Real Tube Goodness

ROD 880

Real Overdrive

Controls & Features

• Powered by Hand Selected 12AY7EH Preamp Tube
• Based on the TK999 Tube King
• Switchable Noise Reduction Circuit w/Variable Threshold Control
• Standard 9VDC Power Adapter
• Heavy Duty Enclosure
• Extremely Wide Range of Overdrive Tones

• Bass: Controls boom and thump
• Gain: Controls gain level
• Mid-Boost: Controls punch and kick
• Treble: Controls sparkle and brightness
• Master: Controls effected output volume

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To this this day I have never seen a Maxon effect pedal that didn't impress me in one way or another. And I have had experience with just about every type of Maxon pedal there is, from the vintage to the most modern. What's been impressive is that throughout all this time Maxon has always kept up to date on the gear scene, providing us with some of the most superb sounding effects a box can carry. A few months back I discovered and got to try the Maxon Real Tube Series, and again was blown away beyond belief. These pedals are built like tanks, sound like amps, and play like a dream. With the ROD-880 Real Overdrive I was able to dial in everything from classic Tubescreamer tones to some of the most insane snarling rock god lead sounds. The ROD-880 played off my pick attack and pickups just like a top notch tube amp, and gave me the same type of vibe and feel. The amount of flexibility this pedal owns should be against the law.

I first rocked and rolled the ROD-880 with a 15 watt amp and 1x12 cabinet. The guitar was a single Junior copy equipped with a single Lollar P90. I rolled up the amp to a subtle light crunch with the tone at noon and bright switch off. The P90 pickup spit out a tight punchy tone that sounded great for chord work. I set the ROD-880 with it's eq stack also at noon, gain at about 15%, and master unity to the amplifiers. The noise reduction circuit I kept off for now. With the pedal engaged I was able to take my tone just a little further, perfect for playing into a chorus and giving the overall sound a bit more life. I could hear and feel my notes hanging on a bit longer which was really nice for cutting through a mix. I also noticed a nice boost in my harmonics, which gave me more room and more grit to play with. By adding just a bit more of the pedal's mid-boost and lows I was able to get even more overdrive. Just like a sweet sounding tube amp. I then rocked the ROD-880's gain control up to about 30%, with the eq stack just past noon, and master control a bit louder to help push the amp even more. The combo of the tube amp's tone and pedal's preamp tube section worked together like a dream. The amp's tone already sounded pretty damn good on it's own. But with the pedal in it's path things became epic sounding. The medium crunch tone I was getting from the ROD-880 was great for all around work and all types of music. I played blues, classic rock, hard rock, alternative, and punk. Each and every style sounded killer! Next I took the amp to it's fullest, left the pedal as is, and let things fly. Here I got something really interesting. With the amp's tubes cooking it's full 15 watts and ROD-880 beautifully pushing it overboard. I was able to get these magnificent distortion/fuzz tones. Behind every chord and lick I played was a sizzling fuzzy tonal character that created a wild and creative dirt tone. A little analog delay thrown onto this tone and I was in solo champion arena. This motivated me to break out something with more power, something louder, and beastlier. My mind was on a 100 watt Marshall, but before going there I plugged into my modified 4x10 Deville and set is loud'n'clean. I wanted to hear just what kind of a tone I would get by playing through a completely squeaky clean guitar sound. In case ya'll don't know, my Deville sports four 100 watt 10"s speakers, two being Jensen Blackbirds, the other two Jensen Tornados. I am able to get all the clean headroom I want with these badboys, which lets me dial in the most precise clean tones at any volume level I wish. I started at around 3, with tone controls at noon, reverb at 2-3, and presence rolled off. The ROD-880 I had set with it's Mid-boost and Bass at 2'o'clock, Treble at 11'o'clock, gain at 50%, and master volume just a hint louder than unity. The result was mind blowing! The pedal kicked out a spot-on vintage tube amp crunch tone that had me grinning from ear to ear. The pedal's grit responded just like a tube amp, felt like a tube amp, and sung beautifully just like a tube amp. Rolling off the guitar's volume knob got me mellower tones which let me dial in multiple sounds on the fly. I also plugged in my buddy's Les Paul which also sounded quite nice through the pedal. The character in the sustain and overdrive's smoothness adapted perfectly to the guitar's thick'n'meaty humbucking pickups. Last I broke out the Super Lead, set it hot, and stacked the ROD-880 right up against it. I also wanted to hear what a clean booster in front of the pedal would sounded like so I also broke out my Xotic EP Booster. First I ran the 880 through Super Lead's crunchy sound. Instantly I got epic classic and heavy rock rhythm tones. The harmonic content, richness, and tonal quality all stood out beautifully. My chords were all balanced with every note coming off with killer clarity. I then stomped on the clean booster and watched the tone go from powerful rhythm, to powerful lead. I swam through a bunch of different licks and riffs and got nothing but grade A crunch and sustain. I also really dug how the pedal broke up the overdrive and created usable awesome sounding feedback. Really it was incredible just how much more size the ROD-880 was able to add the Super Lead. With a lot of these so called "tube pedals", you find out they get in the way more than they do good. This pedal worked with every sound I blended it with, and played off of my playing and dynamics. This is a pedal that sits in the "Last overdriver you will ever need" class. The possibilities are endless when you have a dirt pedal that can adapt to any amp, guitar, and pickup. Right before putting the ROD-880 away that first day I had it I decided to plug it into my Fender solid state amp. With a little eq adjustment and tailoring of the pedal I was able to get some damn impressive guitar tones. Now, what does that tell you? Get yours!!!

For more info on Maxon Pedals you can go to either www.maxonfx.com or www.godlyke.com There you will find tons more info on all of the Maxon lines. Make sure and stay tuned for more from these cats. Like us, we're sure you also can't get enough of these pedals. We will be back with more killer features shortly.

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Your Guitar Tone at the Speed of Light

To me there are a few pedal companies that will never seize to amaze me, Maxon being one of them. I can look back at some of the first Maxon pedals I ever had and remember them being stunning little devices. The art of the stompbox is something that the people at Maxon have down to a science. We're talking pro quality tone, flawless builds, and a never ending trail of designs. In the last couple years I myself have had a chance to use and travel with a handful of Maxon pedals and all of them have been right on the money to say the least. When the VJR-9 landed on my doorstep one thing came to mind, "Oh my God!!!!" I've played some pretty pedals in my time but WOW!!! Music these days has finally beginning to take a turn for the best. People are experimenting more and letting their creative ticks shine out big and bright. If you are one of these sound hawks who is on the constant hunt for new and exciting soundscapes you will love this pedal. No really, you will LOVE this pedal.

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Vintage Jet Riser
VJR-9

* VJR-9 based off of the legendary 70's Jetlyzer JL-70
* Employs newly developed Jet sound generator
* Capable of wide range of effects. From subtle chorusing/tremolo to heavy jet effects
* Employs DC to DC converter circuit & internal voltage stabilization circuit
* High performance NR provides high dynamic range with low noise
* Works great in amplifier effect loop
* True Bypass Switching
* Easy access no-tools battery compartment
* AC2009 power adapter can be used worldwide from 100VAC to 240VAC by auto voltage sensing. Great for touring musicians.

CONTROLS

* External footswitch jack: Switches Jet sound On and Off (latching or momentary)
* Range: Controls tone range/Jet sound
* Jet: Controls volume/Jet sound generator
* Sensitivity: Controls Jet sound amount
* Speed: Controls modulation speed
* Width: Controls modulation depth
* Footswitch: Effect/Bypass

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Let's get straight into it shall we? It is no secret where the idea for the Maxon Vintage Jet phaser came from. If you've been around for a while or have a love for pedals (like many here do) you have probably heard of the old school Ibanez Flying Pan, Ibanez Jetlyzer, or Roland Jet Phaser. These are all pedals that were ahead of their time with their unique sounds and unmistakable capabilities. As far as stompboxes go there weren't many that could stack up with what these pedals were capable of. Try finding one of these pedals in perfect working condition or at a reasonable price these days and you'll find yourself on a road to impossible. This is where the mighty Vintage Jet Riser steps up to the plate. Maxon has not only created a pedal capable of pulling off what the classics were capable of they have also gone the extra mile to give us a pedal capable of lots more. The VJR-9 is very easy to dial in, sounds fantastic, and is a perfect fit for both studio and live situations. The reason the VJR-9's success is it's state of the art sound generator, voltage controlled amplifier, and voltage controlled filter which give the pedal it's more realistic jet effect and give it it's wide range of effect possibilities. Toss in top quality parts and components, then take these features and blend them in with Maxon's MC4107D bucket brigade analog flanger circuit and you have one off-the-wall, splendid sounding effect unit. The VJR-9's layout consists of Input and Output jacks, an external footswitch jack, Range knob, Jet knob, Sensitivity knob, Speed knob, Width knob, bypass switch, LED indicator, and DC input. The Vintage Jet Riser also ships with it's own power supply for the ultimate performance. I was able to work the VJR-9 with not only guitars but also with many more stringed instruments and keyboards. The sky's the limit with this baby!

I can honestly say I took the Vintage Jet Riser and pushed it to it's furthest/farthest capabilities. Straight from the box before I even plugged into this box I was impressed beyond belief. Maxon's build quality is one that is seriously second to none. You can take these pedals and toss them off your roof without the fear of them falling apart. I've had many many 9 Series Maxon pedals on my pedalboard and I will say all of them look and function just as great as they did the day they landed in my setup. I first dialed in some clean'n'crisp guitar tones to hear the pure uncut effect of the stompbox. My Tele and Deville were the perfect combo for this. I set the VJR-9 through my amp's effect loop and got to work. The first sound I was able to get from the pedal was a lush, smooth, and sweet chorusing sound. I wanted to see how many sounds I could get before switching on the Jet effect. The quality of the pedal's sound, especially through the amp's effect loop sounded brilliant and very defined. The sweep was mellow but quite present, letting the chorus sound fall and rise with organic analog goodness. I was also able to get some pretty cool sounding tremolo effects by positioning the controls in just the right settings. I found the VJR-9's Speed control to have a really wide range of possibilities. Depending on where I'd set the Sensitivity the tremolo sounds came off either choppy and strong or mellow and fluttery. By dialing in a blend of the pedal's chorus and tremolo sounds I was also able to get these great sounding vintage vibe effects. The pedal's bucket brigade circuitry really gave off some warm pulsating effects. I soon found myself in Robin Trower and Hendrix territory by tossing in a thick'n'creamy overdrive or fuzz pedal in front of the VJR-9. Even with wild and unpredictable fuzz tones I found the combination of both pedals to produce very low to no noise. If ever you've used vintage flanger, chorus, or vibe units with harsh sounding drive you know the noise that can come along with it all. This pedal was having none of that! The VJR-9 blended in beautifully with everything I threw at it and sounded great with both clean and dirty amp settings. Now for the wild and crazy tones this pedal is known for. I will say that having a footswitch thrown into the mix makes all the difference in the world and gives you much more options when gigging or just playing in general. I used both momentary and latching type footswitches with the VJR-9. My AC15 style amp pushed to a natural grit was the perfect tone for getting things started. I dialed the pedal into a slow climbing Jet effect and let the amp's drive create the extra growl and aggression needed to make everything much more extreme. With the latching switch I was able to from classic sounding flanging effects to futuristic plains. The Vintage Jet Riser also worked great with a bit of and a lot of delay thrown into the mix. I almost don't want to share this but I will anyhow. I'm big on volume swell tricks and am always looking for new and exciting ways to create different sounds. The VJR-9 was able to give me one of the most exciting volume swells effects I have ever heard come from my amplifier. The formula was a sopping thick helping of the pedal's Jet effect with a hint of flange in the mix, next a good healthy helping of my analog delay pedal set to a slow long setting, then last I rolled up some of my amp's reverb to mesh everything together into a blanket of trippy swishes and swooshes. The ultimate though was setting this pedal to big epic Jet effect with some thick sounding fuzz, a hint of analog delay, and a momentary footswitch for clicking the sound in and out. For those of us who dig the art of sound play this is one awesome freaking pedal. The trick really is to use the Jet effect in small amounts and in te right places. I dig giving my listeners little doses of weird and wild guitar sounds. This pedal sounded great through clean and dirty tones, heavy and soft settings, and with just about every effect I threw at it. This made the Vintage Jet Riser one of the most versatile pedals I have ever used and one of the most fun. The strange, psychedelic, and futuristic phase tones that this pedal produced are only the beginning of what it possible. Some of the most desirable sounds were the warm vintage type effects that I was able to get. The thing with vintage units is that they're just too damn precious, too damn delicate, and not suitable for live applications. And the thing is that not all classic pedals sound good. I've played all of the vintage units mentioned above and when it comes to tone quality, tone range, and effect features the VJR-9 blows them all away. I'm not one that puts vintage gear ahead of modern gear just for the sake of doing so. For me there are three things that are a must when it comes to pedal play. #1. A pedal must be user friendly, which means I have to be able to get what I want from it without having to study a 30 page manual. #2. It must have great quality sound, and work with my root tones and not against them. Then there's #3. It's gotta work with me in both the studio and the stage. The Vintage Jet Riser proved to hold it's own in all of these applications while able to surprise me on more than one occasion. For me it is these type of pedals that are the most desirable. I want to have tone tools that will help me expand my tonal possibilities. You tone freaks will love this pedal and love it like no other. Get out there and grab one before they discontinue this baby. I easily see the Maxon VJR-9 becoming one of our timeless, collectible classics.

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For more info on Maxon pedals click either the link in our sidebar or the Godlyke Dist. link below. Be one the look out for more pedal features from this awesome company. We will be looking at more from the famous 9 Series and much much more. Stay tunes my friend's.

Some of Maxon's finest

For those of your who haven't had a chance to go out and try some of Maxon's new 9 Series let me just say this...quality and class all the way baby. To be quite honest, I haven't heard any difference between the vintage runs of these pedals and the new. The build quality is immaculate, and with a matching tone to go with this you have some of the top dogs of stompbox world.



CP9-Pro+ Compressor
This comp most definitely falls into that elite category of "last comps you will ever need." Whether you use this puppy in the studio or on the stage, it will deliver some of the most professional quality compression anyone could ask for. The CP9-Pro+'s circuit is based a low-noise DBX compression technology that is used in some of the worlds best high-end pro audio products, hence the name Pro+. I won't get into the circuitry and insides of this pedal, all I can say is it's guts do one hell of a job providing some of the tastiest compression I have ever heard. There's one thing you always hear when it comes to comp pedals...there are either the subtle kind, or the squashy kind. This little honey does both and does them well. Lay back on the controls and you get the perfect amount of compression perfect for always leaving on. A hint from this pedal goes a long way. We did some acoustic guitar and some lap steel tracks in the studio a few months back that never sounded so good. The picking dynamics and bit of extra ringing from the notes provided us with the perfect sound for mastering and mixing. This is where this pedal is seperated from some others, it works amazingly as a professional studio tool. Compression was once the one effect I didn't understand and knew very little of. If you fall into that category of player that really doesn't know what comp is used for or how it works the CP9-Pro+ is the perfect pedal for walking you through the many sounds that are possible when plugged into the right comp box. Now my favorite way for using compression...as a sustainer. Some years back I had recorded a session with a producer/engineer who gave my guitar this insanely cool sound. It was a mixier of fuzz, reverb, compression, and delay. I ended up calling that sound my "Screaming Banshee" tone. For years I couldn't get that tone onto the stage, I got close many times but never really exact. The sound was a combination of the notes being squashed, streched, and opened. Pure psychedelic heaven, if you know me you know I love classic psych rock. There are only a few compressors in pedal form that have ever given me my Banshee tone, this being one of them, and the one that probably does it the best. Welcome to compression 101 kids.



CS-9 Pro Chorus
There is the right kind of chorus and there is the god awful, corny sounding, please turn that off chorus. This here being one of the right kind. I've always seen the chorus effect as the introductory effect to the beginning player. It is one of those effects that many times comes with an amp, and that there are hundreds and hundreds of pedals of. Again, like it's brother above the build quality is like no other and it has the engine and guts to match. The cats at Maxon really deserve a lot of credit, I say this cause once the pedal boom hit they could have gone about things like many pedal companies did, in the wrong direction. Not only have they kept the sweet'n'organic sound of an old favorite, but with this new CS-9 Pro Chorus they have gone the extra mile to give us more of what has worked for so long. That's pretty much all they did when they rebuilt this pedal. It is still capable of delivering those mellow, space traveling, dreamy, liquid-like tones. Can still add that hint of effect that beefs up your tone and does well to make itself almost unnoticeable. Only now the quality of this effect is so much more sweeter. Like in the past they kept it true to that bucket brigade technology, that unmistakeable sound that has worked for so long. You'll find out of this pedal those old school pulsating chorus sounds that killer vintage amps once produced. Like any grat chorus pedal the CS-9 Pro Chorus can also imitate an authentic, lush sounding rotary speaker effect. This is where I found this pedal to really shine and stand out from so many. Whether plugged into a guitar, keyboard, or lap steel it just sounds freakin great! And that's not all. There is one more sercret weapon within this badboy. It's Delay Time control. I'll let the good folks at Maxon explain this one. "The Delay Time control exhibits an inverse relation between the delay time and the frequency shift of the chorus - as the delay time increases, the frequency that is shifted decreases. This inverse relation creates "double level" and "cancellation" peaks and notches at particular frequency points to create an amazingly realistic, three-dimensional chorus effect. In addition, the Delay Time control is interactive with the Rate and Depth controls, so that if you increase the Depth, the Delay Time range increases, and if you increase the Speed, the Delay Time changes faster." How cool is that?! Not much more needs to be said here.



For more info on Maxon products go to www.maxonfx.com or www.godlyke.com You can also click the Godlyke logo in our links. Look for more killer pedals from Maxon to come soon.

Maxon...keeping it real since way back when.

There isn't one stompbox junkie out there who has not heard of Maxon's effects pedals. What they've done for the music scene with their killer effects and builds has held tight since first they peaked their head in the early 70's. Many of you might not know it but Maxon actually started out as a guitar pickup manufacturer, soon after they dove into the world of guitar pedals and the rest is history. The well known all mighty Ibanez line has also been manufacturered under the Maxon name, including the super popular Ibanez 9 series, where the Tubescreamer was born from. Maxon has definitely paid their dues and then some, having released some rare builds which have proven hard to find in these times of pedal madness. Today Maxon continues their quest to build an intelligent line of effects pedals, and if I may say so they're doing it better than ever. The last few years has seen the comeback of some of their classics which include their Vintage Series, Reissue Series, and Nine Series. The builds are top notch, heavy heavy duty, and road worthy to the max. There are a handful of mainstream companies that have impressed me in the last few years and Maxon is most definitely one of them. Imagining one of their boxes dying out is as close to impossible as I gets, get your hands one some and feel, hear, and see for yourselves.

AD-999 Pro Analog Delay

Delay Time: 80-900 milliseconds
In/Out: input, output, dry output
Input Impedance: 500K Ohms
Output Impedance: 10K Ohms or less
Residual Noise: -100db (IHF-A)

CONTROLS/
Delay Time Knob
Feedback Knob
Delay Level Knob
Multi-Delay mini Switches: 3/8, 4/8, 5/8
On/Off True Bypass Switch

When I first heard of this pedal I thought it had to be too good to be true, there had to be some catch or fault to this pedal. When the AD -999 Pro arrived I went ahead and put it through it's paces, flipping every switch, turning every knob, and trying every setting combo I could think of. The result? Hands down the most versatile analog delay pedal I have ever come across. Both sound and build screams quality and class, if you're looking for the last analog delay you'll ever need you've found it. What is it we look for in a good delay pedal? Is it warm tone, is it clarity? The list can go on forever, the AD-999 Pro takes care of just about every need you'll ever look for in a good sounding vintage delay pedal. Insanely warm yet clear tone, wide delay range, user friendly control layout, and some tricks you may not of come across. It's build like all of Maxon's pedals is of the highest level, I've said it before and I'll sday it again, I'd find it extremely hard to damage one of these puppies. The three traditional controls of Delay Time/Feedback/and Delay Level all respond to the most minimal of changes which make it a simple delay pedal to navigate. The heart of this pedal and the reason it's sound is so addictive is it's four custom made Maxon MC4107D bucket brigade IC's, which deliver up to 900 milliseconds of the sweet, velvety, and lush delay...absolute ear candy. We all know how much fun a killer analog delay can be, tweaking the knobs in and out to create a circus of time-warped tones. The AD-999 Pro will never bore, use different combos of it's three multi-delay switches to dial in a ton of freaky but useful delay patterns, or use it straight up for more traditional applications. Picking out chords never sounded so beautiful, yeah that's right I said "beautiful". The pedal's effect really shines through where many of today's delay pedals fail, there are so many gimmick and conjob delays boxes out there promising this that and the other thing whiole in reality they hand you more knobs and switches than you know what to do with, try dialing in a useful tone with them puppies. Don't me wrong, I am a huge fan if expeimental music, tones, and sounds, in the end if something doesn't help produce music then it only keeping me away from it. You gotta admit there are a lot of noise boxes out there at the moment, some useful, many not. You'll never have to worry about the delays getting overly noisy, like the AD-9 Pro the AD-999 Pro also sports the RMS level sensor and noise reduction circuitry. Some delays can swamp out your tone, take over, and leave your music in the dust, not a problem here kids. Another way this pedal works great in is through your effects loop, it's dynamic range can adapt to any input level leaving you with nothing but gold baby. How many of you have tried this with other delays only to come across piercing tones and unwanted distortion? Lord knows I have. The ability to have the option to use the pedal through your effects loop cuts down the umber of effects running in your chain which saves you much needed quality tone. Speaking of tone, I had taken the AD-999 Pro out to the studio to see if there were some fuzz pedals I could match it up with (I like to cut the delay really short to get a killer ghostly effect), I was super stoked to discover the delay tones blended in just where they were needed. The fuzz stays strong and upfront while the delays tailor off right behind each guitar lick, kind of like the Dead Meadow and Black Keys fuzz tones. I am happy to say that I have found a wonderful use for this pedal and it will be making some appearances on my band's records and live gigs...come to think of it I believe I will give it a permanent home on my pedalboard.

Look out for more Maxon effects pedals in later posts. Analog War Cry will also be demoing the AD-999 Pro and many others in up-coming podcasts and videos. For more info on Maxon products click on the banner above, the Maxon logo in our links, or visit www.maxonfx.com