New Pedals Are Something We Can All Get Excited About. (EHX Glove)

So back it October Electro Harmonix debuted a new line of Overdrives and Distortions. Being a fan of the brand (mostly the Big Muff and derivatives there of) I was interested to see what they had done. The features are attractive. The range of the new pedals span the whole range of OD and dirt pedals. EHX released their new pedals: Glove, Hot Tubes, Soul Food, and East River Drive (not to mention the Big Muff Pi nano). I'm really looking forward to taking a close look at each of these pedals. I've spent some time with one, and this is what I've found:

The Glove pedal is a mosfet drive in the vain of the famous OCD from Fulltone. My personal experience with this pedal has won this pedal a special place in my heart (and possibly my pedalboard). There has huge possiblities with unit. Reported to be able to clean boost. I won't know. My amp is very easily overdriven. A set of hot humbuckers and a boost will send my clean channel into breakup. So I don't know about "clean" boost. It definitely has some boost. The tones possible are great, but whats get my attention is the options on this pedal. First you notice the big three knobs. Everybody know the three, no matter what they are called, they do the same function. Drive, Tone, and Volume are present and accounted for, but take a closer look and you notice a mini-toggle. At first I thought it was a switch that bypassed the tone circuit, it isn't. It actually changes the tone stack. "On" is a high-mid boost and "off" is a flatter mid section with a little focus on the low-mids. Both ways produce some nice tones. Your tone and guitar's character still shine through with this pedal. But thats not all. On the inside there is a switch to change from 9 to 18 volt operation. Modders have been adding this function to their pedal for as long as I've been aware of modding, its nice to see some forward thinking. This pedal is a breath of fresh air, and you can find this for less than $60. The design may not be 100% original but I really like what they did with this pedal

Now the Ugly. To get to the internal voltage switch (or change the battery for that matter), you have to open up the box (screwdriver not included). The slight inconvenience isn't my may concern. I have the habit of cracking open my stomp boxes as it is. I did happen to notice that EHX have turned to the darkside in the name of profits. There is heavy usage of micro-sized passive components. This is bad news for modders and boutique snobs. If Boss can sell a $50 dirt box with real sized resistors and caps, then it serves to think that so can EHX. Oh wait, they are made in the USA.

So I dig the pedal, Love the features, and the price outstandingly low. It looks like a win in my book, just don't look behind the curtain.

New Pedals from Boss Look A Lot Like Some Old Ones.

So I jump on the computer today to do some time-killing and I found something very peculiar. My first stop (as far as music gear goes) is MusiciansFriend. I like to check their "Stupid Deal of The Day", but today I saw something else. At first glance it looked to be a Boss DS-1 (the infamous "Orange Box") but it was priced at three times the normal price. I looked a little closer and found out that in fact it is a new orange box. They slapped an "X" on the end of the name, gave it high and low tone knobs, and tripled the price. I haven't heard any samples of this pedal, but its hard for me to imagine people shelling out three times the price for a pedal that is famous for only being good for people to mod the ever-loving cush out of.

Here is what Boss has to same for themselves:

The DS-1X launches the famous BOSS distortion into a modern era of expression, delivering an unmatched level of performance for guitarists with an ear for tone. This next-generation stomp combines over 35 years of innovation in pedal design with the most advanced technologies, bringing you a completely new tonal experience that’s only possible with the legendary expertise of BOSS. Prepare to be amazed—the inspiring and ultra-responsive DS-1X will change your thinking about distortion pedals forever.

• Special edition BOSS distortion pedal with next-generation sound, feel, and tonal response
• All-new design provides a superior playing experience that’s unattainable with analog distortion pedals
• Powerful real-time processing adapts to your playing to provide ideal distortion tones in every register
• Enjoy perfect sounds over the entire fretboard, from tight, crisp tones on the low strings to fat, singing tones on the highest notes
• High-clarity distortion sound that’s never muddy or boomy, even when playing two or more notes at the same time
• Ultra-responsive to volume changes and picking dynamics
• Very low noise, even with high-gain settings
• Drive, High, and Low knobs offer a wide range of sound shaping not found in typical stompbox pedals
• Striking appearance with exclusive chrome knobs and control plate, plus vintage silver knob for battery compartment access
• Features BOSS’ innovative Multi-Dimensional Processing (MDP), realized with proprietary technology and custom DSP