tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56609221153447466862024-03-13T14:34:17.128-07:00Analog War CryAlfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.comBlogger249125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-72723412132517821092020-03-17T20:19:00.001-07:002020-03-17T20:19:43.874-07:00Hang tight y’all content coming soon!I’m still on the hunt for fab and fantastic gear to review and share with you guys. There are so many new companies since last I was up and running and Ive been trying to get a hold of as many as possible. If you guys have any suggestions shoot me an email. First few posts coming in the next couple weeks. Thanks for the patience and support. Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-6167623783458788982020-02-05T11:47:00.003-08:002020-02-05T11:47:40.519-08:00Analog War Cry ReturnsHello my fellow gear junkies, pedal addicts, and guitar nuts. I am happy to announce that AWC is making it’s way back onto the scene with new and exciting features. There is so much amazing gear that has hit the streets the past few years, which we missed to review and demo. Fear not loyal readers, we will be trying our best to get our hands on it all, and with it bring you some top notch write-ups and our honest insights. Along with the our standard reviews we will also continue to bring you band/artist interviews along with their gear rundowns. I’m hoping to be able to bring you video demos and reviews through a new YouTube channel. I’m also interested in hearing some more from you guys, whether it be to turn me onto some killer piece of gear, for questions, and for any other reason y’all feel like writing in. I am currently working on write-ups for March/April and hope to be fully up and running by June. Thank you for your continued loyalty to our little site, it is much appreciated and much needed. Now go on and spread the word... cause AWC is back!!!<br />
<br />
-Alfie C.Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-76548341509017352172016-01-29T11:10:00.001-08:002016-01-29T11:28:03.423-08:00Fuzz Box Fiasco: Part #2. Fuzz 292 by. JDM Pedals<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">A</span>nalog <span style="color: red;">W</span>ar <span style="color: red;">C</span>ry</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">-presents-</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fuzz Box Fiasco</span></span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A collection of unique and superb stompboxes</span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-55AfhIKWIAo/VqF4yWwLP9I/AAAAAAAAD_Y/2SLoKZEHsqc/s1600/JoeDocMusic-logo1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-55AfhIKWIAo/VqF4yWwLP9I/AAAAAAAAD_Y/2SLoKZEHsqc/s400/JoeDocMusic-logo1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="text-align: center;">
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Builder </span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Joe Dochtermann</span></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From </span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- Berlin, Germany</span></b></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Years in the Game</span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - 2 Years</span></b></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pedal</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - <b>Fuzz 292 - 2-knob version </b></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
For the second FBF feature I am proud to announce a small hand built company that I came across by mistake. It was through searching for some instruction vids for a nephew of mine that I discovered JDM Pedals. Through my experience in hunting down gear it is always in these situations that I am blown away and equally surprised at how much unknown gear is out there waiting to be discovered. JDM Pedals are hand built in Berlin, offering everything from their line of classic based circuits to completely custom builds modded to your liking to work with your root tone. The website also posts tips for building your own DIY projects, giving you some really cool tricks to push your builds to the max. Below is a simple 2-knob fuzz box that delivers some radical fuzz tones! It's perfect for those of you looking for a great go-to stompbox. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: center;">
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b>Fuzz 292</b></span> / 2-knob version</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nyJEQJiLb28/VqgU1jS7TDI/AAAAAAAAD_4/5UmvdwBv4qM/s1600/IMG_1403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nyJEQJiLb28/VqgU1jS7TDI/AAAAAAAAD_4/5UmvdwBv4qM/s400/IMG_1403.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">True <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">B</span>ypass</span></span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">High Gain <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Silicon De<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sign</span></span></span></span></span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also available in 3-<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">k<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nob</span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Volu<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">me - cont<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rol the output</span></span></span></span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tone - <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tame the fuzz</span></span></span></span></span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3-<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Way Switch - <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">choose your flavor</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></b></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
Would you look at what we have here? A super simple stellar sounding little fuzz box that I was so glad I came across! This proves that you don't always need some flashy website to have an amazing product. Good gear is good gear and Joe's pedals are exactly that. Guys I'm telling you right now before I get going on this review, if you get a chance grab one of these little boxes go for it - the price is right and they sound really amazing.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
The Fuzz 292 is a killer little fuzz box that comes packed with a ton of tone and a wide range of choice.With it's two knobs and selector switch the 292 can cover what most pedals with double the controls do. It's volume knob has a great amount of output and sounds really sweet when pushed to the limit. The tone control works more as a way to warm up or create and all-out extreme cut-through anything fuzz sound. The pedal's golden feature for me is the selector switch - a 3-way switch that can turn the 292 into treble boosted fuzz, mellower warmer fuzz, or freak nasty high gain fuzz for those of you into the blurred out rock and roll thing. This pedal also comes in a 3 knob version which JDM will voice to your liking - for more info on that go to their website and check out their choices.<br />
<br />
As a starting point for this review I began with a killer sounding Plexi and custom built Strat. I found myself having so much fun with this choice of amp and guitar that I found no reason to swap them out for any others. With Plexi style amps I always enjoy cranking them to a moderate overdrive tone when using them with a fuzz box of any kind, this gives you the best possible platform to stack any kind of fuzz or distortion tone. I started by setting the Fuzz 292 with it's volume pushed a little hot to give the fuzz effect a little more oomph, set the tone at noon, and set selector switch in it's <b>treb</b> boost setting. I clicked on this little pedal and "WOW'! The amp was screaming and squealing like a classic rock tone sent from some timewarp from the 60's. The richness and thickness of the fuzz's effect came through quite nicely. My chords blared and played with absolute clarity, the licks sliced with a sword like precision, and solos cut through insanely well. For those of you into the classic fuzz tones of yesterday this pedal is for you. Cranking the pedal's volume control I found the pedal was able to deliver more and more and not more of the same. You see the pedal doesn't come with a standard fuzz control, instead the 292 is set at it's max which gives you the ability to tame on the go, with either your own touch and dynamics or guitar's volume and tone controls. It still definitely gives you the ability to choose how much or how little fuzz you like. For those of you who like your fuzz a little warmer and not so bright the <b>low</b> setting on the selector switch is a nice choice. It gives your tone this really sweet sounding buzzy, beefy, and fluffy sound. This tone setting works great when you just want a nice little fuzz to noodle around with and don't want to get too extreme. Still though, slap down on your strings a little harder and you'll notice it's still capable of some really inetresting sounds. In all settings the pedal is capable of some pretty extreme fuzz tones, but this isn't more true than in it's <b>high</b> setting. The sweet spot for me in the high gain setting was bridge pickup, tone at about 25%, volume at about 75%, and my guitar's tone control rolled back a tiny bit. This created that beehive hardcore buzzing fuzz effect that is so much fun to play along with. My chords exploded in a saturated explosion of creamy fuzz and my single note fuzz licks became much bigger than they actually were. It was all very exciting. I honestly thought at first that there wouldn't be much controlling the overall fuzz without the pedal lacking a fuzz control, but this was not the case. It gave me just as much control over the fuzz and I found it was really nice to have it all at the controls of my guitar. Making the sound a more personal thing and giving my playing dynamics a true chance to shine.<br />
<br />
For a 2-knob fuzz box this pedal is quite amazing. It's the design of this pedal that I believe Joe got just right that gives it it's ability to rock so hard. I had a chance to plug this little box in along with a handful of other boxes - from modulation pedals to overdrivers, and all in all it was very user friendly. For my taste I found the Fuzz 292 worked best through some natural tube driven overdrive, didn't matter the amount of watts on the amp or how big and bad. Playing the 292 through a 5 watt amp was just as satisfying as it was playing it through the Plex. This tells you what? It simply tells you we got a contender here.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>------------------------------------------------</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>For more info on JDM Pedals go to <a href="http://www.joedocmusic.com/">www.joedocmusic.com</a> </b></div>
</div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-75217802157316880152016-01-20T16:45:00.000-08:002016-01-29T11:28:21.899-08:00Fuzz Box Fiasco: Part #1. OctaFUZZ by. Fuzz Puppy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">A</span>nalog <span style="color: red;">W</span>ar <span style="color: red;">C</span>ry</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">-presents-</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fuzz Box Fiasco</span></span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A collection of unique and superb stompboxes</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7d2vWPd2gL0/VpleJXR_eDI/AAAAAAAADxw/_qKMtt3L-6k/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7d2vWPd2gL0/VpleJXR_eDI/AAAAAAAADxw/_qKMtt3L-6k/s400/logo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: center;">
<li>Builder - <b>Tim Weghorst</b></li>
<li>From - <b>Bradenton, Florida</b></li>
<li>Years in Game - <b>2 Years</b></li>
<li>Pedal - <b>OctaFuzz</b></li>
</ul>
<br />
And so it begins... another killer collection of what we think are some of the best fuzz pedals out there right now. The years have gone by and the originals and favorites of times past still make their permanent home on many of our pedalboards and rigs. It wasn't until I began this site that I realized there was so much more out there, not to take anything away from the amazing fuzz pedals that have been delivering decade after decade. I decided to hunt down the scene for something new - and low and behold what I'd discover was an entire community of one-man operations, small indie companies, and startups that were building higher quality, longer lasting, and insanely great sounding stompboxes. I've tested a ton of pedals throughout the years, not all have made it on the site, but for those that have I truly believe they are the cream of the crop. The underdog deserves his day in sun from time to time, and today we let him have.<br />
<br />
Something completely new for you guys, or at least it was new to me up
until a few weeks ago. I present to you guys and welcome FuzzPuppy! A
small handbuilt stompbox company run by the one and only Tim Weghorst - a cat with
a passion for great tone, a love for music, and a proper background in
electronics engineering (what more could you ask for?). Put it all
together and wallah! FuzzPuppy is born. So far so good, and what makes
this little pedal outfit even cooler is not only do they create killer
sounding pedals, but with every pedal you buy they help a dog charity in
need. Pretty freakin' cool if you ask me. Who doesn't dig that? Effects
pedals and helping pups! I'm sure I'll be bringing you guys some more
features from FuzzPuppy, for now...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The OctaFuzz / <span style="color: purple;">fuzz - octave fuzz</span></b></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<ul></ul>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E1vQCFhm4uw/VplZ9A9PM5I/AAAAAAAADxk/9T3vIlvEs-M/s1600/OctaFUZZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E1vQCFhm4uw/VplZ9A9PM5I/AAAAAAAADxk/9T3vIlvEs-M/s320/OctaFUZZ.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"></span> </span></b></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>True Bypass</b></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<b>
</b>
</span>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Built with vintage germanium clipping diodes</b></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<b>
</b>
</span>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Super cool octagonal enclosure</b></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<b>
</b>
</span>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Compatible w/standard center (-) power supply</b></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<b>
</b>
</span>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>9V battery not included</b></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<b>
</b>
</span>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Current consumption 20ma<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span><!--20ma--><!--20ma--><!--20ma--><!--20ma--><!--20ma--></b></span><!--20ma--><!--20ma--><!--20ma--><!--20ma--><!--20ma--><!--20ma--><!--20ma--></li>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<b>
</b>
</span>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>FuzzPuppy will donate 5$ to dog charity w/purchase</b></span></li>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<b>
</b>
</span>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Free shipping</b></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<!--20ma-->
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Having taken a long hiatus from the blog I thought I'd get back and
have trouble finding new and interesting companies to sink my teeth
into. So far that has not been the case, take this little number The
Octafuzz - a two part fuzz box that gives you a mean grinding fuzz and a
grilling octave fuzz in it's second position. It's design is quite
pleasing to the eye, from the odd shaped enclosure, hip artwork, and
bright colored layout. It isn't all some gimmick though let me assure
you. The pedal kicks out some of the most fuzz friendly tones I'm yet to
come across. <br />
<br />
I
took the pedal and ran it through my number one guitar - my Tele
w/humbucker in the neck, I also rocked it with a Strat for some classic
rock gorgeousness. Amps of choice were a small 5 watt tube amp and my
4x10 tricked out Deville. I began by plugging into the larger amp and
setting the root tone at it's cleanest and most sparkling. My mission
was to see what the pedal could do to a completely crisp signal. Some
fuzz pedals don't deliver on this avenue and work best when played
through overdriven tones, which is fantastic, but I always tend to
discover that the fuzz boxes that deliver proper fuzz tones on their own
are always the most user friendly to an overall signal. Just as
expected the Octafuzz pasted the test and delivered a killer sounding
warm yet crunchy fuzz tone that converted the amps clean tone into
something all it's own. If you've read my reviews you'll notice I really
love using fuzz boxes though verb and compression. I've created a sound
I like to call "The Screaming Banshee", which is really brutal sounding
when matched up with the right fuzz pedal. I ran the Octafuzz's regular
fuzz setting through my invention and was very happy with the outcome. I also had a blast playing it's octave fuzz setting through my signal, but where this fuzz sounded best was through an already overdriven tone. I tried a few different things, ovedriving the amp itself, overdrive pedal in front of the OcaFUZZ, and cranking the low watt amp to it's most. All of these sounded warrior crazy cool through both the pedals flavors! I quickly discovered for my liking the best setup was the 5 watter, the Tele, and a bit of verb along with this pedal. I was able to push out big fat single note fuzz licks as well as some of the most groolish grinding fuzz chords known to man. My fingers felt they did their job with simplicity as they flew along the strings bending and grabbing onto chord to lick. Jamming along with some buddies I noticed the pedal didn't drown out any of the bass or drums, and cut through the mix just where it needed to be heard. It's a simple choice this pedal, it delivers not only on one but two fronts and does it damn well.<br />
<br />
<br />
With fuzz boxes you always need to be careful of two main
things. The fuzz sound drowning out everything the more you crank it,
and the inability to dial in a decent high-low mix. These are two
problems that many people don't notice until they bring their pedals
home and turn them up full blast. The Octafuzz sounded and performed
beautifully both in it's lowest and highest levels. I didn't matter if it was stacked up against a Les Paul or Strat, vintage or modern amp, or stompbox overdrive or natural. The OctaFUZZ does the trick with absolute ease. I am looking forward to hearing what a Fuzz Puppy overdrive pedal can do, let's hope one comes in soon!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>----------------------------------------------</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>For more info on Fuzz Puppy go to the link here http://fuzzpuppy.com/ </b></div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-43033054194379831062016-01-11T13:17:00.000-08:002016-01-11T13:17:20.241-08:00Let'em Chime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4a9JTiBINwY/VpP6uVtASxI/AAAAAAAADwE/l-hnFR87-do/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4a9JTiBINwY/VpP6uVtASxI/AAAAAAAADwE/l-hnFR87-do/s1600/logo.png" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If for some reason you haven't gotten hip to the Mod Kits DIY pedals and amps, I'm happy to be the one who brings you this very cool like no other little company. Perhaps you've been living under a rock? No matter you know now... consider yourself in the cool kids circle. Mod Kits DIY is a fantastic outfit that offers some of the greatest DIY projects available today. For you cats looking to dive into the do-it-yourself arena, Mod Kits has everything from simple to medium difficulty overdrive, distortion, and fuzz box kits - for you kids with a bit more experience looking to up your game there's also octave fuzz pedals, modulation, and time based effects - Then for you experienced builders that have been at it for a while they even have some really cool tube driven pedals, amp kits, and verb tanks. All in all it's a great stop for hunting down your next special tone. Build them, mod them, paint them as you like, and show them off to the world in your next session, gig, or pedalboard setup. Not to mention they make stellar gifts for those buddies and husbands of yours that geek out at the Analog War Cry level. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>----------------------------------------</b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C0wG0MjOsFw/VpP6odG6qhI/AAAAAAAADv0/PW6DCsQk42I/s1600/k-977_angle_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C0wG0MjOsFw/VpP6odG6qhI/AAAAAAAADv0/PW6DCsQk42I/s320/k-977_angle_1.png" width="301" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">THE SUSPENDED CHIME</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chorus - Chorus/Delay</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blend Knob</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Selector Switch</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">LED Indicator</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Standard 9v (-) Power Jack</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In - Out Jacks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On - Off Footswitch</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heavy Duty Predrilled Enclosure</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S6DEkJxbcSA/VpP6mRJUFlI/AAAAAAAADvs/GuP71QVuE-k/s1600/difficulty_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S6DEkJxbcSA/VpP6mRJUFlI/AAAAAAAADvs/GuP71QVuE-k/s1600/difficulty_4.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><b>----------------------------------------</b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The simplicity and user friendliness of the Suspended Chime was straight forward and easy to maneuver. Along with the footswitch on board the pedal comes with two controls - a selector switch that flips from chorus to chorusing delay, and a blend knob that adds or cuts the intensity of the chorusing effect in both settings. The delay effect is set at 190 milliseconds which works great with an array of different playing styles and sound effects. I found the pedal sounded pretty amazing on it's own through both clean and overdriven amp tones, and also had a good time throwing some other pedals into the mix to achieve some of my favorite effects. I plugged the pedal into a couple different amps and guitars, setting the pedal in it's mellowest to most intense settings. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My self built custom Strat type guitar was first in line. I plugged it into the normal channel of my buddy's 65' Deluxe, set both treble and bass at 7, and worked my way up to full blast on the volume control. I wanted to hear the Suspended Chime through a crisp and clear a tone ass possible, to get an idea of how it affected the overall sound. With the lone chorus setting I was able to dial in everything from hauntingly subtle chorus effects to some crazy cool intense mind whirling chorusing. The sweet spots for me were just outside of noon on the blend knob, from about 10'0'clock to 1. Surprisingly enough the chorus sound was quite warm and very lush to the touch, especially when manipulating my guitar's tone controls and switching into the neck pickups. I picked away and some of my favorite songs and riffs, finding myself warped into the psychedelia of classic rock and grunge songs past. My chord play sounded beautiful! With just a hint of effect the Suspended Chime gave the guitar a hidden shimmer that bloomed just enough to tickle my ear's curiosity. For more of a Leslie effect I set the blend from about 70-100%. I'm a huge fan of volume pedal swells, both with chorus and delay, it gives me some interesting nuances and gives off some great whispering, strange, and tripped out sound effects. This pedal was perfect for experimenting with these types of techniques. Backing off on the guitar's tone, kicking the amp's treble up almost full blast, and keeping the bass at 7 gave me the perfect overall tone to play with. Pushing the amp's tubes into a mild grind also worked well with the pedal's chorusing effects. I'm usually not a big fan of overdrive and chorus but it was hard to ignore that this pedal delivered pretty damn beautifully. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The real magic began once I flipped that little selector switch though. In came the Suspended Chime's delay and it was time to plug in the neck bucker Tele. Something I gotta point out is the quality of this pedal's delay effect. I was really impressed at how crisp and clear, yet warm and lush the delay was. I had a blast just rolling the chorus back and just playing around with the pedal's delay capabilities. Now remember, it is fixed at 190ms but you will be surprised at how much spunk you can get out of this setting. I cranked the Deluxe well into it's overdriven state and spanked away at the guitar neck, holding notes and bending others into my will. The delay delivered and broke in a voodoo like quality that was something really special to listen too. You'd be blown away what a hint of great sounding overdrive, a bit of chorus, and some proper delay will get you! For the ultimate and most exaggerated effects I brought in one of my favorite fuzz pedals. I pushed the overdriven tone into a squealing buzzing growl, clicking in the Suspended Chime's for a badass spaced out rock assault which had my friend jealous he didn't have the guitar in his hands. Again I really dug the delay of this pedal with just a hint of chorus. I'm a sucker for holding a note as long as I can, bending it into bird like squawks, and listening to the sounds distort in collections of rude harmonics. I guess you can tell I had some fun with this little darling, and this is only the tip of the iceberg of what is possible when finding a cool pedal like this. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm always excited whenever Mod Kits send us anything from their DIY arsenal. It gives me the opportunity to up my building and soldering skills, schools me further into the world of stompboxes,
and in the end hands me something I've built with my own two hands that
I can customize any way I see fit. The Suspended Chime I will admit
gave me a few head scratching moments, but only because I'd been rusty on my soldering and all around pedal building patience. Once I powered through it though and reached the light at the end of the tunnel, I was granted the gift of something worth writing home about.</span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FAWolip-pTk/VpP6qzguSmI/AAAAAAAADv8/aqlqFDa0B9M/s320/k-977_top.png" width="269" /></div>
<br />
<span id="goog_2010775344"></span><span id="goog_2010775345"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="goog_2010775344">For more info on The Suspended Chime and the rest of the MOD Kits DIY collection go to <a href="http://www.modkitsdiy.com/">www.modkitsdiy.com</a> Look out for more from our MOD Kits friends in the near future.</span></span></div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-5725276178958051112016-01-10T20:13:00.000-08:002016-01-11T01:09:55.541-08:00Live & Direct: A new AWC installment of gear adventures live from the stage.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRLC5qtl0u4/VpMospiOZ0I/AAAAAAAADvc/FHu-4c9J-sA/s1600/full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CRLC5qtl0u4/VpMospiOZ0I/AAAAAAAADvc/FHu-4c9J-sA/s1600/full.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> <span style="color: red;"> Live & Direct</span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Coming this year new to the site the AWC crew and family will be taking the gear that gets submitted and we will be taking it out on live gigs, recording sessions, and other adventures. This will give us and you guys another view as to what it is the fantastic pedals and other gear that comes in is capable of. We will be shooting photography of our ventures out on the city, video, and getting insight from the players and audience. I will also be taping new a podcast show where I will be discussing the gigs and giving our thoughts on all angles. Please continue writing in with your suggestions on gear to check out, companies to look out for, an for those of you new builders out there please get in touch with us so we can get our hands on your builds. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Live & Direct will also keep our ears open to any artist willing to demo our gear in their sessions, recordings, and gigs. Los Angeles is jammed packed with venue after killer venue, stone cold rocking local and traveling bands, and full of word of mouth speakeasy hole in the wall hangouts all ready to showcase their vibes and talents. Email me directly for more info on how to work with us on this grand new adventure!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-Alfie</div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-80716722932200042152016-01-06T14:06:00.001-08:002016-01-06T14:06:06.188-08:00Coming Soon: Fine Tuning and Revamping AWCTo everyone who has supported the site throughout the years,<br />
<br />
First let me take the time to say thank you so much for keeping the blog alive while I was on hiatus. It has been a real blast getting to know so many different gear companies throughout the world, and having a chance to try the gear that comes in is the cherry on top! AWC was a simple idea I had years ago when writing quick experiences of my gear adventures while writing on another social media site. A few readers and followers of that blog suggested I start a proper blog and so the Analog War Cry site was born! I've had some suggestions and constructive criticisms that I've taken into account and will be using to make the site even better. Look out the next couple months for changes to both the writing and look of the blog. I also have a bunch of new companies jumping on board which I'll be offering discounts for purchases on their pedals/gear. Audio bytes and podcasts will be making an appearance, as well as video demos get giveaways, artist features, and other fun stompbox features. Be on the lookout and keep on digging into the material.<br />
<br />
-AlfieAlfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-46310773462753283152016-01-04T13:39:00.001-08:002016-01-04T13:39:25.557-08:00Calling all cars, calling all cars! It's Radio Havana.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYHvFLlgT9k/VhQ8b8CSpPI/AAAAAAAAC3A/xV83oDdu82g/s1600/HE.BANNER1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYHvFLlgT9k/VhQ8b8CSpPI/AAAAAAAAC3A/xV83oDdu82g/s400/HE.BANNER1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Back in the saddle with another fantastic build from the good people at Heavy Electronics. I tried for quite some time to get in contact with this very busy cool company, and when I finally did connect with them they were kind enough to shoot out a handful of their awesome pedals. We did a write-up on the <a href="http://analogwarcry.blogspot.com/2010/09/seeing-red.html" target="_blank">Red Eyes</a> overdrive which got some great feedback from our loyal and hungry readers. Today I bring you this fine gem from HE, a strange little noise maker that creates some interesting and guitar healthy sounds. More good news is I'll be reviewing a bunch of the Heavy Electronics line-up the next couple weeks. Stay tuned for more from Heavy Electronics... but for now I bring you the Radio Havana!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> ---------------------------------------------------</b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oeelnpv6ifM/VhQ8ga8J75I/AAAAAAAAC3I/AyvKSROx9gQ/s1600/RH_B_495.1.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oeelnpv6ifM/VhQ8ga8J75I/AAAAAAAAC3I/AyvKSROx9gQ/s320/RH_B_495.1.14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Radio Havana</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>Hand-made in Minneapolis Mn.</li>
<li>Lifetime Warranty (Barring Abuse)</li>
<li>Voiced Openly for Guitar & Bass </li>
<li>True Bypass Switching </li>
<li>Single Point Mounted PCB </li>
<li>24mm Diameter Pots</li>
<li>Flying Leads to Pots and Jacks</li>
<li>Neutrik 1/4 inch Signal Jacks</li>
<li>Customer-Service Ready to Help </li>
<li>Dual Quality-Control Testing</li>
<li>Hand Signed and Numbered </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> ---------------------------------------------------</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b> </b>I come across many many different breeds of stompboxes. From the simplest to the most complex, from subtle to the downright extreme. When I first heard of the Radio Havana by Heavy Electronics I was not only curious beyond belief, but a little bit confused as to what the pedal actually did. It is marketed as a lo-fi gritty effect pedal that creates the awesome and strange sounds of old school transistor radios. When it arrived I was like a kid at Christmas time, unboxing it with complete excitement! I quickly learned just how simple this pedal was to use with it's three controls on board, and how much diversity it had. The Level knob works to simply control the pedal's master volume, The Gain knob controls the input amount helping you dial in the amount of grit it produces, and last is the extremely cool Decay knob which introduces a clipping effect the breaks up the overdrive and distortion signal into a collection of really cool tones. My early experiments with the Radio Havana started with a clean tone created by a 4x10 Deville and Tele w/humbucker in the neck. I started with the Decay knob down at it's lowest level and turned on the pedal to see what it could deliver in it's mellower settings. In it's low Decay settings the pedal created some really awesome subtle yet punchy overdrive tones that works perfect for creating those vintage rock treble boost overdrive tones. I guess the pickup has a lot to do with how this pedal works, which is why I used a guitar with both single coil and bucker type pickups. Strangely enough tho the pedal did it's magic through both pickups with absolute ease. The higher I'd push the gain knob the more sweet gritty magic the pedal would create. Honestly with the Radio Havana's level and gain controls alone it was able to create some stellar sounds, enough to keep me satisfied at least, and that's saying a lot. Then I began to introduce the pedal's Decay control slowly into the mix and something even more magical began to happen. Wouldn't you know it they actually created pedal capable of mimicking the break-up and sawdust sounds of an old transistor radio. It's kind of hard to explain if you've never heard an old radio like this, but the best I can describe it is by comparing it to some of the bit crush effect pedals that are out there today, only not as extreme and much more friendly to an overall mix and live setting. As you introduce the pedals Decay control you begin to hear your signal well... decay. It begins to split up and break up in an attractive way that helps your tone achieve something original and memorable. In it's highest settings the effect really begins to disintegrate much quicker making your overall sound something all it's own. I strummed about playing some of my favorite chords jams and was able to hear them in a completely new light. Where I really found my sweet spot tho was while adding the Radio Havana into my already naturally overdriven amp's tone, with the pedal set in a medium setting, the gain at about noon and decay just passed the middle. Noodling around and plucking notes also created some interesting sound effects. If you're into the experimental side of things the Radio Havana will tickle your curiosities in all the right places.<br />
<br />
A few days into my playing with this pedal I also decided to use it in a jam session with another guitar player, bass player, and drummer... no singer tho. I wanted to see if the Radio Havana played well with others, meaning other players and other pedals. Pay attention now. Once having had an idea of what I could do with this pedal and what settings I liked, I began to also experiment with other effects in the chain. For me it was a reverb pedal pushing a little bit of effect played through my 5 watt cloned amp, and last a clean booster to help get me an extra amount of overall level. Through this little chain of effects I was able to create a simple to use simple to dial in effect that made for some of the best psychedelic guitar tones I've ever created. The first thing I'll speak on is the reaction of the other ears in the room. The collection of musicians instantly dug on how pronounced and who well the signal cut through the overall mix. You wouldn't think a pedal of this kind would do that but having it being built with top notch materials, by hand, and with a life time warranty should assure you this ain't no toy. The drummer addressed how clear my signal was and the bass player dug that I didn't cut into his low end tone. The night's jam went on and on with myself enjoying my new little box more and more with every stroke of a chord. Which is why this pedal rocks so much! The more you use it the more ways you find it works in just about every situation. At one point I was even able to mimic some pretty intense fuzz tones by playing it through my amp fully overdriven. The sound was absolute beast!<br />
<br />
A pedal this simple and amazing needs not much of an introduction, it is something you need to experience on your own. I play lots of different types of music and have jammed with some really heavyweights as far as the world of music goes. This along with my awesome little blog her have afforded me the ability to come across some really kickass gear. The Radio Havana is most definitely one that will remain on the top list. This pedal is special in the sense that it creates really amazing low-fi gritty guitar effects, while at the same time if given the attention able to give you much more. Give yourself something to write home about and peep out the Radio Havana!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For more info on the Radio Havana or the rest of the Heavy Electronics line-up go to <a href="http://heavyelectronics.com/" target="_blank">www.heavyelectronics.com </a></div>
</div>
<ul>
</ul>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-25385229613576977492015-12-02T13:41:00.000-08:002015-12-02T13:41:23.079-08:00Hello, his name is FELIX! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DLWMO59Zjj8/VkudSZtLU4I/AAAAAAAADpA/hZulZIvxKNo/s1600/images.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DLWMO59Zjj8/VkudSZtLU4I/AAAAAAAADpA/hZulZIvxKNo/s320/images.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Gear of this quality is always a blessing to come across, especially when one is an acoustic guitar player. Years and years of trial and error have tuned me to the do's and don't of playing acoustic instruments live on stage. While there are many amazing mic preamps out there designed to give you great microphone sounds both in and out of the studio - And rack mount gadgets, pedals, and amps for building just about every sound imaginable for your electric instrument needs. The same does not fly when speaking on acoustical platforms. When out hunting for great sounding gear that is truly built for your acoustic needs the pickings can be slim. As a acoustic guitar player and mainly singer/song writer the past decade I have personally had trouble finding great sounding and simple to use preamps to gig with live. What if all we acoustic playing cats could get something in a pedal format that doesn't act like just any other pedal, but instead like a proper pro level piece of gear? Thanks to the minds at Grace Design the game has just changed and this answer has been made clear. May I introduce you to FELIX - the best buddy your acoustic tone will ever have.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>--------------------------------------------- </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hqxK-L-IZi8/Vku75MDGUGI/AAAAAAAADpU/lp8PMfSyk9o/s1600/felix_front_left.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hqxK-L-IZi8/Vku75MDGUGI/AAAAAAAADpU/lp8PMfSyk9o/s640/felix_front_left.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> <span style="font-size: medium;">The <span style="color: red;">FELIX</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">2-Channel Acoustic Preamplifier </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Features/Controls (Top Panel) </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Gain Controls (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li>Signal/Clip LED Indicator (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li>High Pass Filter / Notch Filter (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li>Low Frequency Shelving Cut and Boost (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li>Parametric Midrange Cut and Boost (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li>Parametric Midrange Frequency Select (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li>Parametric Midrange Q Factor (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li>High Frequency Shelving Cut and Boost (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li>Boost Level (Global)</li>
<li> Mix Control</li>
<li>A/B Footswitch</li>
<li>Boost Footswitch</li>
<li>Amp/Tuner/Headphones - Output Level</li>
<li>Mute/Tune - Footswitch</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> -----------------------------------------------</b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8amuP6HLKfE/Vk0zZsZcfeI/AAAAAAAADpo/l65bbqYDoz8/s1600/felix-1-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8amuP6HLKfE/Vk0zZsZcfeI/AAAAAAAADpo/l65bbqYDoz8/s400/felix-1-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Features/Controls (Back Panel)</b></span></span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li style="text-align: center;"> Universal 100-240VAC Power Input</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">Ground Lift Switch</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">DI Output (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">DI Output Source Select (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">DI Output Line/Mic Level Select (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">External Footswitch Input</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">Amp Out</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">Tuner Out</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">Effects Insert</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">Amp Source Select Switch</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">Ch 1 Input Mic/Line Switch</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">Ch 1 Mic Input</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">Line Inputs (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li style="text-align: center;">Input Impedance Select (ch 1 & 2)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>------------------------------------------------- </b></div>
<ul>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6N8Dn6C5_ZM/Vku77TBf3II/AAAAAAAADpc/cOOwjqV-Lsc/s1600/DSC_6083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6N8Dn6C5_ZM/Vku77TBf3II/AAAAAAAADpc/cOOwjqV-Lsc/s400/DSC_6083.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Features/Controls (Side Panel)</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Dip Switch Location Diagram</li>
<li>Ch 1 48V Phantom Power</li>
<li>Phase Reverse (ch 1 & 2)</li>
<li>DIP Switch Controls</li>
<li>1/8 Mini Headphone Jack</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<b> </b><b>------------------------------------------------- </b></div>
<br />
Just looking at this masterpiece of a pedal can be intimidating. I found myself stunned at the shear beauty of the FELIX! Honestly I had no idea what to expect at first, and once I made up my mind to just plug in and go, the picture of what this little baby was capable of was very clear. Anyone with a little know how and bit of patience will quickly find themselves mastering the very unique and superbly beneficial qualities of this pedal. I chose to run the FELIX through it's paces in a couple different scenarios - One being out in a live setting where was able to hear what the pedal was capable of from an audience standpoint - Also from a studio arena where I was able to really dig in and fiddle around with every knob, button, and switch. I also plugged in for some recording sessions but more on that later. As I mentioned before, a little noodling around with the FELIX and you find yourself in acoustic tone heaven. Let's get into just how this pedal was able to bring us sheer tonal heaven.<br />
<br />
First I tried the Felix at home both through my little studio setup and monitors, then later had it tested in a live on stage. My go-to acoustic guitar is my Alvarez DY-38, an amazing under rated acoustic that has always delivered in more ways than one. On board my guitar has an LR Baggs I-Beam saddle pickup and at the moment I'm using a DiMarzio DP-136 Super Natural soundhole pickup. I also ran the pedal without the soundhole pickup and switched it for a couple different microphones. I began with one channel at a time to get myself too overwhelmed with the pedal. Learning one section of the pedal at a time is how I recommend anyone should learn what the Felix can offer and is capable of. I began with channel one carefully adjusting my gain control. The clip led was really helpful with letting me find my sweet spot. Next I dove into the amazing eq system onboard. With the cut and boost features for both the high and low, I was able to get a quick and great sounding foundation for where I was to take the overall tone. I found both these controls capable of delivering many different types of sounds, but most important able to shape the natural tone of my guitar where it needed to and sounded best. I then began fiddling with the mid controls of the pedal, and this is where I found so much magic! Having a high quality parametric midrange section I could control at my fingertips was like something out of a fairy tale. I had the option to cut or boost my basic midrange tone, then with the find which midrange frequency worked best with my pickup and guitar through the pedal's frequency select switch, and last dial in my high mids with the Q factor control. You might be saying to yourselves right now, "Wow, all that, really?" Yes all that control and it didn't end there. I moved on to the next channel where I was able to dial in an entirely different and equally as stunning sound for my acoustic. The feature works great for many reasons. 1. To simply have a different tone for your guitar, which gives you access to another sound at the stomp of a switch. This came in handy when I layered some guitar recordings. 2. It's great for when you have more than one guitar with you on stage and each one needs it's own special attention. And 3. If you're an experimental cat like myself, can set the second channel with effects to switch in and out of for your guitar. All in all very cool stuff. The quality of a couple quick recordings is what keeps coming into mind, I couldn't write enough good things about how easy it was for me to get my guitar sounding top notch. I've played with so many different pedals, rack equipment, plugins, mics, preamps, etc... And this little pedal was by far the easiest and quickest way to achieve high quality tone all in a compact stompbox format. Genius if you ask me! And still it isn't over yet, the pedal still delivered in many more ways. Another great feature the Felix delivers on is it's ability to blend channels A & B for an ultimate supermondo "who's your daddy?" acoustic sound. Here is where I began messing with my soundhole pickup and B3 microphone. Having landed on a tone I was happy with in channel 1 for my saddle pickup, I know focused the 2nd channel into shaping something for the soundhole pickup to deliver on. Here I once again discovered how useful the highpass filter feature came in handy. For those for those of you who play with or have played with soundhole pickups you know how much of a nightmare dialing in and cutting out certain frequencies can be. My DiMarzio is great, don't get me wrong. But on certain stages, when playing with certain instruments, sometimes it can start acting funny. The amazingly kickass quality of this pedal's preamps and it's insanely cool eq system made my little soundhhole pickup sound like a million bucks. When blended with the first channel I got out of my guitar a sound so huge and beautiful I was blown back into disbelief. Setting the pedal from A/B mode, to Mix Mode, and so on was super easy too. With the dip switches on the side on the Felix I was able to move back and fourth without any confusion. For some more flavor I finally ended my man handling of this pedal by running the 2nd channel through a Studio Projects B3 mic and a SM-81 Sure mic. Both mics sounded great. The pedal is extremely user friendly and played well with every piece of gear I through at it. I was able to get crisp'n'clean acoustic tones great for that shiny bright guitar sound - boomy punchy acoustic tones for some more country, blues, and folk sounds - and some really impressive in your face chunky'n'fat tones for completely rocking my butt off. Recorded it sounded killer, mixed with other instruments you can really hear where this pedal/preamp separates itself from the rest. It gave me a wide range of options to play with and sounded fantastic through every guitar I've plugged into it.<br />
<br />
My next encounter with the Felix was through listening to it's beauty
from the standpoint of the audience. I was able to accompany my friend
and his band to their sound check which gave me an idea of how easy and
quickly a good tone is attainable live on stage. The venue itself had a decent sized
room and my buddy had a proper sized band behind him. The band consisted
of electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, keys, and acoustic guitar. I
played in a band of this exact makeup back some years ago and always had
such a bitch of a time finding simple ways to achieve really good
onstage sound for my acoustic guitar. At the sound check I could very
easily hear just how high quality the preamps in this pedal were. The
guitar used was a D-15 series Martin dreadnought with a LR Baggs pickup
system. My partner also used the second channel to blend in a SM-57 microphone for the ultimate sound. With the pickup system alone we were able to dial in a really
good acoustic sound - the Felix's high quality preamp and EQ system made
it pretty easy to quickly find a great overall root tone. The
capabilities of the pedal's EQ system is unlike anything I've ever seen
before on a piece of gear this compact. On stage my buddy Steve was quick to dial in an impressive sound that
stayed with him for the entire night. Song after song I enjoyed hearing the clarity the Felix was able to push, and amazed at how loud the guitar was capable of rising without feedback or unwanted frequencies. Here is where we tested out the boost option, which was so cool and so necessary! How many times have you been playing a gig when you suddenly realize your band is going into a 5 minute exit jam? Both Steve and I were impressed from
the beginning of the sound check to the end of the gig.<br />
<br />
Anyone who has gigged as an acoustic guitar player or has
had acoustic guitars in their band knows the trouble of dialing in a
great tone. Either the house/club/venue you're playing just doesn't have
proper preamps, the sound guy isn't very friendly, your acoustics
pickups won't play nicely, and the list goes on an on. With an electric
guitar you simply plug in and play, and if any adjustments need to made
you just reach back at your amp and tweak away. Same with guitar pedals.
With the Felix I was able to get the simplicity of a stompbox and the
quality of a professional piece of equipment. This is what makes the
Felix such a kickass piece of gear. The only other thing I can say about listening to the Felix live from a stage is that it kicked major ass. I could definitely hear the difference and my buddy was absolutely sold. Not only did the rest of my friends band agree that they were able to hear their acoustic guitar more clearly, but the it made the sound guy's job easier which had him singing the pedal's praises as well. Since having the Felix I have played around with putting it through bass
guitars, stand-up bass guitars, keyboards, and have played around with
using it to mic up different instruments. It doesn't fail to deliver in
any area so far and I doubt it ever will. It's a no brainer with this
baby. I'm yet to see anything like it on the market and nothing like it
has every come into the blog's hands. I give you guys at Grave Design
two thumbs up for sure. Keep on rocking the crazy cool gear and please
keep on letting us at AWC run it through it's paces.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> --------------------------------------------------------------- </b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
For more info on the Felix or Grace Designs go to <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.gracedesign.com/"><span style="background-color: white;">www.gracedesign.com<span></span></span></a></span> </div>
<br />
<br />Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-59558818299232126272015-11-06T08:00:00.000-08:002015-11-06T08:00:07.035-08:00Xotic Effects New Limited Edition Pedals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2woVkcrxVR0/Vjxsi3lqSII/AAAAAAAADhQ/2mLcEkoqFBI/s1600/xoticlimited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2woVkcrxVR0/Vjxsi3lqSII/AAAAAAAADhQ/2mLcEkoqFBI/s640/xoticlimited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica,Calibri,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">
<strong>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #08d6bb; font-size: 18pt;">New - </span><a alt="http://xotic.us/effects/rcsh-limited" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001W981-aMRag9dQwBrU9gQTMdbgUKCHmLmEIxuuv3GnuaDK-qx_GKq6wTDc20aSxj410qJPAtCddJcGAhh5MDWjghpeBFw8AfWoh0FQcCfZq2AcvZmxybFJ1velD5F7CcAL9CBuNVbZTVuruN0CqkPzS7bwGg0avjwPMPFPwgDZ1YGiPauXIrf3-cUpMSyDAL_&c=XZufDeJLEoVP0PoGxqEhZsYcjxFEud84wOmMR_8iJ1zlAXUZtDSYrg==&ch=E6FEr-6IPPGRkJh3QLY6RLV8jquCo6VDAHe7TPnLH6jx6xTHM2R8kw==" shape="rect" style="color: #08d6bb; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Limited Edition RC Booster Scott Henderson Model!</a><br /></div>
<div>
<span>
<div>
<span style="color: #ffb966; font-size: 16pt;">Contact your nearest Xotic dealer to order:</span> </div>
<div style="font-size: 16pt;">
<span style="color: #08d6bb;"><a alt="http://store.xotic.us/dealers/undefined" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001W981-aMRag9dQwBrU9gQTMdbgUKCHmLmEIxuuv3GnuaDK-qx_GKq63Ks5n9fngbdjpMcO7aE0JdgoISX1EDkkzgRPDDXSEl2UXixE8c9mwyq3HdiBlILzi8YUGLWBy_ozlwdgZ-hJ8QfE-cpoEKwH5y9t9LfEB7hiVTgB_fTQi_5XZWMBRanLLlfFMLGcNCW&c=XZufDeJLEoVP0PoGxqEhZsYcjxFEud84wOmMR_8iJ1zlAXUZtDSYrg==&ch=E6FEr-6IPPGRkJh3QLY6RLV8jquCo6VDAHe7TPnLH6jx6xTHM2R8kw==" shape="rect" style="color: #08d6bb; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">http://store.xotic.us/dealers/</a></span> </div>
</span></div>
</div>
</strong></div>
<div style="color: white;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica,Calibri,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<div>
<span style="color: #08d6bb;"><strong>Xotic Effects</strong></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"> announces the release of the new Limited Edition RC Booster Scott Henderson model. This package will be limited to only 1,500 chrome and 1,500 copper pieces worldwide! </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span></div>
<div style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica,Calibri,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div>
<span style="background-color: black;">Designed in conjunction with jazz fusion and blues guitarist<strong> Scott Henderson</strong>, the RC Booster will come with a</span><span style="color: #08d6bb;"><strong><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></span>free download card</strong></span><span style="color: black;"> <span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">of Scott's new CD "Vibe Station" and certificate of authenticity along with special packaging.</span></span></span><span style="background-color: black;"><br /><strong> </strong></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica,Calibri,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #08d6bb;">
<div>
<strong>PRICING:</strong><span style="color: black;">
</span><div>
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Same as a regular RC Booster</span></span></div>
</div>
</span><span><span> </span>
<div style="color: #08d6bb;">
<strong>SHIPPING:</strong></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div>
<span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Chrome editions will ship on 11/20 and Copper editions will ship in December to Xotic dealers all over the world.</span></span></span><br /><div style="color: #08d6bb;">
<strong>SPECS:</strong> </div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: black;">Channel 1 Gain, Channel 2 Gain, Treble, Bass and Volume configuration</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: black;">True Bypass Switching</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: black;">Can be powered with Battery or 9/18 volts power adapter</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: black;">Gain 1 or 2 footswitch, Bypass footswitch</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: black;">Compact chrome or copper case</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: black;">LED Indicators<span style="background-color: white;"><span></span></span> </span></li>
</ul>
</span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;">
</span><div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cy-UZZoniPI" width="480"></iframe><br /></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-68315010921047551512015-10-01T14:44:00.000-07:002015-10-01T18:09:39.679-07:00News and Updates. Oct 2015<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="page" title="Page 1">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: x-large; font-weight: 700;">New from CE Distribution </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: large; font-weight: 700;">Apex</span><span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: large; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: 6pt;">TM </span><span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: large; font-weight: 700;">Tube Matching</span><span style="font-size: large;">TM</span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: 8.000000pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ewM8bFOotGU/Vg2ouIvJpNI/AAAAAAAAC2k/xnM873uCbNQ/s1600/APEX%2BTUBE%2BMATCHING.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ewM8bFOotGU/Vg2ouIvJpNI/AAAAAAAAC2k/xnM873uCbNQ/s320/APEX%2BTUBE%2BMATCHING.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">CE Distribution is pleased to announce Apex Tube Matching - a new proprietary state-of-the-art power tube matching system.<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>ApexTM Tube Matching is performed entirely in-house on our brand new custom-built tube<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>matching system using our custom-designed software testing and matching methodology. What<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>this means is we are not matching your tubes on inferior matching hardware or using outdated<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>equipment. Rather, we are using state-of-the-art equipment designed and built to our<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>specifications using our years of experience in the music industry. Our systems are highly robust<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>and extremely accurate, measuring current and voltage to provide the best possible matching for<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>our tubes. These systems are a result of many, many years of experience and an incredible<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>amount of planning, design, prototyping and testing, resulting in the best tube matching available<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>in the entire industry. We know you'll find our tube matching exceeds your expectations in every<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>way!<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>Power tubes are electrically matched so each tube will have the same amount of “idle” plate<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>current and amplification characteristics when plugged into an amplifier. This is done so the<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>tubes can work together in your amp giving you optimal sound quality and tube longevity.<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>Matched tubes also receive extra quality checks to reduce the possibility of getting a faulty<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>power tube that may have<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>slipped by the manufacturer.<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>ApexTM Matched Tubes are a product of CE Distribution, LLC and are available exclusively
through CE Distribution and its authorized retailers. For more detailed<span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span>information, please visi<span style="font-family: 'Times';">t.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.apexmatching.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Times';">www.apexmatching.com </span></b></span></a></span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">-------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Times';">New From MOD tm <span style="font-family: 'Times';">Kits DIY</span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Times';"><span style="font-family: 'Times';">The Suspen<span style="font-family: 'Times';">ded Chime</span></span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Times';"><span style="font-family: 'Times';"><span style="font-family: 'Times';">Chorus/Chorus-Delay</span></span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1R8kGNPUPuI/Vg2s_u7tAJI/AAAAAAAAC20/4Wrzn-WBB_8/s1600/K-977_angle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1R8kGNPUPuI/Vg2s_u7tAJI/AAAAAAAAC20/4Wrzn-WBB_8/s320/K-977_angle.png" width="303" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times';"><span style="font-family: 'Times';"> </span> </span> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
The Suspended Chime pedal kit is the first multiprocessor kit offered by MOD tm Kits DIY. The Suspended Chime has two effects in one pedal - chorus and chorus/delay. </div>
</div>
<div class="page" style="text-align: left;" title="Page 1">
<br /></div>
<div class="page" style="text-align: left;" title="Page 1">
The Suspended Chime features a blend knob which allows you to go from subtle to lush chorus effect in either setup. Using the selector switch, you can add a 190 millisecond delay to the chorus introducing special depth to your tone. Varying the dry/wet mix can fatten your rhythms or produce a shimmering 12-string sound. The Suspended Chime kit comes equipped with an LED indicator and industry standard 9 volt center negative power jack.</div>
<div class="page" style="text-align: left;" title="Page 1">
<br /></div>
<div class="page" style="text-align: left;" title="Page 1">
MOD tm Kits and Assemblies are designed to give novice and experienced musicians the opportunity to build or modify their own amps, effects pedals and guitars. All kits come with easy to follow instructions and use pint to point wiring. All effect oedaks abd amplifiers come with a pre-drilled enclosure and all necessary parts are included. All you need to provide are hand tools, a soldering iron and solder. The effect pedal operates on a 9V battery for longer lasting option. A 9V adapter can be purchased separately.</div>
<div class="page" style="text-align: left;" title="Page 1">
<br /></div>
<div class="page" style="text-align: center;" title="Page 1">
For a complete listing of kits available and sound samples from MOD tm Kits DIY go to the link below.</div>
<div class="page" style="text-align: center;" title="Page 1">
<div class="page" title="Page 1">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.modkitsdiy.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: large; font-weight: 700;">www.modkitsdiy.com</span></a></div>
<div class="column">
<span style="font-family: 'Times'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">
</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: rgb(100.000000%, 100.000000%, 100.000000%); font-family: 'Times'; font-size: 20.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-12095226322358224412015-09-25T10:19:00.003-07:002015-09-25T10:28:00.415-07:00Who Said Fuzzing Wasn't Easy?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.vintagefx.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="www.vintagefx.com" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uanuwTA7A-c/TNRz2w5ftvI/AAAAAAAAB64/51K_r_wNXKE/s320/vfx_logo_new.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Vintage FX is one of the first pedal companies I got friendly with when I first started my blog. It quickly became a favorite and I even served on their artist roster back when I was still gigging religiously. Dave Archer has a passion for building these little boxes that rivals anyone in the scene. I mean anyone who's down to work with The Warlocks (Heavy Deavy Skull Fuzz) is way too cool for school! Below is his take on the very popular and super hip Mosrite Fuzzrite, a pedal that dates back to the psychedelic days of the 60's. I've used this pedal on my boards for heavy gigs and every time it's turned heads and popped cherries. When plugging into a fuzz box it's got to be serious biz and even more serious fuzz... this pedal meets those qualifications with flying colors.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>------------------------------------</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uanuwTA7A-c/TNR02LxAq3I/AAAAAAAAB68/LOzmbJoDZNQ/s1600/Fuzzriot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uanuwTA7A-c/TNR02LxAq3I/AAAAAAAAB68/LOzmbJoDZNQ/s400/Fuzzriot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">Fuzzriot</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
</span></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">FEATURES</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Machined aluminum knobs</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sturdy 1590BB style enclosure</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Super bright LED indication</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">True bypass - 3PDT switch</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Third stage added for increased volume/sustain</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Silicon/Germanium hybrid</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">9vdc Standard style adapter jack</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Based of the M<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">osr<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ite Fuzzrite of the 60's</span></span> </span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">----------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's nothing like a simple great sounding fuzz pedal</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> One without complex or odd controls, simple to use, and delivers when it counts the most. The Fuzzriot is probably one the easiest plug-in-and-go fuzz pedals I've ever encountered. It's as easy as grabbing your favorite guitar and finding the amount of grit'n'grime you want, dial in the tone, and match levels to your jam session or show. I was fortunate to have had the chance to gig with this pedal a number of times and used it in some recording sessions as well. My go-to guitar is and always has been my Tele with neck humbucker, but the Fuzzriot really sounded amazing through Strat's, Les Paul's, and P90 style guitars! Going through the controls you'll notice it's pretty freaking easy to figure this pedal. The Volume knob regulates the amount of output you want from the overall sound of the pedal. The Tone knob is actually really special! Sometimes fuzz boxes can slightly color your tone both in the bright and low areas, sometimes this is wanted and sometimes not. The tone control on this pedal gets you right where you need to be without stealing the tone you've worked so hard to get, but it can send you off into new adventures with just a twist of the knob, matching or making your tone something different. The Depth knob is superbly killer. Dave created this pedal as a germanium/silicon hybrid, meaning the fuzz effect is tight and blurty as hell. I enjoyed using this pedal in low depth levels already in some sort of mild overdrive. This gave me the perfect rhythm guitar sound for kickass rock and roll tones. It sounds great in a band setting pushing the bass player's sound and doesn't cut through the vocals or drowns out the drums. In higher fuzz levels this pedal can hijack a room and send jam sessions and gigs into a spiral of psychedelic bliss. There's a sustain you get from this pedal that seems top last forever, blend it in the right and you got something really epic. Higher fuzz levels can be easily manipulated and can be bent to create the strangest undertones, screeches, and howls. It's all good! Grab your favorite guitar and amp, plug in and play, enjoy and create. God bless this silver little box. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">----------------------------------------------------------</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>For more info on the Fuzzriot and Vintage FX go to www.vintagefx.com or just click the banner!</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.vintagefx.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="www.vintagefx.com" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uz8EogdctIs/VgWD4PyXtEI/AAAAAAAAC2U/7F0hWUysfyg/s1600/timthumb.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></div>
</div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-8228356754071130582015-09-18T08:49:00.002-07:002015-09-18T08:53:01.540-07:00The Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://audio.thedelimagazine.com/brooklyn-stompbox-exhibit-2015-announced/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://audio.thedelimagazine.com/brooklyn-stompbox-exhibit-2015-announced/" border="0" height="324" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DsbS8Gp3Xtc/VfwyJReTS_I/AAAAAAAAC2A/8TgdrQUG-LQ/s400/isu2je5dg7ZXtChozhisKE2vTAxlAOFgnpmb-L_o4Mxe0ndM_-9tZ6fOVfFk_GdnveBHlZkUtrVaNQroiaLI03z-mFMfHgVwjOx75C4kQQmUFkTaGmY8Lluz3eQmC2jO%253Ds0-d-e1-ft.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
FOR MORE CLICK THE PIC!!!</div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-19060880543511130402015-09-16T08:18:00.000-07:002015-09-16T08:18:31.210-07:00The Green Forrest Comp - Making the world a better place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mwkhPYW5hYs/VfTOq_GuE8I/AAAAAAAAC0w/DuMd7szCkQo/s1600/MadLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mwkhPYW5hYs/VfTOq_GuE8I/AAAAAAAAC0w/DuMd7szCkQo/s400/MadLogo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
There's a reason why the Mad Professor has been around so long. I imagine some long white haired old man sitting behind a collection of giant fluorescent tubes and lightening, creating taboo music devices for the masses. With every new invention he'd hoop, jump, and click his heels as if to have lost his mind. Then presto! The perfect pedal. And it's that easy my dear readers.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-------------------------------------</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFlvKm0e_gk/VfTP0l6x1_I/AAAAAAAAC04/oxXIbWDCHC0/s1600/forest_green_compressor_cb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFlvKm0e_gk/VfTP0l6x1_I/AAAAAAAAC04/oxXIbWDCHC0/s400/forest_green_compressor_cb.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Forrest Green Compressor</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Specs/Controls</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b></b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>* Supply Voltage Range: </b>9 to 18VDC<b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>* Current Consumption @ 9VDC: </b>14ma</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>* Input Inpedance: </b>1 M Ohm's</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>* Output Impedance: </b>20K Ohm's</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>* True Bypass: </b>Max input -10dBV Ohm's - Hardwired true bypass</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">---</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>* Level: </b>Comp Mode controls overall level and can be used as booster. Sustain Mode controls sustain</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>* Compr:</b> Sets the amount of compression and sustain</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>* Tone:</b> Used to fine-tune compressed sound with great transparency</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>* Comp/Sustain Switch:</b> Comp Mode standard compressor - Sustain Mode attack sustained for great dynamics </span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-------------------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So any compressor addict is gonna know the origins of the magnificent pedal, but for those of you a little newer to the game the Forrest Green Compressor is the cousin of the super popular and limited numbered BJFE Pine Green Comp. Like the it's kin the FGC is very transparent and packs the ability to deliver insanely cool dynamics. You can get boost capabilities with this pedal but where it really shines is in it's compression talents. I got to put this pedal through a few of my favorite amps and guitars, the outcome was short of perfection!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
By far the best combo was a my modded Fender Deville and Tele with neck humbucker. I'm a big fan of the spanky Tele sound and this pedal was able to take it to another level. Most compressors will drain your sound of dynamic and feel, which makes your playing suffer. The FGC beautifully kept my dynamics intact while at the same time tightening and creating blooming chords. Another area this pedal thrives in is in it's ability to keep your original tone transparent and true to the core. A lot of compressors tend to eat away at your tone when cranking them up or blending them with certain amps tones and other pedals. I have a sound I've created called The Screaming Banshee which consists of a great compressor and a few others pedals I won't give up,. The Forrest Green Compressor gets along in that situation like gold. Guitars players forget how much they an actually get out of a great compressor, and this why I always try and push my buddies into experimenting with as many combinations as possible. You find a good comp to throw on your board and the results are like having a new pedalboard, capable of new heights. Then we come to the boost capabilities of this pedal. By cranking the Level knob the FGC will hand you close to 100% untainted boosts, and it does this without very little noise even at really high levels. Finally there's my favorite feature, the Compression/Sustain Switch. This little buddy of a switch kicks the pedal into two different modes; In Comp mode the pedal dishes out high ration levels. This lets you smash your notes into the pavement, creating really amazing tones and sounds! The sustain in this setting also thrives helping you get the most out of any note or chord. In Sustain mode the pedal creates more subtle compression effects which work great for just about any situation. Overall the pedal just does a great job, like all Mad Professor pedals they sound nice and play well with others. Do yourself a favor and go out and try this little gem!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
--------------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hqvP71mi_G4/VfhjPN_sObI/AAAAAAAAC10/d2th_8m8DIQ/s1600/logo31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hqvP71mi_G4/VfhjPN_sObI/AAAAAAAAC10/d2th_8m8DIQ/s320/logo31.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For more info on Mad Professor go to the links below or just click the banner on the site.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mpamp.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">www.mpamp.com</span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-50342593350760756422015-09-15T10:39:00.001-07:002015-09-15T10:50:35.659-07:00News: Analog Alien releasing new pedal!<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3nj3-xi4pVw/VfhWWh1QIyI/AAAAAAAAC1U/Mqcs--Q7CYc/s1600/d3p1VFXWIC9qqf5RxN0OqF3lEi4N1EZk5RqHmLJOsHOr67CfDc22obgZPLv0_qK2INMVm5TLLBL2Uoi1_K3dNQ6GNHgHVzUpzur_SCL6tCXyDjLnAhsyi0dtR8LVRbWMWj6L%253Ds0-d-e1-ft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3nj3-xi4pVw/VfhWWh1QIyI/AAAAAAAAC1U/Mqcs--Q7CYc/s400/d3p1VFXWIC9qqf5RxN0OqF3lEi4N1EZk5RqHmLJOsHOr67CfDc22obgZPLv0_qK2INMVm5TLLBL2Uoi1_K3dNQ6GNHgHVzUpzur_SCL6tCXyDjLnAhsyi0dtR8LVRbWMWj6L%253Ds0-d-e1-ft.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Analog Alien</b> is proud to announce the release of it's first single effect guitar pedal in the Fall of 2015. <b>The Bucket Seat </b>is the junior version of the already released and supremely popular Rumble Seat. The official release of the Bucket Seat will be on <b>October 15, 2015</b>. <b>MSRP</b> will be at a super affordable <b>$199 USD</b>.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Bucket is the same Rumble Drive circuit that is found in our 5-star pedal the Rumble Seat - which is herald by artists like James Burton (Elvis Presley), Stevie Wonder, and Joe Walsh (James Gang, The Eagles, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band). Everything from mild overdrive to a full on high assault is possible with the Bucket Seat.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The sound of the Bucket Seat is never harsh or brittle. It has a smooth break up and retains a lot of the guitar's dynamics even at high overdrive settings. Adjustments can be made on the output, tone, and gain controls.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SvUsW_JhjPg/VfhaRMcmHlI/AAAAAAAAC1g/5b550xyXxZU/s1600/BS4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SvUsW_JhjPg/VfhaRMcmHlI/AAAAAAAAC1g/5b550xyXxZU/s320/BS4.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8mAotQTZvM/VfhaVB3LliI/AAAAAAAAC1o/BH3SDLUBhbg/s1600/BS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8mAotQTZvM/VfhaVB3LliI/AAAAAAAAC1o/BH3SDLUBhbg/s320/BS1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For more info on Analog Alien please follow the links below. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Twitter/Instagram: </b>@analogalien</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Facebok:</b> <a href="http://facebook.com/pages/analogalien">facebook.com/pages/analogalien</a></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Hashtags: </b>#fuzzbuble45 #alientwister #rumbleseat #analogABS #JWDC #bucketseat </span></span></div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-73082174743271886962015-09-12T10:00:00.000-07:002015-09-12T10:18:46.781-07:00Staying True to your Tone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4o9IMsUrZTk/Tat-hdDVkLI/AAAAAAAAB_0/eJAG0qI5P7Y/s1600/Xotic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4o9IMsUrZTk/Tat-hdDVkLI/AAAAAAAAB_0/eJAG0qI5P7Y/s320/Xotic.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">I'm stoked to be back and super stoked to do so with this awesome and very popular pedal from our friends at Xotic Effects. I'm sure many of you have had experience with the "Tremendous Trio" that is the BB Preamp, AC Booster, and this here champ of a stompbox the RC Booster. The Reason behind these pedals success is simple - great tone! I have been fortunate to have had the chance to try just about every Xotic Effects pedal out there, and to this day I can honestly say I have not been disappointed. What makes these pedals such winners isn't a ton of bells and whistles, it's their simplicity and straight to the point control layout. Combine any of these pedals with a proper amp, your favorite guitar, and they will make your already cherished tone that much better. The RC Booster does exactly this and does it with it's own heavenly tonal touch. Let's take a closer look shall we? </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AinKZR7NYyc/Tat-fExM3dI/AAAAAAAAB_w/jIo5WjzEeRw/s1600/RCBooster01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AinKZR7NYyc/Tat-fExM3dI/AAAAAAAAB_w/jIo5WjzEeRw/s320/RCBooster01.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: x-large;">RC Booster</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Active Treble, Bass, Gain, and Volume controls allow for limitless tone shaping.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">20dB+ of transparent clean boost, with +- 15db 2 band active EQ.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Solution to sound degradation caused instrument cables and/or long effect chains.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">True bypass for eliminating any signal interference
when switched off.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Can be used with AC adaptor (optional) or 9V Battery.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: left;">So what does the "RC" stand for you ask? It stands for "Real Clean", meaning this pedal will keep your sound pure and sweet. This isn't to say the RC Booster isn't capable of some gritty goodness cause it is. Whether it's boosting your already spanking clean tone to a higher level or taking that clean tone to the next plateau - the RC Booster will do it and do beautifully. On board this pedal you will find controls for Gain, Volume, Bass, and Treble. The gain on this pedal being splendid! The RC Booster makes it easy to boost your clean signals, boost those slightly gritty tube amp tones, or use it to straight out slam the front-end of any amp or already overdriven tone to get some even hairier tones, all with no problem. The volume control will keep your tone in it's original state from the lowest of settings to it's highest levels. You can dish out anywhere up to 20dB's of juice, and with it's bass and treble controls the RC Booster gives you the choice to either boost or tame your high and low frequencies, helping adapt this pedal to any room or venue. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I went ahead and tested this pedal through everything from very clean tones, crunchy'n'grimy rhythms, and through allout overdriven tube amps. Each time was a gift. I began with a clean AC 15 based amp and a Stratocaster. I first set my amp to a punchy thick clean sound then carefully matched the pedal's character to the tone. I set the pedal with it's gain as low as possible, it's volume slightly hotter to the amp's output, and the treble and bass controls just a hint more pronounced than the amp's root tone. I played through some licks with the pedal off - then with it engaged. Engaged my tone stayed perfectly intact and came through with more power and attitude. The feeling of my tone while playing through the RC Booster is what stood out the most. I could feel my little amp thumping at my back, feet, and at the walls. Some boosters and overdrive pedals can deaden your sound, or even worse take it in a completely different direction. This pedal does not do this. What it does instead is enhances all the natural amp and guitar's character already existing in your sound. If your thing is big'n'boomy - it gets bigger and boomier. If you like that silky smooth spank - you get mucho more. And if you like slamming your favorite amp into ear drum slpitting goodness - this is the perfect pedal. The super spanky and bouncy Strat characteristics flowing from my guitar only became that much sweeter when stacked up with the RC Booster. I went from pickup setting to pickup setting and got great results each time. All across the guitar's settings the pedal was able to pull from them their very best. Rolling up the gain control the pedal began to heat up the amp's signal creating more grit and more grime. By tapering back the treble control and adding in some of the bass - the pedal was able to give my Stratocaster a warmer thicker tone. This worked nicely when playing through overdriven and high gain tones, making lead tones much more powerful. I also cranked my little 15 watt amp to a beautiful creamy crunch. I began using the RC Booster as a typical booster, but as I rolled up the pedal's volume and gain I started noticing I was able to get some very new and interesting sounds from my amp. The fully overdriven on it's own really only gets me so far, which is a perfect classic low/med driven sound. With the pedal boosting the signal I could get some really over the top grit. But one of my favorite tricks this pedal does well is it's ability to act as a buffer. For those of you who run long cables and lots of pedals you simply leave this pedal at the front of your chain with it's bass and treble controls at noon and wahlah! Overall the RC Booster is a great simple pedal perfect for pushing our tight, neat, transparent tones. If you're looking for something quick and simple to get the job done outright, go with this puppy, you won't be sorry.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;"> ------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W-9bBA6Pf38/Tat-eDwkVNI/AAAAAAAAB_s/T4SvpWv8GYc/s1600/RCBooster02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W-9bBA6Pf38/Tat-eDwkVNI/AAAAAAAAB_s/T4SvpWv8GYc/s200/RCBooster02.png" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For more info on the RC Booster or Xotic Effects go to <a href="http://www.xotic.us/">www.xotic.us</a> or click the Xotic logo in our links section. Stay tuned for some more on Xotic and it's current line of effects.</div>
Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-59929080846319823392013-05-24T15:04:00.001-07:002013-05-24T15:04:17.819-07:00Analog War Cry is Back!!!!Hello kids,<br />
<br />
The long long wait is over. I will be posting reviews and featuring cool new gear companies once again, full time. I'm done recording for a while and will be focusing my time at bringing you guys the best gear I can hunt down. If you have any companies you'd like me to look into please shoot me an email with the name and link to the site. Stay tuned for a couple delayed posts which should have gone up a while back, again I apologize to you all and I hope to have everyone back reading and writing in.<br />
<br />
-AlfieAlfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-58325632082772732552012-01-04T21:37:00.000-08:002012-01-04T21:37:34.845-08:00Top Finds of 2011/ Tone Blue Custom FXHello my dearest of readers. First let me say Happy New Year and I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I'm sure many of you got yourselves and got from your loved ones some pretty cool gear. Last year was an another amazing year for unique and marvalous music equupment, and I'm sure this year will be just as good if not better. I wanted to start this new year with some of my favorite finds of 2011, and this first feature I know you guys will absolutely love!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
------------------------------------------------------------------------- </div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uanuwTA7A-c/TNImMcmQ7vI/AAAAAAAAB6s/Z9wyiHUQHQQ/s1600/tbcfxlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uanuwTA7A-c/TNImMcmQ7vI/AAAAAAAAB6s/Z9wyiHUQHQQ/s200/tbcfxlogo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Every time I think nothing more can be done to the overdrive pedal comes along a stompbox that turns my thinking in the opposite direction. Ladies and gents - let me introduce you to Tone Blue Custom FX. This my friends is a pedal company with some very impressive original and modified builds. On the TBCFX website you will come across everything from boosters, trems, verbs, loopers, fuzz's, to comps, chorus's, wah's, power supplies, and a handful of cool upgraded familiars. It's quite obvious these guys know what they're doing by the extensive and beautiful collection of stompboxes that they offer. Thank god for cool companies like these!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3NHegUjq2i8/TugyA4X-CjI/AAAAAAAACAw/MA2nkcfg8Ek/s1600/mightydrive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3NHegUjq2i8/TugyA4X-CjI/AAAAAAAACAw/MA2nkcfg8Ek/s400/mightydrive.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Mighty Drive</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
My first encounter with the mighty world of TBCFX came to me in the form of a versatile little black box by the name of the Mighty Drive. Simple this pedal may be with it's Gain, Volume, Treble, Middle, and Bass controls - but I assure you it owns within it more than just one sweet spot giving you a wide range of useful and inspiring tones. For me it was the Mighty Drive's simple and straight to the point control layout that sold me from the start. The pedal's circuit itself being designed so well makes it one of the easiest dirt boxes to dial in and tweak, and one that works with many different setups and styles of music. For the hardcore tone purist guitar slinger this pedal will be an absolute dream come true.<br />
<br />
The beginning of my Mighty Drive experiment started with a Les Paul Standard and 22 Watt Blackface amplifier. I began with a simple dry tone, no verb, and all of the amp's controls straight at noon. I began by setting the pedal's gain to a mild mellow setting. The pedal's eq stack I tried to match as close to the amp so I could get the most transparent boost possible. The Mighty Drive's volume I took to about 50%, which gave me an awesome amount of natural gritty yumminess. Right from the get-go the pedal worked beautifully as a booster and mild overdrive. The tones I got in it's mild overdrive settings reminded me of some of my favorite classic tube amps. The quality of the tone was rich, thick, and pleasing to the ear. I was able to convert the low watt amp into a grimy rock and blues machine. With the Les Paul's humbuckers thrown into the mix everything came together perfectly. I was able to go from bridge pickup to neck pickup and get a great balance of punchy highs and fat lows. The character of the pedal's sound came through with flying colors. As I went up into higher overdrive territories I began noticing the dirt getting tighter and fatter, making it sit in the mix beautifully and easy to work with. Cranking the 22 watt amp into a big and loud natural overdrive and stacking the Mighty Drive on top of it did a few cool things. First I used the pedal's volume to push the amp into a wonderful dirtier overdrive. Making it work more as a lead and distortion machine. With the pedal's middle and treble controls I was able to dial in tones that sliced through and punched with lots and lots of attitude. Rolling back the mids gave me some really cool heavy distortion tones. Along with the low watt Blackface amplifier I also plugged it into a 4x10 60 watt Hot Rod Deville with Jensen Blackbirds and Tornado's. Each of the 10" speakers in my Deville are 100 watters giving them lots of headroom which is perfect for a great sounding overdrive pedal. The Mighty Drive seemed to work like magic with this amp. I was able to crank in the pure tone of the pedal's mojo with just the amp's pure clean tone blended in. This brought out all of the pedal's feel and character. The big bouncing creamy sound of the alnico speakers mixed with the cutting edge sound of the neodymium magnets created absolute heaven. I plugged in a handful of guitars into this pedal and amp to see just what types of sounds I would get and to see if the Mighty Drive would work well with each pick and guitar style. I used a JR style guitar with a single Lollar P90, Les Paul with hand wound humbuckers, a Strat with top notch 60's style single coils, and a Tele with a classic style bucker in the neck and broadcaster style pickup in the bridge. It seemed as if the Mighty Drive were made for each guitar, pickup, and amplifier that I paired it up with. Each of the guitars' tonal styles came through and were accented by the Mighty Drive's unique and special circuit. In light settings the pedal pushed the amp's clean signal to give me more juice and more oomph. Using the pedal as an overdriver turned the amp into a rock and roll monster that worked for all typed of musical styles, including classic, blues, alternative, country, and punk. Cranking the pedal's gain to full blast, setting the volume at around 70%, then taking the eq stack and setting it to push the amp's highs/lows/ and mids made for a great experience. Strumming the strings I could feel lots of harmonics and sweet balance. The pedal sang with smooth and creamy overdrive/distortion. Last I did try this pedal with some other stompboxes, checking to see for noise or any other unpleasant ticks. I was very happy with the outcome. It it these types of pedals that a pedal junky like myself looks forward into running into to. In the end my experience with TBCFX was nothing short of amazing. The Mighty Drive was one that didn't take much effort to dial in nor did it eat away at any of my guitar's, amp's, or pickup's characteristics. I will say this - I am looking forward to see what more magic lies in store inside the Tone Blue Custom FX collection.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For more info on FBCFX go to <a href="http://www.toneblue.com/tbcfx/">www.toneblue.com/tbcfx/</a> Make sure to stay tuned for more features from Tone Blue Custom FX to come in the near future. Remember.... Let'em hear you scream!!!</div>
</div>Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-26530831172220359102011-12-08T19:46:00.000-08:002011-12-08T19:46:06.255-08:00Xotic Nite at NAMM<br />
<div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Prosound Communications Inc Presents</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: white;">
</span></b></span></div>
<div style="color: white; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>XOTiC NiTE @ NAMM</b></span></div>
<span style="color: white;">
</span><div style="color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
KIRK FLETCHER, ERIC GALES, with Special Guest from Japan YUYA KOMOGUCHI</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wglf-1ip2v8/TuGA8OZi1cI/AAAAAAAACAo/GgXCDOjpXaQ/s1600/NAMM_special_event_rev3_xotic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wglf-1ip2v8/TuGA8OZi1cI/AAAAAAAACAo/GgXCDOjpXaQ/s640/NAMM_special_event_rev3_xotic.jpg" width="524" /></a></div>
<div style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; padding-bottom: 15px; text-align: center;">
Monday January 23, 2012 Doors at 7:30PM<br />Tickets: $10 at the door</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">
</span></span><div style="color: red; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; padding-bottom: 15px; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://www.thelighthousecafe.net/" style="color: white;" target="_blank">Lighthouse Cafe</a></b><br />Address: 30 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254, Phone: (310) 376-983</div>Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-53485185798376295862011-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:002011-12-07T19:11:35.108-08:00Out of this World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cvxD059-7sg/TtsygFRZYkI/AAAAAAAACAY/KLBqCTYyAco/s1600/AnalogAlien.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cvxD059-7sg/TtsygFRZYkI/AAAAAAAACAY/KLBqCTYyAco/s400/AnalogAlien.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
All you drooling right now continue to keep on drooling - cause this pedal sounds as good as it looks! I'd like to introduce to those of you who aren't familiar with Analog Alien to one of the coolest pedal companies I have ever come across. I will tell you - I have been one lucky son of a bitch to have run across these cats. There are a lot of people building pedals out there today, and many of those people very talented. We have come across a stompbox revolution of sorts. A time where tone is everything again, and where what you play and say are two different things. Music is once again making a come back in a beautiful way - thanks to all the wonderful gear that is out there to motivate and inspire us. It is cool little companies like Analog Alien that sit in the front lines making sure we have the weapons needed for the battle. This is what happens when a couple of dedicated tone hungry cats get together to make a pedal. I bring your the...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-14EI3uwyLBc/TtszKVQJ0GI/AAAAAAAACAg/PA7FDTPPuX0/s400/Screen+shot+2011-12-04+at+12.43.56+AM.png" width="400" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Fuzz Bubble-45</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b> Specs:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li> <i style="color: #e69138;"><b>PETE SIDE</b></i></li>
<li>Out: controls effected output level</li>
<li>Year 66'-77': controls gain amount sent to pedal's OD circuit</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Tone: this switch helps roll back lower frequencies </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i style="color: #e69138;"><b>JIMI SIDE </b></i></li>
<li>In: controls amount of signal coming into the pedal</li>
<li>Out: controls effect output level</li>
<li>Haze: controls fuzz intensity</li>
<li>Tone: functions identically to Pete side circuit</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> Bypass Switch: switches pedal On/Off</li>
<li>Effect: switches between Pete and Jimi sides</li>
<li>Power: runs on either single 9Volt battery or 9V adapter</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The first time I saw this pedal was one of those moments when I said to myself; "Holy crap, now that's a pedal!". Boy was I right. This is baby is built extremely well, was designed to be user friendly so you can get the tones you want quickly, and ships with a very cool mini lunchbox which it is stored in! This is a two channel stompbox which lets you choose between a Pete side (overdrive/distortion) and a Jimi side (distortion/fuzz). What more can you ask for? The Fuzz Bubble-45 is the pedal for that classic rock tone addicted player. For those of you who dig those marvelous 60's-70's tube amps. For those who listen and grew up with those insanely great sounding rock gods of yesteryear.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="color: purple;">(PETE)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Getting a great sound of this was as easy as plugging it into a decent tube amp and guitar. I went with my semi-hollow body Hagstrom Viking and modified Hot Rod Deville. The handwound humbuckers and 4x10 Jensen's seemed to take to the pedal like a hand and glove. I began by setting the amp to a big warm clean tone, with all of it's controls set at around 7 and reverb circuit turned completely down. I started with the Pete side, setting it's Out knob to 50% , Year knob at 67', and it's Tone switch in the left position. Once engaged the pedal pushed out a very smooth'n'cruncy natural sounding classic rock dirt tone. The sound had lots of defined grit which made each string come through with spectacular delivery. This tone was perfect for an get-go all around rock tone. I played some of my favorite classic, blues, and alternative rock tones and got nothing but magic. Chords especially sounded good, along with double stops and string bends. The big'n'beefy overdrive produced by the Pete side reminded me of my favorite golden era rock tones. As I went up on the Year knob and added more gain the pedal continued to give me more mojo and inspiration. One thing which I really dug about the Pete side was how well it owrked with my guitar's volume. Using my guitar's volume knob I was able to control not only the amount of grit, but also the feel, response, and character of my tone. I next flipped the Tone switch to the right side and like an atomic bomb my pickups pushed out more low-end muscle. My riffs sounded bigger and stronger, and chords even beefier and dirtier. The Tone switch I imagine would be the perfect little feature for either cutting through a mix or adding more body to an overall band's sound. In both positions the Fuzz Bubble-45's Tone switch was able to keep it's definition and smooth feel. Switching the pedal up to year 77' really made a difference not only in the amount of gain, but how it all worked with your pick attack and overall sound. Here I got more aggressive overdrive tones which really became more like distortion. But unlike modern distortion the Fuzz Bubble-45 is able to maintain a very velvety creamy classic feel. Along with the semi-hollow body I also played this pedal with a Strat, a Tele, and a Les Paul (of course). Each one of the guitars created it's own special collection of rock tones, making this one of the most user friendly circuits I've ever used.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: purple; text-align: left;">
<b>(JIMI)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Switching over to the Jimi side was an entirely different ballpark. Here I got a wide variety of very useful fuzz tones. I began by plugging into my partner's Les Paul and 7/15 watt amplifier. Now, on it's own this amp of mine has always produced some pretty sweet rock tones. It has been one of my favorite amps to plug fuzz boxes into and one of the best recording amps I've ever used. The Fuzz Bubble-45's Jimi circuit quickly and beautifully produced some of the best classic fuzz tones I've come across. I began with both the In and Out ch in the knobs at around noon, the Haze knob at around 15%, and the Tone switch in the left position. The pedal kicked out rockin' good subtle yet powerful fuzz tone that made my little amp sound much bigger than it actually is. Sliding up and down the neck playing blues and rock licks felt and sounded like something from another time. I was able to hear, and better yet feel, a big stack of harmonics and string ringing goodness. The softer I plucked the strings, the less the pedal growled. The harder I smacked down on the strings, the more the tone came to life and the more it knocked out big'n'bad fuzz. With the In knob I was able to tame and mellow out the sound of the fuzz, making it easy to tailor to whatever style of music I was playing. As well as the In knob working nicely, my guitar's volume knob gave me even more control and let me tap into even more crazy good rock tones. Some vintage fuzz boxes when doing this do one of two things; #1. They either become too thin and brittle, or #2. Just waste away the entire feel and vibe of the fuzz effect. The Jimi circuit I assure does non of these things. With my Strat I was able to use the pedal to dial in the biggest and meanest sounding fuzz tone, and by rolling down the guitar's volume able to get back to my jangly signature Strat sound. I was able to get some super cool feedback effects and strange ambiances just by holding the guitar in the right direction or playing the strings in a certain fashion. All you psychedelic rock monsters will appreciate and dig the hell out of this pedal. There's nothing better than blasting down in a rad collection of single note fuzz riffs. This pedal lets you beef up your licks or make them cut like razors. With the Tone switch giving you even more variety to choose from. I also played the Strat and Fuzz Bubble-45 through a Super Lead, which indeed was something to write home about. I will just say this - Everyone in the lockout studios was quite jealous that day. I had the walls ringing and shaking as if they were about to come down. I dialed in the Super Lead to a killer natural ovedrive, and stacked on top of it the fury of the Jimi side. If you've heard the best Marshall and fuzz tones combined you have an idea of what I was able to dial in. I found it easy to match both sides so that switching back and fourth was cinch. I know I get frustrated trying to find the right combination of overdrive and fuzz to bring out on gigs. With this pedal you get the best of both worlds all in one very cool looking box. All in all you can't go wring with this pedal, and I in fact found nothing I disliked about how it sounded or worked. The guys over at Analog Alien definitely own a special gift that lives in a few. I would kill to see what else crept into their minds, what else they'd be pushed to build.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For more info on the Fuzz Bubble-45 or Analog Alien go to <a href="http://www.analogalien.com/">www.analogalien.com</a> You ill find some cool info on the history and making of this pedal. There are also some pretty cool vids out there for those of you that want some audio of this monster. Use our Youtube search engine to hunt down some oft hose vids. We will be sure to keep you guys posted if more comes out of this unique and talented pedal company. </div>Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-91868133289132108272011-12-04T08:00:00.000-08:002011-12-04T08:00:05.846-08:00Treat Yourself to Something Reeeaaal Nice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LrqnvbCIpxI/TtcN0-kX2BI/AAAAAAAACAI/KzZgTKlbiOk/s1600/aguilar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LrqnvbCIpxI/TtcN0-kX2BI/AAAAAAAACAI/KzZgTKlbiOk/s320/aguilar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Next on our list of killer pedals is a little number from the talented and amazing people of Aguilar Amplification. Last year I had a chance to try out a bunch of these pedals on bass guitar and was blown away by the quality in tone and wide range of sounds I was able to get. It didn't end on bass guitar either... no sir. I in fact also plugged some of these pedals into a bunch of my guitars and guitar amps and the outcome was nothing short of amazing. I also had a chance to meet the good folks from Aguilar at NAMM last year which really tuned me into what they're doing and the direction they are headed in. Let me just say this: Go out and try these pedals - you will not be sorry and very glad you did.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> -----------------------------------------------------------------------</div><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RbmFpivvzLc/TtcNzGul1CI/AAAAAAAACAA/BUiWwPuNxmQ/s1600/aguilar_tlc-compressor_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RbmFpivvzLc/TtcNzGul1CI/AAAAAAAACAA/BUiWwPuNxmQ/s320/aguilar_tlc-compressor_001.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>TLC Compressor</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Specs:</div><ul><li>Threshold Control: variable from -30 to -10dBu</li>
<li>Slope Control: variable from 2:1 to infinity</li>
<li>Attack Control: variable from 10ms to 100ms</li>
<li>Level Control: -infinity to -3dBu</li>
<li>Low Distortion: (<0.2%)</li>
<li>Gig-saver Bypass: signal passes even if your battery dies</li>
<li>Power: 9 volt battery or optional universal power supply</li>
<li>Enclosure: heavy-duty steel construction</li>
<li>Battery Life: 100 hours</li>
<li>Inputs: one 1/4 jack</li>
<li>Outputs: one 1/4 jack</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: center;">------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">How about that for a gem of a compression pedal? Here is an area where us musicians cannot afford to skimp out on. Compression when used the wrong way can be the killer of all tones. So where does one go when in need of some proper quality compression? Well, the TLC Compressor is a beautiful place to start, and a beautiful place to end. This powerhouse of a pedal is capable of giving your bass tones (and guitar) all the spank, thump, boom, bang, and bottom you will ever need. The control layout on this pedal is genius! And each one of it's controls capable of so so much. With the guitar it works equally as good. This is a pedal that does not discriminate and loves to play well with others (pedals). The TLC Compressor (just like our last Aguilar review) kick much ass. The one word that comes to mind is quality - quality - quality. Make sure to run back in our archive for more Aguilar reviews. </div><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>Round #1 (Bass Guitar)</b></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">My first experiment with the Aguilar TLC consisted of a P Bass and a Ampeg SVT. I dialed in a simple signature snappy P Bass tone, with lots of rounded corners and plenty of punch. I began with some subtle settings, tightening up the overall sound and getting more definition. The TLC quickly dished out more clarity making things sound sweeter and richer. I started first with a medium low level and ended up cranking the amp just about full blast. At low to medium settings the pedal accented all of the bass guitar's and amp's magic and mojo. Then once cranked things really became noticeable. My experience with most compression pedals has been they don't hang in there when in comes down to gigging or recording. Either they become too noisy or they just can't cut it. This is why studio compressors are so praised and so useful. The TLC was more than able to hold it's own. One very nice thing about this puppy, something I really dug, was it's low noise output. This is probably the one thing that turns me off to most comp pedals. With this pedal I was able to blast my bass amp and thump away at my bass guitar's strings like a madman. In the end the pedal stayed chill and quiet. I got no unwanted hissing or white noise. But more importantly was how quiet the pedal was when I wasn't playing. Here is where this pedal comes in handy for those of you looking for a proper gigging compressor. I also plugged the TLC into a higher output bass which worked equally as good. What I liked about playing this pedal through the higher output bass pickups was how well it helped roll off the high end sounds and jagged corners. This brought a lighter fluffier attack to my overall tone which made things sit much nicer when jamming with other instruments. I did also gig with this pedal, and on stage the pedal did more than it's job, falling beautifully into the mix and standing out just enough to accompany the guitar, bass drum, and vocals. Setting the compression to the club's room was cake! On the other side of the spectrum, in more extreme settings, the TLC also did a great job. The pedal's threshold takes care of a huge range of sounds and tones which helps you achieve just any sound or musical style you're going for.<br />
<br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Round # 2 (Electric Guitar)</span></b></i><br />
For me finding a good compression pedal to team up with my guitars seems to something I've always had lots of trouble with. Really there has only been a handful of comp pedals that I've enjoyed. The TLC quickly became one of the few. I broke out my trusty bucker equipped Tele and my buddy's Princeton Reverb. The goal was to dial in a solid plunky country tone with plenty of meat and potatoes. I help back on the amp's reverb and rolled the eq straight up the middle. With a little meddling of the TLC's controls I was able to quickly get the sound I wanted. The guitar sang out lots of spanky goodness making each string sound like it's own thing. I was able to hear every little nuance and accent I played. My chords sounded off with lush clear projection, which made everything sound absolutely beautiful! Smoothness was the name of the game when playing through this pedal. The Tele jangled and chimed through the amp's big'n'bright tone. I was able to get plenty of sustain from my playing without any of the unwanted extreme sappy sounds. The TLC maintained my pick attack and left my guitar's natural character intact. While playing around the guitar I began fooling around with other pedals, such as overdrivers and distortion pedals. With overdrivers the pedal added a chunky ring to the overall sound that made things sound bigger and badder. I noticed my lows became rounder and warmer, with the highs becoming clearer and easier on the ear. I also got beautiful string balance that cut right through like a razor. In minimum compression settings the pedal gave the guitar's sound that hint of juice that helps bring one's tone to life. By adding in some of the pedal's level control I was able to naturally bring the amp's tubs into some pretty sweet gritty overdrive. This sound worked nicely for craning down on some classic country rock chord play. Blues and funk also sounded quite nice. I ran through some sweet licks and rifs and was able to hear every note with absolute authority. There is no doubt on my mind this pedal can hang with al types of music styles. Anyone hunting for a killer all around comp box would do themselves proper by grabbing one of these.<br />
<br />
Some compressors squash your tone much too much, or just bloom and rise in the wrong ways. Something we're all too familiar with. The TLC's control layout made things very easy and user friendly. It took a bit of playing with the TLC's controls but once I began trusting my ears everything fell into place. This is what I tell my readers when the write in asking how to use compression, just trust those ears. Another great use I got out of this pedal was recording with it. I was able to get these very balanced, steady, and defined bass and guitar tones which were very easy to work with when mixing. The TLC is also very transparent, and instead of adding color to your tone - it brings what is already there to life.The magic in this pedal all comes from it's control layout and the quality of it's sound. This is what makes this little baby stand out from many others. Aguilar Amplification really did some number when designing this pedal and it shows right off the bat once you plug in and play.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">For more info on Aguilar Amplification go to www.aguilaramp.com Make sure to also check out Aguilar's awesome amps, pickups, preamps, and cabs. We will be featuring more and more of Aguilar's gear in the near future so make sure to keep them eyes peeled. Hit up our Youtube search engine to hunt down some cool Aguilar pedal vids!</div></div>Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-67181408296237950302011-11-30T18:31:00.000-08:002011-11-30T18:31:23.608-08:00The Mighty Verb<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uanuwTA7A-c/TFJdpVe2_QI/AAAAAAAABYc/nA89chCFgA4/s1600/modampkitheader.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499561059695394050" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uanuwTA7A-c/TFJdpVe2_QI/AAAAAAAABYc/nA89chCFgA4/s400/modampkitheader.gif" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 97px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div>Yes yes I know it's been a while since the AWC has been in any kind of action. First let me apologize to both our loyal readers and the awesome gear companies that have kept us afloat. Your patience and contributions have been nothing short of highly appreciated. Let me say this, it was worth the wait! For all you gear addicted tone hunting fiends - do we have some off-the-wall knock your socks off pieces of gear to share with you. We'll be bringing you reads from both familiar and brand spankin' new companies, we've hunted down a handful of great bands to turn you guys onto, and have some new features that will give you guys even more insight into our world of lovely'n'strange musical gear. There is a lot of catching up to do so let's get to it shall we?<br />
<br />
We start our comeback with a sexy little number from our good friends at MOD Kits DIY (formally known as Mod Amp Kits). For those of you unfamiliar with the MOD collection they make some of the most fantastic sounding and easy to build DIY kits out there. MOD's pieces are the perfect introduction into the pedal building world for those of you looking to get your hands dirty. These pedals come stacked with quality parts and components, come with straight forward easy to follow building maps, and best of all are all reasonably priced. A perfect way to add some quality kickass sounding gear to any respectable tone arsenal. </div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">--------------------------------------------------<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5EpapBQf6Gk/TswSqRP6C6I/AAAAAAAAB_4/u75yGt31E7U/s1600/modkitsverb.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5EpapBQf6Gk/TswSqRP6C6I/AAAAAAAAB_4/u75yGt31E7U/s320/modkitsverb.gif" width="280" /></a></div> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336666;">The Verb</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Reverb Pedal Kit</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Based on Belton Digi-Log module.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Adds quality reverb to any guitar rig.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Enclosure is 1.35 in height, 3.70 in width, 4.70 in length</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Recommend 9-volt adapter for use with this pedal </span></li>
</ul></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------</div><div><br />
</div><div>The Verb pedal kit comes stacked with everything you'll need to build a killer sounding digital reverb pedal. Once assembled you'll find it kicks out plenty of mojo and warmth, and lots of clean cut definition. The Verb sounds and works great with loads of different stompboxes, guitars, pickups, and amplifiers.This is the perfect build for those newbie DIY rookies looking to up their chops. Just bring to the table a little soldering experience and a bit of patience - and you'll have yourself a rockin' good reverb box that'll be capable of plenty rockin' good tones. Mod provides really easy to read/follow directions (and this goes for every one of their kits) making the Verb's build go by smoothly and without flaws. I was able to knock this build out and have the pedal singing sweet reverb in about an hour.<br />
<br />
</div><div>The first obvious test was to run the Verb pedal solo, through a nice clean amp tone with no other effects/pedals in the chain, to help me see just where this puppy was gonna be capable of taking me. The first amp candidate was my modified Hot Rod Deville. I set the amp's controls straight up the middle, killed the amp's reverb, and plugged into the 2nd input for a hotter beefier signal. For a guitar I pulled out the neck bucker Telecaster with the coil splitting switch and Broadcaster style bridge pickup. I started in the neck pickup position with the humbucker split, picking out a bunch of big open voiced chords. With the pedal bypassed the tone had plenty of sparkle, tight lows, and focused mids. I wanted to compare the tone's weight with both the pedal on and off. Many reverb pedals kill the meat of one's tone, making everything sound hollow and overly flat. Then I clicked on the Verb pedal and to my wonderful surprise found all of my amp's sweet sweet tone still singing with plenty of juice. In fact, the Verb gave my highs more sparkle, my mids more ooohmf, and my lows more snap. This was especially true when I split the buckers coil or switched to the single bridge pickup. In it's low to medium reverb settings the Verb worked great for just a handful of situations or musical styles. The single output/amount knob made it all super duper easy. Before I go on I must say I think it is a great idea to have a reverb pedal with just one control that handles both the output and amount. This makes for no sitting and debating whether you've got the right sound or not. Just plug in and go! I began with some subtle bluesy guitar licks and had the Verb help maintain and hold my notes out in the air just a little bit longer. I noticed no ghostly reverb effects and no loss in the tone's character. Smacking down on some big beefy chords also sounded insanely good, especially when adding in a hint of overdrive. I was able to accent all of my pickings character and style. When chugging away at my axe I could really feel and hear the pedal really do it's magic. It sounded warm and smooth, instead of harsh or too square waved. I then added in a bit more reverb setting the pedal at about 50%. Here I got even more sweet ambiances and accents. Me personally I like extreme reverb thing when messing around with different pedals and effects. The Verb pedal let me get the reverb signal just where I wanted it and never threw my overall tone down the drain. One favorite trick of mine is to take a great sounding reverb pedal and mix it with a big nasty fuzz box. This is how I get lots of my psychedelic fuzz tones. If you've ever heard the band The Black Angels you can get an idea of what type of sound I'm talking about. At full blast the Verb pedal dipped into these frequencies with ease and flawless control. I was able to hold my notes as if playing through compression. Which brings me to another favorite effect of mine - reverb, fuzz, and comp. The Verb pedal worked great with a handful of comp pedals and fuzz boxes I ran it with, and even helped me get some tones I'd had trouble achieving. This quickly made this an all time favorite reverb pedal of mine.What made this such an easy pedal to dial is again it's one knob system. Once I was satisfied with the tones I got from my suped up Deville it was time to plug into something a bit more powerful and classic. Here is where the Super Lead came into play. This amp was the perfect mate for pairing this pedal against. The huge Marshal tone and Les Paul that I played the Verb with all worked splendidly together as if they were made for each other. I first dialed in a natural sounding room reverb effect by cranking in the pedal's knob to about 3-5%. This gave my tone an organic room reverb sound that gave my playing a bit more room and space. I then dial in a big'n'dirty lead tone by pushing the amp's tubes and rolling in like 30% of the Verb's effect. For a digital pedal this little box really did dish out plenty of warmth! Adding in more and more reverb as I played along I began stepping into awesome sounding spring reverb tones. This gave those quick licks and riffs some very very tasty effects. No matter if I played the amp soft or hot, the Verb was able to deliver with spot-on efficiency. Last I used the pedal through one of my amp's effect loops. Here the pedal once again worked beautifully. For those of you tone conscience freaks this is a perfect option. I've played through some very expensive effects processors and much more complex reverb pedals. The Verb was able to respectfully hold it's own with flying colors. In the end I was able to use this pedal in just about every way I wanted. Use it with great amps and guitars, pickups and pedals, and many different musical styles. With the Verb you get great sounding reverb throughout it's entire sweep, giving you quick and simple settings, whether gigging, recording, or practicing. It makes for a sweet go-to reverb box....... and all with simple control. </div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uanuwTA7A-c/TFJdeTCRTJI/AAAAAAAABYM/lRIjXgKfYc4/s1600/TheVerb2.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499560870060051602" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uanuwTA7A-c/TFJdeTCRTJI/AAAAAAAABYM/lRIjXgKfYc4/s400/TheVerb2.gif" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 370px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 360px;" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
For more info on this pedal and the rest of MOD's gear collection go to www.modkitsdiy.com Make sure to stay tuned for more features from our good friends at MOD, and make sure to use our Youtube search engine at the bottom of our site to see some of these pedal in action. Stay tuned for more folks!</div>Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-8246705955155383282011-08-23T14:06:00.000-07:002011-08-23T14:06:24.259-07:00News and UpdatesFirst let me apologize for the long hiatus, I had the opportunity at an awesome music project which in fact plugged me in even deeper into this world of strange and fantastic sounding gear. I will be back in action by the start of Oct and in full force he month after that. If any of you have any gear that you'd like me to look into please email with that info I'd appreciate it very much. Thank you for your patience and loayalty.<br />
<br />
See you all soon,<br />
Alfie<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-81172354842819267202011-02-20T03:31:00.000-08:002011-02-20T03:31:35.638-08:00Magic in a Box<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-8Sa77CTQk/TV8zV5dQqWI/AAAAAAAAB_k/I1lA5QXSZkw/s1600/CusackEffects_small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a-8Sa77CTQk/TV8zV5dQqWI/AAAAAAAAB_k/I1lA5QXSZkw/s320/CusackEffects_small.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There's creativity, and then there's Cusack Effects pedals. Since day one I have been a huge fan of these innovative stompbox designs. These are pedals that ooze with originality, superb sound, and one of a kind style. If there exists a perfectionist out there in the pedal building game I'd have to give that title to Jon Cusack. The coming of the <i>Tap-A</i> line was like nothing else before it. I can remember feeling like a first grader in an amusement park the first time I plugged into one of these pedals. All of the colors, buttons, and shiny lights drew me in like a mad sonic piped piper. Usually I am not a fan of multi-switch/multi-button stompboxes, but here was something different. Unlike the hundreds of gimmick driven pedals floating around today (EHX uhhhm uhhhm!), here was something different. These pedals made sense me, sounded great, and the quality of them is tip-top. From the simplest to the most complex creations, Cusack has proven time and time again that their pedals can stand up in just about any application. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7HYwXDyZGYo/TV8zSt4SjQI/AAAAAAAAB_g/vwL4Ib2K44A/s1600/cusack_tapadelay_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7HYwXDyZGYo/TV8zSt4SjQI/AAAAAAAAB_g/vwL4Ib2K44A/s400/cusack_tapadelay_002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Tap-A-Delay</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Controls/Features</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Level: Controls output level</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mix: Blends original and delayed signals</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Feedback: Adjusts feedback/repeat amount</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Delay: Controls Delay time. 50ms-750ms. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Modulation: Selects one of 7 modulation settings. Up is off</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Divide: Controls how your tap will be divided. <i>1/8 - Dotted1/8 - 1/4</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mode: Controls how the effect will react during breaking. <i>Stay - Snap - Drift</i></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tap Speed: This works as tap-tempo switch. Holding down works as break to alter delay time.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bypass: On/Off Switch. Holding this and Tap Switch changes direction of brake effect.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LED (blue): This LED gives you a visual of the tempo</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LED (red/green): Works as status LED. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Red</span> = On / <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;">Green</span> = Low Battery</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In/Out Jacks: Standard input and mono output jacks. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">External Tap: This RCA jack can be used to control taps for more than one Tap-A pedal.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DC Power Jack: Standard 9VDC power jack.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Echo Tone: Internal trimmer adjusts repeat tone. From dark to very bright.</span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://cusackmusic.com/wp/Manuals/Tap-A-Delay.pdf" style="background-color: white;">(For more info on the Tap-A-Delay control layout click HERE)</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Tap-a-Delay - Where the hell do I start!? This pedal very quickly introduced me to an entirely new level of on-the-fly delay control. As a standard use delay box this pedal is aces, but digging into it's features is where I quickly learned more than a thing or two. I began slowly, using this pedal as a simple every day ol' delay box. I dialed in a handful of quick delay sounds to get an idea of the pedal's sound and to see how it would get along with my amp's tone. Instantly I was impressed by the pedal's buttery smooth sound, and it wasn't until I read the manual that I even learned it was a digital delay. Unlike many digi-delays, the Tap-a-Delay beams with warmth and lush mojo. This gave the repeats a velvety tone that sat nicely within the mix and accented my every move. I first played this pedal through my buddy's vintage Twin Reverb - This amp would give me the perfect crisp and clear clean tone for hearing and feeling every nuance and tickle that this pedal had to give. I first set the Tap-a-Delay to some quick slapback delay sounds, using my customized Tele as the first guitar choice. Riffing up and down the neck I was able to create smooth and clear-cut echoes that came and went with perfect attack. I'll tell you this much, my so-so country licks never sounded so damn good. With the pedal's mix control I was able to blend in as little or as much of the delayed signal as I wanted, which came in handy for taming or creating extreme echoing effects. Next I experimented with longer delay sounds and switched to the <i>modulation </i>control's subtle setting. The result was a mellow chorusing effect that sat perfectly next to the delay sound. This setting worked out very nicely for adding some character and size to my chords and licks, and for filling in dead space. I continued to work my way through the modulation control listening to every setting and possibility. By the time I was done I had a world of sane and insane chorusing delay sounds. I'll tell you this much - you won't get bored hunting down sounds from this pedal. All in all I heard no change in my amp's root tone, not in the output level nor in the actual tone itself. I continued spreading out the delay time for longer and more complex delay sounds. For those of you delay scientist freaks this pedal works like a charm. There are so many ways to use this pedal within your playing that you can easily get lost inside of it's every echoes. The tap tempo switch I found to be very accurate and easy to use. Stepping on it I didn't feel any hesitation or ruff clicks. Throwing in on the pedal's <i>divide </i>control I was able to tap in just about any delay sound I could imagine. Again I found a level of control in this pedal that blew me away with excitement. But the ultimate cool feature on this pedal, at least my personal favorite, was the breaking option. By holding down on the tap tempo switch I was able to slow the delay time into strange and wonderful sound effects. Here is where the Tap-a-Delay's <i>mode </i>switch comes into play. With this switch you get three options; Stay/Snap/or Drift. In the Stay position the delay either slows down or speeds up with every hold and release. Letting go of the switch will leave you in whichever delay time you end up at. Very cool right!? The Snap position (my favorite) slows down or speeds up, depending on how you have it set, and letting go returns to the original delay time. Then last but not least there is the Drift mode. Here the delay time slows or speeds up and slowly drifts back to your original delay time once you let go of the switch. To change the break effect all you have to do is hold down both the bypass and tap switches, giving either falling or climbing delay effects. With the breaking effect I was able to create some maddening sound effect. All it took was one part fuzz box, one part imagination, and the Tap-a-Delay. The result was swishing, whirling, winding, slow motion, growling, haunting, bending, (you get the idea), delay sounds that left me with a huge smile on my face. But wait, there's more! Inside the pedal I found a nice little trimmer for darkening or brightening the delays repeats. This little trimmer came in handy for matching the pedal's sound to different amps, pickups, and styles. The super cool thing about this pedal is that it works for all types of players. If you're into simple straight to the point delay sounds this pedal is it. And if you're like me and enjoy finding strange new ways to create sounds, the Tap-A-Delay has all the tools. Jon Cusack has once again out done himself. I can honestly see no way for him to top this one. When all is said and done, this pedal kicks much ass. End of discussion!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sKOTDymWrDk/TV8zQFb32vI/AAAAAAAAB_c/9tUTqCrI67k/s1600/cusack_black+and+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sKOTDymWrDk/TV8zQFb32vI/AAAAAAAAB_c/9tUTqCrI67k/s200/cusack_black+and+white.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
For more info on this and the rest of the Tap-A line, go to www.cusackmusic.com or click the direct link in our sidebar. There is a ton of killer info on these pedals and a wide flavor of insanely cool sounding stompboxes. AWC will be continuing on down the Cusack line so make sure to stay tuned.Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5660922115344746686.post-18215597558029659162011-02-18T18:58:00.000-08:002011-02-18T18:58:28.176-08:00A Lesson in Splendid Tone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DO6Jl4jAGVc/TVy6h_oSpfI/AAAAAAAAB_I/WD1mJNlHR-M/s1600/RED-Logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DO6Jl4jAGVc/TVy6h_oSpfI/AAAAAAAAB_I/WD1mJNlHR-M/s400/RED-Logo.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-28e_zC_1mWo/TVy6XmvF57I/AAAAAAAAB_A/PG9IcvrHhjg/s1600/fieldeffectsmanifold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-28e_zC_1mWo/TVy6XmvF57I/AAAAAAAAB_A/PG9IcvrHhjg/s320/fieldeffectsmanifold.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Handsome, well built, simple, and great sounding - is how I would describe the Manifold Drive if I only had a few words to do so. Everything on this pedal (and I mean everything) is super freakin' sexy and right on target. From it's gun metal grey finish and hip simple artwork, to it's very cool LED and tiny toggle switch. Right from the start it was clear this was no ordinary dirt box. Sporting a duo of controls for gain and volume, and a switch which dishes out <i>dark</i>-<i>bright</i>-and <i>flat</i> signals - the Manifold Drive is capable of a huge variety of sounds. The volume control alone has enough output to send your signal into natural grinding'n'growling overdrives, but it is it's gain control that really delivers the magic when introducing it into your amp's tone. The 3-way toggle works like an EQ for fine tuning and further shaping your overall sound. This comes in handy when having to compensate high and low frequencies in certain venues and rooms. The pedal rocks true bypass circuitry for keeping your treasured amp tones in check and untampered. The Manifold Drive can run off of a 9V battery or (+) DC adapter. The pedal ships with a (-) adapter for those using daisy chain power supplies and the like. Last but not least, these babies are built on a high quality PCB's, for durable and consistent designs. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I began my rundown of this pedal with a custom built Tele and 15 watt head with 1x12 cabinet. The guitar's tapable neck bucker and hand wound bridge pickup made for a wide variety of tasty tasty tones that the Manifold Drive would easily accent and bring to life. The amp was set to a sparkling clean tone, with it's EQ stack at noon and volume at about 30%. I started with the Manifold Drive's toggle switch in it's flat setting, it's volume matched to the amp's output, and the gain control up to about 10-15%. Here the pedal kicked out a mellow very natural sounding grit which brought out all of my amp's smooth and chiming tone. The subtle grit that the Manifold created was exactly that of a proper tube amp on the verge of breaking up. In the bridge pickup position I was able to easily control the pedal's overdrive and able to get a perfectly clean signal by easing up on my pick attack. With the Tele's neck bucker the Manifold pushed out a thicker and even smoother dirt tone. The overdrive was still quite mellow, only now by digging in and grinding down on my guitar's strings I was able to bring out more of the pedal's character. In both pickup positions the Manifold Drive worked exceptionally well at maintaining my amp's natural tone and guitar's feel. All very good good stuff for such a mellow gritty tone. While in this subtle overdrive setting I also played around with the pedal's toggle switch positions, first with the dark setting, then the bright. In the dark setting the highs from the amp became more forgiving and much lighter. This made everything warmer and gave the overall sound more bloom and boom. This setting would later work beautifully at shaving off some of my AC15's treble frequencies, making it easier dirty up and play loud. In the bright toggle setting the pedal dished out more ear candy tones. Setting the Manifold Drive bright added a crisp top-end which helped make every string punch and stand out more. This was perfect for getting the pedal's overdrive to cut through any mix. Next I set the Manifold Drive's gain at about 30%, with it's volume a bit louder, and it's toggle in the dark setting. Playing this pedal setting through a Les Paul, with the 15 watter set slightly hot, and a 2x12 cab in the mix - created one of the best rock rhythm tones I'd ever heard. The combination of the 15 watt head's natural dirt and pedal's super smooth grime made for one grade A golden rock tone. Here is where I really began hearing the difference between this pedal and the average ol' TS808 style pedal.. I was able to hear these subtle harmonics, overtones, and undertones when digging into the guitar's strings and working complex chords and riffs. I was also able to hear the Manifold's signature sound when bending and double stopping. It was something in the actual grit that became accented and much richer. Pushing the pedal's volume even higher helped to create some creamy woman tones and violin-like lead tones. This would become bigger and much more focused as I began adding in more of the pedal's gain control. I also rocked this pedal through my upgraded and customized Hot Rod Deville. This is an amp I use mostly for clean tones and for getting pure pedal dirt signals, The four 100 watt 10" speakers in this amp give it endless headroom and make it the perfect amp for hearing what a pedal is really capable of. Here I played with the Manifold Drive in it's medium to highest gain settings. I began with my amp in it's home run setting (which I won't share with you) and the pedal with it's controls at noon and switch in it's flat setting. Bypassed the amp produced a huge booming clean tone that let every string come across with massive clarity. Stepping on the pedal introduced a tight rumbling overdrive that hit my chest like a ton of bricks. I went from one guitar to the next, and each time the pedal worked it's magic. Cranked to the fullest the pedal also surprised me. I honestly thought with as much output as it's volume had that the sound would become muddy. But this was not the case. All the way form it's tiniest sound to it's biggest, the Manifold Drive came through beautifully. My last test with this pedal was to see if it would get along in a pedalboard situation. First I just plugged it in to see if there would be any excess noise - and there was none. Stacking this pedal up with clean boosters and putting it in front of other dirt boxes also sounded quite nice. I was able to take my pedals into new heights and create wild and tasteful tones. I also matched it up with some delays, reverbs, and other modulation pedals which really sounded off the hook. In the end there was no way to get a bad sound out of this pedal. Electronic wizards Wes Kuhnley and Peter Bregman sought out to create a collection of pedals that would express the sounds and tastes they most wanted to hear. With the Manifold Drive they not only accomplished their mission to design something unique - they also created something for us tone hounds, something we could appreciate and incorporate into our own world of tones. Get some and get your rock on!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Med_3cTvvM/TVy7fAYGbqI/AAAAAAAAB_U/l1b9gEIvld8/s1600/ManifoldSide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Med_3cTvvM/TVy7fAYGbqI/AAAAAAAAB_U/l1b9gEIvld8/s200/ManifoldSide.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more info on Field Effects/Resonant Electronic Design go to <a href="http://www.resonantelectronic.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: yellow;">www.resonantelectronic.com</span></a> There you will find more cool info on the Field Effects line and some sweet insight on the Resonant Electronic Design amp collection. Check back with us soon for another Field Effects feature - coming atcha very very soon.</span>Alfie Cruzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05066459438262686675noreply@blogger.com0