The Stratocaster

Leo Fender changed the face of modern music in 1950 (arguably sooner) when he produced the instrument we now know as the Telecaster. Also in 1950, Leo Fender sought to outdo even his first accomplishment, he set out to create the perfect instrument. By many's opinion, he succeeded. That effort yielded none other than the Stratocaster.

   Fender's first success was the Telecaster. The Telecaster, among other things (like being great), was unrefined. By some accounts, the Telecaster is a slab of wood with the right parts to make a guitar. On some level that account is correct. If that is the case then the Telecaster is the roadster and the Stratocaster plays the role of the high powered luxury super-car. To take a look at the stats, the Strat walks away with a win. Three single-coil pickups, two tone knobs, double cut-away design, recessed input jack, and a shape more than a little reminiscent of the Stradivarius violins make it a master piece. If the Telecaster was proof of concept then the Stratocaster was Leo Fenders signature piece.

The Stratocaster has seen several innovations. The very first additions had a three-way switch that only let you select one pickup at a time. Many players would stick the selector between the first and second position to select the first and second pickups. This trend actually caused the now standard five-way selector to be added. The shape of the Stratocaster is as close to perfect one could image a guitar being. The curves and bevels hug one's body. The weight and balance do delicate dance, being heavy enough to feel substantial but balanced so that the weight sits on the players shoulders.

Leo Fender knew what made a instrument great, three single-coil pickups. Many people love the sound made by humbucker pickups (myself included). These pickups combined high output with noise cancelling, reverse wound coils. In a time were the popular music would mellow and jazz and classical influenced, Leo Fender knew that musicians of the time need presence and clarity to standout from the musical mix. If the sound of the single-coil was too sharp, then the player could adjust either of the tone knobs to cut some of the high-frequencies from the guitar's single, or by adding the second pickup to imitate the sound of a humbucker. So Leo Fender made a guitar feels good, sounds good, and looks good. Perhaps that is why many of the greatest guitarist have chosen to associate themselves with this particular instrument.

Notable Players Include:

Eric Clapton
Buddy Guy
Jimi Hendrix
Buddy Holly
Yngwie J. Malmsteen
John Mayer
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Pete Townshend

Such a great design has inspired countless imitators, in fact my first electric guitar was a copy of a statocaster. I can't say that I favor the Stratocaster. I am a Telecaster player, but I do appreciate the accomplishment made by the greatest innovator of the greatest instrument in the world.  

Boss BD-2 Blues Drive Mod

So I've been talking a lot about Boss pedal mods lately... there is a reason. Its because I've done a lot of them recently. I really enjoy messing around inside those little boxes and seeing what I can get out of them. It really is a lot of.... fun? Anyhow, Moute Allum has gotten me in a lot of trouble lately. He is putting out a lot of great stuff that I just have to have. I've posted a lot about OD pedals, like here and here, so you know I like a good dirt box. So when I finally got around to actually buy a Boss Blues Driver it was only a matter of deciding what I was going to do to it. I went with Moute again. I chose the H20 mod because it seems to offer what I would like in my little blue box. I took my time with the mod. I thought that this was going to really wow me like the GE-7 I had done before this one. Here is where the pattern breaks. I was able to side-by-side test this pedal with an unmodded twin and the differences were so slight that at times I was unable to identify which was the modded pedal. Now this was far from scientific. I ran both pedal in series so they had to pass through each others buffers, but as far as the great difference/improvements I have had in the past, there was no one thing I could point to and say was much better. Maybe some further testing is in order...

Here is what Mounte has to say:

Boss BD-H20 DIY Pedal Mod Kits - When searching for a name to call this mod I chose H2O because it's the symbol for water. Water can be clear or transparent and it can be light or heavy. This mod transforms the BD-2 into an almost completely transparent pedal letting the true character of your guitar, pickups and amp shine through. Not only is it almost completely transparent, it's also extremely Dynamic. As you turn the Gain knob up on the pedal you can control the amount of gain using the volume control on your guitar. The BD-H2O will react exactly like a tube driven amp. The shriek highs and splaty gain of the stock BD-2 are completely removed. Compared to our regular BD-2 mod this mod has a much flatter EQ.

My regular BD-2 Mod has a slight mid boost and a little less gain than the BD-H2O Mod. Both mods remove the shriek highs and splaty gain of the stock BD-2. The splaty gain of the stock BD-2 is a common gripe I hear about others that offer mods for this pedal. We have removed this issue with this pedal. We also include a Super Bright 3mm White Clear LED. We also modify a resistor to increase the brightness of the LED X3. You can use the LED as a flashlight on stage after the mod, it is that bright, almost blinding. I will boldly state that this is undoubtedly the best mod on the planet for a BD-2. And the really cool part is we won't break the bank with the price of our mods. We offer top quality parts and expert craftsmanship at very reasonable prices.

Visual Sounds VS-XO Dual Overdrive Update.

A little while ago I posted about the new pedal being released from Visual Sound. This is the pedal that has so many of us waiting in uncontrollable fits. Now I've learned that the powers that be have postponed the release of this pedal even longer! I once had hope that it would be released by mid-October. That date has come and gone. Visual Sound had given themselves a window of mid to late October, but recent rereading of their official article on their website reveals they have pushed the date back to mid-November. I've seen some independent music retail website have the pedal for sale for as much as $400. I am very skeptical of these listings and anyone else should be as well. They may be trying to capitalize off the buzz made by the all the pedal-hype and selling the hope to get the pedal (but really pre-selling) the pedal for much more than the actually retail price... Shady stuff...

Still can't wait to actually get one of these pedals to try-out. Once again, if anyone out there has one and would like to send it to me so I can give it a review, then feel free to let me know.

Boss TR-2 Tremolo Guitar Effect Pedal Mod

A good while back I picked up a Boss TR-2 Tremolo. I like the pedal. I have a Vox Cambridge amp that has tremolo built in but I wanted to be able to switch the effect on and off, hence the pedal. As many people have commented on this particular pedal, there is a little drop in presence when switching the effect on. Go figure right... So I search for a mod that would help with this issue. I found Moute Allum. He offered a cure for a reasonable price.

Here's what Moute says:


Well, you asked for it and here it is. The stock TR-2 is noisy and has a volume loss when engaged. With this mod I have fixed each issue. I have also incorporated my new Dual Stacked Chip Adapter Mod using a very high quality Burr Brown OPA2134PA and RC4558P Chips. The effect is like lifting a blanket off the pedals tone. I can boldly say without a doubt this is now one of the best Tremolos available in a stomp box at any price point.

With this mod I have incorporated a pot that not only solves the volume loss issue but also now allows the pedal to be used as a clean boost with the depth knob all the way down. I also modify a resistor which increases the brightness of the LED. A Super Bright White LED is also supplied.
With this mod I have incorporated a pot that not only solves the volume loss issue but also now allows the pedal to be used as a clean boost with the depth knob all the way down. I also modify a resistor which increases the brightness of the LED. A Super Bright White LED is also supplied.
I'm so glad that I did. The pedal is excellent now. It does add a knob on the side of the pedal. Keeley has a similar mod that replaces the depth knob with a concentric knob. Super sleek. The mod includes some "hi-fi" parts and replaces a in-line op-amp with two 8-pin IC's. I really recommend this mod or one like it if you own this pedal and think you may benefit from it. All the changes it makes are good one. It makes a good pedal great. 

Boss DS-1 Distortion Guitar Effect Pedal Mod

       So there is a lot of mods out there and I would be lying if I told you that I tried them all but I have done a few. Some turned out to be big improvements and others were even bigger disappointments. So how do you know which mod is right for you. Well, I can't really tell you. Maybe you want something completely different out of your pedal, I can't tell you that a mod makes a pedal better or worse. I can tell you which I've done and what I've liked.

       A few months ago I found my self owning a Boss DS-1. Picked it up in a gear trade. I've never been a fan of the pedal. It puts dirt on your signal like a box with the word "distortion" should, but there are complaints with the way it does this. I'm not technically gifted. I'm not going to tell you that it compressed my tone, or sucked it dry, or had some kind of mid-hump/scoop I didn't enjoy. It did seem like the mid frequencies were scooped and that no matter how I turned the "tune" knob I couldn't find a sound that I liked. I've tried the pedal in (bedroom)studio and life setting. I did not like what it did for me. So I then turned to mods to make it do something I did like.

      Research. (Google) so looking into what I should do with this big hunk of orange took some time. I had to find something that I found appealing and seemed like I was capable of. (also the first step could not include "throw pedal away and buy -enter boutique pedal here-") I dismissed anything that said "Metal", or "Crazy", or "Super". I did find a mod that seemed to fit the "make it not sound like crap" requirement. Described  plainly as "vintage mod"

The Mod:

Boss ds-1—Vintage 
Mod Location Mod value 
D5 Led 
C3 .033uf 
R16 1k resistor 
C11 .01uf 
C1, C5 .1uf

     Simple enough. 6 pieces. It took less than half an hour. It made all the difference. The Eq was evened out and the nasty, fizzy distortion was lightened into a more mellow, overdriven amp-type sound. Side by side test proved that the mod had turned a hunk of junk (in my opinion) into something that I'd actually use. The change of the diode really changes "type" of distortion and the resistor and capacitor change the "shape" if that makes any sense. (probably not) The tone knob seems to "work" better. The Drive actually controls the amount of gain the unit produces, unlike before were it just went from a little fizz to a lot of fizz. Level kinda works the same, but the sound sounds more transparent. I even had my non-music playing wife listen and she confirmed the mod made it sound "clear-er" 

    So, if you have a DS-1 That you hate and want something that you don't hate, then do what I did and make your own vintage-y overdrive boosty thing

Music Store Finds Are What Give Me Hope...

All of us that are lucky to live near a great local music store know what greatness can await us in the discount bin. Lately I had a great find in my local store. I've been looking for a deal on a pedal I could tinker with, so when I noticed an Ibanez TS-9 sitting in the used gear bin I got a little excited. The guys at the shop gave me a fair shake on the price so I came home with the pedal. After giving the pedal a good going through. I decided to tweak it. So I sit down with my new find about to get busy with a soldering iron and, on a whim, I peel the velcro that had covered the bottom plate. Of course the label peels off. I decide I want the label on my pedal so I try to separate the two. This is almost impossible. Just getting a corner start was frustrating enough, but I kept going. I notice that the label read, "Made In Japan". Interesting, most pedals are made in china, except the vintage ones of course. So now I look up the history of the TS-9 and how to tell if it is vintage or reissue.

Step one: The Label

If the label is black then it is the oldest edition of these pedals, meaning it was made in the very early 80's. This doesn't mean that a silver label is not vintage, just that its is made after the first ones with black label. The Silver label has a couple clue to the age of the pedal. If it says "Made in Japan" then your off to a good start. In the upper right hand corner there should not be the familiar "CE" symbol. This was added later, and its a dead giveaway that the pedal in more recent. The more recent reissues' serial number begin with "00", vintage units should not. The first number in the serial number should be close to the year of manufacture, ie 3xxx means the pedal is made in 1983.

Step two: The Guts

Getting into the pedal, the inside of the battery cover should say "MAXON". Looking at the PCB the capacitors should be green in color and the IC may be a few different types, but the JRC4558 is the one that most people look for. If all these things check out then you can feel pretty confident that you are in possession of a vintage Tube Screamer. Congratulations!

This was the case with my find. I couldn't believe it. I found this pedal in the discount bin and come to find that it is actually worth several times the price I paid. Sometimes it pays to do you homework.

The Best Resource For Guitar Effects

We've all been there, flipping through catalogs of music gear and reading flowery descriptions of every piece of gear found within. I have a weak spot for a shiny new pedal, but which one is right for me? This was the exact question I had in mind when I went online to look for some more information. A quick Google search landed me on YouTube. People love to show off, so the internet is flooded with people noodling around with some of their favorite pedal. There are a ton of pitiful videos. People who have low production quality or those that keep their first take no matter what. I'm glad that we have a outlet for all these creative people and people are free to share their video featuring their passion. But when looking for a useful review or demonstration it does somewhat because like shifting through a waste bin looking for treasure.

The Treasure:

There is one mann that does a excellent job at demonstrating a pedals usefulness. His name is gearmanndude. He has hundreds of videos and does not seem to be slowing down. He has review everything from everyday Boss pedals to mods, vintage, boutique, and even some homemade pedals. Not only does he give us a through look (and listen) at pedals that we'd probably only get to read about, but he also takes a look at other gear such as amps, guitars, picks, chords and other accessories. Not only does he do us a service with all of this, but he is rather unbiased. However there is an exception when it comes to reverb. He is vehemently apposed to reverb, but he will review a reverb unit just like the rest. He responds to viewer request, I know this firsthand. On top of all this, he is insightful, well versed, and entertaining.

Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer Guitar Effect Pedal Mod

If you are at all familiar with the line up of boss pedals, then you've probably notice their equalizer pedal. If you've used then you may know that it can get a little noisy. Some of this noise is the pedal just amplifying your guitars signal which is going to have a little noise just by its nature. Using a Equalizer is a great way to boost certain frequencies to shape your tone without doing anything else to your tone. It may not turn your twangy tele into a moody jazzbox, but it wouldn't hurt to add it to your chain to fatten up a rhythm section. This pedal has enough flexibility to make you stand out on leads or have a big fat bottom end. No matter what gets moved or replaced on my pedal board I always keep my handy GE-7 around. So if this is such a great pedal, then why the mod? Well, I did mention the noise. The kit that got from Mounte Allum included no less than 6 opamps. As with most of his mods, this kit included some "hi-fi" passive parts. After I installed this kit I was actually surprised at the difference it made. It turned a good little tool into something great. HOWEVER, I'm not 100% sure why, but this mod makes it so that a 9-volt battery is drained in seconds. So If you are looking into this mod, then be sure to have a power supply on hand.

Here is what Mounte Says:

This is very handy tone shaping tool to have on your pedal board. This is actually a very nice sounding EQ right off the shelf. But it suffers from excessive noise as a result of the cheaper components Boss uses. With this mod we replace the cheaper noisy op-amp chips with low noise higher quality chips.

Lower quality capacitors are also replaced reducing noise even more and also adding a more focused Hi-Fi tone to the circuit. Noise is substantially reduced and the signal is passed through preserving the original tone of your guitar. The bypass circuit is also much improved. You will not find a better mod than this anywhere for the GE-7! You'll be shocked at the improvement this mod will make on this pedal.

The New Visual Sound VS-XO Dual Overdrive Pedal

So here it is. I have to be honest. I've been geeking out about this one. There are a couple of videos up on Visual Sounds' YouTube channel that make it sound very appealing. I have actually been a pretty big fan of Visual Sound in the past. I have had their Route 66 pedal in my set up, but I decided that the OD/Comp combination was good, but I wanted to be about to control my sounds a little more. The overdrive in that pedal sounded great and the compressor did a good job of being useful without being obvious. There are some speculations that this is an 808 and Open Road OD combo. I actually think it might be mentioned in one of the videos, but another view is that the way the tone is shaped suggest that the non-TS side is base on the Drivetrain pedal from the same maker. What the videos do well is show the versatility of this pedal. In addition to the basic three knob configuration that most of us are familiar with, the pedal has a bass knob on the left-side channel and two three-way, sliding selectors for the clipping section and bass frequencies. For a sound-tweaker such as myself, these fun little knobbies have gotten me foaming at the mouth.

Can't wait for this pedal to debut. Having said that, if anyone at Visual Sound would like to send me one of these pedals so that I can review it for them, then by all means do so. Anyone able to get their hands on one of these before the rest of us regular Joes? Let us know what you think. Big thanks to http://www.tdpri.com for always having useful info and insightful members.