Xotic Effects Custom Shop

To me Xotic Effects has always been one of the few companies that has never needed an introduction. If ever there were a collection of pedals that speak for themselves it is the Xotic Effects line. Xotic's Tremendous Trio (BB Preamp, RC Booster, and AC Booster) are some of the world's most used and celebrated stompboxes available today. Pros, producers, and everyday players alike have taken to the awesome power that these three pedals own. Just about every player I know personally and otherwise sports one of the Tremendous Trio pedals in their rigs or setups. The reason for this is their tube-like feel, transparency, and wide range of dirt tones. I honestly thought there was no way to improve on these pedals. Then late last year Xotic announces the new addition of their Xotic Effects USA Custom Shop. The turnout has been an entirely new collection of superbly built, immaculate sounding stompboxes. The first of these Custom Shop champions? The BBP-MB.

BBP-MB

BB Preamp w/Mid Boost

• Capable of +30dB clean boost
• Adjustable ±15dB two-band EQ
• Mid Boost provides up to +12dB mid/treb boost
• Utilizes pre-gain stage / From clean to overdriven
• True bypass circuit
• 9VDC power adapter or 9V battery
• Laser-etched face plate
• Hand buffed raw aluminum enclosure

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Absolutely no frills and no hype here. All 100% pure tasty tone. This is the simplest and most precise way to define this pedal. For those of you who have had the honor of rocking out to the BB-Preamp, just imagine that same pedal's abilities, plus the use of a 12dB mid boost. Having the option of kicking in a great sounding mid boost makes this pedal an entirely new beast. I found the same amount of control in the BBP-MB that I experienced in the original BB-Preamp, and was able to harness the same awesome tones. On board the Custom Shop BBP-MB you will find Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass, and Mid-Boost controls. The pedal's awesome design and true bypass circuit provide a top-notch untampered signal. The BBP-MB works great with all types of pickups and amplifier tones, and also gets along beautifully with other pedals.

Whenever demoing a pedal of this caliber it's almost damn near impossible to get bad sounding guitar tone. I started playing around with the BBP-MB through my modified Deville and 60's Strat build. I set the amp up clean, with lots of bass and treble, mids and presence at noon, and a hint of reverb. The root tone came through boomy and with lots of twinkle. I then set the pedal's output to match the amp's, ran the eq stack at noon, gain at around 15%, and mid-boost control rolled back all the way. I engaged the pedal and right away everything became bigger, rounder, and I was able to get a mellow natural sounding light grit. The single coil Strat sound really blossomed and rung out clearly through this pedal. With a little harder pick attack I was able to get more grit and more dynamics, something I always love about a pedal. Chords really sounded awesome through this setting. Each note was balanced, defined, and smooth. Even when I rang out complex chord structures I was able to hear each note and string perfectly. The sign of a great build. I slowly started adding in the mid boost control to see what kind of difference i would get from the original BB-Preamp. With the mid-range control I was able to dial in a much stronger and punchier tone. This control worked great for taking my amp into new frontiers. With the mid-range at about 20%, I could now dig in and really get a thick/medium overdrive tone. The amp kicked out more oohmf and flavor. Making everything overall sound that much better. Next I switched to some humbuckers and ran the Custom Shop BBP-MB with more output and more mids. The pedal's massive amount of output was able to oush my amp's tubes into some of the sweetest sounding grit tones I'd ever heard. Just like the standard BB-Preamp, the sound was smooth, organic, thick, and full of dynamics, harmonics, and response. At medium to high gain settings the pedal was able to deliver great hot-rodded Marshall tones. The mid-range control really helped to push out all the huge crunch and attitude I needed. Next I took the gain control to full blast, balanced out the eq to match my amp's, and dished out a healthy amount of volume. My Deville's clean signal was transformed into an entirely different beast. I am of the type of player that relies ask on pedals for his dirt tones, which if you go about the same way know it can be a tuff task to pull off. This custom shop version of the BB-Preamp is the perfect pedal for adding another channel to any clean amp. The pedal maintains all of your amp's natural character, while able to give everything more life.

After running the pedal through some clean tones I figured it would be a good idea to see what it sounded like through an already overdriven signal. I then plugged the BBP-MB into a slightly dirty Super Lead, and played it with a Les Paul. The amp on it's own was already pushing a quite handsome guitar tone. I started with the set straight up the middle, with just a little bit of gain and mids, and level matched to the amp's. It definitely made a huge difference! It took the amp's already awesome sounding tone and turned into an even better one. The sound reminded me that of a Jimmy Page rhythm tone. A tone that could easily be used for chord work as well as lead runs. The response of the pedal's grit is what really jumped out at me. It took all of the natural smooth grit and grime, and added another layer of complex harmonics and feel. I could strike down on chords and feel the sound exploding all around me. The higher I would go up the neck the more intense the dirt became. When I'd roll back on my guitar's volume control I would also get these pristine, super clear, semi-clean tones. By rolling down some of the tone I was able to take the sound from bright to beautifully dark. It was really something how well this pedal responded to my guitar's controls. Having treb, bass, and mids eq stack also provided me with dialing in some of my favorite classic rock tones. By taking the mids up, lows to about 75%, and treb to 15%. I was able to do the woman tone thing quite nicely. With my guitar's tone knob I was able to make the tone more dramatic and make the tone actually cry. Also by pushing the Super Lead's tubes into a higher crunch tone, then blending in the pedal's overdrive. I was able to get some sweet fuzzy/overdrive sounds. It was really magic how well the pedal compressed and broke up the amp's tone. Before I called it quits I also pushed the BBP-MB through a low watt amp. I plugged in my AC15 style amp and let it fly. The cool thing about my 15 watter is that you can also take it down to 7 watts, which makes for some interesting guitar sounds. I powered down to the 7 watts, cranked that little head a far as it would go, then stacked the pedal right on top of it. Pure rock and roll vibes flew all over the room, creating different toneal colors that exploded with every swing of my pick. The really awesome thing was that I was able to get such an intense rock tone at such a low volume. 7 watts isn't all that little, if you really wanted you could actually gig with 7 watts. It's what happens to a tone at this volume that sounds so cool. The better the pedal, the better the overall sound. At 15 watts is was more of the same only with more punch and versatility. In the end, the Custom Shop BBP-MB was able to provide me with some great recording levels, loud rockin' tones, semi-clean gritty tones, and smooth rhythm heaven. The pedal worked great through both clean and dirty signals, and it was able to provide me with the same quality of tone found in the first BB-Preamp, and able to take me even further. This is definitely not just another of the same pedal with a different paint job on the box. The BBP-MB is an entirely new beast. In no way in hell could you ever go wrong with this pedal. PERIOD!

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For more info on Xotic Effects go to www.xotic.us or click the direct link on our sidebar. We have lots more awesome features from this Xotic Effects so make sure to check in soon. We will be looking deeper into the Custom Shop stuff and rest of the Xotic line. Rock on!!!!

LSD Frequency

Mountainking Electronics

Having the amount of variety that today's effects pedal world has to offer, has provided us with just about every tool needed to recreate and shape any tone imaginable. Just look at any of your favorite guitar player's rigs, setups, or pedalboads, and you will be sure to find an impressive collection of stompboxes and gadgets. This has made today's music much more interesting and given us some of the most memorable guitar lines ever. Compared to 20 years ago, today's musician can pull off way more sonic stunts while performing live. This is all possible because of the awesome gear that companies like Mountainking Electronics is provided us with. Mountainking's stompboxes will take you down only one road - True originality. Alan Pavlica, the creator and builder of Mountainking Elecronics, is truly one of the most talented and inventive cats I have ever come across. Anyone who has ever tried to created something out of nothing knows it is not an easy task. If we're patient and put in the work, our efforts will be successful. And if we're lucky enough, every now and then our tone shaping adventures will give birth to something completely original and unique. Alan's stompboxes are here to make sure we don't miss any of these opportunities.

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Frequency LSD

(synthesized-oscillating-note shifting-world of fuzz)

CONTROLS

Sag: Starves pedal's voltage - Creating a world of possibilities

Feedback: Works as feedback loop - Changing fuzz's character

Color: Works as tone control - Giving you many shades of sound

Out: Effect output - Makes it truly squeal

Freq Out Switch: Ungates circuit - Making things go wild

Turn On: Engages effect

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Once the pedal boom kicked into full swing, and fuzz boxes became the talk of the town once again. Builders began to experiment with different tones, textures, and sound effects. This gave birth to an entirely different breed of fuzz box. Just like Hendrix, Page, and Townshend experiencing fuzz boxes for the first time, today's players also found new psyched-out colors to paint and express themselves with. I will have to admit - When I first came across my first "freakout" style fuzz pedal I was quite scared and damn confused. There was just so much going on with the sound that I had no clue what to do with myself. The Frequency LSD brought me back to this exciting and fresh world sonic assaults. The controls on this pedal interact so well with one another that the possibilities are just about endless. I won't go into the exact details of how each control works. This is really a pedal one needs to experience for themselves in order to learn it's rhythm. Instead I will share with you the many strange and beautiful shapes and colors I was able to pull from it.

What pickup, guitar, amp, and tone you play this pedal with really makes a huge difference in it's tonal outcome. How you pick and dig into the notes also affects how the sound and character will turn out. I wanted to start by getting as stinging a tone as possible, something that would cut through any mix. So I started with an ice cold Tele and AC15 clone. I ran the Frequency LSD straight up the middle and set the amp up as gritty and crunchy as possible. I was not prepared for the insanely cool sound that went flying out of my cabinet. The pedal created all of the characteristics of a traditional fuzz, only with a layer of thick synth-like overtones following closely behind. The possibilities with a sound like this are endless. For there is nothing better than a crazy sounding fuzz that can be used musically. A lot of the oddball fuzz boxes that are out there today just don't cut it. Either they lack in versatility or cannot be used to make anything that sounds like music. This is what I noticed right away that separated this box from many others. I began to dig in and let loose on some bluesy licks and riffs and was able to get everything from Black Keys and White Stripes tones, to QOTSA and NIN sounds. In fact, this pedal took those sounds to whole new level, by adding a world glitch'd out semi-controllable madness. Don't ask me how, but somehow Alan was able design this pedal to work extremely wild but with the ability to still deliver defined and clear notes. Even when I took the LSD to buzz sawing sputtering type tones I was able to hear what I was doing loud and clear. I started playing around with the Sag and Color controls and quickly the pedal responded by giving me an entirely new flavor of the existing sound. The further I'd turn the Sag control, the more it would squash and rip my sound apart. At extreme Sag setting the notes would even morph and grow entirely new sounds from one another. Very cool stuff. All that was going through my mind was psychedelia madness. I can only imagine what the cats in the 60's would have done if they had had access to something like this. Something else that really turned me on about this pedal was how well it worked with other effects. It didn't matter what you stacked it up against, it would blend to create even more extreme sound effects. I was able to convert my guitar into something completely different sounding by just splashing on some delay or reverb. So far the pedal worked great through a dirty signal, but now it was time for some spankin' good clean tones. I broke out my modified Hot Rod Deville and partner's Jazzmaster. Once engaged the Frequency LSD ate everything clean about the sound converted it into one of these meanest sounding fuzz tones I had ever heard. I has never heard such insane sounding square wave and sine wave fuzz tones in all my life. I then discovered while playing with the controls that the pedal would self-oscillate. I was able to control the sounds with my guitar's pickups by switching from neck to bridge, and by playing with the tone and volume knobs. I also plugged in a Les Paul, which was able to get me some really tasty smooth fuzz goodness. I could literally sustain a note as long as I wanted by simply digging in and shaking the note with my fingers. With a little patience I was also able to get some cool vintage Shin-ei fuzz tones. If you've ever played one of those old Japanese fuzz boxes you know how hip and original a sound they can create. By the time I was done playing with the Frequency LSD I had more fuzz tones under my belt than I knew what to do with. In today's world of rock'n'roll, just like in yesterday's world of rock'n'roll, there are no rules. You take what you find or can muster up, and you mold into something creative. Tools like the Frequency LSD are the perfect weapons to give anyone a head start.

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For more info on Mountainking Electronics go to www.mountainkingelectronics.com You can also visit Alan on Myspace at www.myspace.com/mountainkingelectronics There you will find more awesome creations and video demos. Stay tuned for more.

Jammin' and Jammin' Along

Dyna-ssoR

compressor/sustainer

Tech/Specs

• Level: Controls overall output
• Sustain: Sets compression/sustain amount
• Powered by 9V battery or 9V (-) adapter
• Uses only 6mA of power when on
• Dimension: 111 x 30 x 32 mm
• Custom paint jobs/version available
• Bass Dyna-ssoR also available
• Limited lifetime warranty

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You're only ever going to come across the words "lifetime" and "warranty" when dealing with an exceptionally high quality product. This is exactly the quickest way to describe the Jam Pedals company. These pedals are handmade in Greece with the highest of high parts and components, and with the best possible designs. Earlier this year in our Top Finds of 2009 posts, we had a chance to look closely at the Jam Pedals Fuzz Phrase vintage voiced fuzz box. Once again we will be looking into another one of this talented company's creations, and once again we were impressed beyond belief. With today's stompbox market being as flooded as it is many players strive to hunt down not just top quality great sounding stompboxes, but also stompboxes with some style and originality. After all, who wants to look down on their pedalboard only to find the exact same lay out as the next guy? Not me. Jam Pedals has perfected the art of combining classy builds with hip looking finishes. Another way to describe Jam Pedals would be " Avant garde crafted artwork mixed with vintage voiced designs". The Dyna-ssoR which we will be looking at here came from blending the famous Dyna Comp and Ross Compressor of days ago. Take these two timeless designs and throw in a cool finish and you have one of the raddest compressors to ever see light. I've know many players that have found themselves torn between choosing a Dyna or Ross compressor. With the Dyna-ssoR you get the best of both worlds, equaling on awesome sounding compressor/sustainer.

It has been a while since we featured a compressor, and with this one next in line I couldn't be more proud or excited. The Dyna-ssoR is a compressor that can do things for tone that you've only dreamed of! This pedal's level and sustain controls were more than enough to hand me a world of fluffy compressed signals, spanky squased rhythms, and forever ringing notes. If you're like me I'm sure you've tried time and time again to get all of the great sounds that a comp is supposed to be capable of providing. You've tried compressor after compressor only to end up confused and with weak results. The Dyna-ssoR is your answer! I ran this baby through every type of pickup imaginable, lots of differently voiced amp (both modern and vintage), and up against clean, dirty, and stompbox tones. I started this adventure through a bone stock Twin Reverb and a custom built Stratocaster. I set the amp up to a signature blackface clean tone, first dry with no verb, bright switch, or vibe. The sound came out big'n'clean, and sparkling'n'mean. I introduced the Dyna-ssoR with a mild comp setting and level at unity. The pedal created a sweet light but present compression that added just enough compression to my signal to bring it further into life. Just behind the strum of each note I could hear and feel the pedal's bell-like, warm, and snappy sound. I added a little more of the sustain control and the compression signal became stronger but without eating away my amp's characteristics. This setting worked great with the clean tone, with a little grit, and with a lot of grit. The notes hung onto the air creating a fluffy, natural compression effect. Running licks up and down the neck and several speeds never sounded so good. Each note bloomed with life and definition. I've played studio quality compressors that didn't sound as good as this pedal. My Strat was the perfect companion for this pedal, accenting the single coil pickups in a way that made them even more appealing. Here I started messing around with a bit of overdrive. I plugged in a TS-808 style pedal and used it to push the Twin Reverb into nice'n'healthy light crunch. The sound was wide open and floated beautifully. With the pedal I was able to tighten up everything, making the harmonic content much richer and flavorful. With the Dyna-ssoR set a bit stronger I was able to give the tone even more overdrive and still retain the bit of semi-clean feel that I had. It wasn't hard dialing in and finding the sweet spots for each tone that I worked with. Jam Pedals designed this pedal to work so well and be so user friendly that you can work into pretty much any type of sound you can imagine. Both controls on the pedal are so responsive that you can almost see what each turn does to the sound. It's literally that on point. The Strat wasn't the only guitar that worked beautifully with this pedal, no no. I also plugged in a Tele and did the whole country twang thing. I will just only this... You chicken picking freaks and clean tone blues monsters will absolutely fall head over heels for this compressor. I myself have always been into country rock and country blues playing. One thing that makes this style of music sound so good is a great sounding compression on top of a great sounding root tone. It did not end there though. I also broke out the humbuckers and P90's. With humbuckers the Dyna-ssoR was able to add an enormous amount of size and body. My clean tones became thicker and clearer, my overdrive tones beefier and tighter. Digging into a nice run and holding the last note sounded like heaven. The pedal made the notes burst with mojo and stretched them far beyond their natural capabilities. The thing with compressors always lies in how you use them, how you set them, and how you play them. The key is to dial in the compressor just enough to let it do it's magic. Or if you're going for a big dramatic sustain sound you must make sure the quality of the compressor is top-notch. Because if it isn't you're just ruining your root tone. The problem with many comps out there today is they're only capable of doing maybe one thing really well. I will tell you right now, many of the comps out there right now that are supposed "the best of the best", when you stack them up against something simple or ordinary like a Boss CS-3, they're not much different. You must do your homework and play as much stuff as you can get your hands on. Only then will you see what can do what, and what the big dogs really are. This pedal here can do and did all I expected a great compressor to do. I run it side by side with a bunch of boutique and mass produced comps. In the end the Dyna-ssoR stood way out in front. Jam Pedals really did their homework here and created an entirely new monster. One with the characteristics of some of your old time favorites, but with the abilities like no other. Above is pictured only the stock version of the Dyna-ssoR's artistic layout. You should see what Jam Pedal's is capable of doing with their art before you order one of these, it's amazing! Make sure to visit the Jam Pedals website custom gallery to check some of their killer designs. Also make sure to stay tuned for more from this brilliant company, we are not done yet.

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For more info on JAM Pedals go to www.jampedals.com or click the direct link in our sidebar. JAM Pedals North American Distributor can be found at www.toneconcepts.com They offer a handful of stunning effect pedals that will leave you with your jaw on the floor. Stay tuned for more from this awesome pedal company. More to come soon!

Cooking Up Something Real Nice

With vintage amps becoming as scarce and expensive as they have, boutique amplifiers have really been a breath of fresh air. More and more players are becoming tone conscience and aiming for all around better sound these days. Whether it be the session cat, major artist, up & comer, or bedroom rocker. For me it's always been about versatility married with great tone. This is exactly where Audio Kitchen comes into play. By paying great attention to detail and incorporating immaculate build quality, Audio Kitchen has been able to produce some of the most superb sounding amps I have ever plugged into. Audio Kitchen is as dedicated an amp company as one can get, and their work shows this quite clearly. I have always been a huge fan of the boutique and low watt amp scene, and in one way or another have always incorporated this type of amp into my live or record rigs. It has been tuff to find something that has worked though. Again, this is where Audio Kitchen has been awesome, designing a collection of amps that help us and not confuse us in our quest for the ultimate tone. This is all thanks to their secret weapon builder/amp designer Steve Crow. I had a chance to dig deep for a couple weeks into Audio Kitchen's 7 watt Little Chopper model. I'll just say this; If ever I was devastated to see a piece of gear go it was this one. The Little Chopper was able to show me an entirely new breed of low watt amplifier and the true meaning of boutique.

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Little Chopper

7WSE

TECH/SPECS

• ECC81/ECC83 Preamp design
• EL84 Power amp section
• Nominal power output
• 7 Watts single ended - 8ohms
• Built with the finest components, parts, and techniques
• Huge range of tones
• 320mm x 210mm x 205mm
• Mains power requirement:
• 240V @ 50HZ, 200mA or 115V @ 60HZ, 400mA
• Voltage switch fitted as standard

CONTROLS

• Gain: Dishes in the goodness
• Bass: Delivers tasty low end
• Middle: Delivers world of possibilities
• Top: Crisp it up or roll or roll it back
• Stack: Counter-Clockwise= normal EQ use/Clockwise= EQ is cut leaving Top as high-end roll off
• Power:Clockwise= Standard non-master volume amp Anti-Clockwise= Decreased headroom, more harmonic content
• Bright Switch: Introduces jump in sparkling beauty
• Hi Switch: Give more of everything

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Where to start oh where to start? This little beast handed more flavors than I knew what to do with, and did it all in spectacular fashion. I really gotta give it up to Steve once more for knocking out such a killer design. I plugged my small collection of guitars and pedals into the Little Chopper, and when I was done with my gear went looking for more stuff to run it with. This thing just sounded awesome with everything I stacked it up against. I ran it through a bunch of different cabs with different speakers, gigged with it, and recorded with it. Each time the Little Chopper came through with flying colors. I can only imagine what the Big Chopper is capable of :^)

The first setup I hooked the Little Chopper up to was a 1x12 open back cab with a 30 watt Eminence Red Fang speaker, my Hagstrom Viking, and a high quality cable. I set the amp's bright and hi switches off, EQ at noon, stack knob in it's normal position, power at full clockwise, and gain control at 15%. The tone came through clean, but thick and meaty at the same time. A perfect canvas for building on top of. The eq projection was spot-on, and response quick and on-point. The combination of the bottom, middle, and top's controls created a hefty clean sound that just poured out from the speaker as if pulled from pickups and strings. I introduced a bit more gain and felt everything become boomier. I could literally feel the amp yearning for more, as if the signal were alive. I plucked down on some blues licks with the treble pickup and got defined rich notes that rang and sang like midnight wolves. I then threw a clean booster into the mix and was able to get slightly gritty tones, brushy overdrives, honking good mellow distortion, and killer blues and hard rock lead tones. All with my pick attack. The amp's tubes soaked up the booster's output and spit out what was some of the most desirable crunch tones I'd ever heard. This is exactly what a good tube amp is supposed to do; Take everything that's going into it and everything it's going out of, and take them to their fullest potential. My Hagstrom and little 1x12 cab never sounded so good. Next I flipped the Little Chopper's gain knob to about 75%. Here I could hear and feel exactly how the amp's design was meant to function. As I began to play with different eq and power settings I began to see just how well each control worked with the next. The one control that really made it possible for me to dial in what I wanted was that power control. I could roll the power back to shorten my headroom, which would leave me with more crunch and harmonic content. This control also worked beautifully for low level overdrive tones. Some amp's you start introducing more lows and then notice the highs disappear. Or crank the mids and hear them take over. This was not so with this badboy. Somehow the frequencies of the amp all stayed balanced and in harmony with one another. I could bump the highs on the Little Chopper and they'd ring with more twinkle, yet the bass and mids came through just as they were without any one frequency being louder than the next. I then flipped the stack control to it's clockwise position, giving me only the top's knob as a high-end roll off. This position also gave a jump in gain and boost in mids. I was able to get a spot-on Neil Young tone with the stack knob in this position. The gain became angrier, and the power control provided me with all the crunch, sustain, and compression I needed. Switching into the bass pickup hooked me up with some killer sounding fuzz/overdrive tones. The amp also responded great to my guitar's volume and tone knobs. I could push the amp itself into a raging lead tone and use my guitar to tame the signal down into a rhythm and semi-clean tone. Awesome stuff!

Another killer guitar/cab setup I dug was my Tele and Strat guitars with a 2x12 closed back cabinet. My buddy has an amazing hand built custom cab that just blended perfectly with the Little Chopper's wide range of sounds. Inside this cab are two 25 watt vintage ceramic Jensen's. I began with a good ol' American clean tone and plugged in the Tele. Right from the get-go I was able to get bell-like tones that adapted beautifully to both Tele pickups. My bottleneck slide was the perfect candidate for this tone. Then again so was a brass, steel, and ceramic slide. The amp was able to deliver a rich and warm tone that stuck to the slide's character and created killer steel guitar effects. With my tube reverb, analog delay, and volume pedals thrown into the mix, I was literally stuck for hours. Classic country big'nbright tones were not a problem for this amp. The more bass and highs I added to the signal, the juicer and sweeter things got. While in the middle of this heavenly session I also broke out my lap steel. The closed back of the cabinet really let me shape and control the mids and lows to get the most precise levels. This let me set a bunch of different root tones that let me adapt the amp to many styles and sounds. To get some hair on this American tone I went ahead and did the stack control thing and rolled off on some of the power knob. Here I also introduced the bright switch, rolled up more gain, and OH MOMMA! The bright switch handed me an awesome vintage style sound that reminded me of some of my favorite old timer amplifiers. By tossing a Tubescreamer on top of the amp's medium grit, I was able to broaden the overall tone. The overdriver combined with the amp's bright rich tone did one of the meanest sounding blues tones I have ever heard. Slide or no slide the amp was really cooking now and everything that came out of it was gold. If ever you've cranked a great sounding tube amp to the point of no return while playing a Tele you know how cool a sound can be achieved. The Little Chopper did this and many many other amp voices. Depending on how I had it set I was able to produce Plexi tones, AC30 tones, Blackface, Tweed, and everything in between. An amp of this size should not hold this much power... Or should it? My next task was to see if I could mimic a fire breathing Hendrix tone. I flipped the Little Chopper's hi switch, slammed the gain to about 75-80%, set the stack in it' high-end roll off mode, and cranked the power control at around 50-60%. I did flip the bright switch on to make up for the high-end roll off. I then broke out one of my favorite fuzz boxes, stacked on a chorus/vibe pedal, and that was that, Hendrix heaven. You should have seen my partner's face when he came into the studio and heard me flying away to a tiny amp head and 2x12 cab. He just couldn't believe it was coming from such a small amp. Mic'd up the signal carried beautifully for both recording sessions and live setups. It seemed like no matter what dirt box (or any pedal for that matter) I ran through the Little Chopper, I was able to dial in epic sounding tones. These last couple years have been a flood with small boutique low watt amplifiers, so much so that even some of the bigger cats have jumped on board. Many of these amps have been duds, always being driven by hype, needing to be modified, or being limited in their voicing. The Little Chopper will show you that low watt amps can be as versatile as the big boys. My time as a player and the few years Analog War Cry has been up has provided me with the opportunity to try out some of the coolest, best sounding gear out there. The Little Chopper will be one piece of gear that will never forget. Keep up the killer work Steve.

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For more info on Audio Kitchen go to www.audiokitchen.co.uk Make sure to check out their video demos, pics, and other killer products. We will be keeping an eye on Audio Kitchen' progress and bringing more in the near future. You can also check out Little Chopper demos in our Youtube search engine at the bottom of our site.

The Purest of Pure

NOC3 FX

Pure Drive

• Volume: Controls overall output and loudness
• Clipping Switch: Sets the compression & overdrive voicings
• Gain: Sets the amount of drive, sustain, and harmonic content
• Clean: Mixes in undistorted signal to give you a wet/dry blend
• Bass: Sets the amount of roll-off for bass/low mid frequencies
• Treble: Sets overall level of frequencies above 2kHz
• Low (internal control): Cuts or boosts the bass below the guitar range
• High (internal control): Sets the amount of high treble roll-off in highest frequencies

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Now that there is a overdrive pedal, and overdrive isn't where this pedal stops. The Pure Drive sports a huge amount of control and range, and does it all in a small footprint package. Who could ask for more? The man behind this genius pedal and the NOC3 Effects outfit is the one and only Nick Colquitt. Nick's talent for putting together high quality great sounding pedals is one that I am absolutely envious of. NOC3 pedals are amongst some of the sweetest sounding pedals available today. The Pure Drive alone can take you anywhere from clean, semi-clean, light drive, overdrive, medium grit, and all out crunch. It's controls are all cleverly and skillfully laid out, all of them working fantastically with one another, and each one owning a huge range of selection. The features on the Pure Drive aren't for show or hype either. Once you begin blending and working knobs into one another you notice they all work as a single finely tuned unit, molding your signal into a powerhouse of grade A tone. The Pure Drive projects tube-like feel, rich sustain, smooth harmonic content, and can hit you with an unbelievable amount of output that will slam the front-end of any tube amp into a screaming drive. Another one of this pedal's positive's is it's ability to blend your clean signal in with it's dirty one. Then there's it's ability to run off of 18 volts, which gives an overall higher quality signal and gives you more headroom to play with. The Pure Drive can also run on a single 9V battery or standard 9V power supply, but for the best results I highly suggest you take it to it's fullest. The pedal sports a true bypass circuit for the least tone coloration and is housed in a rugged top notch enclosure. All in all this is a true beast of the overdrive world.

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"Let's see what's she's made of..."

The vibe I got from this pedal once I started plugging it in and messing around with it's controls was "Tube amp in a little box". There's something about the features and how they all work together that gives this pedal a true-to-heart tube tone. I began using the Pure Drive to introduce some dirt into my clean signal. The amp was a Twin Reverb, and the guitar a semi-hollow body with humbuckers. The amp I set pretty much straight up the middle, with just a little verb, bright switch off, and no vibrato. The Pure Drive's eq I set up to match the amp's, same with the output, clipping toggle switch in it's up position, and gain I started at about 15%. The result was a semi-clean, slightly gritty tone with just a hint of attitude and bite. The nice thing was that I was able to get a feeling as if the amp had been pushed naturally into a mellow crunch, but without actually getting any louder. The pedal's tone was also quite transparent which let my root tone shine through. Very very nice stuff. The pedal's tone responded nicely to my pick attack and only let out it's grit'n'grime when provoked by my hand. Raising the gain on the pedal did more of the same and gave me more of the same feel, only with a bit more hair and attitude in the signal. The combo of the buckers and Twin were a really nice match. I got a sweet balance of warm smooth drive mixed with great articulation and definition. Next I set the clipping switch to it's middle setting and let her fly. Here the pedal dished out the most output, giving me lots of natural grit, aggression, and dynamic range. The grit in this setting also responded beautifully to my pick attack, giving me grit whenever I pleased, and turning my tubes into crunch producing powerhouses. I was surprised just how far my picking was able to take me too. With the gain up about half way I was able to produce a smooth and really crunchy overdrive. Then by backing off on the picking the tone would mellow out and lighten the grit output. Nice for accenting, cutting out rhythm tracks, and doubling guitars. This toggle switch setting really sounded equally as good with the neck as it did with the bridge pickup. With the bridge pup the dirt acted much warmer, chewier, and looser. The neck pickup made the drive more aggressive, skinnier, and gave it more midrange honk. I do dig me a pedal that brings out the tone of my pickups. Here I started experimenting with the clean control slowly introducing my root signal into the overall sound. Blending my clean tone with the pedal's grit created some of the best overdrive tones I've ever gotten from a stompbox. The kind of overdrive that just rumbles and rumbles but isn't exactly at the distortion level, that good good stuff. I will say right now that if even for this feature alone, go out and get this pedal!!! I am a huge sucker for blending my clean and dirty signals. If you've never tried it stop reading and go try it now! Usually to get these type of tones I have to plug into two different amps or plug a dirt box into a parallel fx looper. The Pure Drive makes achieving this trick a cinch and truly maintains the amp's root signal. In all dirt levels I was able to add a bit more life and sparkle by introducing the pedal's clean knob into the mix. To beef up my dirt tone I had the pedal's bass and treble controls. With the treb rolled back to about 25% and bass up to about 75% I was able to get a huge/warm sound. My guitar's pickups pushed a thick and powerful grit through my speakers leaving me with one badass rock and roll tone. To get the signal to break up more and give me more compression I went to the down position on the toggle switch. Here the pedal squashed my dirt tone into singing, howling sustain perfect for leads and much much more. I threw some delay on top of this and was in lead guitar heaven. The Pure Drive squashed my signal into an awesome wall of screaming sustain. Here I switched guitars and tried the Pure drive through Strat single coils, Tele single coils, P90's, and even mini-buckers. With all pickup models I was able to dial in great sounding mean lead tones. I also tried the pedal through an overdriven British style amp and found that it sounded just as good if not better through an already dirty tone. Stacking the Pure Drive up with another dirt pedal or clean booster also seemed to bring out more of it's animal characteristics. The Pure Drive wasn't loud even in it's highest gain settings and most importantly worked with my playing and not against it. I've played dirt boxes that sound great when playing single notes and 5 chords, but once you start t introduce anything a bit more complex the signal just falls apart. This was not the case here. This is a pedal built for on thing and one thing only.... To give you great sounding dirt tones, with the bonus being having the ability to maintain your clean tone. Nick and his NOC3 Effects outfit has a truly knocked out a winner in the Pure Drive. I highly suggest you cats go out and check this one out.

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For more info on NOC3 Effects go to www.noc3effects.com There you will find more cool info, pics, and news on Nick's pedals. We will definitely try to continue bringing you more from this killer company so stay tuned.

Let it Rumble

For those of your who aren't aware I do also play bass, and also do keep tabs on what's going on with today's bass gear. One company that has always stood out to impress me is Aguilar Amplification. I was first introduced to Aguilar Amplification through an ex-bass player of mine, and since then I have been hooked. I will never forget the vintage warmth and modern bite that his rig was capable of producing. After this I started noticing Aguilar gear in almost every studio, stage, and session I set foot in. Aguilar amps and cabs are true high class stallions, built with high quality components and parts, and able to knock out grade A sound. So when I discovered that they also had their own line of effects pedals, well you know I just had to jump on that. In the short time I have become familiar with Aguilar's pedal's I have come to love them. These are pedals that sound great through just about anything you stack them up with, play them through, and play them with. We're gonna be spending some time looking into these pedals and sharing with you guys all the mojo that lies within. Prepare to dig into some Aguilar Amplification.

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Aguilar Amplification

AGRO

Bass Overdrive

Controls

• Contour: Broad spectrum mid scoop centered around 900Hz
• Presence: +6dB/-20dB >4kHz
• Level: Controls overall output volume
• Saturation: Sets grit/overdrive amount
• Engage: On/Off switch

Features

• LED: Indicates effect is on
• Enclosure: Heavy duty steel construction
• DC In: Standard 2.1 DC Jack (-)
• 9V Battery: 120 Hr life/easy to access thumbscrew compartment
• Enclosure: Heavy duty steel construction
• Components: High quality/Top notch

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Not once in demoing the Agro did I come across an ugly/unusable tone. This goes for all the other instruments besides bass that I ran it through as well. The first thing that caught my eye though was the pedal's construction. Aguilar really went far and beyond to deliver a quality product here, two thumbs up. The Agro sports a tuff-as-nails steel enclosure that is more than ready for hours of gigging and abuse. The Agro's design is based around the same saturation channel that can be found in the Aguilar AG 500 bass head. This means the Agro sports top notch components, giving it lots of range and tons of mojo. Each knob is feels strong, the footswitch feels fantastic, and it's battery compartment can be easily accessed for quick battery swapping. Other instruments besides the bass that I ran the Agro through included guitars, lap steels, and keyboards. With each of these instruments I was able to get positive results, and some very memorable tones. One of the reason's for this pedal's wide range of use and ear friendly tones are it's contour and presence controls. It is these controls that give this pedal the ability to knock out everything from vintage grit to modern crunch, separates this pedal from many others I have tried.

Bass Guitars

For those of you bass playing cats out there I know how tuff it is to get a good dirty signal from your bass guitar. Especially those of you who are guitar player's first that have tried to channel your guitar dirt tones into bass rigs. Well this here little box is one of the first bass overdrivers that has ever let me get the same type of tone and feel that I have gotten from my guitars. A Jazz Bass, a Stingray, and an old Danelectro bass are what I used for demoing this pedal. For amp's I went with a Ampeg SVT, and a new Fender 350w Bassman TV (which I thank my good buddy Chris for). The first bass and amp combo was the Jazz Bass and Ampeg. I dialed in a warm, spot-on classic rock vintage tone, and ran up and down the fretboard listening and feeling for the differences in each note's projection. The single Jazz bass's pickup produced a focused, round, and thumpy tone that just filled the air with good vibes. Next I engaged the Agro, starting with it's level at unity, saturation at about 15%, and presence and contour at noon. I got a nice mellow grit, and still had my root tone. With the contour and presence knobs I was able to perfectly shape and match the overdriven tone to my root signal. Everything from the character of my root tone, to the size and feel, was still present once engaging the Agro. Only now behind me was a wall of warm gritty crunch. This sound worked beautifully for stacking up with dirty guitar tones, beefing up chorus sections, and for adding killer sounding accents to any lick of riff. Next I took the Jazz Bass into a medium overdrive and heard things get even better. The more saturation I pushed from the Agro, the more of everything I got from my tone. With the saturation at about 50% I was still able to hear and feel my amp's tone. Instead of pedal's distortion taking away from my natural sound, it handed it more of what made it special. Even with the saturation at full blast I was able to hear and feel my amp's tone beautifully. I dug into my fretboard and felt everything become bigger, badder, and beefier. Having the contour and presence controls on board made it a cinch for dialing in my own signature tones. The Stingray bass I pretty much ran the same type of setup, only in the end it was able to hand me much more aggressive sounds. Having the choice of switching into two different pickups also helped with taking the Agro much further. To my surprise though my favorite had to be stacking the Agro up with the vintage Danelectro DC bass. Through both the SVT and Fender Bassman TV the Dano screamed and howled like a champ. You guys don't know how hard a time I've had trying to get usable overdriven tones from this bass. Again it was the Agro's presence and contour controls that came to the rescue. I was able to adapt the pedal perfectly to the Dano's signature sound, and add in spot-on crunchy, dirty, and gritty signals with no problem. Something about the lipstick pickups really blended insanely well with the versatility of this pedal. Setting up the pedal just right also dished out a healthy collection of distortion/fuzz tones. All in all this pedal did beautifully. It adapted to each bass in it's own special way, gave my amp's a larger range of tones, and let me perfectly fine tune the exact amount of grit needed.

Guitars'n'More

Here is where this pedal was able to absolutely capable of blowing me away. Just for kicks I always like to plug any bass pedals I have into guitars and other stuff. Most of the time I find they just don't blend well with anything but basses though. This was not the case here. I had just finished running the Agro full blast saturation through one of my basses when I plugged into my Les Paul. All I have to say is Adam Jones from the band Tool. I don't know what about the pedal reminded me about his tone but it did to a T. This is what got me into some major experimenting with this pedal. Soon I came to find that the Agro wasn't pregidous against anything you ran it through. Through guitars, humbuckers and P90's were my absolute favorite, it did well with other pickups but these were the two that really stood out. With my Les Paul and semi-hollow body I was able to get vintage hard rock tones, modern rock tones, blues tones, slightly gritty rhythm tones, and screaming lead tones. With a little bit of analog delay thrown into the mix I was able to dial in some f the most epic lead tones I've ever heard. Once again it was the presence and contour controls that made it possible to dial in tons of different dirt tones. I also came to find just how wide a range the saturation control had by playing it through my guitars. One cool trick I was able to pull by setting the Agro's controls just right was a spot on Clapton "woman tone". I was able to do this without touching my guitar's tone knobs which gave me the exact woman tone feel, only with more definition. Something else that worked quite well with this pedal and a guitar was stacking it up with another dirt pedal or booster. Both in front of or behind another pedal I got killer results. My favorite though was definitely using the Agro to push an already slightly overdriven tube amp. By manipulating the pedal's controls I was able to get a extended amount of control over my overall tone, just beautiful. Then there was my single P90 sporting Junior copy, ohhhh momma! For those of ya'll who dig a knarly, nasty, honking good dirt tone you will absolutely love this. Now, I have dialed in some midrange powerful dirt tones in my time but never anything like this. The P90 pickup in my guitar just sounded like it was ready to fly out of the pickup ring. My speakers shook and growled with sweet aggression, while my hands controlled just how much was to be delivered. This is something I have always dug about P90 pickups, they can easily be controlled with just a flick or shake of your hand, and through the right amp can do wonders. Having the Agro in line made all of this that much better. My guitar's grit stung and bit the air like a banshee on the run. A little bit of tone knob or volume knob shaping and I had just about any sound I wanted. From here I took the Agro to some slide, then to some lap steel. The delivery in the sound that the presence and contour controls give you are perfect for molding the baddest sounding syrupy, thick'n'rich lap steel dirt tone. This was true through both clean and dirty amp tones. The lap steel or playing any type of slide is something that always needs it's own special approach, whether it be the tone or touch. Having the right tools not only makes things easier, it also presents motivation and drive like no other. This is true for all instruments of course. I guess what I'm getting at is this pedal really helped me to pull those special tone from my mind and gave me the sounds to get the job done, PERIOD! I highly implore you cats t try this pedal, whether it be for your bass or guitar. You'll find an amount of control that will have you thinking "Why aren't all other pedals like this?" The Agro is definitely it's own special thing and for that I give Aguilar Amplification all the props in the world. Keep'em coming guys!

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For more info Aguilar Amplification's products go to www.aguilaramp.com You will find an array of awesome products on the Aguilar website, videos, and sound clips. Stay tuned for more from Aguilar here on AWC. Rock on!!!

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September Updates

This by far is going to be one of the most exciting and coolest months we will ever had. There are going to be a handful of "firsts" for the month of Sept here on AWC. One thing I personally am stoked about is our venture into the world of boutique amplifiers. There are probably just as many top notch amp companies as there are pedal co's and we going to start trying to tap into them all. We have also been getting emails from our readers asking us about pro audio gear and other accessories (in-ears, headphones, power supplies, etc...). Bass gear is something we're also going to start paying more attention to and this month we'll have some awesome products for ya'll. You can also bet this month will be full of some great stompboxes, we have a cool interview for ya'll, a cool band to check out, and much more. We also have some gear features from companies featured in the past which should be awesome. We are still working out the bugs to getting you guys some more podcasts and video demos, and as soon as that is handled we will post those for you. Please continue sending us your emails and thanks for the support.

-Alfie

Dig in and enjoy

Backline Engineering

To a musician there's nothing better than a new great sounding cool piece of gear. I'm sure there are a ton of you out there that agree with me on this. What can I say about Backline Engineering that their gear doesn't say for them? For those of you looking to take it to the next level or looking to expand the horizons of your sound, Backline Engineering isn't a bad place to start. In fact it would be a wonderful place to start. It was through word of mouth that I first came across this interesting and innovative gear company. Everyone I heard speak of their gear was always baffled at the capabilities of each product. Same goes for everything I read on Baclkline's gear, always being positive and imaginative feedback. I recently had the chance to put one of Backline Engineering's products through it's paces and was stunned at how far it was able to take my imagination. I was able to do things with my sound that before weren't possible, got to learn some new tricks, able to hit my guitar with just about every style of effect out there, and also got to explore some new plateaus. All with just one box too. Now try that on for size.

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Backline Engineering

FX-Tracker

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If I were to sit here and list all the features and possibilities that the FX-Tracker was capable of we'd be here till tomorrow..... no wait, we'd be here till next week! The FX-Tracker turned out to be one of THE most versatile and flexible effect units I have ever laid my hands on. Imagine being able to control the character of your effects with your playing style and pick attack. Being able to control the speed, depth, and time of each effect in a way that would create sounds not ever possible before. Imagine a pedal capable of dishing out an entire library of effects without lack of sound quality and with a range of control capable of keeping you busy forever more. This is definitely not your everyday multi-effects unit, instead think of the FX-Tracker as an effect unit of it's own breed. Within this unit you will find all of the key effects such as delay, chorus, tremolo, flanger, filter, pitch shifter, and arpeggiator. The FX-Tracker sports up to 87 different variations of it's effects, has up to 100 preset locations, and has MIDI output capabilities. Along with the main effects this pedal can also do things like place delay before, after, or in parallel with many of the effects. Giving you some of the most unique and interesting ways to morph and manipulate your effects ever. You can also skip back and fourth between delays and other effects with the picking of your hand! Pretty damn cool huh? This thing dishes out stereo effects, has up to 60 seconds of stereo delay as well as looping abilities, can pull off whammy effects, can be triggered by MIDI drum machines (along with many other MIDI functions), can control effect parameters with expression pedal, can work two delays at once and time them with with another ir with your playing, the list goes on and on. For more info on the FX Tracker just check out the website, you will be blown away!

Now for some FX Tracker fun. I seriously don't even know where to begin. I guess I will start with the simplest way to use this baby, as a multi effects unit. The factory settings on this pedal were actually quite impressive. They got me knee deep in the capabilities of the FX Tracker and showed what types of tricks were possible. With this one pedal I was able to tap into some of the best modulation effects I have ever heard. I warn you, I will only be scratching the surface of what this pedal is capable of. Inside the FX Tracker I was able to pull out some of the coolest delays ever. Not only was the quality of the delays stunning but what I could do with them was even better. One of the most fun delay tricks this pedal pulled off was it's ability to control the delay times with my pick attack. This made for some interesting and new delays sounds, sounds I have never dreamed possible. With a favorite fuzz box of mine things got even better. I was up to my knees in psychedelic heaven. Slowing down my playing would literally make the delay less intense and give me shorter echoes. Then by speeding up the delay would come alive, widen the echo amount, and follow my vibe. The first time I did this I was stunned! Now, before I go on I must mention that this pedal is very very easily setup and even easier to get killer sounds out of. I was also able to get reverse delay effects which sounded better than most reverse delays I have tried. My original signal would come across as clear and smooth, while the delayed signal would reverse in the exact time it was played. Some reverse delays are on an automatic cycle. This pedal gives you a much cooler sound. Another cool trick I was able to pull off was set a delay and a tremolo effects and switch back and fourth from them with my picking. This gave me and my band sounds that before had not been possible, and helped me tap into a creative side of my brain that had never before been touched. This may sound a bit dramatic but this is exactly how powerful this pedal is. The delay/tremolo trick was really fun for working out verses and chorus' in our tunes. I could play slowly and get these trippy delay effects, then begin to hammer away and turn the effect into a tremolo. This is something we usually do by switching back and fourth from stompbox to stompbox, but with this puppy it's all in your fingertips. Another super fun effect was the whammy sounds this pedal could pull off, as well as divebomb effects. I have always dug the idea and tone of the whammy but never really had a chance to play around with one. This pedal gave me a deep insight on just what is possible with this type of effect. The whammy effect could also be controlled with my picking, giving me certain registers in mellow picking, then higher frequencies when picked hard. Having a foot controller also came in handy as it let me use the whammy effect in a more traditional way. Then there was the arpeggiator effects, and boy how I love me some arpeggiator. Not only can you get some very very cool factory preset arpeggio sounds, the FX Tracker also lets you go deep inside to program your own patterns and settings. Add in the ability to control the effects feel with your picking and you have an entirely new arpeggiating monster in your hands. I was able to think of any pattern imaginable, then program it to work with whatever tune I chose. This I was stuck playing with for hours and hours. One of the coolest sounds and tricks with this pedal though was rocking out true to the core vibe effects. I dialed in a badass vintage style chorus effect, then again with my picking speed the chorus would speed up and slow down. This would have absolutely blown Jimi and Trower away into space, it did me! This created a much more intense and dramatic effect because the slow picking would produce these warbling, slow chorusing tones. When I'd speed up so would the chorus giving it almost a mind of it's own. Harmony effects were also pretty fun to play with. You can harmonize your favorite lead runs and licks to turn them into exciting new flavors. I was able to use the pedal like any old harmonizer, but that ain't nothing. This thing has the ability to throw in the previous note played on top of the new note played. Now if you're a technique/theory freak I'm sure you could get some insane uses out of this. With certain notes and with some volume swells thrown in you can get some spot-on violin sounds, lap steel, pedal steel, and completely new sounds. Then looping... oh yes looping! This thing did some awesome looping for me once again giving me the ability to do things with my playing, songs, and band that had not been possible before. I could create these tripped out layers and layers of weird licks, without loosing quality or mojo. Looping is something that many cats are into right now, something that almost every band I go see is doing. If you are on the hunt for a powerful delay and looping gadget this is your pedal, if even for this reason alone this pedal would be worth it. Timing two delays to each other was also something I had never so easily pulled off before. You don't know how many times I have tried to set up two different delay pedals to try and get certain sounds. Sitting there tapping on one, then the next to try and get a certain effect. It is a nightmare! This pedal makes that easy as pie.




I didn't get too much into the MIDI capabilities but my partner who is much more skilled at this did and when he came back from a couple days of playing with the FX Tracker he was in shock. OH HOLY I ALMOST FORGOT!!!! Volume pedal tricks!!! Never ever ever ever in my life have I been able to pull off volume pedal tricks as easily as I was able to with this pedal. The slower in between my notes the longer the volume would take to ramp, the quicker I would play in between notes the faster the volume ramp would snap in. Absolutely genius. With lap steel this was an absolute dream. And with the ramping/harmonizing trick I mentioned above I could get killer pedal steel effects, with my guitars too! I really don't want too bore you with lots of writing so I'll cut it here. The FX Tracker I assure you can do much much more, and much more complex tricks. This was only a small introduction of what Backline Engineering's amazing tone tool is capable. If ever there was a pedal that spoke for itself this is it. One session with this thing and I promise you'll be hooked... hooked to the gills! Backline also has a handful of other gadgets which I am very curious to try out. I promise I will try my best to bring you the rest of their stuff in the near future. For now let the FX Tracker's magic soak in and dream of any effect you've ever wanted... cause thing can do it.

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For more info on Backline Engineering and it's awesome FX Tracker go to www.backline-eng.com There is a bunch more amazing information on the FX Tracker and the rest of their products. You can also check out audio clips and much more. Stay tunes for more from Backline in the near future. Go out and get this pedal before it is no more!!!!

News/Updates

GODLYKE REISSUES THE GUYATONE BR-2 BOTTOM ROCKER

A secret weapon of such notable bassists as Bootsy Collins, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and Tool’s Justin Chancellor, the Guyatone BR-2 Bottom Wah Rocker has become a highly sought prize on the used market. In response to this growing demand, we’ve reissued a limited 100-piece run of this funky little filter box...

Read more...

Guyatone

BR2

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METAL MIKE TAKES MAXON ON TOUR WITH HALFORD

Metal mainstay and long-time Maxon endorser Metal Mike Chlasciak is out on tour this month with Rob Halford’s solo band on the 2010 Ozzfest tour. We were able to grab Mike before he split to demo the new Maxon SM-9 Pro+ Super Metal pedal and talk about his rig.

Read on...

SM-9 Pro+

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The awesome Little Dipper pedal from TWA gets a "spacey Cool" review from Phil Feser of Vintage Guitar Magizine.

Space Talk

The TWA LD-01 Little Dipper

- By Phil Feser for Vintage Guitar Magazine

"Based on a classic ‘70s design, TWA’s new LD-01 - with better tracking, quieter operation, and more vocal-like sounds – is not your run-of-the-mill auto-wah/envelope filter."

"Inside and out, this box is well-executed. It’s electronic elements include high quality PC boards, chassis-mounted Euro-style ¼” jacks, full-sized pots, and a true-bypass footswitch. Controls include Ascension, Inclination, Diffraction, and two internal mini-pots to control clean/effect blend and noise-gate threshold."

Read more...

Little Dipper

LD-01

You can check out more info on all Godlyke products at

www.godlyke.com

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Tonebutcher and Analog War Cry are working together to bring you guys a special offer. Mention Analog War Cry when purchasing a Tonebutcher pedal and they will wave the shipping fee and include a free Tonebutcher t-shirt. This offer is available for all Tonebutcher models. To check out more info on the Tonebutcher line go to the address below. There are a handful of cool vids to check on their website. You can also use our Youtube search engine and type in Tonebutcher to check out the vids here on our website.

www.tonebutcher.com

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Stomp Under Foot

hand wired effects

Our friend Matt at Stomp Under Foot has just finished himself a fresh batch of his infamous Halo Benders. These boutique, hand built, high quality component pedals are in and ready to ship so make sure to pay Matt a visit and get yours. Above is a picture of a new color offer for the Halo Bender for you guys to check out, which I imagine is only one of the options this pedal is available in. Matt is also in the process of building five 73' Ram's Head pedals, three 76' Ram's Head pedals, and one Tri-Dirty Booster which will be available in about two weeks. A few of these pedals are not yet spoken for so get in there kids! You can visit Stomp Under Foot at the address below.

www.stompunderfoot.com