Friday, September 25, 2015

Who Said Fuzzing Wasn't Easy?

www.vintagefx.com



Vintage FX is one of the first pedal companies I got friendly with when I first started my blog. It quickly became a favorite and I even served on their artist roster back when I was still gigging religiously. Dave Archer has a passion for building these little boxes that rivals anyone in the scene. I mean anyone who's down to work with The Warlocks (Heavy Deavy Skull Fuzz) is way too cool for school! Below is his take on the very popular and super hip Mosrite Fuzzrite, a pedal that dates back to the psychedelic days of the 60's. I've used this pedal on my boards for heavy gigs and every time it's turned heads and popped cherries. When plugging into a fuzz box it's got to be serious biz and even more serious fuzz... this pedal meets those qualifications with flying colors.


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Fuzzriot


FEATURES
  • Machined aluminum knobs
  • Sturdy 1590BB style enclosure
  • Super bright LED indication
  • True bypass - 3PDT switch
  • Third stage added for increased volume/sustain
  • Silicon/Germanium hybrid
  • 9vdc Standard style adapter jack
  • Based of the Mosrite Fuzzrite of the 60's


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There's nothing like a simple great sounding fuzz pedal. One without complex or odd controls, simple to use, and delivers when it counts the most. The Fuzzriot is probably one the easiest plug-in-and-go fuzz pedals I've ever encountered. It's as easy as grabbing your favorite guitar and finding the amount of grit'n'grime you want, dial in the tone, and match levels to your jam session or show. I was fortunate to have had the chance to gig with this pedal a number of times and used it in some recording sessions as well. My go-to guitar is and always has been my Tele with neck humbucker, but the Fuzzriot really sounded amazing through Strat's, Les Paul's, and P90 style guitars! Going through the controls you'll notice it's pretty freaking easy to figure this pedal. The Volume knob regulates the amount of output you want from the overall sound of the pedal. The Tone knob is actually really special! Sometimes fuzz boxes can slightly color your tone both in the bright and low areas, sometimes this is wanted and sometimes not. The tone control on this pedal gets you right where you need to be without stealing the tone you've worked so hard to get, but it can send you off into new adventures with just a twist of the knob, matching or making your tone something different. The Depth knob is superbly killer. Dave created this pedal as a germanium/silicon hybrid, meaning the fuzz effect is tight and blurty as hell. I enjoyed using this pedal in low depth levels already in some sort of mild overdrive. This gave me the perfect rhythm guitar sound for kickass rock and roll tones. It sounds great in a band setting pushing the bass player's sound and doesn't cut through the vocals or drowns out the drums. In higher fuzz levels this pedal can hijack a room and send jam sessions and gigs into a spiral of psychedelic bliss. There's a sustain you get from this pedal that seems top last forever, blend it in the right and you got something really epic. Higher fuzz levels can be easily manipulated and can be bent to create the strangest undertones, screeches, and howls. It's all good! Grab your favorite guitar and amp, plug in and play, enjoy and create. God bless this silver little box. 



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For more info on the Fuzzriot and Vintage FX go to www.vintagefx.com or just click the banner!
www.vintagefx.com
 

Friday, September 18, 2015

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The Green Forrest Comp - Making the world a better place




There's a reason why the Mad Professor has been around so long. I imagine some long white haired old man sitting behind a collection of giant fluorescent tubes and lightening, creating taboo music devices for the masses. With every new invention he'd hoop, jump, and click his heels as if to have lost his mind. Then presto! The perfect pedal. And it's that easy my dear readers.

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Forrest Green Compressor
Specs/Controls



* Supply Voltage Range: 9 to 18VDC 
* Current Consumption @ 9VDC: 14ma
* Input Inpedance: 1 M Ohm's
* Output Impedance: 20K Ohm's
* True Bypass: Max input -10dBV Ohm's - Hardwired true bypass
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* Level: Comp Mode controls overall level and can be used as booster. Sustain Mode controls sustain
* Compr: Sets the amount of compression and sustain
* Tone: Used to fine-tune compressed sound with great transparency
* Comp/Sustain Switch: Comp Mode standard compressor - Sustain Mode attack sustained for great dynamics


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So any compressor addict is gonna know the origins of the magnificent pedal, but for those of you a little newer to the game the Forrest Green Compressor is the cousin of the super popular and limited numbered BJFE Pine Green Comp. Like the it's kin the FGC is very transparent and packs the ability to deliver insanely cool dynamics. You can get boost capabilities with this pedal but where it really shines is in it's compression talents. I got to put this pedal through a few of my favorite amps and guitars, the outcome was short of perfection!

By far the best combo was a my modded Fender Deville and Tele with neck humbucker. I'm a big fan of the spanky Tele sound and this pedal was able to take it to another level. Most compressors will drain your sound of dynamic and feel, which makes your playing suffer. The FGC beautifully kept my dynamics intact while at the same time tightening and creating blooming chords. Another area this pedal thrives in is in it's ability to keep your original tone transparent and true to the core. A lot of compressors tend to eat away at your tone when cranking them up or blending them with certain amps tones and other pedals. I have a sound I've created called The Screaming Banshee which consists of a great compressor and a few others pedals I won't give up,. The Forrest Green Compressor gets along in that situation like gold. Guitars players forget how much they an actually get out of a great compressor, and this why I always try and push my buddies into experimenting with as many combinations as possible. You find a good comp to throw on your board and the results are like having a new pedalboard, capable of new heights. Then we come to the boost capabilities of this pedal. By cranking the Level knob the FGC will hand you close to 100% untainted boosts, and it does this without very little noise even at really high levels. Finally there's my favorite feature, the Compression/Sustain Switch. This little buddy of a switch kicks the pedal into two different modes; In Comp mode the pedal dishes out high ration levels. This lets you smash your notes into the pavement, creating really amazing tones and sounds! The sustain in this setting also thrives helping you get the most out of any note or chord. In Sustain mode the pedal creates more subtle compression effects which work great for just about any situation. Overall the pedal just does a great job, like all Mad Professor pedals they sound nice and play well with others. Do yourself a favor and go out and try this little gem!

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For more info on Mad Professor go to the links below or just click the banner on the site.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

News: Analog Alien releasing new pedal!


Analog Alien is proud to announce the release of it's first single effect guitar pedal in the Fall of 2015. The Bucket Seat is the junior version of the already released and supremely popular Rumble Seat. The official release of the Bucket Seat will be on October 15, 2015. MSRP will be at a super affordable $199 USD.

The Bucket is the same Rumble Drive circuit that is found in our 5-star pedal the Rumble Seat - which is herald by artists like James Burton (Elvis Presley), Stevie Wonder, and Joe Walsh (James Gang, The Eagles, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band). Everything from mild overdrive to a full on high assault is possible with the Bucket Seat.
The sound of the Bucket Seat is never harsh or brittle. It has a smooth break up and retains a lot of the guitar's dynamics even at high overdrive settings. Adjustments can be made on the output, tone, and gain controls.


For more info on Analog Alien please follow the links below. 
Twitter/Instagram: @analogalien
Hashtags: #fuzzbuble45 #alientwister #rumbleseat #analogABS #JWDC #bucketseat

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Staying True to your Tone




I'm stoked to be back and super stoked to do so with this awesome and very popular pedal from our friends at Xotic Effects. I'm sure many of you have had experience with the "Tremendous Trio" that is the BB Preamp, AC Booster, and this here champ of a stompbox the RC Booster. The Reason behind these pedals success is simple - great tone! I have been fortunate to have had the chance to try just about every Xotic Effects pedal out there, and to this day I can honestly say I have not been disappointed. What makes these pedals such winners isn't a ton of bells and whistles, it's their simplicity and straight to the point control layout. Combine any of these pedals with a proper amp, your favorite guitar, and they will make your already cherished tone that much better. The RC Booster does exactly this and does it with it's own heavenly tonal touch. Let's take a closer look shall we? 

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RC Booster

  • Active Treble, Bass, Gain, and Volume controls allow for limitless tone shaping.
  • 20dB+ of transparent clean boost, with +- 15db 2 band active EQ.
  • Solution to sound degradation caused instrument cables and/or long effect chains.
  • True bypass for eliminating any signal interference when switched off.
  • Can be used with AC adaptor (optional) or 9V Battery.


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So what does the "RC" stand for you ask? It stands for "Real Clean", meaning this pedal will keep your sound pure and sweet. This isn't to say the RC Booster isn't capable of some gritty goodness cause it is. Whether it's boosting your already spanking clean tone to a higher level or taking that clean tone to the next plateau - the RC Booster will do it and do beautifully. On board this pedal you will find controls for Gain, Volume, Bass, and Treble. The gain on this pedal being splendid! The RC Booster makes it easy to boost your clean signals, boost those slightly gritty tube amp tones, or use it to straight out slam the front-end of any amp or already overdriven tone to get some even hairier tones, all with no problem. The volume control will keep your tone in it's original state from the lowest of settings to it's highest levels. You can dish out anywhere up to 20dB's of juice, and with it's bass and treble controls the RC Booster gives you the choice to either boost or tame your high and low frequencies, helping adapt this pedal to any room or venue. 


I went ahead and tested this pedal through everything from very clean tones, crunchy'n'grimy rhythms, and through allout overdriven tube amps. Each time was a gift. I began with a clean AC 15 based amp and a Stratocaster. I first set my amp to a punchy thick clean sound then carefully matched the pedal's character to the tone. I set the pedal with it's gain as low as possible, it's volume slightly hotter to the amp's output, and the treble and bass controls just a hint more pronounced than the amp's root tone. I played through some licks with the pedal off - then with it engaged. Engaged my tone stayed perfectly intact and came through with more power and attitude. The feeling of my tone while playing through the RC Booster is what stood out the most. I could feel my little amp thumping at my back, feet, and at the walls. Some boosters and overdrive pedals can deaden your sound, or even worse take it in a completely different direction. This pedal does not do this. What it does instead is enhances all the natural amp and guitar's character already existing in your sound. If your thing is big'n'boomy - it gets bigger and boomier. If you like that silky smooth spank - you get mucho more. And if you like slamming your favorite amp into ear drum slpitting goodness - this is the perfect pedal. The super spanky and bouncy Strat characteristics flowing from my guitar only became that much sweeter when stacked up with the RC Booster. I went from pickup setting to pickup setting and got great results each time. All across the guitar's settings the pedal was able to pull from them their very best. Rolling up the gain control the pedal began to heat up the amp's signal creating more grit and more grime. By tapering back the treble control and adding in some of the bass - the pedal was able to give my Stratocaster a warmer thicker tone. This worked nicely when playing through overdriven and high gain tones, making lead tones much more powerful. I also cranked my little 15 watt amp to a beautiful creamy crunch. I began using the RC Booster as a typical booster, but as I rolled up the pedal's volume and gain I started noticing I was able to get some very new and interesting sounds from my amp. The fully overdriven on it's own really only gets me so far, which is a perfect classic low/med driven sound. With the pedal boosting the signal I could get some really over the top grit. But one of my favorite tricks this pedal does well is it's ability to act as a buffer. For those of you who run long cables and lots of pedals you simply leave this pedal at the front of your chain with it's bass and treble controls at noon and wahlah! Overall the RC Booster is a great simple pedal perfect for pushing our tight, neat, transparent tones. If you're looking for something quick and simple to get the job done outright, go with this puppy, you won't be sorry.

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For more info on the RC Booster or Xotic Effects go to www.xotic.us or click the Xotic logo in our links section. Stay tuned for some more on Xotic and it's current line of effects.