Helping You Get There

Vyagra Boost

Tone Shaping / Booster

CONTROLS

• Right Footswitch: True Bypass Operation
• Left Footswitch: Kicks in Parametric EQ
• Gain: 25db of  Clean Boost
• Frequency: Parametric EQ / 220Hz-1kHz
• Cut/Boost: Cut or Boost Frequency Signal

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Anytime I get a chance to try anything from the Crazy Tube Circuits pedal line, I just know I'm going to be in absolute treat. For those of you hardcore pedal addicted stompbox junkies, these pedals are the ultimate fix. It didn't take me long to become a loyal and dedicated fan once getting a hold of these boxes. Everything from the artwork on these boxes to the dynamite sound that they project is highly attractive. Chris Ntaifotis (mastermind behind CTC) has been able to design his pedals with the perfect balance between vintage vibe and traditionally smooth boutique sound. In all of the CTC pedals I have ever tried I've been able to find spot-on classic tones, as well as characteristics that make them all their own beasts. And speaking of tone beast, this is exactly the perfect way to describe the fury of the Crazy Tube Circuits Vyagra Boost. 

The Vyagra Boost's purpose is unlike any other booster you will ever come across. This simple yet extremely effective pedal will most certainly boost your signal into some of the most beautiful and powerful overdriven tones your ears will ever hear. But it is the Vyarga Boost's capability of taking your tone into wild and new horizons that sets it apart from many others. How it does this exactly? We will get to that shortly. This pedal is housed in a heavy duty small footprint enclosure, which makes it great for saving on pedalboard space, and built with only the highest of components. The Vyagra's gain control is capable of a whopping 25db of boost, enough for slamming the front-end of any amp. The freq control works as a parametric eq which lets you dial in a number of different tone characteristics. The cut/boost works inconjunction with the freq control for dialing the eq signal in & out. Last the pedal sports two LED indicators, and two high quality footswitches for true bypass and the for switching in the eq circuit.

Because of the Vyagra Boost's eq section I was able to run it up against every type of pickup and amp imaginable. The sweep of the parametric eq made it possible to fine tune both my clean and dirty tones, and let me convert certain pickup types into completely different animals. The pedal's eq section also made it possible to convert other pedal's into different beast and gave pedals such as modulation and compressors really cool flavors. I started with a duel humbucker equipped semi-hollow guitar and 15 watt tube amp. I set the amp as clean as I could with it's tone control at noon, no verb, and nothing but a pair of high quality cables going to amplifier and guitar. The root tone itself was thick and full of lots of meaty clean harmonics. The Vyagra Boost I set with it's gain control at about 15% power and left the eq circuit out for now. I engaged the pedal and hear the amp go up into an even thicker meatier sound. With the guitar's humbucking pickups I was able to easily get a bit of grit from the signal simply by digging in and striking down on the strings. Chords rang out rich and clear which made the amp sound much more poweful than it actually was. Single notes also had plenty of definition and strength which sounded great with riffs and licks of all sorts. I added in another 10% of the pedal's gain and switched to the neck humbucker. Here the root signal became much thicker and even more grittier depending how I struck the strings. I really liked how transparent the Vyagra's signal was, and how much mileage I could get from it's sound in each gain setting. I switched the pedal in & out to listen for changes in my tone, but there was none. The character of the naked amp was still present, only much more in-your-face. I then dialed the pedal's gain control to give me a medium overdriven signal, something perfect for blues and classic rock. I was actually able to get these great southern rock tones by pushing my amp and using the semi-hollow guitar. All good good stuff. I then took the amp's volume control as loud as it could go, which gave me an organic crunchy tone, and shot it's tone up a bit higher for more sparkle. I then pumped the pedal's gain up to about 50% which pushed the amp into delivering a stunning bedroom/studio level rock tone. The overall sound handed me plenty of everything! Rich harmonics, great overtones, lots of smooth'n'creamy grit, and sweet sweet mojo. Next I took the pedal's gain to full gain, and cranked out an army of different chords. My oh my what a sound that little was able to kick out. I was actually quite taken by how much power the Vyagra had to give. Here is where I began playing with it's eq section. I began by finding the neutral eq frequency, and left the cut/boost control at noon. From here I experimented with shifting from cut to boost. This is where I realized just how many sounds were going to be possible with this pedal. I was able to add weight to my sound or thin it out with just a turn of the cut/boost control. This also let me fine tune my amplifier, which is perfect for those of you who have trouble finding your amp's sweet spot. By cranking the pedal's gain control to the desired spot and setting the eq section just where I wanted it - I was able to get exactly the sounds I was hearing in my head. Next I began playing around with different freq control settings. Very very quickly did things become interesting. To get the sound I wanted form my pickups all I had to do was strum down on a chord and turn the freq control until I found the tone I wanted. Then with the cut or boost I was able to dial in as much or as little of that sound as I wanted. I was able to get cocked wah sounds, treble boost tones, midrange heavy tones, tones that sliced through the air, and just about everything in between all of these. Using this pedal for lead guitar tones was something I found was exceptionally fun. I then plugged the Vyagra Boost into a 100 watt Super Lead and let it fly. I set the amp really loud so it would overdrive into a big natural crunch. Then I stacked the pedal's boost section into it and got an even bigger sound. The Vyagra didn't change the feel of the tone but instead gave it more of what made it sound great. The more of the pedal's gain I pushed into the amp, the more of the amp's mojo I was able to get. Tossing in some of the pedal's parametric eq was also quite delightful. The huge sound of the amp and frequency range of the eq gave me just about every sound I wanted. I could go about playing my amp's natural clean or overdriven tone, then with the Vyagra Boost boost that signal and have the eq pre-switched for a maniacal sound that made everything sound wild and crazy. Then there was mixing in different dirt pedals, such as overdrivers, distortions, and fuzz boxes. The Vyagra Boost worked as an external eq control which could convert every one of the dirt pedals into whatever sound I wanted them to be. Overall the Vyagra Booster worked great with other pedals and many many different amps and guitars. This was only a scratching of the surface of what kinds of sounds one can get from this pedal. It you're a tone perfectionist or just love tone weapons with lots of range - this pedal is for you. 

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For more info on Crazy Tube Circuits go to www.crazytubecircuits.com or click the direct links in our sidebar. Make sure to check back in with us for more awesome CTC features coming very soon! Also make sure to check out our review of the CTC Ziggy overdrive pedal. Just type out Ziggy Overdrive in our search engine.

Keeping it Crispy and Clean

Talk about style! If there is one company out there that carries a hip vibe, attitude, originality, and class, it is Dr. Scientist. Ryan Clarke (the man behind the plan) has made it his goal to deliver unto the tone chasing world some of the most powerful and intense sounding stompboxes to ever come to life. But this is only the beginning! The artwork that comes branded on each of these pedals is equally as attractive as the pedals' sounds and tones. One look at these pedals will show you the creativity that must live inside Ryan's mind. And if there's one thing I've learned about the gear world it's that anytime you have someone with this kind of creativity you know that they're gonna be capable of transferring that talent into any area they please. Every player I have ever come across that has experienced these pedals has been nothing short of amazed by their capabilities. This is what first sparked my interest these pedals and what drove me to learn more about Dr. Scientist. The masses don't lie, and a tone junky sure as hell knows a good thing when he hears it. The good Dr. is available and delivering endless doses of mind blowing tone tools. Get in line and get your shot.

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Dr. Scientist Sounds

Made in Canada

Builder/Designer: Ryan Clarke

Years in the Game: 5

The Cleanness

Clean Boost

* All analog high-impedance buffer

* 3-Band active EQ

* High quality components

* Handmade in Canada

* Small footprint

* Heavy Duty Enclosure

* True bypass circuit

* Weighs less than a pound

* 9VDC (-) center adapter or 9V battery

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Some of the most useful stompboxes in my experience have been sweet'n'simple clean boosters. A decent booster is capable of adding size to any guitar sound, can push your amp to sounding it's best, and can take your existing dirt tones into howling wails of rock and roll heaven. A master built clean booster like the Dr. Scientist Cleanness? Well, this pup is capable of all of this and much much more. This simple little box took my existing sounds and converted them into precise and immaculate dream tones. It is with it's control layout that this pedal achieves it's tone molding magic. The Cleanness sports Bass, Mid, and Treble controls which are labeled Lowness/Midness/Highness. Then to finish it off Loudness and Gainess controls. Each of the EQ controls is capable of right around 15dB's of cut or boost. It's Gainess control can dish out around 20dB's of juice, leaving it's Loudness there to adjust the pedal's overall output or for slamming the front end of your amp. All of these controls combined add up to produce some of the most awesome sounding clean, semi-clean, gritty, and overdrive tones. The Cleaness works great with other pedals and sounds fantastic not only through guitars, but also with basses, keyboards, lap steels, and much more. Each Dr. Scientist pedal is handcrafted in Canada and put together with the finest parts and components. The cherry on top has to be the number of different looks each pedal is available in, perfect for matching to your look, vibe, and style.

Take a killer sounding amp, your favorite axe, a steady/experienced hand, and the Cleanness will guide through one of the largest collections of grade A guitar tones you will ever heard. The first setup was my Hagstrom semi-hollowbody, a Twin Verb, and pair of good ol' Bullet Cables. The booming/bouncing tone of the blackface jumped out beyond itself! Everything about the amp's sound that makes it stunning the Cleaness was capable of making it better. I was able to make my tone brighter, bigger, sharper, and beefier all with just a flip of the knobs. The perfect way to describe this pedal would be as a fine tuning tone machine. Through already overdriven, cooked tubes the Cleaness sounded just as good. First I paired the Cleaness up with a naturally overdriven sound, then through a pedal's, and last used it to overdrive the signal itself. An AC15 clone pushed into crunchy territory proved to be one fine fine partner for this pedal. I find AC's to always be a bit on the bright side, a bit too cutting and sharp. In some situations this is a good thing, but when you have too bright a room, or too crisp a pickup you're in trouble. Here is where this pedal comes in handy. Of course it works for the opposite as well, when you're tone is too boomy or deep. I in fact was able to get more of a hot-rodded Marshall tone out of the blackface. By setting the mids high, dropping the highs, and matching the lows to the amp's. I was able to convert my AC into meatier, much more powerful sounding beast. I dug the sound that the humbuckers created with the Cleaness but it was a pair of Jazzmaster pickups that had me in tonal nirvana. I grabbed one of my favorite overdrive/distortion boxes, ran it through a semi-clean tone, then pushed the signal further with the Cleaness. I got a snarl that shook and sliced the walls like butter. With the Cleaness engaged I got almost a fuzz type of grit. It blended perfectly with the overdrive's character giving me an entirely new sound to play with. Then I used the Cleaness to take a couple amp's into the overboard realm. First I paired it up with a devilish sounding 7 watter. I will say this pedal is perfect for those of you who have low watt amps. Most of these little amps always lack eq power, leaving you with a minimal collection tones to play with. With Cleaness not only takes care of this problem but it also works as a second channel. Next I plugged it into a 22 watt amp pushed into some healthy grit. Again the Cleaness did it's things beautifully. I was able to get more harmonic content, more overtones and undertones, and chunks of super charged overdriven madness. A little trick I figured out on accident was tossing a compressor in front of the Cleaness. Man what-a-sound! Last it was time for the big dog, the 100 watt Super Lead. Here is where the real challenge is for clean boosters. With a loud overdriven sound you can always hear every tiny bit of change in the tone's character. There is nothing worse than rocking out on stage, slamming on your booster, and noticing your tone just took a left turn. This was not an issue with this pedal, not even in the tiniest bit. I was able to maintain everything that made my tone special, while at the same time able to boost those magical frequencies to get more mojo from the amp. This tells you one thing and one thing only... quality! A great booster will always work nicely with whatever you throw it at. I did not find one unappealing quality about this pedal, not inside or out. All of it's controls combined added up to produce one of the most awesome collections of clean, semi-clean, gritty, and overdrive tones I have ever rocked to. Anyone looking for the ultimate booster would do themselves right by picking up one of these amazing little pedals. Dr. Scientist pedals have always caught my eye as some of the gear world's tip-top products, just plug in to one and see for yourself. The Cleaness is only one of the super special stompboxes in the Dr. Scientist line, and probably the simplest. So you can only imagine what else Sir Ryan's mind has gone and created.

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For more info on Dr. Scientist pedals go to www.drscientist.ca or click the Dr. Scientist logo in our direct links. Make sure to keep your eye out for more fro this super hip company in the near future. Dig it!!!

More Goodness from Way Huge!!!

Heh, heh, heh! Everytime I whip out a Way Huge pedal it makes me either smile, crack up, or just plainly want to rock and roll. If there is one big dog doing it and doing it well it is Way Huge Electronics. Every reissue released as of yet has been more than just your ordinary stompbox. This new generation of Way Huge pedals sports stellar tone, originality, killer looks, superb build quality, and a ton of hip mojo. I love it that Jeorge Tripps took the initiative to bring these awesome pedals back to the tone hungry world of pedal junkies.

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Angry Troll

Linear Boost Amplifier

Features

Volume: Brings the Pain

Anger: More, More, Lots More, and Much More

Quiet Relay True Bypass Footswitch

Non-Detachable Battery Door (9V)

+9VDC Power Jack w/AC Protection

Bright Blue LED for Blinding Sun or Devilish Dark Stages

Killer Construction

Top Notch Components

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The beast of all boosters is alive and doing well. It's name is the Angry Troll, and it can be seen lurking and doing it's magic on many a pedalboard. I've said it many times and I'll say it again, "there is nothing more I love than a simple, easy to dial in, killer sounding piece of gear". The Angry Troll rounds up all of these qualities and many many more, making the Angry Troll one animal of a tone machine. Getting great tones out of this pedal couldn't be easier too. The pedal's control layout sports two knobs and a true bypass switch. The volume knob dishes out a mighty meaty healthy dose of powerful boost and tone. The anger knob controls just how aggressive you want the Troll to be. You can easily use this pedal to go from subtle hints of grainy grit to all out massive dirty richness. Other than it's LED and super duper tuff enclosure that's about all there is to the Angry Troll. The rest it handles on the dance floor, mosh pit, stadium, studio, bedroom, or rehearsal spot.

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Putting it to the Test

It was pretty damn clear what this pedal was capable of right from the start. I'll say, getting an amp to growl, snarl, bark, and grunt has never been better. I pushed this pedal's endless amount of boost through a couple different amps, guitars, and blended it with some of my favorite overdrivers, distortions, and fuzz boxes. I found the Angry Troll worked beautifully through every size amplifier. From low itty bitty watt amps, mid level champs, to the booming beasts of this world. Before I started doing some tone experimenting I plugged in and played around with all of the Angry Troll's anger settings. I wanted to get familiar with all of the voicing's and power levels. One thing's for sure, having +50db of gain on tap in a little box can get you quite far.... and boy did it ever! The first amp to feel the Angry Troll's fury was my AC15 based clone. This amp also drops down to 7 watts, which was the first setting I ran it through. I cranked up the 7 watt setting as loud as possible without letting it break-up on it's own. I started with the anger knob at it's lowest setting, and with the volume control cranked pretty strong. First I paired the pedal up with a Les Paul, second a Strat, and last a Junior with a single Lollar P90. Their was most def a difference through all guitars. The Les Paul was able to control and shape the grit beautifully, simply with my pick attack. The Strat dished out a loose'n'spanky semi-clean tone. I was able to reproduce that Hendrix touch of dirt tone perfectly. The Junior's P90 walloped the hell out of the signal and created the perfect balance between the bucker and Strat single coil sound. Another great tone was setting up the amp to 15 watts, then dialing it up to a medium level natural overdrive tone. Through some nice tube amp saturation is where I believe the Angry Troll does it's best work. Matching the pedal's output to the amp and setting the angry fist to it's middle position produces some champion guitar tones. Again the pedal worked it's magic on each guitar, but my absolute favorite sound through this setup was playing slide and lap steel. The sound of the Angry Troll's overdrive being stretched across the fretboard sounded insane! I was able to get this extra creamy woman tone with much more bite and attitude. Then I began to push the pedal's volume and anger control to the limit and found out why the angry switch is called the angry switch. In the pedal largest fist setting the pedal was able to add this fuzzy type character to my signal that gave me an original and extremely unique sound. The more volume I introduced to the signal the more of this killer sound I got. This even worked through clean signal's and slightly clean signal's. I was able to get tones out of my Deville that I had previously hadn't been able to get. For only having two knobs and a footswitch the Angry Troll really is one hell of a versatile little stompbox. This pedal was able to deliver through all types of setups and applications, with both vintage and modern gear, for all kinds of music styles. This means only one thing.... great quality! If you're looking a something other than just a traditional booster this is your box.

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For more info on Way Huge products go to www.jimdunlop.com Make sure to stay tuned for more killer gear, more Way Huge goodness coming your Way!!! May the tone force be with ya'll.

Big is Beautiful

We're back with another sweet creation from our good friend at BMF Effects, and this one is equally as impressive as the last one. There is no doubt in my mind that Scott Kiraly (BMF owner/builder) possesses the unique ear and talented hand that comes with designing Grade A effects pedals. There is definitely an elite group of special effects/gear builders out there and Scott falls into that category easily. Looking inside most pedals you'll notice there isn't much to them, just about anyone with a little time and patience could put together and build their own stompbox. In fact there are tons of kits and schematic websites one can sink into to learn the whole pedal building game. To build something truly golden you need someone like Scott Kiraly, which instinctively know what good tone sounds like and what players want to hear. It is this type of pedal wizard that is able to build and design the masterpieces we all fall in love with. The BMF Effects line has quickly become one of my favorite stompbox companies. May they keep on coming!

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BMF Effects

presents

the

Fat Bastard

Clean Boost

Need a little weight added to your sound? How about beefing up that already thick'n'gooey rhythm tone you use? Or maybe you just need to push your lead tone into that epic howling scream that causes both you and the listener to go into a world of inspiration. The Fat Bastard is the perfect pedal for the job, a pedal capable of taking that tone you've worked so hard to dial-in and give it size, weight, and balls. With only one knob, a true bypass switch, and in & out jacks I doubt anyone will have any trouble flying this puppy. It is as simple as plugging in and rolling the Fat Bastard's boost knob to the desired setting. The pedal works great with clean, dirty, and fully saturated tones. It can be used as a clean booster, to help drive your amp, and to help push other pedals. I found the Fat Bastard was able to hold it's own with every type of pickup I threw at it, and noticed it took well to my guitar's volume and tone knobs. Another huge positive about this pedal is that it also works beautifully with bass guitars, keyboards, and lap steels. Such a simple little box, but what a giant champion.

The name says it all, Fat Bastard! It gives whatever you stack it on a boost of girth and attitude. There are pedals made to completely disguise your sound, pedals made to lightly color, and then there's pedals like the Fat Bastard that are made to enhance your root tone. I started out by plugging the Fat Bastard into my dear sweet Erica (Hagstrom Viking), and played through a '65 Deluxe Reverb. I dialed in a nice'n'chimey clean tone with both Bass and Treble knob at 7, and volume at 5. The guitar's semi-hollow woody tone combined with the Deluxe Reverb and two superb hand wound vintage voiced hunbuckers created a tone that floated across room and dug it's nails into the wind. Once engaged the Fat Bastard added a touch of boomy lows, tight'n'round mids, and neutral highs. I did this with the pedal set to noon. The feel of the sound didn't change at all, I could still control and manipulate the tone in the exact same way. Only now I had much more honk and girth behind it which made it stand out quite nicely. This is great for live situations when the rest of the band is overpowering your amp. Next I cranked the amp up a few notches and let the tubes cook the tone into nice creamy overdrive. Here is where I found the Fat Bastard to work most of it's magic. Alone the amp sounded wonderful. With the pedal thrown into the mix things got even better! I dialed the pedal right around 75% and let it fly. I heard the room fill with soul and power, organic richness, and evenly balanced EQ projection all the way across the board. The amount of control I felt in my fingers was as if the sound was coming straight from my hands. I was able to get a booming lead tone, and by shaving off some of the guitar's volume also able to attain crunchy overdrives and semi-clean tones. I was more than satisfied with the results I got with the humbuckers, now it was time for some rockin' good single coils. One of my favorite guitar tones has always been that of a Strat, booster, and tube amp. Single coils produce an entirely different kind of grit, it cuts through a lot more aggressively and flies right down the center of things. This is why I have always been so driven towards Jimi's guitar sound. For this I went with a higher gain amp, a 100 watt Super Lead pushed to a war glory rock tone. Getting a evenly balanced dirty tone from a proper Marshall is always fairly easy, some of the best root tones come from these amps. Again I dialed in a fairly strong dirt tone and used the pedal to push it further. With the Super Lead having much more string than the Fender clean tone, I was able to beautifully balance everything by blending in the Fat Bastard's tone. What can I say? There isn't much to it. When a pedal sounds and works great, it sounds and works great. Some other cool tricks I was able to pull off with this pedal was stacking it up with other overdrive and distortion boxes. Imagine those super killer tones you're able to get from your favorite stompboxes... now imagine them being pushed a few notches further. Placed before other pedals the Fat Bastard worked just like it did when pushing an overdriven tube amp. It added spice and character, size and weight. When stacked after other dirt pedals it drove the overall signal much higher and made things stand out beautifully. For such a simple little pedal the Fat Bastard is capable of a lot. These are the types of effect pedals that you find living on people's pedalboards. Pedals that work with you and make you work for them. If you're looking for a booster with a little something extra this is the pedal for you. It also works great when left on and worked into your root signal. I am super stoked to have found BMF Effects and am quite excited to continue bringing you guys more and more of these amazing boxes. Keep them coming Scott and keep up the great work!

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For more info on BMF Effects go to www.bmfeffects.com or click on the direct link in our sidebar. We will be looking at more awesome stompboxes from BMF in the near future so please keep an eye out. We'll be back soon.

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Dec Monthly Pick/TwinStomp Effects

Analog War Cry has done it again! We've managed to discover another insanely cool effects pedal company with originality, drive, and great quality. December's Monthly Pick comes at us all the way from across the pond, a hard working, extremely talented, one-man operation by the name of TwinStomp. The captain of the TwinStomp ship? Adam Betts, a passionate muscian/builder with a mind driven towards one thing... great tone. TwinStomp pedals are built to last, built to work with you, and most important built to work with the sound you've worked so hard to get. Everything from the inner to the outer design of these boxes screams originality and professional sound, I promise you have never seen a guitar pedals like these. With today's pedal market being as blown out as it is it's always a breath of fresh air whenever we come across something unique and special. Our first TwinStomp encounter is the TwinStomp Booster, an award winning pedal with a killer look, immaculate design, and the ability to help you reach tonal heaven. Now you might be thinking to yourselves "Clean Booster?". I thought the saaame thing... then I plugged in.

TwinStomp Booster

Duel Channel Clean Boost

* Two Switchable Mosfet Boost Channels

Channel 1: 0db-10db / Channel 2: 6db-22.5db

* True Bypass

For tone conservation

* Duel LED's

Indicate which setting is in standby or active

* On/Off Toggle Switch

For conserving battery life while plugged in

* Patent Applied For Battery Compartment

For quick easy access. Also runs on 9V power supply

* Handwired

For reliable, long lasting build

* Test Certificate Supplied

Giving final test results / Serial numbered

* High Quality Components

3PDT EHX style switches

Alpha pots

Neutrik jacks

Fairchild Mosfet

UL Toggle switch

Close tolerance caps & resistors

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As guitar players the one thing that probably matters most to us is our root tone, it is the one area we are constantly trying to improve, and what we base every other sound around. So before we jump into a huge sounding lead tone, monster fuzz, or soulful rhythm sound, we must have our foundation straight. It is our dream that one day we nail a signature sound of our own, something the masses can recognize us by. That is why we must make sure when we choose the gear that is to live in our setups that we chose wisely. Now we've reached our key tone and we want to take our sound even further, maybe grow it into snarling lead tone, or hairy beast of a rhythm sound. We try pedal after pedal, and booster after booster, gaining something yes, but also loosing something in the end. You don't know how many friends I've seen (me included) run out and try an array of different pedals, amps, pickups, and god knows what else. Only to come home having to start from beginning, middle, or get close but not exact. Well Analog War Cry has found a much easier way to hit home, the TwinStomp Booster, a double clean booster with a simple setup and no mask. When I first plugged into the TwinStomp Booster I had to make sure I had flipped it on, I had set it to a mild clean boost and could not hear any difference other than the tad boost it was set for. It's sad but this is how adjusted I have become to boosters coloring my sound. The TwinStomp Booster on the other hand does exactly what a booster is supposed to do, which is take your existing sound and push it as far as you want to go, all without any coloration. Maybe you want to push it until it becomes a screaming banshee of dirt, grit, and overdrive, that's fine the TwinStomp Booster can do this no problem. On the pedal's layout of controls you will find a True Bypass On/Off Switch, Boost 1/2 Selector Switch, two Gain Knobs (one for each channel), an On/Off Toggle Switch for preserving battery life while plugged in, and a slick PAF Battery Compartment. One last feature I thought was pretty cool were the little non-slip rubber feet that can be unscrewed to give the option to screw your pedal into your pedalboard, absolutely genius. Another + for this pedal. Everything is neatly arranged and tucked away in an indestructible enclosure, which will assure you this pedal will live forever. To put this pedal through it's paces we pulled out two of our favorite amps, my modified Hot Rod Deville, and my buddies 100 watt Super Lead. I figured I'd put the pedal through the best of both world's, the sweeetest clean tone and the illest grit. First up to bat was the Deville, I set it up exactly how I gig it, volume between 5-6, Lows 6, Mids/Highs 7, Presence 5, and Reverb 2. I set the TwinStomp's Channel 1 at about 60%, and Channel 2 at about 70%. With the first channel kicked in I was able to get both a perfect volume boost and the right amount of grit. Nothing in my tone became muddy, jagged, or unbalanced. Instead I got a bit more harmonics, size, and punch. All the characteristics of my root tone were still there, it was beautiful. A perfect channel for jumping from clean rhythm to dirty rhythm. Things got even better once I switched into the second channel! This meaty, chunky, bad-to-the-bone lead tone came flying from amplifier, a tone any guitar slingin' blues freak would be proud to rock on stage. My single notes hung in the air like an angered violin, and the sound of my chords screamed hard rock city. The fact that I was playing a Strat helped of course, but no pedal I've ever plugged into the Deville has been able to give me Hendrix style tones. I was able to start at my clean natural tone, go into a slight grit, and end up in a sea of a overdrive heaven. Because both channels are set different, one being hotter than the other, means that you're tone can gradually climb while getting it's dirt from the same source. If you're someone who's looking to downsize their pedalboard and look for an easier way to control their sound, this is it. This wasn't the end either, it was band practice which I thought would be the perfect testing ground for a live situation. I plugged into the Super Lead, set it slightly dirty, and pulled out my duel humbucker equipped semi-hollow body. To my surprise I was able to get even more tonal options and more control through the humbuckers. I did this by setting the amp's grit even higher and rolling back on the guitar's volume. This along with the TwinStomp Booster gave me just about every level of grit I could want. Bypassed I could get an open clean tone, and by rolling up the guitar's volume get a perfect rhythm crunch. With the pedal's first channel engaged my rhythm sound became bigger and more saturated, all I had to do to tame it was, you guessed it, roll my volume down. The second channel gave the Super Lead this huge sounding Eddie Van Halen lead tone, thick and jumping with life. I must say, your favorite guitar, a TwinStomp Booster, and a 100 watt Marshall are one killer feakin combo. Any seasoned player, pro, or tone hound will fall in love with this pedal. It is clear it was made by players for players. There is no hype, no ensemble of shining lights, or wacky paint job to steer you away from what the pedal actually sounds like. As a little side extra Adam has added some options that make the pedal a bit more user friendly, like the battery compartment and the screw mount option. In the end it's all about one thing though, taking your tone to the next level. If there's one thing you do for your tone or add to your rig this coming year I say do it with a TwinStomp Booster.

For more info on TwinStomp products go to www.twinstomp.com or click the TwinStomp direct link in our sidebar. Keep your eye on this company, we have a feeling there's some more special gear on the way.

The One Knob Wonder

The clean booster, probably the most important stompbox behind the overdrive pedal. There are many out there and yet it seems like it's still the one pedal that is hard to pin down onto your pedalboard. When we're hunting for a clean booster we look for something that won't hide and blemish our key tone. This is the one pedal that needs to be on point or else everything after it will be affected, from your tone on down to your dirt boxes. Lizard Leg Effects is a name I have been hearing for a couple years now and a brand that seems to have sparked up some interest amongst the gear loving community. Lizard Leg Effects is the brain child of Steve Miller, he designs all the pedals, his wife Brandi handles the artwork, and their son John helps out around the shop making sure we get our pedals. It was time for AWC to get their hands on one of these pedals, put it to the test and report the outcome to the masses.

Lizard Leg Effects

Flying Dragon

* 9-18v DC Operation or 9v Battery Powered w/heavy duty ABS battery snaps

* Gold Plated Molex Battery Connections

* True Bypass

* 100% Noiseless Designs with Star Grounding

* Vishay/Sprague Orange Drop Caps

* 1% Vishay/Dale Metal Film Resistors

* Switchcraft or Neutrik Jacks

* Mil Spec'd Wire used exclusively

* Standard LED - UV Purple/other LED colors available

* Reverse Polarity Protection

* 4 Different Knobs to choose from

* 18-8 Stainless Steel Enclosure Screws

* Custom Labeled for each player

* 2 Year Guarantee

* Custom Configurations Available

* Hand Built in the USA

Now that is a list of features that screams quality, class, and customer service. These are pedals that are part of that elite group gear companies building us tone junkies the awesome gear we love so much. I have never been so entertained by such a simple pedal. One really cool thing that stood out to me was how these pedals are shipped. Other than the box it comes in you also get a velvet pouch to keep your pedal from scratches and dings, and to top it off you also get a little toy dragon, collect them all!!! The graphics are killer and the finish is just stunning, you can feel the quality in your hands. The Flying Dragon can be powered in a number of different ways, 1. By a 9v DC adapter, 2. By a 18v DC adapter, or 3. A good old 9v battery. Being that you have the 18 volt option gives you insanely good quality and headroom, which I think is a great idea for a clean booster. The sweeter you can keep your boosted tone the better your overall sound will fly out of your amp. It was time to plug the Dragon into our 15 watt little gem. We started with some clean tones and low volumes to see just how much the pedal could push the signal. Set the pedal's knob to about noon for unity gain, from noon on down the tone stayed perfectly intact and added that little bit of grunt that works great for blues and classic rock. Through single coil pickups it delivered a slight but powerful grit, definitely enough to solo with once engaged. Played through buckers the pedal handed over everything from a subtle dirt to an massive hairy drive. We pushed our 15 watt amp into a tone we have never been able to get out of it, it was beautiful! Lots of boosters once you max them out they tend to blanket your tone and start either jumping the EQ or stealing your root sound. This is honestly one of the only clean boosters I have ever played that kept my sound intact from the lowest to the highest settings. Even when using it to lower your tone it did it's job stunningly. We also plugged it into my modified 4x10 Deville, don't mean to brag but probably the best sounding Deville on the planet. I worked so hard to get the sound I wanted from this amp, from having the EQ reworked, making the volume roll easier, swapping out the speakers, and some other secrets I won't share just yet. I have always been a huge fan of 4x10 setups, I like the sound they produce much more than 4x12 any day. This was the true test, to see if the Flying Dragon could keep my sound pure and intact. I set it at noon/unity gain to see if it would change my root tone. It passed with flying colors, the tone stayed just as I set it. Next I rolled up the knob slowly listening along the way and boosting it until I maxed it out. From around 3'o'clock down you start to hear a sweet and rich natural overdrive, my amp loved and ate it up. It seemed to bring my pickups to life, every little touch was heard perfectly and all my licks clean and transparent. Next I set up my rhythm tone, my absolute baby. This is the sound I have worked the hardest to get, you all know what goes into dialing in a great dirty tone. I set the Flying Dragon just passed noon and got the greatest Neil Young tone I have ever heard come singing from my amp. You know that sound, that gritty, chunky sound Neil plays that sports that hint of clean in it. It was lovely! Every setting I dialed in and all the pedals I stacked up against it sounded great. This is easily one of the best pedals I have had the pleasure of playing this year. This isn't the only way to use a clean booster no sir. Stack it up with a single overdrive pedal and you can hit up to four different tones, let me explain. To keep things simple I pulled out a TS808 style pedal, set the Flying Dragon first then the overdrive. Here is a great way to save on pedalboard space. Tone number one is your root tone, unaffected, no pedals, no nothing. The next tone is your boosted root signal, slap on the Flying Dragon and you have your exact tone only louder. Next slap off the Dragon while stepping on your overdrive at the same time (not as hard at it seems). Last throw on your booster and you have a killer tone for soloing, and if you're a cat that rides his guitar's volume knob you can even get even more sounds. I was very very impressed with how well the Flying Dragon worked with other pedals, especially overdrive, distortion, and fuzz boxes. The boosted signal really brings other pedals to life and adds the perfect amount of harmonics and juice. A few days after having this pedal I had to write Steve to let him know how killer his pedal was, I haven't been impressed like this my a clean booster in a long long time. The work Steve put into this pedal can really be heard and felt from your amp. Other than using with guitars we also plugged it into some keyboards, bass guitars, lap steels (which worked wonders), some oscillators, and used it to boost weak overall weak signals from odd little toy instruments we have laying around and other cool gadgets. This simple design kept us busy for quite a while, a true keeper. I can only imagine what the rest of Steve line sounds like, he has definitely mastered the art of boosting signals.

For more info on Lizard Leg Effects and the rest of the line check out their website at www.lizardlegeffects.com Look for more to come from this killer company!

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