Return Of Haunting Mids (JHS Haunting Mids Effect Pedal)

I've spoken before about this pedal from JHS. The Haunting Mids was a limited release pedal that JHS released last October. It is now Spoketober once again, so JHS himself took to his new forum, youtube, to tell everyone about it. In this video, he goes on to tell us some interesting facts about the Haunting Mids pedal. Let's talk about Haunting Mids.

Mids That Are Haunting

Last year when this pedal was released there were some that claimed that this pedal was taken from a pedal building forum called Haunting Mids. Many people took offense to this, however, there seems to be little to no evidence of this. I criticized the pedal for its limited scope and function. However, in the video just released by JHS, one of the main topics of discussion was why they named the pedal "Haunting Mids". The reason is pretty simple. Haunting is to Mids as Transparent is to Overdrive. Haunting is just a word used to describe mids. It is simple, boring and seasonally appropriate. 

Mids Only

Many people criticize JHS for many reasons. I can't endorse this pedal, but I can recognize the perfect way this pedal was marketed. The pedal is not without merit, but I think they knew that this pedal wasn't going to move a lot of units. So, they decided to release it in limited release. Doing this not only allows JHS to sell to those looking for a very particular pedal but also to collectors and oddity seekers. 

Conclusion

Do you need a Haunting Mids pedal from JHS? No, I'd also argue that no one actually does. Do you want one? Maybe, I don't know. But even though it is something that I can recognize as something that isn't really necessary, and a graphic equalizer can function in the same way (maybe better). It's hard to say that this pedal isn't desirable. It's interesting, it's unique, it's haungtin...

Ugly Guitar Truth: Tenacious D; Post-Apoclypto

I am going off script here a little bit. I have written about artists before, but I would like to take a little time to talk about something I have some strong feelings about. That thing is Tenacious D. I became aware of the group around the turn of the millennia and they have been a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in metal ever since. Is there lastest venture into "animation" the next logical step in the evolution of a band that has never made sense, to begin with? Or, is this a desperate attempt by two middle-aged men to stay relevant? Let's discuss:

The Start:

I became aware of Tenacious D when I was watching MTV. Their video for "Tribute". It made no sense what so ever. I was younger and unaware of many of the tropes and cliches that they were playing off of. So you can imagine I was completely befuddled by what I witnessed. Jack Black was an actor I recognized from a handful of bit roles, this seemed to be a continuation of the character that he had established in many of his movie roles. I had no idea if this was a one-off video for laughs or a hard left in his career. Little did I know that Tenacious D was before everything.

Dark Times

Jack Black is the face of Tenacious D. He is loud and flamboyant making him the focal point of the duo. Kyle "KG" Gass seemed happy to be in the background supplying guitar mastery alongside the loudmouth of Black. While JB's continued making movies, the D fell silent. While the faithful few can recite the path the group made through these time, most casual fans just assumed that the D was done. After their feature-length movie, "The Pick of Destiny", many assume this was the underwhelming climax to the arch of the D.

Rising Again.

I regret all of the innuendoes. That leads us to now. Post-Apocalypto. Let's be totally honest with ourselves. This is a crudely animated scripted(?) podcast with JB and KG. For fans of Tenacious D, this is amazing. There are many casual fans that are falling back into love with Tenacious D. Many more are just now finding Tenacious D for the first time via YouTube. YouTube and Tenacious D might just be a match made in heaven (or hell, but you know, the good way...) During an interview, JB said that they have complete creative control, which is the only way I would think that they would create anything.

Conclusion

As long as there is are those that oppose the current state of the contemporary music, Tenacious D will continue to be in the collective consciousness of many. They spit in the face a modern convention and still find success.

Ugly Guitar Truth: Fender Full Moon Distortion

While I may have posted about this before, one of my first pedals was a Fender. It was their California Series pedal tuner. The thing was complete crap. It hardly worked, and that is still being generous. I got rid of that and switched to the BOSS TU-2 that is still working like day one. Fender pedals don't have a great reputation, but their new line of pedals is doing a lot to change that. Let's look at the Fender Full Moon Distortion.

That Name

I don't dislike the name that Fender has given their new high gain distortion pedal, but at the same time, it is not great. The strongest statement that I can make about it is that it is extremely forgettable. Thankfully, the pedal is not as forgettable. Unlike the pedals of Fender past, the Full Moon distortion is not a pedal that they want people to forget about. High distortion pedals have a habit to come with some extra knobs and switches, both of which the Full Moon has. So is this a pedal that will fade into the sea of high gain pedals? Well, it does have some things going for it.

The Sounds

It's been a minute since I was a really metal-player. My signal chain either contained a Metal Zone plus EQ and boost or it was just an overdrive into a gunned amp. There are tons of options for metal players out there now. The Full Moon is just the newest in a long line of pedals, but is there anything that makes this pedal stand out? A little bit. You have your basic layout of tone controls (High, Mids, and Lows) but then you get a Hi-Trem that lets you smooth off the super-high-end. You also get a basic Boost function which is nice. In addition to all that, you also get a switch to go between symmetrical and asymmetrical clipping and another for "Bite". Bite will boost your high-mids and give you more pick-attack. Both of the switches make subtle changes, but I am a sucker for things to fiddle with. With all of these options, it is pretty easy to dial in a sound that is pleasing to the player. Going into a clean amp, it is easy to achieve great rock tones with the gain dialed back a bit. Cranking the gain is naturally rewarding as well. Yes, this high-gain pedal does high-gain well.

Conclusion

Fender has set themselves up to compete with the best pedal builders out there today. The pedals are pretty and boutique-ish. If this were coming from a smaller builder, I would expect to pay a lot more. But because Fender is... Fender. They can mass produce and keep cost down. Make the Full Moon distortion an attractive pedal for a guitarist that is looking to find a pedal with plenty of gain and flexibility.

Ugly Guitar Truth: The Fender Pelt Fuzz Pedal

I've talked about Fender's current line of pedals on here before. Personally, I like the concept. It's probably the best offering from Fender effects that I've seen maybe ever.

Here's a story:

I bought a fender twin. It was brand new from the store. I loved the cleans. I was transitioning from metal player to whatever it is I am not, so at the time I thought this was a smaller (quieter) amp. I got the amp home and started messing around with all the knobs and whatnot. Hooked up the pedal and quickly realized that it didn't work. The amp switch had two or three buttons and it was completely DOA. So I take the rig back to the store and they swap the pedal out for a new one. This one had a bad switch in it. They couldn't find a pedal that actually worked. Does this have anything to do with the Fender Pelt Fuzz? No, not really, but it does give you a point of reference for my impression of Fender pedals. It didn't help that they released a line of pedals that looked more like accessories you would see on a desk of a middle-aged man that collects model cars and has a Fender Stratocaster mouse pad. Then we got direct from China mini pedals that weren't bad but they were what they were. So, I feel like you can hold my Fender pedal skepticism against me.

It's Fuzzy

Ok, duh, but let me explain. The world of Fuzz has exploded in the last few years. It has never really disappeared, but today we have more options for fuzz than ever before. I know that everyone first DIY pedal is a fuzz. They are very simple circuits to build, but recently we have seen the rise of complicated fuzz pedals. This one is no different. The granddaddy of all silicon fuzz, the Fuzzface, had only two knobs. Even the addition of two knobs was a technical marvel compared to the circuits origins. Now we have pedals like the Pelt. Not only do we have the familiar Volume, Tone, Gain knobs, but we get a Bloom knob and two switches for Mid (Contour) and Thick (Bass Boost Cut/Boost). The pedal has enough fuzz to nearly lose the guitar in the noise of the pedal. Fender also claims that the pedal responds well to rolling the volume down on your guitar. Fuzz pedals have a bad habit of cutting out or become more splatty when lowing volume is applied, but the Pelt is supposed to clean up. In my experience, the pedal doesn't clean up as much as it gets darker with lower volume. This may work relatively the same in a band situation. There may be no real way to get around how the circuit actually works.

It's Pretty

This may not be my favorite look that I've ever seen on a pedal, but it is far and away the best one that I've seen on a Fender pedal. It's not even much of a contest. These are the first pedal that I feel like they actually care anything about, so they had to give them an aesthetic that wasn't embarrassing to be seen with. The Amp jewel cover is a nice touch. I am a little worried about the magnetic battery door. It's begging to get crushed by a stray stomp, so be careful I guess. The backlit knobs are cool until you are on a dark stage and those lights are the only thing you can see and you can't tell you are changing the Tone or Gain knob. They pumped these pedals full of features, but this is basically Fender's first grown-up pedal line, so they still have refining to do.

Conclusion

I like this pedal. I haven't said a lot of great things about it, so you should know that this pedal is one of the better sounding fuzz pedals that I've seen come out lately. I'm a pretty big fan of the Big Muff style of Fuzz, but the Pelt is a robust pedal capable of being more than that one sound on that one song. Even though I really dig the Big Muff sound, do I have one on my board? No. The Pelt Fuzz is much more of a sonic tool that I could see actually using in a rig. The price is also something of importance. Lately, EHX has put out clones of the Big Muff in its many stages (Triangle, Russian, Silicon) and for the price of just two of those, you can have the Pelt. I may or may not own more than one of these pedals, and I may or may not wish I had the Pelt... just saying.

Ugly Guitar Truth: EHX Grand Canyon Delay and Looper

It's been a year since the release of the EHX Canyon Delay and now EHX has announced the Grand Canyon Delay and Looper. It is a full-featured delay with expanded capabilities, a longer list of features, and dual switches. For fans of the original Canyon Delay, this is an obvious upgrade. While I loved the Canyon for its overstuffed feature set and compact size, the question of whether or not the Grand Canyon continues this trend is harder to answer. Let's take a look.

Size Isn't Everything

While I personally love dual-sized delays (mostly because of my fondness for my DD-20) the form factor plays a big rule in how this pedal is used. The original Canyon Delay was packed with features such as a "secret sub-menu" that allows you to edit modulations and other features depending on the settings. This would allow you to edit settings on the fly that you normally wouldn't be able to on a normal compact delay. However, there is no interface on the pedal, so the learning curve is a little steep, and on-the-fly edits would require a pretty deep familiarity with how this pedal operates. That's why the size of the Grand Canyon is important. The increased size lets you interact with pedal relatively easily. It also allows the addition of stereo ins and outs.

Quarter-Of-A-Grand Canyon

Price. When you pedal was announced, my biggest question was about price. I loved the original, but what was going to make or break this pedal is the price. It was a given that the price-floor for this pedal was going to be around $200. The Canyon sells for $140. It is a direct competitor to the TC Flashback II. The Canyon undercuts the price of the Flashback by $30 and offers a load of options without needing to be connected to a computer/phone. There is definitely a market for those that want a full featured, single-sized delay pedal that has no intention on updating patches. EHX delivered to those people. The Grand Canyon is yet another calculated play by EHX. This is a full-featured dual-sized delay that slides in under the price of every other modern delay in its category. While I would have loved to see this pedal in the $200-225 range (because I'm cheap), The $250 price tag is more than enough to not cannibalize sells of the original, but any higher it would start getting compared to the big flagship digital delay without the vibranium shield of "for the price".

For The Price

$200 doesn't buy the pedal it used to. I walked into my local guitar shop ready to buy the best delay they had. I had my choice of a Line6 DL4 and a BOSS DD-20. Both were about $200 bucks. Now, delays are just a computer with a special purpose. The BOSS DD-500 Costs $350 and blows the DD-20 out of the water when comparing features. A modern, high-powered, digital delay will cost $300 and up. Since the Grand Canyon is slipping in just under that mark, then you are going to hear a lot of "for the price arguments". "It doesn't do everything the DD-500, but for the price..." Feel free to substitute DD-500 for another big brained delay and mark my words.

Conclusion

The Grand Canyon looks like a feature-rich, intuitive pedal that seems poised to be successful. I think about the guy walking to the guitar shop looking for a delay. He doesn't want to spend the rest of the day reading a user manual. He wants to buy a pedal, head to a gig, and find some cool sounds. Sure, he might buy a DD-7 or a Flashback II, or maybe he'll buy the Grand Canyon.

Ugly Guitar Truth: EHX Mod Rex Polyrthymic Modulator

EHX is one of those companies that cannot be defined in a single sentence. Most people know them for their guitar effects. Many think of their Big Muff Fuzz pedals, others may think of the Memory Man analog delays when they hear EHX. But still, others think of their weird and/or wacky modulation pedals. EHX has done all of these things to varying degrees of success. The Mod Rex definitely fits into that last category. This is Ugly Guitar Truth, so let's look at this pedal.

While there are some terms that guitarists are familiar in the description of this pedal like Flange, Trem, Vibe, and Chorus this pedal is anything but ordinary. It is no wonder that the demonstration of the Mod Rex is as much synth mod as guitar pedal. The demonstrator shows how easy (once set up) to control and create spacey synth rock with this pedal. It's easy to get the impression that the pedal can make you the next Killers, but it is key to remember that the demonstrator is very talented and likely very familiar with the product.

It is true that I like EHX, there are a few things that we need to address. This pedal is impressive, but for a guitarist with a singular focus, this pedal may not be what you are looking for. Yes, it may give you a handful of mod options. It will allow you to control them in many ways that stand-alone pedal may not, but there is a lot in this box that may go completely unused. Not to say this unit isn't an impressive sound modulating tool, but there may be other options out there that better meet the needs of a guitarist looking to mix and blend filters.

Conclusion

For me, I'm passing on this unit. It has loads of features that I'm just not going to use. There are plenty of effects that offer similar feature sets that are more tailored for guitar application. While I commend EHX for their ever forward attitude towards new sounds and features, I'll pass.

Ugly Guitar Truth: BOSS Waza Craft DC-2W Dimension-C

I don't think I get this one. I understand that it's a vintage pedal that BOSS has released under the Waza label, but other than the vintage appeal, there just isn't anything here that I'm stoked about. I ran a little long in the post about the Waza Metal Zone, so I think this will be shorter.

Ugly Truth in: 3... 2...

1. Presets

I'm a knob tweaker. I love to twist knobs. I like to fine tune all the settings. The biggest reason that I don't own a Strymon pedal is that I would probably be found dead from dehydration next to it because I tried to adjust all the parameters. So the fact that this is a "set it and forget about changing it" type of pedal is a little detracting for me. I get the appeal, but I'd be screaming for a Blend knob right off the bat. I mean, it is a cool pedal with a lot of vintage appeal. Also, you can rig it up in a loop with a blend if you are that into it, but it sounds like a lot of trouble just to run a special pedal with some cool vintage cred. 

2. Premium

This pedal isn't for me. The whole Waza line has a particular customer base and 9 times out of 10 I'm not interested. (actually, it's 2 of out 8 so far...) This is the most expensive Waza pedal at 229 USD. No doubt there will be those that buy and love this pedal. Those people probably already know that they will love this pedal before they buy it and they don't mind paying that premium. I'm not cool enough to really "get" this pedal, so my money is better spent on a used MD-500. You get 20 presets with the Dimension-C, but your options are nearly limitless with the MD-500. 

3. There is no 3

Conclusion

No doubt there are some cool sounds in this box. If you were stoked when BOSS announced it, then you are the type of person that BOSS made this pedal for. I, however, didn't. 

The Ugly Truth About BOSS MT-2W WAZA Craft Metal Zone

BOSS decided to break the dang internet, or at least our tiny little corner of it, with the announcement of the BOSS MT-2W. It is regarded by some to be the most despised of all pedals and praised by others for its unique sound and features. Along with the Dimension-C, the Metal Zone has gotten the WAZA treatment. So what does that mean for this divisive pedal? Well, let's take a look at what the BOSS Waza Craft Metal Zone MT-2W has done

First, a little backstory. I think I've shared this before, so I'll keep it brief. I used to play in a metal band. In my search for great metal tone. I, for a time, used a Metal Zone running through a GE-7 into an amp set for the edge of break-up. I still remember that I set the gain all the way down. This pedal had enough gain at zero. The more you turned up the distortion knob, the more noise and hiss came through the pedal. I still think that a Metal Zone running through an EQ is a powerful combination and an easy way to enter metal tone nirvana. So what do I think of BOSS releasing a Waza Metal Zone?

It makes sense. If you really think about it. Waza is the "greatest hits" of BOSS. The first pedals in the line were some of their best sellers. The SD-1 and DS-1 have sold tons of units. Nearly everyone that has gotten into pedals at least knows of these pedals if not owns them. I've owned several of each. (Why? It's hard to say.) But Waza isn't just about BOSS' most popular, current production models. They have rereleased some of the most coveted vintage pedals from the past. The DM-2 has been a vintage favorite for those that crave analog delay tones. The CE-2 is another pedal that saw rerelease in the Waza line. Both of these pedals are often emulated, but it seems like there is still a draw for something backed by BOSS. So why the Metal Zone? It's not as common to see an MT-2 as it is an SD-1, the Metal Zone is still in production, so why then? I think it's the same reason the BD-2 got its custom setting. Modders.

One of the first pedals that I ever modded was a Metal Zone. I liked the pedal, but the noise was always bothersome. So when I stumbled across a mod that was supposed to help with that, I jumped on it. I also killed the first MT-2 I ever tried to mod. eBay loved me. I think this is the reason that BOSS has given the Waza treatment to the MT-2. I hate being too cynical (or maybe I don't. I don't know.), but it makes sense. BOSS doesn't see much money from the modding community. When I modded pedals, I didn't buy a new pedal. I jumped on eBay and bought the cheapest pedal I could in case I screwed up the mod. I'm many others do the same, so BOSS wants to cut out the middleman and sell us the modded pedal up front. It makes all the sense, but is it worth it?

Log story just a little bit longer: yes, it is worth it.

The End

Just Kidding! did you think I wasn't going to talk this point into the ground? Is this your first time here? So, you may have noticed that I haven't talked about what this pedal sounds like. (I mean, if you think about, reading about what a pedal sounds like is a little silly, but hasn't stopped me before) If you like the way the Metal Zone sounds then you'll like the Waza Zone. If you didn't, then you probably won't be blown away by this pedal. If you don't know if you like the Metal Zone or not, then what have you been doing? It's been around for over 20 years... To be honest, this is one of the Waza pedals that I'd be interested in. I don't have very many heavy distortion pedals, and the MT-2 hold a special place in my guitar playing history, so buying a premium/custom version from BOSS for 50% more isn't a stretch.

Hiatus Is Over

So, I don't think I have many people that follow my posts, but just in case you do I'll let you know why I haven't posted anything in a good while.

A Little Burnt Out.

As you know, I haven't posted since earlier this year. I can't say that it has all due to outside forces. After Winter NAMM, which is pretty busy for people that like to follow new guitar gear and such, I was a little burnt out. I watch videos from the convention and write posts about what I think is interesting. I really push my self to cover a lot it. I do like to write about cool new stuff, but it's like anything else, and I get a little over it by the time everything is said and done.

Personal Stuff

I've recently had to move for work. Nothing like moving my family across the country to through your life into chaos. I just set up a desk and computer and we moved months ago if that tells you something. This has always been a little side hobby that I try not to take to seriously, so there are lots of other things that take priority. There have been times that I try to keep to a schedule, but for the most part, I write when I want to.

Moving Forward

I'm not promising a whole lot. I have written a few posts that will be up soon so I can promise that. There are also some things that came out in the last few months that I have some thoughts on, so there is a bit of catch up that I'd like to do. So stay tuned.