre or post-boost
*A Pedal Awakener - put a pedal in the loop, drive it's input or adjust it's output without tone loss/pedal volume drop fixed.
*Two Separately Placed Boosts - put a few or all your pedals in the loop and use it like two separate boost pedals/choose the location of both boosts.
*Module Hugger - use modules like the Mellowtone Fat Sound in the loop. Turn your Hugger into whatever type of module you put in the loop. Or stack several in different orders to create new effect textures.
:Specifications:
*Rugged Aluminum Enclosure
*Three Bright White LED's
*9v Adapter Power (no batteries, it's better for the environment!)
*Finish - smooth gloss top/satin brushed sides
*Professionally Printed Circuit Board
*Created and Built by Fuzzhugger in the U.S. / Boost circuit developed by Mellowtone
