...This Little Piggy Rock and Rolled

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

PiggyFX

Brown Pig

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

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

with style!

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The Sweet Sound of Verb

I like reverb, you like reverb, we all like reverb! It is amazing what a little bit of verb will do for your sound. It's like the secret ingredient in a special sauce. Only luckily for us reverb is no secret, most times you can find it in just about any amplifier out there. So what do you do when your amp doesn't have reverb though? Hmmm, let's see. Well there are many many pedals out there that will do the job and do it well. T-Rex is known for producing some of the best sounding pedals the gear scene has had the pleasure of playing. The T-Rex line consists of everything from boosters, overdrivers, distortion boxes, compressors, modulation pedals, delays, power supplies, switchers, and of course reverb pedals. In fact they are responsible for one of the best reverb pedals to ever hit the streets, the Room-Mate tube based reverb pedal. Just recently T-Rex added another verb pedal to their line, it is part of their Tonebug Series. The Tonebug Reverb pedal. A simple yet effective reverb pedal with a huge sound and sweet surf mojo.

T-Rex Tonebug

Reverb

Talk about retro cool style, man oh man that is one sweet looking pedal. The first pics I saw of these pedals had me drooling for them, something about their look just said "The James Dean of guitar pedals". A few months back T-Rex unleashed these little sweeties, which are now known as their Tonebug Series. A collection of simple, no frills, great sounding pedals. The pedals are meant to work with anyone making it easy to get the sound you want. When I discovered that there was to be a reverb pedal in the line I was stoked! An affordable, killer sounding reverb pedal with a hip new look?! You can't beat that. You guys don't know how many times I have walked into a shop looking for a reverb pedal only to shortly after walk out disappointed. Reverb is a tricky effect, it is one of the few effects that can work great at both mellow and extreme settings. If you don't design this pedal the right way though your tone will suffer and suffer madly. The Tonebug Reverb's layout is not complicated and is very easy to work. The controls go like so, the Decay knob controls the amount of tail or whisper I like to call it. The Decay control works great for when you have to match it to a new surrounding, club, studio, room, etc... The Depth knob controls the amount of effect you want from the pedal. With this knob you can pull out an endless collection of reverb tones from the Tonebug reverb. The Modern/Spring toggle switch let's you pick the flavor or style of verb you want from the pedal. If your thing is a sharp clear verb set it to Modern. If you like a more classic vintage style verb set it to Spring. Last is it's on/off switch. Simple enough with a sound you can stand up against any spring reverb unit. The pedal is very easy to dial in and works great for bringing any dull, flat sound to life. This pedal made possible to get the sound I wanted at the snap of my fingers, it has never been so easy to get a great usable reverb sound. A little verb goes a long way like they always say. This pedal not only works great to liven up your sound but is small and sleek enough to save on some much needed pedalboard space. I actually tried this pedal through my amp's effects loop and it sounded great. So if you're really desperate for some pedal space you can always do that. What makes this pedal such a hit and so hit is it's two modes, the Modern/Spring toggle switch. These two modes combined with the the pedal's two knobs can deliver an army of different verb tones. From extreme hall settings to subtle room tones. In the Modern mode the reverb becomes more defined and in your face, great for space rock and abstract sound effects. You can also get some mellow verb sounds in the Modern mode by laying off on the Decay and Depth knob. There is a sound I discovered while recording a sessions a few years ago, I call it the Screaming Banshee tone. It is a combination of some off-the-wall compression, a nice chunky fuzz, and a crisp bright reverb. I was able to attain this sound with the Tonebug Reverb, and was amazed just how spot-on I was able to dial it in. The fun doesn't end there, there are a handful of cool things you can do with a modern style reverb. Add in one part long delay with short repeat, a bit of modulation (vibe or chorus will do fine), and some extreme decay on the reverb. The end result is a really cool haunting echo perfect for picking out chords of all sorts. If your thing is more on the vintage vibe side of things the Tonebug Reverb can also meet your needs. Here is I believe T-Rex really outdid themselves with this pedal. The quality of the verb in this little pedal's Spring setting is out of this world! I sat and ran a few amps with reverb, then compared it to the pedal. When I blind tested the amp's reverb and pedal for my partner they could not tell the difference. Strap on a Strat, Jaguar, or Jazzmaster and you're on surfside heaven baby all the way! The Spring mode produces a warm yet clean defined reverb that sounds great at both high and subtle settings. If you're missing a bit of swing in your tone this set the pedal to just shy on nine'o'clock on both knobs and you got yourself a little fresh jive in your sound. Once my main overdrive tone is dialed in I like to the set the sound of my reverb, roll it back all the way off, and slowly turn it up until I get that just barely there sound. This is one way to be careful when playing reverb pedals in clubs, all clubs have some sort of natural delay and reverb in their rooms. Dial in too much verb from your pedal and your sound is ghost my friend. Having that decay knob on the Tonebug Reverb really comes in handy at times like these. I have been playing guitar for a long long time and to have access to a reverb pedal like this that makes it so simple to use is a huge plus. The music playing world has been waiting for a simple and effective reverb unit like this. Beginners and seasoned cats alike will dig this pedal. Whether you're looking for a slight verb or all out spooky sound, this pedal will deliver and do it with style.

For more info on T-Rex Engineering products go to www.t-rex-effects.com You can also click the T-rex logo in our links for direct access their website. We are proud to be a supporter of T-Rex's awesome products and we'll continue bringing more as long as they keep producing it. Let's hope it never ends. Can I get an Amen!!!?

It starts with the letter T

Sonic Box, definitely not just a cool name. This outfit specializes in building a fantastic line of great sounding custom effects pedals. If you're looking to up your game and throw a little class into your setup this is most certainly the way to go. I will admit it is tuff to come across something special these days, with all the pedal companies out there it is hard to know who sports great sound and who is just looks. Luckily for us Sonic Box has both, exceptionally well built stompboxes with simple artwork that gets the message across sharply, and a sound quality that will shake your tone nerve to the roots. Like most of my favorite pedal companies Sonic Box is run by one man, Dmitry. The attention to detail and quality of these pedals have had us hungry for more, we cannot wait to hear what the rest of Dmitry's pedals sound like. For now we have a take on an old favorite, read on and enjoy.

Sonic Box

Custom Effects Pedals

T Boost

pure Germanium boost

Just look at this beauty of a stompbox, killer look, killer artwork, and sound to match. In the world of stompboxes there are many different kinds of pedals. Some focus on looks, building pedals with numerous buttons, giddy artwork, and blinking lights. Some pay no mind to looks and build simple looking boxes that run all muscle under the hood. Then every once and a while there is that beautiful in-between, those pedals that give a bit of both in a perfectly balanced package. When I first got the T Boost I couldn't stop just staring at it, the airbrushed graphics just jumped out from the enclosure, a real piece of art. Then I plugged it in and everything fell into place like a wonderful song. The T Boost is a Germanium booster based on the ever so famous Dallas Rangemaster. If you're reading this article and follow this blog chances are you know or have come across a Rangemaster yourself. Treble boosters are effects pedals that have a very distinctive sound, the treble booster is a pedal that has worked wonders for so many guitar players helping to create some of the most memorable tones in rock and roll history. It was the heavyweight guitarists of England that first popularized this simple and effective guitar pedal. It was cats like Eric Clapton, Brian May, Tony Iommi, Marc Bolan, Ritchie Blackmore, and Rory Gallagher (who is not English but Irish) who first brought some attention to the treble booster. These guitar giants would make their tones famous with this killer stompbox, knocking out some of the most memorable licks to ever fly out of a guitar amp. Throughout the years many different people copied, tried t copy, and took their own spin of this style pedal. I take my hat off to Sonic Box for one the best sounding treble boosters to ever land in our streets, studios, and pedalboards. So what separates this treble booster from the many that are out there today? What is it that makes this pedal so special? I will tell you what, let's take a look shall we? First let's start with the T Boost's looks, you cannot deny that is one sexy looking stompbox. There is nothing better than a pedal that not only sounds great but looks super hip. Everyone digs great looking gear no matter who you are. There is just something about cool looking gear that appeals to everyone. Next is the pedal's heart, the NOC OC75 Germanium transistor that gives it it's musical nirvana and magic. The first treble boosters used these exact and similar transistors. This is how the T Boost is capable of producing great sounding classic rock tones, woman tones if you will. Some cats hear "treble booster" and they think right away the pedal must boost the high tones of your sound. Errrr, wrong! You don't know how many cats I have ran into that have shined on this pedal before even trying it. The way a treble booster works is the higher the frequency or sound you put into it, the more DB's of great saturated boost you get. It works perfectly with your picking dynamics balancing the way you want your notes to ring out. It is amazing how tight the T Boost keeps lows and how great it sounds at both low and loud levels. Some of the newer treble boosters I have played sound great at low levels, it's when you turn things up that your eq goes to hell. The old school Rangemaster treble boosters did not have a switch, it was either on or off. The Sonicbox T Boost does sport a switch, sports a Range knob which works as a frequency control, and a Boost switch which is what gives you your level of grit, boost, and grime. You will be surprised just how many different tones you can get with these two controls. First we tested the pedal at high levels, bumping our English style amp into a slight overdrive and letting the T Boost take it further into tonal heaven. The sound was like an explosion of harmonics and tone, like it's always on the verge of going into a feedback frenzy but staying just outside of it to give you that special tone that works great with everything. This is a "more you put into it more you get" style pedal, by which I mean the harder you strum or strike your chords the dirtier your sound becomes. I'm a huge fan of the rhythm playing styles of Tom Petty and Neil Young, the way strike their chords to produce some dirty strings and some clean is freakin awesome! With the T Boost I'm able to have that kind of control over my playing and also get a great dirty tone when wanted, it is absolutely beautiful. You set the knobs to work with your picking style so you get the best possible sound out of your amp. Another sweet characteristic about the T Boost is it's ability to clean up by simply rolling off on your guitar's volume knob. This is one of the few pedals I have played that didn't rob me of my spice once rolling back the guitar's volume. The reason for this is because this is what it's built for, this is how a great treble works. This was also how I was able to get all my semi-clean tones, dirty rhythm tones, and lead tones. I set my main semi-clean tone with the amp alone, used the pedal to push me into my leads and overdrives, then used the guitar's volume to dial in everything in between. For a pedal with only two knobs it is extremely versatile. If you want an absolutely clean tone all you have to do is shut it off, a definite upgrade from the originals. If you think about it the concept of the treble booster is quite old school, it is one of the first devices used to achieve dirty gritty tones. Later pedals like the TS808 would come through for us, then distortion boxes like the DS-1, the Rat, and so on and so on. There are stompboxes that work to shape one particular sound, pedals that do many things, and pedals that can handle a few different areas. One really cool thing about the T Boost is it's ability to hand you different flavors by playing it through different pickups. After running the T Boost through some high gain settings we backed off a bit and played it through a completely clean Fender tone. Once engaged the T Boost added to the crisp, rich, and bright tones of the amp while keeping the lows tight and mids balanced. Through a Strat the sound stayed clean for the most part, dishing out hints hairy goodness. This sound works perfectly for music such as funk, blues, classic rock, and even jazz. I was blown away when I plugged my semi-hollow body and heard those thumpy, deep, and round jazz tones. The quality in the boost really enhances the spank, full frequency, and signature sound of the Stratocaster. Next I threw a clean booster in front of the T Boost, this pushed the pedal into an even richer fuller sound. Stacking it with another Germanium based stompbox really created some interesting and usable sounds. Just like one does with two Tubescreamers, or any other pedal. The more we pushed into the T Boost the meatier the drive got, rock and roll all the way. Next was playing the pedal through "Lady", my custom Tele, humbucker in the neck, single coil bridge, and push/pull Rothwell CLK knob for shaping different tones out if the bucker. When it comes to putting pedals through their paces there is no better guitar for the job than Lady. The T Boost passed with flying colors delivering some fantastic sounding clean, overdrive, and fuzz tones. You can really hear the characteristics of the Germanium transistor go to work, it fills the room with a sound Clapton would be proud of. As I moved up the neck and hit the higher frets I could hear the transistor do it's magic, it cut through the air like samurai blade. I love that Sonic Box stayed true to the vintage treble boosters of our day and at the same time added some much needed improvements. These old faithful little boxes that have made so many hits for us will always have a place in our rigs. As long as rock stays true there will be a need for pedals like the Sonic Box T Boost. Like I always say, "Let'em hear you scream!!!"

For more info on Sonic Box go to www.sonicbox.eu There are a handful of really cool pedals for you to check out there, we are stoked to try them all! Stay tuned for more info on Sonic Box to come in the near future. Oh yeah!!!!

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Got The Blues?... Good.

If you've been on top of your game the last few years you know that Canada has been responsible for delivering some of the coolest and best sounding pedals to be seen in a long time. The last few years has shown some great boutique, one-man, and even big-time gear companies, all coming at you from The True North. One of these awesome pedal companies that I've had the pleasure of getting to know is Goudie FX, a great quality, super service operation run by the hard working and always pleasant Russel Goudie. These are effects pedals that any seasoned and tone conscience player will appreciate. They are extremely well built, tuned for every style of rock, and capable of adding some life to any setup. For those about to rock I say "Get your hands on some of these."

Goudie FX

Blue Daddy

Product Features:

* True Bypass Switching

* 9V DC - Pin 2.1 mm Adapter Jack/Battery Clip

* 5mm Bright Blue LED

* 1% Metal Film Resistors

* Polyester Metal Film Caps

* Socketed IC/ to allow experimentaion

* PCB Securely Mounted Using PEM Standoffs

* Two Year Warranty

When you dig gear as much as I do and tone is something you live and die by there is nothing better than the discovery of a great pedal company. I'm not exactly sure just how long Goudie FX has been in the scene but if I were to go on the sound of their pedals I'd say they've been doing this for quite some time. Their pedals are built extremely well, sound wonderful, and perform on the professional level. The first Goudie design we had the pleasure to run through was the Blue Daddy, a mellow, natural sounding overdrive pedal with the characteristics of mild tube distortion. Goudie FX got the inspiration to build the Blue Daddy from one of the best overdrivers of all time and one of my personal favorites...the original Bluesbreaker. The Bluesbreaker was a pedal that was around in the early 1990's and was known for it's great low to mid overdrive tone. Goudie FX not only improved this pedal but out of it came a design all their own. The Blue Daddy pushes your tone just far enough to create some sweet break-up, that grit we hunt for when we're pushing our favorite tube amps. If I had to throw this pedal into a musical category I'd say it is the perfect pedal for Blues Rock, Classic Rock, and all around Rock Rock Rock. The Blue Daddy is hands down one of the best mild overdrive pedals I have ever come across. The sound is mellow enough to live in the blues sound and just dirty enough to produce some great chunky rhythm/lead tones. Right from the get-go you're able to get a great sounding, solid, usable tone. In just about every position was I able to dial in something I'd be proud to play with. Let's face it not all pedals produce tones that can actually be usable on records, stages, and sessions. I have plugged in many 'o' pedals that sound interesting coming out of an amp, but once you mix them with a band setting or mic them everything goes to hell. This is not so with the Blue Daddy, it's design was aimed at producing some of the most organic drive tones which gives this pedal the ability to be used live and in recording sessions. Some cats dig digital, amp modeled, and overly processed guitar tones, not I. Not that there aren't some great devices out there that are capable of creating some pretty interesting sounds. It's just that when it comes to getting my guitar tones, especially my rhythm overdriven tones I like to use the most natural tube or tube-like sound as possible. One great example of pulling a killer overdrive tone from a pedal is Stevie Ray's double Tubescreamer tone. Something about feeding one TS into another just sounds really freakin great, it hands you a thick and rich overdrive that screams rock and blues. I've never been a huge fan of the TS style stompbox, the midrange pump and throaty sound has never worked for me, use two though and it's a whole different story. The Blue Daddy can get you that killer open, transparent, and well balanced drive tone that some get by stacking drive pedals or get by running clean boosters to drive tube amps. You get an overdrive sound that works perfectly for both chords and lead runs, sounds great for gigging and session work. I noticed that even with the Blue Daddy's three knobs I was able to get a wide range of different sounds. By using different guitar pickups I got some great tones that worked great for layering rhythm guitar tracks. The pedal adapts wonderfully to humbuckers and single alike. My favorite I would have to say was definitely running it through a Stratocaster, I got some spot-on classic rock and blues tones and with a flip of the knobs was able to get some more modern blues/rock sounds. You really bring your Strat pups to life with this pedal especially your neck pickup, which we all know can be a tuff pickup to control and shape. So who is the driving force and creator behind these fantastic pedals? It is no other than the very talented Russell Goudie. Russell really went to town testing and putting this design through it's paces making sure that in the end he was going to deliver a great sounding and performing overdriver. With this pedal he has solved many of the issues that come with vintage ovedrivers, the problems of inconsistency and one-trick pony pedals that come from the past. Every one of his Blue Daddy's will deliver great sound and is capable of producing more than just one usuable sound. These are pedals that work great with many different guitars, situations, and styles of music. Like all the overdrive pedal that come through here I had to run it through my baby, my custom Tele and favorite gigging, recording, and all around guitar. The Blue Daddy more than handled the neck humbucker and custom bridge pickup I had built for it. Even when engaging the Rothwell CLK switch that installed for splitting and manipulating the humbucker did it deliver some killer tones. I was able to get everything from meaty bucker sounds to tight'n'springy Strat drive, and rich'n'full P90 grit to light country rock twang dirt. Try that with an old TS808, not gonna happen. I've officially labeled the Blue Daddy the TS Killer, something you have to experience for yourself, you will absolutely love it. I also did run a clean booster in front of this pedal to see how well it handled some more power. Some pedals can tend to loose their character, tones fall apart, and eq becomes all out of wack when boosters are thrown into the mix. Not here my friends, again the Blue Daddy stood it's ground and did what I expected it would do. I can only imagine what stacking two of these badboys would sound like, maybe I can get Russell to shoot another one down...hehehehe. Seasoned players and tone freaks alike will love this pedal. You cats that love to keep it close to the tube arena will dig it, and anyone for a true love of tone will appreciate it. This is one of those pedals that let's your hands do all the talking, that really brings out the style you've worked so hard to get, and tone that loves in your bones.

For more info on Goudie FX you can go to www.goudiefx.com Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for more info on these killer pedals. We are super stoked to have discovered Goudie FX and can't wait to report back with more of their awesome designs.

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Fuzz Week/Part #2: Faceplant Fuzz

-Analog War Cry-

presents

Fuzz Week
A collection of unique and superb fuzz boxes
part#2

Our next find was another that came from left field and a pedal that just blew us away when we got around to plugging into it. You ever come across a stompbox you just know is going to sound amazing before you plug it in? The Deaf Audio Faceplant Fuzz is one of these pedals.

#2.
Deaf Audio
Hamer, Norway
Builder/Designer: Magnus Nordbye
Years in the Game: 4
Pedal: Faceplant Fuzz

* Handcrafted in Norway
* Built high quality components
* Works great w/both guitar and bass
* Internal Gain/Fuzz trimpot
* Fuzz for those who dig Overdrive

From East Norway we bring you the tasty and ruggedly stunning Faceplant Fuzz. This here is one of those pedals one cannot help but fall in love with, it is simple, sounds great in all settings, and looks killer. The Faceplant Fuzz comes from the wonderful one-man operation known as Deaf Audio. The master mind behind this operation? Magnus Nordbye, a talented and passionate tone hound with a love for building high quality, classic sounding pedals. The Faceplant is a simple pedal rocking only two knobs, one for Level, and one for Gain. Together these controls mesh to whip up a special blend of overdrive and fuzz. But there's a hidden third tone shaping weapon living in the guts of this pedal. A small trimpot inside this pedal controls the Fuzz/Gain, increase the voltage for cleaner tones and roll it back for dirty dirty goodness. Being able to roam in both the drive and fuzz arenas gives this pedal the ability live in it's own special class of fuzz sounds. Like all great stompboxes this pedal too has a sweetspot, and you find it you'll never want to change the settings, it is that good! I was able to find it at with the trimpot at about 40%, the gain just past noon, level set to match my amp, and my guitar's tone knob rolled back half way. The outcome is a wonderful gritty'n'smooth fuzz tone with a taste of overdrive spank, absolute heaven. Played with a single coil guitar through an amp set completely clean gives you some of the best blues rock tones you will ever hear. Just set your lead tone with the pedal's gain knob and internal internal tripot, then roll back your guitar's volume and watch it lay back into a perfect rhythm tone. Because this pedal carries the overdrive gene it is possible for the fuzz to stay transparent and defined. Even when set at high levels your chords stay intact and clearly heard. The Faceplant Fuzz lets your pickup's voice shine through without getting too harsh and lost in too much effect. I think this is what Magnus had in mind when he designed the Faceplant, a wide range fuzz box with the characteristics of a great sounding overdrive pedal. Just genius if you ask me. And this is only the lighter side of this baby, it can also most definitely spark up some mean sounding fuzz madness. We wanted to see how the pedal would react with all it's controls set at 100% through the Strat. I through in a booster in from of it just to make things a little crazy. The outcome? Hendrix city all the way. A ton of great sounding controllable sustain, like a screaming banshee flying out of my amp. We were getting such awesome tones with just the single coil guitar that we almost forgot to demo it through the Les Paul and double humbucker Hagstrom. Like most fuzz pedals when played through humbuckers the sound gets fatter and richer. This is true of the Faceplant only it was also able to retail it's top-end and harmonic clarity. At low fuzz settings you get a nice chunk of spanky fuzz at the beginning of each chord and lick, the more you dig in the more dramatic the fizzle and sputter is in front of your playing. This is great for you cats who like to play with lots of accents in your playing, where the fuzz hangs on just long enough for the next chord to be heard. I noticed how responsive the gain knob really was when I got to more extreme fuzz settings. I had to plug it in to a bass to see just how well it would do with low tones. Some fuzz pedals fall apart, sound dull, farty, and lose all definition when played through bass guitars. Something in the way Magnus set up the overall tone of this makes it so that it handles a wide range of tones. We got some really cool Queens of the Stone Age bass tones with this pedal. But the real treat, the absolutely real special thing about this pedal, that maybe Magnus himself doesn't realize... Is how perfect this pedal is for slide guitar and lap steel. I consider myself a decent slide player, and my partner can dish up some pretty tasty lap steel work. It makes this pedal something special and something all you slide players and lap steel cats must have. Finally there's the insanely cool artwork that these pedals are blessed with. I have no idea how Magnus does this or if this is something he came up with himself. Nontheless they look freakin awesome. You ever see a pedal you just know is going to sound amazing before you even play it? This is it my friends, the Deaf Audio Faceplant Fuzz. The last thing I can say about this pedal is that I was honored to have come across it and proud to have it in my arsenal of tone shaping weapons.

For more info on Deaf Audio you can go to www.deafaudio.com Look for more info on Deaf Audio pedals to come in the near future. If you keep on rockin you might as well keep on rollin.

Deep Trip Land/Lessons in Fuzz Part 1

DEEP TRIP

Kryptone

Let the gates of hell and heaven be awakened, let it all come crashing down. Imagine what would rain down, imagine the sound. A sea of galloping, rumbling tone, shaking the earth with a growl so lovely it could only be harnessed and used in music. When I came upon Deep Trip Land I knew I was amongst my kind, my breed of human being. All the favorites of yesteryear came screaming out of this little green box and my mind was boggled beyond belief. Once again we are within reach of a sound so pure and flooded with classic rock blood that we have no choice but to play... play Rock and Roll. Tell me, does this sound like you?

*Power Consume: 10mA

*Swiftcraft Jacks

*Alpha Potentiometers

*External Battery Drawer

*Regular 9v Negative Center DC Jack Operation

*NOS Germanium Transistors

(CONTROLS)

*Volume Knob: Controls overall output

*Mood Knob: External bias control for one of the Ge Transistors

*Fuzz Knob: Controls dirt, texture, etc... The more the better!

*Mode Toggle: Adds in a high impedance cell in front of circuit. For brilliant, defined sounds, and use with wah wah pedals.

*Voice Toggle: Filter out bass frequencies and decrease overall gain. Treble Boost/Classic Fuzz/& Extra Bass settings.

Every once and a while, as musicians, we come across a piece of equipment that really shakes our bones, speaks to our souls, and pushes us to want drive the song writing machine to the fullest. These tools become keys to the doors of our creativity and unlock the moments where our most memorable writings are born. We become overdriven with madness and unstoppable playing ability. I would imagine Hendrix when he first heard the Fuzz Face might have experienced moments like these. This is what the Deep Trip Kryptone has been able to do for me the last few months, I have been struck with an inspiration so large I can hardly contain the number of tunes that have been pouring out (I might just have to dedicate an album to it). There is a definite signature tone that comes from the Kryptone, it is one of those tones that brings a flood of killer songs, flashbacks, and sighs of tonal relief. For someone who breathes and lives music this pedal can open up an entire symphony guitar sounds, knowing how to manipulate these simple boxes is where the magic lies. Being in my early thirties I missed the birth of the fuzz, that first run of fuzz boxes that all my idols played, and with all the hype that surrounds these wonderful pedals it hasn't been easy to purchase one. Thank god for the cats at Deep Trip. The origins of the Kryptone's circuit was spawned from the classic Vox Tonebender, not a bad place to start if you ask me, and like the Tonebender the Kryptone also dishes out a wall of rich, thick harmonics, impressionable EQ balance, and unmistakable classic rock voicing's. There are also treble booster characteristics which work great with chords and licks, throw a little overdrive in front of this pedal and you have just about every stage of distortion you could ever want. It's layout of controls all work very well together and don't over do it even at their highest settings, keeping it more of a traditional fuzz as opposed to the handful of freakwild fuzz boxes that are flooding the scene right now. The Volume knob controls it's overall output which can also on it's own drive your amp into gritty overdrive and grit tones. The Mood knob is an external bias control for one of the germanium transistors, a very very cool option. Just past noon (at around 1:00) is where the Mood knob does it's heaviest howling, it is in this setting that the 60's and 70's come rolling in. Roll it back to starve it of power and roll it up for a sharper cutthroat sound, every way around this control delivers class A velvet tones. The Fuzz knob controls the level of the effect, you will notice that for a fuzz pedal even at full blast it stays clear, the highs crisp, and the mids focused. The Mode toggle switches in a high impedance cell in front of it's fuzz circuit. This adds for a glassier sound, quicker response, and makes the Kryptone wah wah friendly. The Voice toggle switches between treble booster settings, vintage rock fuzz tones, and fat'n'chunky goodness, great for matching up with different amps, guitars, and instruments. Then there's the artwork (which I can honestly call a work of art) which is unlike any other I have seen on a pedal, it gives off a psycedelic/classic rock/acid vibe. A large LED at the front of the pedal shines green and adds to the mystery of it's capabilities, not a pedal that will bore, not a pedal you will throw away and store. It runs on the standard 9v power adapter or 9v battery, a handy battery compartment makes it easy to swap out old batteries. While I'm on batteries I have to mention something else very unique about this pedal. We all know how killer old batteries can sound, they give off those fluttery, burpy fuzz tones that sound great when blasted all the way. With the Mood knob you can dial in these tones and then some. I've been using the Kryptone with a slapback analog delay, hint of compression, and wah wah pedal. Controlling the volume knob on my guitar makes it possible to move in between rhythm and leads. I tested the Kryptone through a Tele, Les Paul, Mosrite, and Hagstrom, the pedal adapted easily to all four guitars all gave out four different usable tones. A great box to drag out to the studio. I would have to label the Kryptone a genuine classic rock pedal and a fuzbox destined for timeless fame. When Ed at Deep Trip Land described the Kryptone he said it was their "most sensitive pedal in terms of picking nuances and guitar volume/tone technique." I can only imagine what else they have in store. This only the beginning my fellow pedal junkies, oh yes there will be more, and like you I myself am very curious to hear where the next pedal will take us.


For more info on Deep Trip effects go to http://www.deeptripland.com/en/
You can also click the Deep Trip logo for direct access to the website. Look for more Deep Trip pedals on future Analog War Cry posts.