Night of the Living Fuzz

Spencer Amps
Distortion Processors/Modifications

That's right kids, we've got another extra special treat for you from the awesome mind of Bill Spencer. Earlier this year when I discovered Spencer Amps I had no idea what I would be in for. In this life of a tone conscience/tone hunting fool - I come across and am introduced to lots of different gear. Some of the time the finds are real gems, and other times it is just more of the same. With Bill's gear it was a refreshing combination of familiar and wild'n'crazy tones. For those of you didn't catch our Spencer Amps feature on the Mystique Overdrive click here and come back to us once you've finished. You'll be glad you did. So what is it that makes these pedals a force of their own? Well, it appears Bill has a knack for uniting distortion tones with killer sounding fuzz. This is a talent that has led Bill to modify and design some real champion stompboxes. Below Bill has taken what in my opinion is not all that great of a pedal, and converted it into a spectacular one. You players that dig swimming within the distortion and fuzz box realm will ab-so-lut-ely dig this one. 

Supra Zombie Distortion

Mixfuzz (Total Conversion Mod)

Controls:

• Level: Controls overall output, with enough on tap to send your amp into a fierce overdrive
• Tone: Shapes your overdrive's tonal character - From smooth to sting
• Gain: Dials in grit amount and overall aggression
• Mix (Zombie): Works to blend in a second distortion circuit for a world of dirty tones

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is one pedal I have been very very excited to share with you. I have always thought DOD pedals could be easily improved on and always wondered why more builder hadn't done so. Bill Spencer's "Zombie" modification of the DOD Supra Distortion is one that not only converts this pedal into a higher quality stompbox, it also provides it with the ability to deliver tons more tonal possibilities. What was once a normal run of the mill dirt pedal, is now a beast of many many faces. The Supra Zombie is capable of hitting you with everything from gritty boosts and overdrives, to distortions of all types and fuzz's of all colors. But dirty signals isn't all this pedal can do, no sir. In the right settings this pedal is also capable of synth-like tones, gated overdrives, and even controllable noise and feedback sound effects. Exactly how this pedal does this I won't get into. If you'd really like to read up on the specs and techs of the Supra Zombie you can click here. Instead I will share with you my experience with this saucy demon.

One of my favorite amp's to push with the Supra Zombie was a mighty fine ol' 22 watt Fender Deluxe. This amp's ability to go into naturally smooth and silky overdrives, makes for a great painting canvas. The Deluxe is an amp that on it's own is capable of great clean, semi-clean, gritty, and all-out distorted tones. By playing the Supra Zombie through this amp I was able to add to and accent everything the amp created. Guitars of all sorts were also something this pedal worked with magnificently. Through the Deluxe amp P90's and Strat pickups were my favorite. With the Strat I was able to get awesome Texas blues tones, super sustain soaked lead tones, and Hendrix-like fuzz tones. With the P90's I was able to some of the most aggressive and brutal dirt tones ever! And getting all of these tones was a cinch too, all thanks to the Zombie knob. Some dirt pedals you will wit with for hours trying to find and dial in sweet spots. Many dirt pedal you will plug into and just end up with the same old thing. With this baby that ain't so. In one direction the Zombie control will act much like an overdriven tube amp, giving you plenty of dynamics and letting you control the character of the crunch with your pick attack. At the opposite end the Zombie knob will take you into non-traditional dirt tones. I began by experimenting with the pedal without it's Zombie circuit blended into the signal. I Set the pedal's level and tone at noon, and the gain at 9'o'clock. Here the pedal pushed out a spot-on Pete Townshend rhythm tone that sounded amazing through all types of chord work. No matter how strong or soft I pushed the strings, the signal would dish out balanced and defined notes. It was something quite special actually, and it really took me my surprise. Strumming lightly the Supra Zombie kicked out perfectly clean notes that had plenty of sparkle and chime. Whenever I wanted more from the pedal I had to do was dig into the strings and I was home-free. With every bit of gain that I added to the signal I would get more crunch and more attitude. Once I got to about noon on the gain knob, the pedal began producing these harmonically rich super charged under/overtones that sang and howled with every little touch. This was really noticeable when chugging down on the strings, playing up on the higher frets, playing harmonics, and bending and playing double-stops. Here I was able to dial in a killer sounding David Gilmour lead tones. Then by adding in a hint of analog delay only made it that much better. Last before getting into the Zombie knob I went ahead and cranked the gain to full blast. Just like I expected the pedal's grit stayed intact with killer note articulation and smooth sweet compression. But even with the gain at full blast the pedal wasn't done doing it's magic. By rolling off on the tone knob I was able to get even more tonal characteristics and colors.And then, it was time to mix in the Zombie control.I started slowly, rolling it up while playing a chord. At low levels the Zombie control created these light synth-like tones that only got in the way enough to give the tone some extra sizzle. I began crunching down on a bunch of complex huge chords, and just like magic the pedal was able to hold it's own. Everything from riffing to bending sounded spectacular! Then I rolled the Zombie up a little more and the pedal began creating these killer sounding gated overdrive/distortion tones. But unlike sticking a normal gate pedal into your signal, this baby made things much more user friendly. The Zombie control was able to maintain and tighten the guitar's overall signal, yet produced a smooth enough roll-off that things didn't sound too choppy or robotic. Then I set the Zombie control at noon and things really started getting interesting. Here is where the signal turned into something other than just an overdrive or distortion tone. It was synth city all the way.And once this started the possibilities were endless. I was able to shape and mold the tone with my guitar's volume and tone, with my picking, and with my feedback. It was lovely! A little trick I found to be quite fun was playing way close to the bridge, with the volume rolled back half way, and the tone at full blast. Talk about a stinging hot signal. Passed noon the Zombie control began to blend a perfect balance of the first distortion stage into the second one. I got plenty of sizzle and zap, lots of smooth overdrive, and a hell of a lot of weird overtones. The type of pickups I played with the Zombie circuit engaged also made a huge difference on it's outcome. High watt amps, overdriven signals, through clean boosters, wah pedals, dirt boxes, etc... all sounded rock and roll. What was really cool though was how the pedal's dirt signal would stay defined and balanced no matter how much gain or Zombie I introduced into it. For anyone on the hunt for something a little bit different, a little bit strange, yet capable of getting back to the traditional - this pedal is it. If any of you out there have a stock DOD© Supra Distortion laying around the house collecting dust - Do yourself a favor and contact Bill Spencer for a proper mod. You'll be stoked you did!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more info on Spencer Amps go to www.spenceramps.com or click one of the Spencer Amps links. Make sure to check out our other Spencer Amps reviews and look out for more from this company in the near future. 

Will you BB mine?

* Capable of a 30dB+ of clean boost with an adjustable ±15dB two band active EQ which adds a wide range of harmonic content to your ideal sound.

* Utilizes a pre-gain stage which allows the pedal to go from a very pristine clean to a very smooth, compressed, overdriven sound.

* Offers true bypass switching for eliminating any signal interference or tone coloration when pedal is switched off.

* BB Preamp can be used with either an AC adapter 9VDC negative tip (regulated recommended) or 9V battery.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Xotic Effects

BB Preamp

Xotic, they are one of the elite boutique pedal companies of our time, build some of the highest quality guitars and basses, and just recently opened up their own Custom Shop. It's safe to say these cats are no joke. In just a few years Xotic Effects has been able to stir up some of the most sought after stompboxes to ever hit the music scene. I can remember like it was just yesterday, Xotic's line landed in the shops, and the rest... well the rest is history. The first of their golden creations to take us tone junkies by storm were the AC Booster, RC Booster, and BB Preamp, otherwise known as the Tremendous Trio. These three pedals have quickly become the go-to choice of many professional musicians, gigging cats, and everyday guitar slinging heroes. It is the earthy grit and tube-like distortion that these pedals are capable of producing that makes them so desirable. Soon after the birth of the Tremendous Trio came another handful of great pedals, an Xotic line of guitar cables, some signature artist pedals, and then more great pedals. The awesome gear just keeps rolling out and we absolutely love it. As a player I couldn't ask for anything more from one gear company. The first Xotic Effects pedal we will be looking at is the mighty BB Preamp, a pedal with a reputation for pulling off some very tasty tones.

The BB Preamp is designed to offer a wide variety of classic rock tones which span from screaming blues to British crunch. With just a flip of it's controls this pedal can deliver golden tones that will enhance your overall sound, while not taking away from or coloring your natural tone. The pedal comes in a tight little package that consists of four control knobs, a true bypass switch, In/Out jacks, LED indicator, and can be powered with either 9V battery or 9V adapter. Everything is housed in a heavy-duty diecast aluminum enclosure which is topped off with simple, straight-to-the-point artwork. The pedal is assembled in the US and sports nothing but the best quality components. The BB Preamp's controls are Gain, Volume, Bass, and Treble. The Volume can be set to match your overall level and is capable of a 30dB of boost, enough boost to send any amp into an overdrive heaven. Of Xotic's Tremendous Trio the BB Preamp offers the most overdrive and distortion. The Gain knob will cover everything from semi-clean to gritty, and medium gain to high gain tones. I have never heard such awesome British style distortion tones from such a little box. With the Treble and Bass controls you can further shape your sound by either boosting or cutting your lows and highs, or using them to enhance your existing tone. All in all the pedal works great with many different amps, guitars, and pickups. Pairing up this pedal with other stompboxes (especially the AC and RC Boosters) is also another great way to get some rugged overdrive/distortion.

The first setup we used for running the BB Preamp was a 15/7 watt tube amp, a Custom Tele with humucker in the neck/single coil in the bridge, and a couple of high quality Xotic Cables. We set the amp to 7 watts with a flattened eq, played the guitar's single coil, and set the BB Preamp to zero Gain with everything else at twelve 'o' clock. Alone the amp's sound was crisp'n'clean, no hint of dirt or overdrive. Once the pedal was engaged it produced a strong, semi-clean boost that pushed the amp into that right-on-the-edge overdrive tone. My amp's overall sound grew in size yet it's character remained untainted. This is what I love about Xotic pedals, they work with you and not against you. I rolled up the gain to about 15% and rolled off some treble to smoothen out the overall sound. Even at this mild gain setting the pedal was able to push my amp into a thick'n'creamy overdrive, a spot-on classic rock rhythm tone. I banged out some heavy rock chords and noticed every note was present, full of harmonic richness, and extremely well balanced. It's even able to handle complex chord work really well, with superb note seperation. In low to med gain settings the BB Preamp also works great for using in your basic sound, just leave it on and mesh it in with other pedals. Next I kicked the gain up to noon, and set the bass and treble knobs to about three'o'clock. The tone instantly jumped out with a gritty edge, pushing and compressing the amp into a firm aggressive distortion. I found this to be a great setting for doubling up with another guitar player on stage, no one wants to get caught in a volume war when playing a gig. The sustain and texture of the BB's overdrive is very transparent and tube-like, this creates a tone that sits perfectly in a mix and doesn't thin-out. While in this same setting I switched over to the guitar's neck humbucker to see how this would affect the sound. I got the same amount of transparency only with much more fatness and punch. It's great how well this pedal adapts to different pickups and amp settings. For some of the higher gain amp settings we went to my trusty modified Deville, this is an amp I can push-push-push and never get a bad note out of it. I set the amp pretty loud, getting just a hint of grit from it. Now here is where the BB Preamp absolutely blew my mind, combined with the amp's grit it took my tone and blew it up, giving me more tight lows, punchy mids, and crisp highs. When you have a pedal that's capable of giving you this much mojo you can't help but want to leash out and want to play. I mean this pedal is literally like magic, anything that can take a Fender Deville and have it sounding like a hot-rodded Marhshall is bad to the bone. While I was rocking out to the high gain settings I noticed how awesome the mids sounded, they were punchy, woofy, and soaking with British rock goodness. You can always get a pedal with plenty of treble and bass, but when it comes to mids most pedals either lack it or straight up ignore it. It's amazing how well the BB Preamp is able to accent the mids of your natural without even sporting a mid control, this shows you just how transparent this pedal really is. Alone the BB is capable of some amazing tube-like dirt, in fact I believe for anyone that uses pedals to get their dirty tones from this is a great choice. I'm someone who truly believes that the best kind of overdrive is the kind you get from a great sounding amp being pushed by an equally great sounding pedal. The BB Preamp is one of these pedals that lets you push your amp while keeping your tone natural. The key word here is "natural". With a pedal like the BB Preamp you can spend the time dialing in the perfect root tone and not have to worry about it getting ruined. Time and time again I have suffered from pedals eating away from my natural tone, this was a lesson I learned through experience and hard work. Now I am able to spot a good thing when I see it. The BB Preamp lives on my main gigging pedalboard and is a pedal that gets a lot of face time. It is damn near impossible to get a bad sound out of this pedal, just go out grab one and try. You'll just end up with the tone you've always heard floating in your head.

For more info on Xotic Effects go to www.xotic.us or click the Xotic Effects logo in our sidebar. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for more from this killer company, we have some awesome gear coming in the near future.

-------------------------------------------------------

...This Little Piggy Rock and Rolled

There are cool pedals and then there are Coooool pedals, PiggyFX is most definitely one of the hippest effects pedal companies we have ever come across. The design of the enclosures are unlike anything we've ever seen before, from the graphics on down to the knobs these are some great looking stompboxes. Now I know what counts is what's inside a pedal, what it sounds like, and how it delivers. Well the sound of these pedals are just as killer as their looks. There is a quality in the tone of these pedals like a final mixed track of a record, great balance in eq and amazing overall richness. Run my children and go be a part of the PiggyFX revolution!

PiggyFX

Brown Pig

There's a sound that has been lingering in and out of rock and roll ever since the birth of the distortion. That sound is known as the "Brown Sound" and it is hands down one of the most recognizable guitar sounds you will ever hear. Think Eddie Van Halen and you have a perfect definition of what a Brown Sound is. The sound is like a the perfect explosion of EQ, grit, and under/overtones. For years many of us gear and tone junkies had it ruff achieving this sound, unless we had the right combo of guitar, amp, and pickups it was outright impossible to dial-in this tone. Not all of us know how to hot-rod or want to go digging around in our amps. Those days are over and there are much easier ways to get our favorite tones. One of the reasons for this is are pedals like the PiggyFX Brown Pig, a pedal dedicated to delivering a spot-on rich and chewy Brown Sound. The Brown Pig isn't just a one trick pony either, no sir. This is a pedal with an ability to produce and handful a great rock, blues, and even metal tones. I was in absolute shock when I was able to get an Adam Jones (Tool) distortion sound out of this pedal, tight, focused, and meatier than all hell. In just about every setting this pedal sounds great and at just about every level can you get a usable tone. This is most definitely not your basic three knob pedal, the Brown Pig is an entirely new monster with some tones of it's own. The control layout is simple and extremely responsive to your every touch, every twist of a knob reacts like a great tube amp. Before we get into some of the tones we were able to get from the Brown Pig let's talk looks, you all know I am a sucker for a great looking pedal. The pedal's design is nothing too extreme or fancy, it is the way it was designed that makes it so freakin cool. There is a great gold plaque like top that sits on the pedal's enclosure which gives it a military, built to last look. The knobs are chromed out and heavy duty, ready for some serious gigging and stomping. A high quality true bypass switch will make sure your Pig delivers the best possible tone night after night and gig after gig. The control layout goes like so, Level/Tone/Drive, in the left hand corner is a mini toggle switch for flipping in some extra definition and crunch. The Level knob on this pedal is very powerful, it can dish out a great boost and has enough output to push any amp into a great sounding overdrive. The Tone control on this pedal is very special and one of my favorite things about this stompbox. Unlike many overdrive pedals the Brown Pig doesn't blanket your sound, you can roll in the bass without sounding muddy and boost the highs without things getting shrill or sharp. This makes matching the pedal to your pickups and amp very very easy. The Drive knob is also something that will more than satisfy your tone bug, you can get everything from smooth mild overdrive to screaming metal tones. You can also get a great blues rock tone by rolling up the tone all the way, setting the drive at about 9'o'clock, rolling back your guitar's tone knob all the way, and rolling back on your guitar's volume about a quarter. We got a great Stevie Ray sound which I thought was a rarity for this pedal. Last is the secret weapon and what makes this pedal so versatile, the mini Toggle Switch. By flipping it up or down you can get just about every distortion and overdrive sound you would ever want to use, it is just beautiful. In one position the Toggle Switch will give you a darker, browner, heavy rock sound. This is great for dialing in all your favorite classic rock bands guitar sounds. Think Halen, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, The Who, you get the picture. In the position the distortion becomes brighter and much more focused, perfect for great modern rock tones. Think Tool, Rage Against the Machine, NIN, Alice in Chains, and so on. The Brown Pig also plays well with others, meaning it sounds great stacked up with clean boosters, and other effects. We were able to get a perfect Eddie Van Halen sound by adding some phaser, a little delay, and a boost of the amp's mids. I was stuck playing Van Halen riffs for about a good hour and a half. Adding a clean booster in front of this pedal really isn't necessary, there is so much gain on tap it is just crazy. If the rest of the PiggyFX line is as awesome as the Brown Pig I easily see these pedals becoming all-time favorites and collectors. There is nothing better than a pedal that inspires you to play, makes you want to pick up your guitar, and want to write a tune. These are the pedals that always last, end up on our pedalboards, and become our go-to boxes in the studio. The Brown Pig may easily be the best "Brown Sound in a Box" we have ever come across. If you're on the hunt for a great go-to sound or need a pedal that can produce an array a great distortion tones, the Brown Pig will do you great. Whether you use it to layer guitar tracks, dial-in your key tone, use it for leads, rhythm, or keep it in the background as your secret weapon. One thing is for certain, you sound will not go unnoticed through this killer pedal.

For more info on PiggyFX or to check out some video demos go to www.piggyfx.com Also make sure to stay tunes for more to come from this awesome pedal company. We are excited to continue reporting on these pedals and we hope to see you cats playing them. Stay true and rock

with style!

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Two classics in the making from E.W.S.

For those of you who haven't heard of or had a chance to try out the pedals from E.W.S. let me just say this...One hell of a talent! I first came across the E.W.S. line by mistake. I had gone to my local shop for a chorus pedal when I saw an old favorite of mine, the Arion SCH-1. I always thought to myself that is someone just went in and spent a little time with this pedal that it could really become one hell of a contender in the chorus pedal world. I had mentioned this thought to my buddy working at the shop and he says to me. "Go home, go online, google E.W.S. Arion mod and your wish will be granted." I was so freakin excited when the screen showed me the cool old style Arion pedal with what appeared to be some really cool mods. This was how I came about these cats and their world of killer stompboxes. At the moment E.W.S. is becoming a worldwide favorite and being used by many of the top-dogs in the music playing community. So come take a ride with me, and let's swim in some fuzz and chorus madness...beautiful madness.

The FD-1
FuzzyDrive

For those of you who have been following my little blog you know I am a bigtime fuzzbox addict. When it comes to fuzz pedals I am not easily impressed, I've even been known to knock on some of the old time favorites, but is a topic for another time. When I think of a good fuzz I think thick, rich, fat, defined chaos. I think of the band Cream, Hendrix, The Velvet Underground, or The Electric Prunes, now that's fuzz baby! When I play a fuzzbox I want to hear fuzz, not out of control distortion or death metal tones, that is not fuzz. An easy way to define fuzz is that little pedal above, the FD-1 Fuzzy Drive from the good people at E.W.S. The FD-1 sports Volume, Gain, and Tone knobs, it's true bypass, and runs on the standard 9v adapter or 9v battery. But there is something unique about this fuzz pedal that makes it stand out from many other fuzz pedals, it also owns distortion and high overdrive characteristics. Not only can this pedal dish out some rockin fuzz tones, but it can also create some Blackface type smooth break-up. I have gotten some monster tones from boosting fuzz pedals with low overdrivers, the outcome is pure rock and roll bliss. The Fuzzy Drive takes this exact concept and does it damn well. This is a perfect fuzz pedal for those of you looking for a fuzzbox that can handle both chords and big fat one note fuzz licks. The FD-1's voice is a combo of rich'n'fat vintage style fuzz and harmonically charged distortion. I believe this pedal's design was directed at producing Clapton's woman tone of the 60's, and if this wasn't the plan they sure as hell struck gold anyhow. With all the tight lows and defined mids coming from this pedal I had to see how well it worked going into an already overdriven amp. We cranked up an 18 watt Marshall to med overdrive, fed it the FD-1 with the Gain knob set low. The return was a golden era rock distortion that would impress any size stadium. As we turned the Gain knob we noticed that the tone stayed intact, by compressing just the right amount the pedal was able to take the amp's already tight overdrive and break it up into perfect sounding fuzz, super groovy. By turning the Tone knob up or down we noticed we were able to control finger sensitivity. High Tone settings really creative touch sensitive response, while low Tone levels got us a warm and looser feel. Another really cool quality about the Tone knob is it's very responsive even at low volume levels. It was time to max out all the knobs through a clean amp sound. The sustain this pedal dishes out is bananas, it rings and rings, and rings some more. We also got some cool feedback effects, and once we added other effects into it things got really interesting. The Fuzzy Drive packs a mean amount of output that will have any combo of amp and guitar squealing at the sky. This is a great pedal for those of you that need to use both a fuzz and dist/od to get your tones, letting you save much needed pedalboard space. You'll get great sounding overdrive, distortion, and fuzz tones, with the ability of dialing in everything in-between. This is definitely a pedal for those of you looking to tap into the psychedelic and classic rock arena.

Arion SCH-Z
EWS Chorus/Vibe Mod

This here my friends, this here is a very very cool pedal. Everyone I have turned onto this pedal has been extremely surprised and very pleased. It has become a favorite of many professional players, used by the gigging cats, and a great pedal for adding life to any track. EWS has taken what was already a decent effect pedal and turned it into an unbelievable chorus pedal. This pedal's wide range of sounds is capable of fitting in with just about every type of music and will help expand your mind into some super cool psychedelic trips. The Arion SCH-Z with the EWS Chorus/Vibe mod was my first introduction into the world of EWS effects. This combo chorus and vibe pedal is not like any other of it's kind, it sports a sound of it's own which has really began to turn some heads. I absolutely love this, when someone can take a great sleeper and turn into something really special. To try to explain the sound of this pedal will not be easy. Like many other great sounding chorus and vibe pedals you have to hear them to really get a feel for what they're all about. A good chorus pedal is something you feel coming from your amp, just a great vibe pedal can help you get to the next lick. But non the less I will dive right in and give you the best description possible. First let's look at it's mods. For all us tone connoisseurs EWS has added a 3PDT Switch, making this badboy true bypass and true tone friendly. Next in line is the tone adjustment made to the Arion's tone circuit. The outcome is a much sweeter, smoother effect, and wider tone capabilities. Compared to the SCH-Z's stock chorus effect this modded version blows it out of the water. The chorus swirls much cleaner and warmer, making for a full lush effect. The pedal's LED has also been modified to a more vivid bright blue, a nice touch for those deathly dark stages. The next mod is where EWS really went to town, where the mono/stereo slider switch once was now lives the chorus/vibe option. This little control is what gives this pedal the ability to produce it's many many killer sounds. To add a little body or size to your tone just take the Depth and Rate controls and set them low. This is perfect for filling dead space, your chords, licks, and solos will instantly come to life. As I turned the Rate knob higher I began to get some great leslie effects. Everything from subtle to extreme leslie speaker sounds was attainable by tweaking the Depth knob. All those fantastic Hendrix and Trower classic rock tones came flying from my amplifier, and I was still only on the chorusing side of the pedal. I wanted to see just how extreme the chorus could get so I went ahead and maxed it out. I was surprised to hear that even them the sound was usable and somewhat organic sounding. We now set the Arion to Vibe mode and this is where the pedal really came to life. First let me say this is one of the easiest vibe pedals to dial-in, getting a good sound out of this pedal was cake. The vibe effect is not too thick and overpowering, it keeps your guitar signal true and doesn't wash away your playing. If you play a guitar with pickups that are either too bright or too dull, the Tone knob will help keep the chorus or vibe in just the right balance. I noticed the Tone knob worked great when playing with loud band members. Just turn it up a bit and listen to the effect signal stand out evenly. We also played some of our favorite overdrive pedals in front of the vibe effect and got some really convincing SRV blues tones. I must say EWS really payed great attention to the tone delivery and tone balance. Some vibe and chorus pedals tend to be either too weak, or become overwhelming and sink your root tone from your playing. This is not a problem with EWS's Arion mod, the pedal's effect and tone are tuned beautifully for both rhythm and lead work. I can see why so many professional players have come to rely on this pedal. It is user friendly, produces both unique chorus and vibe tones which is great for creating a signature sound, it's tone is well defined and never becomes harsh or thin, and last it is capable of delivering many different flavors. A classic in the making and most definitely a pedal that will become a collector as time passes. I highly suggest you try this one out, your tone will gladly welcome it.


For more info on EWS effect pedals you can go to www.ews-us.com or click the EWS logo in our links. Look for more EWS features, reviews, news, and updates. Remember, Let'em Hear You Scream!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pedal Hunt Podcast Part: 2/ Pigtronix Polysaturator

Pigtronix F.A.T 

pso-polysaturator

Our next find in this months pedal hunt is one of many faces, a pedal capable of speaking tones from classic rock to all out metal mayhem and beyond. Our goal on this hunt is to introduce to you some fantastic sounding pedals you may have missed, not heard of, or have been curious to listen to. If you're familiar with Pigtronix effects pedals you know they don't build the traditional run of the mill designs, the effects behind their pedals may be traditional but you can be sure David Koltai is always gonna find some way to take it to the limit. 

The Polysaturator is no exception in David's impressionable line of effects pedals, at first look it may seem like just another distortion box but plugging into it you'll quickly notice it's tonal range surpasses most anyone's expectations. One major factor when hunting for overdrive and distortion stompboxes is that they're able to 1. match your tone and amp, and 2. that they deliver on as many fronts as possible. I found myself able to dial in mountains of overdrive and distortion tones with the Polysaturator, everything from subtle grit, classic rock, and punk, to modern rock tones, heavy metal, and extreme fuzz sounds, all of them useful and all of them flexible within their realm. The really cool thing about this pedal is it's capability to knock out some damn good treble booster and tweed deluxe tones, which isn't something we regularly see in a distortion box as powerful as this. The Polysaturator's design was spawned from the overdrive section found in the Pigtronix Disnortion pedal, they took it's layout and hot-rodded it adding a Class A J-FET booster stage, JRC4558D powered EQ circuits, and re-voiced the gain structure for an all out array of tones choose from. The outcome? A multi-stage distortion/overdrive pedal with an adjustable, active EQ which can provide up to 12db of cut or boost in the 180Hz, 420Hz, and 1KHz frequencies, perfect for booming out sweet harmonics and spot-on picking dynamics. The pedal is armed with a row of extremely responsive black little knobs, sports a big'n'bright blue LED, and is housed in a small heavy duty enclosure perfect for saving much needed space on those pedalboards of ours. The Input/Output jacks may seem to placed in an awkward position falling both on the right side of the pedal, but placed in the correct spot on your board you will see how handy they can be to your setup. It comes with it's own 15VDC power supply for attaining maximum performance but will also work with standard 9V power adapter. Oh, and before I forget, the box these pedals come in are very very cool, not something you're gonna want to throw away, the pedal itself painted in a hip retro style design that will add some color to your rig. So whether you fly with the classic rockers or are of the hardcore shredders, play single coil or humbucker guitars, this pedal will deliver and deliver quite nicely. We were very stoked to have come across this pedal and excited to get the chance to share it with you. Now let's listen in and see just what this little puppy can do.

Pedal Hunt Podcast #2/Pigtronix Polysaturator

 You can check out more info on the Polysaturator and all the rest of the Pigtronix line at www.pigtronix.com

Pedal Hunt Podcast Part: 1/ HipKitty Cream Distortion

Ok friends so we had posted earlier this month that we were gonna seek out the baddest, fattest, biggest sounding, sweetest voiced, cream of the crop Overdrive,Distortions, & Fuzz pedals we could find, well we found some real gems for you and we promise we won't disappoint. These next few articles will also be the debut of our podcasts and audio demos, we'll be dialing in, tweaking, and blasting all the pedals for your pedal junky needs. So set your stereos to STUN, grab a SICK pair of headphones, or CRANK your laptop as loud as it can go cause the next next few episodes and articles will feature a killer collection of stompboxes that will instantly add some character and life to your sound, songs, and amplifier. 

HipKitty Products

Cream Distortion

In Part 1 of our Pedal Hunt Podcasts we'll be talking about and demoing the Hipkitty Cream Distortion, a great classic rock voiced distortion pedal with tons of tube-like grit and crunch. This pedal even at it's lowest Drive setting sounds like a tube amp being pushed into velvety, smooth, and well...creamy overdrive, it's name suits it perfectly. Hipkitty's attention to detail both inside and out is an absolute work of art, literally, the pedals are all painted by hand and the outcome is stunning to say the least. Every setting on the Cream Distortion sounds like absolute heaven, my favorite is cranking the Drive knob and rolling back the guitar's volume. HipKitty Products hasn't been around as long as some of the other "boutique" pedal companies but that don't mean squat, the cats building their effects really have a talent for knocking out some timeless classics. Let's get this thing started and let's listen in shall we? 

Pedal Hunt Podcast #1 HipKitty Cream Distortion

(turn down your volume may be loud as hell!!!)

You can check out more info on HipKitty Products at www.hipkittyproducts.com or click their logo in our LINKS section for direct access to the HipKitty website.