Ugly Truth About Way Huge Camel Toe

Wow, I never thought that I'd title a post that way, but there it is. I hope I don't confuse people looking for something other than talking about Guitar gear. BTW, this is a post about the Overdrive pedal called the Camel Toe by Way Huge and absolutly nothing else... let's move on.

Way Huge let us know today that there is a Camel Toe MKII to be released sometime, possibly, with the release uo this photo via their instagram.

Lately I noticed Shnobel, of YouTube fame, playing a Way Huge Camel Toe. I've never heard of this pedal, probably because it was only released in a very limited quantity and I've never been much of a follower of what Way Huge does. If you start Google-ing Way Huge Camel Toe, you might find something other than what you are looking for. There just isn't that much information out there about this rare pedal. However, if you plug that same search into eBay, you are likely to find auctions starting at thousands of dollars. Why? I honestly have no idea. Well, from what I've heard, the pedal sounds fantastic, but it doesn't spout rainbows, so whats with the price? The limited quantity might have something to do with it.

You see, in many ways, the Camel Toe was ahead of its time. It is a light-duty, 'transparent' overdrive. In a market that is flooded with Klones, the Camel Toe is a stand out. It is not a clone of anything that I can tell, in fact it came before many of the clones that, in the wake of the Klon becoming so mythical, because so privalent. That's the problem, it was a transparent overdrive before transparent overdrives were cool. So, in a way, it's the hipster of transparent overdrives...

Regardless, I like this pedal and I look forward to trying one out for myself. However It is highly unlikely that I ever have the chance to put the MKII and the original together for a comparison given its rarity. Hopeful Way Huge won't try to make a money grab with this reissue, but they have always been a little on the boutique side of the price range anyways.

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Ugly Truth About Counterfet Pedals

As anyone who appreciates a nice guitar pedal knows, there is a struggle between spending money on guitar stuff and other things that are less important, like food. So when you can, you try to find deals that make it possible to purchase more of the stuff you need, and maybe put gas in your car if their is a little left over. Recently I've patrolled the internet for a good deal. I found what seemed to be fair. What I traded for was a Surh Riot overdrive/distortion. This pedal is sold for about $200 which made it attractive. The general thought about this pedal is that it is well like. I was sold. So I made a trade of an unspecified amount, but one that I thought favored me. I was wrong...

It turned out to be a fake. There appears to be many of the fakes coming from mostly China. Here is some help information about keeping yourself safe from making the same mistake I did.

1. It's Hard To Tell The Fakes

It seems like this one would be a given. and it is. The people who set out to fool people with their pedals, try hard to imitate the original. I'm not saying that these are clones or copies that share a circuit, but pedals that function and look like the real thing, but are nothing but a sham. Sometimes it take a look on the inside to confirm the actual layout of the circuit or components used. If you suspect that your pedal might be a forgery, and if you aren't lucky enough to have access to a confirmed authentic pedal, Google is your friend. Most pedals have gut-shots on the internet. These are important to help you confirm your pedal. Forums are also handy to weed out your suspect pedal.

2. Pedals That You Think Could Be Fake Aren't

If you've ever tried to mod pedals, you know that even real pedal will have variances from time to time. Boss pedals are notorious about changes the circuits with-in the same models. Fulltone's OCD is on it's forth version. and nearly every other pedal that has been around long enough, have been changed to some extent. So what might look like funny business, might just mean that it is a difference version. It is important to know exactly what your are looking at before you call shanagins.

3. They Might Actually Be Decent Pedals

These pedals are based on, if not directly copying the original, so chances are that they sound like the originals too. The most surprising thing about my experience is that the pedal is good. I was surprised to learn that the pedal I've come to like was a fake. So the pedal that I thought I was getting a deal on, ends up being a decent pedal. If you look at it from a economist's perspective, the utility (how much something is worth to the actual user) is determined by how much the product it enjoyed. In theory, the copy could be enjoyed more. Especially when you consider that the copy is a fraction of the McCoy's price.

In Conclusion

These copies are a corrupt attempt to profit off the success of companies that have toiled for there success. It's an easy was to profit off of something they have not earned. The years dedicated to developing these circuits are often only worth it if the one responsible for that circuit can then turn that work into something profitably. If that product gets ripped off then it there is no incentive to design it in the first place. These imitators might claim to make something more affordable, but make no mistake. If they use the name of the notable original, then it is damaging, not only that particular maker, but the whole independent designer community.

Ugly Truth: Raygun Effects

Among my internet viewing, I found a company out of the UK that sell effects. I know right, the UK thinks it can make effects...? Well hold a second because these guy might surprise you.

Boutique gear is expensive. Don't let anyone tell you any different. If someone put their hands on it to build, then you are paying twice what a sane person would. But it all for not because it's just a pretty clone of something someone made a hundred years ago... blah blah blah. Now that that is out of the way, Raygun Effects doesn't seem like your typical boutique pedal builder.

The Prices

Don't let the exchange rate fool you, those are actually decent prices for a handmade piece of gear. Yes, they are heavy on the fuzz pedals, but they also have range of other pedals. This marks one of the only times I've thought that one of the small operations that make awesome sounding/looking pedals to have down to earth prices. Plus they are just too cool. Their boost is just over $60 USD.

The Looks

Did I mention that they look so dang cool. The boost comes with an old school skirted amp knob (so you know it sounds good) and everything else has been given loads of detail to set it apart from the normal, powder coated, metal flake, boxes that we see. Good job to the guys at Raygun for finding that look that suits them and sets them apart.

Bass Effects

These guys know what they're doing. They are taking care of the bass player. The guy that doesn't geek out about his gear so hard it make everyone nauseous, needs a little love too. Again Raygun has features that set them apart from anyone else. These pedals respectable in every way.

The Ugly Truth About Your Boost Pedal

If you asked someone to name the pedal on their board, chances are that you'll hear a lot about distortion, overdrive, filters, reverb, delay, and maybe even a fancy programming or looping pedal. Chances are, that person won't wax poetic about their boost pedal. Sure, there are a lot of pedals out there that promise a "clean boost", but what is that really? Isn't that just turning up the volume on you guitar? Maybe you want something to drive the front end of you amp a little harder, but isn't that why we have overdrives? So say you don't want your signal clip before it goes to your amp. You want the sound that your amp makes when pushed past it's clip. Fair enough. Do you need a special pedal to do that? ...eh

So you want a straight path your amp. Chances are your no a bid "pedal" guy. So why not set your amp up to overdrive (turning up your level and lowing your master)? Maybe because your amp is too simple to have a level and master. So you're one of "those guys". Your amp came from Sear and Roebuck's back when it was a mail-order and it only have two knobs and one broke off. But this is the best amp and the only thing that you truly love. You just want to torture the tubes enough to make it scream. Your the type of guy that needs a boost pedal. Right? ...eh

So you have to have a boost pedal. You want some ridiculous box with one know that only turns up the volume on your signal. The simpler that better, right? that is your motto. After all, that amp of your has only got one knob and it's the best. Your amp is a relic and your ideas about "boost" pedal is a little screwy, but hang in there, I'll explain.

You boost pedal is basically the same thing as an overdrive, except that they've removed the clipping circuit and your are just left with a boosted signal. Great right? Maybe not. Everyone loves a good TS-9 tube screamer, and everyone is familiar with the big fat "mid-hump" that you get when you kick one on. (if you're not then you must be very board, why are you reading this?) So the pedal effect the shape, tone, color of your tone. In the same way, all these boost boxes do the same thing. Maybe its not as noticeable, or maybe you just like the way it changes things, Think all those wonder sounds are made by your amp being pushed? Maybe they are, or maybe its that pedal you just hit.

So you must boost, but your boost pedal is just a neutered dirt box that you can't control as much as said dirt box because they took the "tone knob off the thing! Don't worry. I wouldn't leave you hanging. I have an answer for you. You might not like it, but its the truth. Behold, your new boost pedal!

 Yes. The lowly Boss GE-7 Equalizer. Vile and reproachable as it is. Boss the brand of pedal that everyone started with and now no one will admit to using. I too have started limiting the number of boss pedals on my board. The humble GE-7 without as much as a 3PDT switch is the king of all boosts. The pedal does what it claims. It can cut or boost your frequencies, but it has a feature that not all EQ do. The level slide is actually the star of the show here. Now I know what you are saying, "I've used this pedal and its too noisy to boost." Ok, I hear you, but I raise you this: I once got my self into modding pedals. opening these things up and fiddling with their insides. There is a lot of potential in this box, but wait it get better. I was once half way into a mod, meaning I had removed all of the pieces of the pedal that were to be replaced, then just for kicks, I powered it on and played through it. It sounded identical to another GE-7 that had already been through the mod and it was missing bits of its insides. I'm not a electrical engineer (if you couldn't tell) but to this day I can't remember which one has the mod and which one is running around with less than a full deck of cards. And they are both dead silent. So for no more than you'd pay for a boutique boost and a little be of stomp-box-operation you can have a flat boost, treble boost, bass (fat) boost, mid boost, mid scoop or low-fi pedal. In short, friends don't let friends buy boost pedal.

5 Ugly Truths About Building Your Own Effects

I started a few years back modding pedals. It was exciting to crack open pedals and fiddle with the inside bits. I knew very little about what I was doing, but I knew what I had to do. I was handy with a soldering iron and was cheap, so of course I wanted to try to get the boutique sound everyone was on about on a budget. Going from there, I found that for the price of a used pedal and a mod-kit (or an order from a parts vendor) You can buy a kit with everything you need to build an entirely new pedal. There a few things that you have be mindful of.

1) There is A Steep Learning Curve

Can you tell a resister from a Capacitor? Do you own a soldering iron and necessary accessories to complete projects? Do you have a large amount of free time to use on projects of varying difficulty and usefulness? Do you have a some extra cash to blow on something that may or may not work? Well then, you can embark in to the wonderful world of pedal building. That is, right after you learn how to read schematic and gain a basic understanding how/why pedals work. Building pedals can be a lot of fun. It might save you a bit of money after you get the hang of it. Before you get the hang of it, you might have to sink a bit of money, time, and frustration into gaining that grasp.

2) It won't work

Typically, your first time out won't work. If it does, then you are either lucky or the most talented person I've ever heard of. Depending on the project, there are tons of things that can go airy. So if you are skilled enough to make every solder joint solid, there is still a chance that anyone of the components you've installed are improperly placed. Do you understand exactly how a 3PDT switch works, or how to tell which leg of an LED is negative? Even if you double and triple check your schematics and diagrams as your build, chances are there will be a bug or two that don't work. Which leads us to...

3) Troubleshooting

Typically, this is the step that is the hardest. You know the inner workings of your components, your solder joins are flawless, and you can read technical schematics in Chinese. Now is the time to put all that hard work into action. The pedal is built and everything is "correct" but it is still not functioning properly. This is where a multi-meter comes in handing. You may want to brush up on how to use said device to best serve your needs. The continuity function comes in very handy. I've spent many an hour trying to figure out why something wasn't working only to understand that it was beyond me. So I ended up:

4) Getting Help

There is a wealth of knowledge out there (here) on the interweb. I wouldn't be typing now if not for the vast amount of resources that I've found on this subject and many others that can be found on websites and forums. Sometimes it takes a big man (or lady) to admit that they need help. Other times it take someone who has spend countless hours burning his fingers only to wind up with an extremely frustrating paperweight. You'll find that many people are looking for the same answers that you are. If you are having a particular problem, then you can contact some builders personally. There are fantastic communities of builders and prospect builders willing to help us. Sometimes even with the guided help of experts, we still find a way to fail. Which leads us to...

5) Acceptance

Yes, sometimes the best thing to do is to give up. Maybe today is not your day. Maybe you need to walk away and try again later. Perhaps you were a little too ambitious and need to try a simpler project. I have a couple projects that are just that, projects. I started them with a good understanding of what I need to do and still wind up with something that is unsuitable for use. That's Ok. We learn something every time we start a new project. Its not just about to product at the end of the build but what we learn along the way.

The Case for Another Tube Screamer (EHX East River Drive)

So if you haven't heard, EHX has been cooking up some new dirt. There has been some backlash since a few of their "ideas" haven't been quite original. I posted my hands on review of their Mosfet (OCD) overdrive. This, if you couldn't tell be the extreme use of green or the title of this blog, is a tube screamer close. Cloning the TS-9 and it's derivatives have been copied so many times and ways that it is hard to keep track. Why on earth would anyone put another of the same thing into the world. Ibanez has cornered the market on their green box. They have the TS-9(the old stand-by $100), TS-7,  TS-5(all plastic), TS-9DX(TS with an extra knob), and the TS-808(an expensive all metal TS with a couple different resisters). They all share the same circuit. So it makes it hard to stand out in the middle of such a crowd. What makes The ERD different? It has a sexy boutique-style case, true bypass, mechanical switch, and a slick decal.

What about the sound? Those who follow the world of pedals know the name aNoLoG.MaN. I name synonymous with quality tone. He is the one who made the DS-1 into something so sought after that he was once backordered for a year. EHX bought the MaN himself in on the design of this pedal. He himself admits that it is explicitly an 808 clone. He consulted on the design of the circuit and the parts used in the build. Hopefully some of his Mojo rubbed off in the process. Everything I've read from EHX fails to mention the pedal guru by name, so kudos I guess for not name dropping. I would have been skeptical if I had not read the forum that he actually participates in.

So it looks like the ERD is a TS-9 with all the popular mods installed in it already in a pretty little boutique package designed by the "King of Tone" himself. Oh yeah, it's $58 and made in the USA. So there's that.