Ugly Guitar Truth: JHS/BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver Pedal

Ever since the announcement of this pedal, my news feed and social media have been blowing up about the new BOSS/JHS collaboration. The JB-2 Angry Driver is a step in a new direction for BOSS. JHS, however, have done this before. They've partnered with Jet City on a A/B Buffered Line Driver boost type pedal. (I have one and it is just about perfect for my AC15) According to things I've read on the internet, this is the first time that BOSS has gone outside of their considerably large house to develop a new pedal. If you want to read the marketing copy, google elsewhere. Let's get ugly...

Blues Driver

I love the BD-2. It really is a versatile and classic pedal. It's filled with great tonal possibilities. However, many have discovered that the tonal possibilities they are looking for come in the form of circuit modification. The humble Blues Driving have become the Honda Civic of the pedal world. Many well intentioned souls set out by buying a slightly used model with hopes of one day creating the ultimate machine. Only, they wake one day after hours of labor and money spent with something that is barely functioning much less better than when they started. I for one have removed buffers, replaced opamps and changed LEDs all for very little gain. Not to say that there aren't any worthy modifications. Keeley has done world a service by creating the quintessential BD-2 mod. It's like the movie where Sandra Bullock is a cop the has to be in a beauty pageant. Objectively, she accomplished and proficient, but be ready to bust out the double sided tape...

Angry Charlie

I haven't as much experience with an Angry Charlie pedal as I have with a Blues Driver, but the pedal as quite the following. The pedal is being used by anyone from novices to pros. I'm not going to tell you that the Angry Charlie is a slightly modified MI Audio Crunch Box, but there are those that believe that and they sound like they know what they're talking about. You could show me the schematics for both pedals, point out the similarities in the circuits and make a contextual demonstration of that information via puppet show and I still would struggle to grasp "how" the two pedals are similar. Honestly, most gain pedals work very similarly so saying someone is copying another is true in one way or another. But then you have the baggage the JHS carries with it. They is, very literally, hate had for JHS for associations that the founder has/had with certain religious groups. It comes up nearly in every thread involving JHS. I've also written about it. It's out there.

Angry Driver

Ok, at this time I've yet to use one of these pedals. It has just been announced so very few people have. So let's talk about what we know about it so far.

Take a breath.

They've taken the three knob tone stack from the Angry Charlie and given it a single Tone knob. This is somewhat understandable since they are squeezing two pedals into a single compact BOSS enclosure. However, imagen if they had gone with a regular medium-sized enclosure and given the Blues Drive a three band EQ (we already have one with a two band EQ. It's called a Digitech Screaming Blues"). I've spent most of my morning watching Youtube reviews of this pedal, and the only one that sounds decent to my ears is Rebea Masaad's. (The others range from eh to eww. Is it that hard to get decent tones out of this thing? Is this the new Metal Zone? Concentric knobs!!! Metal Zone confirmed!!!!!!) We get 6 modes of operation on this pedal, which is nuts, but let's not forget to mention that this pedal absolutely has a BJ mode. Just puting it out there. While we are being superficial, lets mention the fact that the pedal is probably the only BOSS pedal I'd call "hard to look at". It's not any uglier than any other BOSS pedal but that red on white color scheme is hard on the eyes. In fact, I officially recommind that you only look at it with those paper sunglasses you had to get to look at the solar eclipse. You'll with you had those glasses on when you see how much this pedal will set you back. Two hundred dollars for this bastardised Blues Driver. I think that makes this the most expensive single compact drive pedal that BOSS has put out. I get that it says "JHS" on it, but come on BOSS. We know this pedal was all you. But BOSS did the market research and found out that stamping three letters on the front would mean that they'd sell just as many at $200 as the would at $99. Thank you to all those JHS fanboys out there that pay out the nose to have you pedals put in pretty boxes. Alright, I think I'm done.

Conclusion

I'll admit. I'm excited to play one of these pedals. It's like seeing a miniature pony drive a car. Those two things don't belong together. I wouldn't believe someone if they were to tell me that it would happen, but now we have them, a unholy union that has spawn this abomination.

Ugly Guitar Truth: EHX Synth9

Almost like clockwork, EHX has been issuing new versions of the 9 series. Each one giving us new voices to transform our guitars into. The B9 was so revolutionary that it was widely seen on pro and hobbyist pedal boards near and far. Electro Harmonix have continued to release up date to the line to keep us busy. The C9 gave us even more organ noises. The Key9 let us made keyboard sounds. The Mel9 was possibly the last thing many of us expected, but still expanded the pallet of sonic expression. Now, we can apply synthesizer noises to the now-familiar 9-series format. So is this all good new, or is there some ugly truth behind all this. Let's see...

It's A Little Bit Too Familiar

Five knobs, one switch. The try-and-true format of the 9-series is back and weirder than ever. The synth sound is a mystic and allusive beast for many guitar players. While synth-guitar is nothing new, the quality of said synth is something that has alluded many a play for quite some time. I've played several effects that are supposed to create synth noise but each one comes up shy. Line6, Digitech, BOSS and others have tried and have come up wanting. So, is this just more of the same? From the demo video they dropped recently, it looks like they are hitting at least a few of those sweet spots to recreate some classic 80's rock and synth pop hits. Is this the go to pedal for 80's cover bands? Probably.

This Is Not The Update You're Looking For

Much to the dismay of many of the 9-series fans, this is not the update that many are begging EHX for. There is no edit function, no customizable parameters, no usb connectivity. We now have 45 voices in the 9-series and no hint that we will even be able to mix-and-match or edit and deeper than the 4 parameters physically on the pedal. However, this pedal is the furthest we have ventured for any sound that we can create with a POG. Organ sounds were one of the key selling points of the POG for many player, but the Synth 9 gives us things the POG is not capable on its own.

Nailed It?

From the beginning of the 9-series, these pedals have been nearly perfect. Some would argue that they are, in fact, perfect. I would say to them, that the lack of some key features would show us that they are not. The B9 gave us great organ noises, but no expression pedal in or fast/slow Leslie feature (they stuck that is a completely different pedal). The Key9 did cool keyboard sounds, but lacked a little of the authenticity that we loved about the B/C9 units. The Mel9 was cool, but obscure. Now the Synth9 is taking on a huge task: upping the guitar-synth game. ... and it has? Look, the 9 series is great at what it does: being the next best thing to the real thing, or faking it just good enough.

Conclusion

Here is the next in what is becoming a long line of rather ingenious pedals. With the power of these pedals combined, you'd hardly ever have to hear the sound of your actually guitar again. I am impressed with the ability of EHX to keep finding niches for their family of funky sound machines. I thought they were running out of ideas. Turns out they are feverously coming up with new ways to make crazy sounds. And when you take a long at the guy running the show over there, it make a lot of sense. So, do  you need this pedal in your life? Well, you have to ask your self. Do I have a consistent need to play "Jump". 

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Klon Announces A New Pedal At NAMM

Klon is surrounded be a mystic cloud that plucks magic and pixie dust out of an another dimension, then mixes them with electronic components and creates other-worldly pedals that entrance the unwitting player. That very same Klon has now bestowed us mere mortals with another creation of pure essence

...and it's a boost.

Klons first 'new' pedal in years and it is basically a Klon overdrive without the overdrive. As it was explained, This is the same pedal, but without the clipping section, so to give you a boost without the drive. This came about from the typical use of Klon pedal. Mostly use to boost the signal in a chain of other effects. Now we have a unit to do just that, but nothing else. May this is a lower cost offering from Klon. Maybe this is just an uninspired follow up to an outragously popular pedal. I don't know.

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Ugly Truth: Outlaw Effects New Pedals

With Summer NAMM coming around the corner, we have some new products coming out of the woodwork. As I was running through my Twitter feed, I noticed that Outlaw Effects has four new products coming out. Outlaw makes effects that competes with the more inexpensive effects, but hold their own with the most established pedals on the market. So what's new with Outlaw Effects? Well, for the most part, it's not effects.

More Power!

 

 

Two of the new products that Outlaw have out are power related. This is a little surprising, but not a bad idea. This helps to round out their line and helps the Outlaw faithful to fully equip their boards with more Outlaw. The first is the Kerosene power supply($69). It's dressed up, so it can be on top of your board if you like. It features eight 300 milliamp 9 volt power. This is plenty to power most if not all of Outlaw's effects (not sure of the power consumption on their reverb or delay). What isn't here is something to power the more hungry effects. Most digital delays and reverbs are going to want around 500 milliamps, so you may have to look elsewhere to power those. But fear not. Elsewhere is only as far as the Iron Horse tuner/power supply($75). Instead of 8-300 milliamp spots, we get 2-500 milliamp and 6-100 milliamp outs. This makes these two a pretty sweet package. No word on whether these are isolated outs, but my money is on not. If it was, then I would expect that would be highly publicized.

Solid Choices

Outlaw are also adding the Lasso Looper($79) and updated Six Shooter tuner($39) to their fold. The tuner sounds like it was sorely needed. Some reviews reveal that the functionality of tuner 1.0 may have been less than some of the competition. Personally, if it doesn't perform at least as well as my trusted TU-2, then it doesn't work well enough. I owned Fender's pedal tuner for a short time. It was awful and probably never actually tuned a guitar. I returned it and bought my TU-2 and it has been faithful ever since (considering the TU-2 was replaced with the TU-3 several years ago, that says quite a bit). Hopefully they have improved whatever may been wrong with the original. The looper seems like a faithful clone of TC Electronic Dito. One knob, one switch, hardly could mess that up.

Conclusion

These guys know what they are doing. I think they have rounded out their collection of pedal quite well. The truth of the matter is that these are affordable, tiny pedals. I've been impressed with everything that I've used from them. The best thing is that they are very customer service oriented. I have connected with them over social media and some direct messaging. They are friendly, polite and located in Canada (not France). There aren't a sponsor, they just make some decent stuff. I'm excited to see things in action.

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Digitech Whammy Ricochet Pitch Shift Pedal

With the trend of shrinking pedals, Digitech has graced us with the smallest Whammy pedal ever. It raises a few question with its release. Is a whammy a whammy if it doesn't have a rocker? Do we need another pitch shifting pedal with everything else on the market? Does it still have the same mojo as the original? Well, I guess that's what we are here to find out.

Haven't We Seen This Before?

Yes. Yes, we have. The EHX Pitchfork, the BOSS PS-5 (and others), even Digitech had a similar pedal with the Drop, so why come out with this. Well, the size is one reason. The original Whammy pedal is huge. As large or larger than your wah pedal. This pedal makes pitch shifting in a manageable box. Although if that's all you wanted then the Drop would be enough. So what sets this pedal apart. Like the Dirty Robot, what sets this apart is control. The effects other than your basic pitch shifting are what need to be stressed here. The speed of the shift can be adjust independently. This allows for unique and flexible effects. While it looks like something we seen before, it has some new feature under the hood.

It's New And Old

Yes, it has a lot of new features and the pitch bends are smooth and track well. But there are some that are fans of the original. It had tracking issues that made it an effect in and of its self. That voice is still in this box. You can switch between the polyphonic tracking or the original tracking of the old whammys. This is a smart move. This pedal can replace your old clunky whammy rocker for good. Not to mention, it makes recreating the exact pitch-bending speed super easy. No longer do you have to develop those killer ankle muscles.

There Is Still A Little Room From Improvement

Yes, this pedal is a solid offering from Digitech. It is well needed and timely, but it seem to have overlook something. There is a interesting LED arrangement on the left. I don't dislike this. It is a visual reference that might be helpful, but what would be more helpful is an expression out. Yes, there are other Whammy pedals that can help you out, but why not make a pedal with a bit more flexibility. It would be a welcome replacement for the column of lights in my opinion.

Conclusion

Although their is some room for improvement, this is still one of the best pitch-shifter pedals. It sounds great, and you can still get those old sounds out of it. You can emulate a trem-arm and make other cool sounds with it's flexible controls. This is pedal is a welcome addition to the whammy line, and it might be just what you need if you can live without using the rocking motion to control the pitch.

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Ugly Truth About The New Keeley Compressor

Keeley has been impressing us since they first started modding BOSS pedals. They were on the cutting edge of the big 'mod' boom. Then they developed a line of original offerings that continues to innovate and expand. Keeley have been able to offer effects that compete with any other pedal for top spot. Their new compressor is likely to be no less impressive. It already has a few things going for it. So let take a closer look.

It's Tiny

Yes, it is another tiny pedal in a 1590A enclosure. Although I do not like skinny, tiny pedal like these, the Keeley compressors have been high regarded as some of the best. Little is known about the particulars of this pedal (it's not even on the Keeley website yet) it resembles the C2 Signature compressor. That particular model is out of production and resembles the ROSS/|Dyna, two-knob style Compressors. So this pedal seems to take a little inspiration from the C2 and adds a Mix knob, which I Find to my liking.

Too Many Compressors

Keeley is no stranger to the compression game. Their four knob compressor was probably the most sought after compressor for a period of time. It's features and fidelity filled a gap in the market that took some of the largest effects manufactures by surprise and introduced guitar players to compressor that made little or no compromises with their tone. This pedal does have some parallels with another pedal in the Keeley line-up, or rather a part of a pedal. The Steak and Eggs pedal by both Keeley and JHS has been praise three ways to Sunday. Notably, the tiny compressor and the compression side of the Steak and Eggs share the same features: Level, Sustain, and Blend. Is this Keeley capitalizing on the success of their joint venture with JHS?

These Pedals Are Too Familar

Take this pedal and put an unfamiliar logo on it. Does it still seem desirable? These tiny pedals have been flooding in from China. My local music store has adopted a line of these tiny guys. They sell for about $40. Put this pedal next to a Chinese pedal and tell me if it's worth two and a half time the price. Maybe it is, but maybe it's not. You could argue that Keeley holds it's value and is a better investment and that dealing with an American company will offer you better customer service. You would be right on all accounts. But when looking at the direct utility of the pedals themselves, it might become difficult to justify the price. (even though the first time I saw the asking price of one of these I thought it was a steal for a Keeley Compressor)

Conclusion

I'm not going to pretend that I don't like this pedal. It's probably the most excited I've been about a compressor, perhaps ever. It's not often that compressor get a lot of hype. They are used as tools, like EQs and boosts. There just isn't the colorful language given to these pedal as there is to overdrive and distortions. But, this pedal has all the makings of a great option if you are looking for a Compressor. It is small, so if you run your Comp 'always on' then you don't have to worry about turning it off and on and how uncomfortable that can feel. The price makes it no more expensive than many others that offer similar (or even fewer) controls. It maybe different or flashy, but it may just be the best option for compression to come out in the last few years.

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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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Boss BC-1X Bass Compressor

This year at NAMM we saw two of the biggest pedal makers, BOSS and EHX, put out Bass Compressors. If that seems a little strange to you, you are not alone. The bass player is often forgotten in the effect conversation. I've known many bass players to play with nothing other than a tuner on the 'pedal board'. So we now have practical tone tools debuting from two highly respected manufactures. The boss pedal seems to be the more sophisticated, but it is the hands down winner?

It's Shiny

Yes, it's pretty. Pearl British racing green is a nice color, and the chrome plate and knob make it standout among the other BOSS pedals. It also has a LED clipping indicator. This is all fun stuff, and makes it look... special. But there isn't really a big difference between this pedal and other BOSS pedals. It's still the same old BOSS box. Last year BOSS blew us away with the DD-500. The pedal seemed to be a new direction for box. But it looks like they are still getting more mileage out of that old 'soft touch' box.

Boss Has A Track-Record

So, I have really tried to like BOSS compressors. They were the first ones I've tried. I've tried the CS-3 and a Japan made CS-2. Both where underwhelming. They were very similar except that the CS-3 had some more flexibility. The Vintage mojo really wasn't there for me. Others swear by them... whatever. The Bass Comp might be head and shoulders above the other blue comps, who knows. As for me, I will have to give this a thorough run-through before fully embracing this fancy box.

It's High Dollar

Like I mentioned earlier. There were two Bass comps that were paraded around at NAMM this year. This one and the EHX Bass Preacher. The biggest difference between the two is the price. The Boss is twice the price of the EHX. Is it Twice as nice? I don't know, but it is sparklier.

Conclusion

Given our options with Bass Comps, it would take a lot for me to endorse this option. I am a Ross/Dyna comp guy. The Compressors that Boss have in their line have done less than impress me. The Soul Preacher is more my speed. The cost is another factor. It would have to beat the cheaper option hands-down to warrant such a cost. Yes, this pedal has some sparkle, but is that worth the extra cost? No... no it's not.

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Ugly Truth About The New EHX Soul POG

If you follow Electro Harmonix, then you know they drop a new pedal into their line every other Tuesday (or something like that). It seems like they just announced the Lester pedals and hot on its heels is the new Soul POG. What seems to be a mash-up of EHX's two most popular pedal is... exactly that. They've put two of their highest selling and popular pedals into one box. Why? Go figure. They do a lot of things I don't understand. (like releasing a pedal with two different paint jobs). If you're asking your self, "Isn't this like what they did with the Soul Food and Holy Grail MAX?", yes, it's exactly like that. So, why the POG? Why now?

From EHX:

Combines two sweet pedals—-the Soul Food transparent overdrive and Nano POG polyphonic octave generator—-in one potent multi-effect. Use them alone or together, put either first in the chain, insert other pedals between them with the FX loop. Also includes a cool Mode switch for a choice of two different octave-up sounds. The versatile Soul POG delivers award-winning overdrive and flawless polyphonic octaves in any combination!

From the sound of it, Electro Harmonix don't sound very inspired by this mash-up either.

They Try'd This Before

The Turnip Greens pedal was the previous mash-up of the Soul Food and Holy Grail MAX. I was pretty interested in that pedal and almost bought it until I remembered that I already owned the Soul Food and the Boss RV-6 was a thing... So I like the idea, but if you have either one of these pedals, then it doesn't do you much good to buy it again, right?

There Isn't An Incentive To Buy This Pedal Even If You Want Both Pedals

Even if you are looking to buy a POG and Soul Food pedal, why would you buy this? It takes two pedals that would run on opposite sides of your board and sticks them together. Yes, it has a loop so that you can run pedal in between, but that seems like a cable routing nightmare. Especially if you are like me, and have a decent sized board already laid out. Not to mention, the price is basically the cost of both pedal combined. Why? The pedal is more complicated, but one unit with less flex should cost less than two independent units.

It's More Tempting Than I'd Like To Admit

For the reasons above, this pedal is not to be desired, right? It doesn't make any sence. I shouldn't want to buy it. That's what I though, unit I saw this:

I want to make all those sounds. You did it to me again Mike Matthews...

GMF Bullseye Pedals

GMF amps is a little company that mostly produces an acoustic DI. This DI has been featured by Guitar Player magazine, but for most of the guitarist community, they are an unknown. A visit to their webpage will only bring you information about the DI and a small line of effects that are now in development. In fact, this company relies on Kickstarter campaigns the fund the production of its effects. This actually makes a lot of sense and seems to limit the cost of the units. In stead of taking a gamble on mass production, or charging a mint for small batch pedals, GMF will know exactly how many unit they need to sell. This could change the way small effect developers create and distribute their products.

A Closer Look

Lets start with the Distortion.

GMF Touts "Proprietary circuits" for each of their designs. This is somewhat of a good sign considering how many cases of effect companies cloning each others circuits (I'm looking at you, EHX) However, there is something that look a little suspicious. Maybe it's the model name "DS-1" that has has been everyone's first distortion pedal ever (the Boss DS-1). I'm not say that it is a DS-1 clone... MXR has that down, but that could have called it anything else and it would be better.

There is a Chorus

 So this is the Bullseye Chorus. Organic and lush, this chorus is a reminder of more classic effects. The pedal is warm, like a CE-2 with the added benefit of a level knob. Fans of the old school will probably appreciate this pedal for it's subtle qualities. However, dramatic 'warble' sounds are possible with this unit as well. This really is an expressive unit. GMF's description states that you can use this unit with a varity of instruments, and I believe that claim.

And a Delay

The DL-1 is a simple analog delay that seems to fit in with the rest of the lot. Warm, analog repeats are present. The delay time might be limited, but super long delays are for the digital units. If you are looking for a warm, vintage sounding delay, then this might be a option for you.

The Reverb

Those looking for the Fender verb in a can may see themselves picking up one of these units. The Two knobs make this pedal very simple, however limited. The unit emulate a spring reverb, and calls to mind the spacious sounds made by a clean Fender amp. There isn't much you can do to improve on that.

Conclusion

These pedals may not be game changing in them selves, but the space saving design (they are about the size of two 'micro' pedals side by side, and top-oriented jacks make them pedal board savvy. The option to power them with a 9-volt or a power adapter is nice to see in small pedals. These pedals are what the big effect companies try to be, relevant.

The Ugly Truth: DOD Gunslinger MosFET Distortion

A few days ago DigiTech posted on there website that the DOD Gunslinger is available for sale. I was unaware that this pedal was even in the making. I can think twitter to bringing it to my attention. Checking YouTube gave me an idea of what it sounds like. I am a bit of a MosFET fan. I really dig my EHX Glove MosFET OD. Throw in High and Low controls along with 9v/18v switching and you have a lot of features in a nice little box. DOD always put their pedals in a nice sturdy box with attractive designs. They now throw in LEDs for no extra charge. (although DOD now charge $99 for remakes of pedals that used to sell at about half that) I have to admit that I am excited about this pedal, but everything isn't so great.

It's Another MosFET Drive

When I hear MosFET I think of Fulltone's Fulldrive2. I've never really enjoyed using that particular pedal, but I really like my MosFET Glove. Just like "Tube Overdrives" the market is getting a little crowded with pedal makers putting out their MosFET pedals. This one tries to separate its self with some neat features and it seems more saturated than other pedals of the same type. I don't know that anything I've seen about this pedal makes me think that it is anything unique.

 It's DOD

I don't want to put any particular brand on blast, but Harman/DigiTech/DOD (mostly DigiTech) has let me down more than other pedals. (Boss is number 2 if you were wondering and my board is about 40% Boss). So DigiTech is DOD and they are remaking these classic pedals which is fine. I think I like these DOD pedals more than anything that Digitech has put out in the recent past. I've never use the originals, but the remakes that I've played have been solid. They just have that stigma about them. If I bought this pedal, I'd be looking for it to fail somehow.

It's Overpriced

Like I mentioned before, the reissue of the classic DOD pedals have come with a decent price hike. I'm not saying that they have to be dirt cheap, but pedal that are as simple of the DOD 250 is a little hard to justify at $99. I will say that Musician's Friend has put them on their SDOTD for half price, and that seems like a great deal. EHX put out there dirt pedals for a little more than $50. Being as cheap as I am, it was like Christmas. I have to wonder how many units they are selling. Out side the reissues of classic pedals, is the DOD brand even relevant any more?

In Conclusion

This pedal is worth a look. It may or may not be worth the full price tag. I think if you can catch this pedal on sell, then the flexible EQ and great sounds (that I've only heard via Youtube) are worth you adding it to your line up if you are looking for a MosFET Drive and the EHX Glove didn't float your boat.

**With a little reading I've found that this pedal might be a reincarnation of an old DOD pedal of olde. The FX100 Integrated Tube was basicaly a ModFET distortion with the same type of tone controls. Like the other Reissues, they are 100% faithful. Still, very interesting strategy DOD (Harman... or whatever) have adopted.

Visual Sounds Changes Its Name To TrueTone

Not too long ago it was brought to my attention that Visual Sound, the makers of the One Spot power supply and Jekylle and Hyde Pedal, have changed their name to True Tone. Premier Guitar posted a interview with founder, Bob Weil. He had this to say:

“The name of the company was derived from the first product I invented, Visual Volume; the volume pedal with a 10 LED scale to indicate volume level. That was the product that launched Visual Sound at the beginning of 1995. While Visual Volume was the cornerstone of the company back then, it became a secondary product over the past 20-years. Now, we are best known for our effects pedals, including Jekyll & Hyde, Route 66 and H2O. In addition, our 1 SPOT power supplies and accessories have become the industry standard. Our company motto has always been Real Tone for Real People, which underscores our approach to making reliable, high-quality products, at a fair price. With this in mind, we feel that our new name, Truetone, clearly states our vision in one word.”

This comes right before the roll out of Version three of the line of pedals. It looks like they are revamping every pedal. The Jekyll and Hyde looks closer to the VS-XO pedal we saw come out recently. Exciting things are coming from this company. Whatever they are call...

The Ugly Truth About The Boss RV-6

Boss has a new Reverb pedal coming in 2015. Anounced just before NAMM, Boss let us get our first looks are their RV-6 Reveb pedal, and I have to admit that is it the most exciting reverb pedal I've seen recently.

The Ugly truth is that Boss is playing catch up. They aren't innovating any more. The closest they have come recently was with their Tera Echo, but that has only met with limit success. I am a fan of making weird sounds, but the Tera just didn't wow me. The New DD-500 delay will incorporate some of it's features so it might be going the way of the dodo. This reverb unit with add some features and flexibility that may have seem as overkill when the RV-5 was developed. But the focus on ambient sounds have pushed reverb users to ask more from the reverbs than their traditional uses. Not exactly competing with the likes of the Strymon Big Sky, the RV-6 is an replacement of the current unit. Boss may be struggling to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving market place. Boss have been known to produce quality products, but they aren't quick to update. This reverb unit makes so much sense. The fact that Boss will keep the price the same is actually really cool. Giving players new gear at the old price is a smart move. What else do you expect from a company that has been in the pedal business for decades.

The video of it in action on Boss site is my favorite. The 100% wet signal in really interesting, and temping.

Ugly Truth About The New Boss DD-500 Delay Pedal

Let me just say that when I saw the new delay play from Boss. I was excited. It has been years since I've seen something from Boss that I actually got excited about. In the last couple of years we've seen some special edition Blues Drives and Distortions. We even got a remake of the old analog delay. Somewhat recently Boss unveiled their Tera Echo. My local music store clerk was pretty excited about that one, but I didn't exactly go to pieces over it. I wan't to like these pedals, but they just came off as overpriced and over-hyped. But The DD-500 is something that I can honestly say that I'm excited to get my hands on.

I've used the DD-20 delay for years and loved it. The features are great and the operation is simple. The twin pedal design has had limit success. Boss has offered many effect in the twin format. Most are forgettable. The OD-20 is a completely lack luster overdrive pedal, Space Echo and Slicer are not far behind. The Loop Station and Giga-Delay are the most recognizable and prolific of the twin series. But even those have started to look a little dated. It's been a considerable time since Boss pedal were held as trendy pedals. The design and look of their pedals have remained the same since the conception with little exception. That is until now.

The DD-500 is a direct departure from Boss' standard line of effects. Completely redesigning their pedal from the enclosure up. The addition of metal switches seems strange on a boss pedal, but good kind of strange. It is the the kind of strange when you realize that you like the way a Ford Torus looks. The market has changed for delays recently. I went to buy a good delay about 5 years ago. My choices were pretty limited. There was the Line6 DL-4 and Boss DD-20. Now we have a head spinning decision when shopping for delay. TC Electronic, Visual Sound, Strymon, and Empress making top notch delays.  The new Boss Pedal is trying to compete with these pedals. They have packed this pedal with features and options. It looks great, it sounds great and it's not outrageously expensive. It fits in Boss' current line of delays. The DD-20 is sitting at $200 and the DD-500 is set to debut at $300. While they compete with the top of the line Delay pedals, they sit near the bottom price wise.

The feature stack up and leave the previous models in the dust. It borrows from nearly every outstanding delay in the boss catalog. Vintage and Tape modes are pretty standard, but the Tera Echo also makes a contribution. The addition of the Tap/Control switch is a welcome addition. This switch is actually programmable. For a full list of features check out Boss' page. I have to say that I really want test drive one of these pedals and see just how this pedal stacks up against everything else out there is the market. Boss has made a departure from their norm, which is shocking.

Will there be more?

What pedal would you like to see get this treatment from Boss?

Leave a comment!

The Ugly Truth About The Guitar Magazine That You Read

Disclaimer: Most of what I say is speculation. I'm sure that in some cases I am wrong, but I believe that more often than not this is the case.

If you are like me, I really like to read about the gear that might be coming out, or something that I haven't heard of. I love learning about a new maker because they might have new or different ideas about something that I care about (music). I am always scanning the guitar magazine sites and following numerous bloggers and writers on Twitter. I do this to keep up with what is happening in the world of music gear. I also visit the bigger retailers websites to see what they've posted lately. If you are like me though, there was a time before all this media and we actually had to pick up a physical magazine to learn about what was coming down the pike. There was no NAMM show videos 5 minutes after it opens. There were articles and reviews about the gear that you could only dream about. Over the years some things started to become apparent to me about these "reviews".

1. They Are Not Critical.

These reviews are great for letting you know what is out there. However, they do not give you the full story, and in many cases, they don't even tell you how the thing sounds. They might discuss features and design, but leave out how they sound. To be fair, saying that a pedal sounds good or bad is nearly worthless. Reviews are for the most part subjective. There are those how hate certain pedals and others that love the same pedal. How can this be? Because good sound is subjective (for the most part). When reading a review in a magazine you might find that it reads like a dressed up version of the user manual rather than a guitar player talking about a pedal he liked or didn't like.

2. It's Really Hard To Be Objective

So I really like to write about all this stuff that I write about. I spend a fair amount of time doing it, and, other than watching my metrics, I get very little benefit. (Yes I monetize but seriously, I get excited when I make a penny a day.) I did, however, write a post about a certain maker of effects and was able to talk my way into getting a couple pedals to give a hands-on review. It was really exciting. But as I wrote the reviews I almost felt pressured to be more favorable to the makers because they had been nice enough to send my something for free. I'm sure that getting free stuff probably doesn't effect professional writers as much, but if you are writing for a publication that depends on advertising dollars to stay afloat and you are tasked to write about their stuff, there might be other pressures to write a nice shiny review.

3. They Are Dying  

As you might have noticed, it is becoming harder to find guitar magazine as your local news stands. Most smaller displays completely ignore guitar magazines, and larger stands will only have the most major names. Bass players and Drummers are pretty much out of luck unless they go to larger book stores. That means you almost have to have a subscription to keep up with your favorite zine. That, or have the internet. Most physical magazines have everything online plus additional media like video, podcast, and sound clips. Plus the sites operate at a fraction of the cost of a physical magazine. Ask any player under the age of 30 what magazine they are subscribed to and all you'll get is a dirty look. I don't think that our favorite magazines are going to disappear completely, but their physical forms are going the way of the buffalo.

TC Electronic's New Pedal Is Not A Pedal

So all the hype was made and many people, include me, were extremely excited. What was this new product that was coming out? I was convinced that it would be a interesting new pedal. Then we got this:

That's right. A clip on tuner. That might be the single least exciting product that I can imagine. I own several clip on tuners, but that doesn't mean that they are worth putting out teaser videos. The thing that gets my attention about a product about this is the price. That too is note worthy, because it is 50 dollars. That is not worthy for the fact that is more than twice the price of any clip on tuner that I've ever bought. TC Electronic is a little slow getting to market because Fender beat them to the punch with their own $50 clip on.

Yep. Looks like a Snark to me too. I think the Polytune has the upper hand in this fight because of how well the pedal version works. The Fender looks pretty standard exept that someone scribbled their name on it. In conclusion, if I were in the market for a $50 clip on tuner, I'd get the TC Electronic.

TC Electronics Has A New Pedal. What Is It?

TC Electronics have been teasing the internet with videos and pictures obscuring the identity of their new stomp box. This leads all of the pedal who care about such thing to wonder, what is it? For example, they posted this picture of a pallet full of boxes...

No hints here, but in their video they mention something about its size. So we can assume that it is a micro size. Currently most of their line has the compact and micro version of the same pedal. There are a few exceptions. Their Dark Matter Distortion and Helix Phaser have no counter part in the micro pedals. Currently I am waiting for a Dark Matter pedal on backorder, so that makes me think that they have limited the supply before the release of "new" micro sized version. In direct contradiction of this is the fact that TC Electronic doesn't seem to be heavily invested in dirt pedals. In fact they are currently pushing their Toneprint technology. So a move in this direction doesn't seem like their MO of late. Again, contradicting what I just said, Keen observers will notice that the pedal in their teaser video looked to be darkly color. This would point to the Dark Matter since TC Electronic keeps everything color coordinated.

The Ugly Truth About Big Tone Music Brewery

The other day I was on the Twitter, and I noticed the Big Tone Music Brewery has just announced a new line of pedals. If BTMB is a new name to you, you are not alone. They have been operating in obscurity for some time creating unique, feature laden pedals that are impressive to behold. The guy behind the Build You Own Clone site, Keith Vonderhulls, has created a line of creative pedals. Their most prominent pedal being their MOSFET overdrive and boost. More than just a Fulltone clone, this pedal offers panametric EQ and knobies and switches everywhere. Another standout in their line is the Royal Beaver. This combines every Big Muff variation and combination imaginable. In short, this is the beaver to end all beavers. These pedals are flexible and well designed. So when I heard that they are putting out more pedals, I got excited. I couldn't wait to see what designs they came up with next.

There New Line Is Heavy On The Dirt

Obviously BTMB is committed to making the best, and most flexible OD, distortion, and fuzz pedal. They also have come up with a boost and vibrato. Many people have several dirt pedals. If you are like me, I am always looking for pedals that add something to my sound. Once you have your sound with the right amount on dirt, then you can look at making that sound just a little sweeter. Delay, Reverb, and chorus are tryed and true effect that help make "that sound" that much better. Many people see the pool of gain pedal to be over-saturated. So when I learned that BTMB was offering nothing but dirt, my excitement was squelched a bit.

Their Clones

Let me be clear hear. These are no exact copies of other pedals. They take successful circuits and modify them to make them more desirable and flexible. So lets take a look at the line up:

Classic Overdrive=Tube Screamer (?)
Grey Box Overdrive=DOD 250 (Grey Version)
Ram and Triangle Fuzz=Big Muffs
Silicone and Germanium Fuzz=Fuzz Faces

They have applied their now-signature flexible EQ. Yes they might have familiar beginings, but they offer many options that aren't found on the originals. Not to mention that they are made with top quality NOS parts and construction. So the idea behind these pedals are not trying to copy the old pedals, but rather improve upon the old circuits.

They've Lost A Little Magic

Many of us have looked for that magic bullet to produced the sound that is in our heads, the one pedal that will rule them all. Some have claimed to find it, and they very well may have. Sometimes that sound is a slippery fish. It may sound completely different from day to day, making BTMB's flexible pedals great choices. However, the pedals in this new line fit a little more snugly into their original roles. They are more flexible then their counterparts, but they stop short of the exotic pedals they have previously built. Speaking of which, The original pedal had top mounted jacks. As everyone knows, if you want a super sexy pedal board then you have to have your pedals with top mounted jacks. That way you can put your pedals close together and have a solid mass of sonic goodness at your feet with little to no pedal board showing. Side jacks just down allow those pedal to get super close.

In Conclusion

Now we have a line of pedals that pretty much anyone can admire. They taken familiar designs and increased there tonal range, and given them modern features that today's players want. On top of everything, these pedals are handbuilt in America and under $200. That might be serious cash, but these are serious pedals. In a world where there are tons of dirt pedals to choose form, these pedal standout, but aren't too obscure that you won't be able to tell which pedal is right for you. These are very smart designs from the guys that have been building and modding circuits for years. Well worth a try!

Backorders Still Suck

Recently I received an email stating that my pedal is still on backorder. I have no idea what is holding it up anymore. Perhaps there is some issue with their manufacturing process. I've also noticed that they are heavily pushing their Toneprint pedals via the social medias. So I thought that TC Electronics might be retooling their Dark Matter distortion to be a part of their Toneprint series

I sent a Tweet out stating my theory on a Toneprint Dark Matter, and I was quickly replied to by TC Electronics. They informed me that they are not producing a Toneprint distortion. One could hope. I did see this on the twitter this morning. So something is coming.