Ugly Guitar Truth: TC Electronic Vibraclone Rotary Vibe

TC Electronics has put out yet another batch of affordable pedals. In this round of pedal, TC has included a Rotary speaker emulator. The Vibraclone is a vintage-inspired pedal enclosed in their tank-like boxes with top-jacks. There has been a lot said about this line of effects, but TC is putting a lot of weight behind them. So far, these are the only thing that we've seen out of TC for NAMM 2018. Is this what we have to expect from TC from now on? While I do like several of the pedals in this line, I hope to see more innovation from TC like their V.2 of the Flashback and HOF. Let's take a closer look at the Vibraclone and see what we're working with.

This isn't your typical rotary pedal. Yes, there are other two knobbed vibes out there, but this one has a little trick. These pedal are usually light on features, but this one has a switch. The switch is labeled Rotary/Chorale. Along with the Vibey goodness you'd expect, you can also get chorus and flange type effects out of this one pedal. It's not often you can pull more sounds out of a pedal than the pedal actually sounds. If you're looking for a fun pedal to add some mod sounds to your tone, this might be of interest.

While rotary is a great way to give your tone some cool vibes, This pedal has a little quark that would make me pause and want to try before I buy. There is no depth control. The is only Drive and Speed on the Vibraclone. Now, this might be where I show my ignorance. I haven't found a pedal that the Vibraclone is a one for one clone of. If the Drive is the same control as the Intensity knob found on others, then that makes a big difference. As I listened to demos of this pedal though, it sounds like it actually has some gain or overdrive/boost build in. All this leads me to believe that there is no subtlety to this pedal. It is either on or off. While the TC Electronic videos are not the best demonstrations, Gearmanndude has an excellent demo where you can hear all the sounds in this pedal. If your interested in this pedal, then give that a listen.

Conclusion

Is this pedal a most have? Not for me. I do enjoy a rotary sound. however, the lack of actual control of the effect gives me a little pause. Sure, you wouldn't be able to control the depth of an actual Liesly cabinet, but this is a bit of electronics. Why couldn't there be a depth knob? There are plenty of pedals that give you a lot more control over this type of effect. However, those pedals are generally much more expensive than this one from TC. There is our compromise. You get an effect that does a surprisingly sufficient job and you don't have to bust the bank for it. All in all, this is a solid addition to the ever-growing TC Electronic line.

Ugly Guitar Truth: Boss MD-500 Modulation Effect Pedal

Along with the RV-500 Reverb and Katana Mini, Boss announced the MD-500 modulation pedal. It sport the same frame of the RV and DD 500 pedals, but it specializes in modulation effect such as Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Classic Vibe, Vibrato, Tremolo, Dimension, Ring Mod, Rotary, Filter, Slicer and Overtone. If that seems like a huge list of various effects, it is. So is this unit a shiny new 10/10. Let's take a look at what we know and what we can gather.

Inspiration

I think that most of us know realise that the BOSS 500 series is heavily influenced by the Strymon line of effects. The Timeline, Big Sky, and Mobius are legendary in their own right and few choose to compete with them in the compact, powerful, dedicated, floor-based effect market. By no means do I mean that BOSS cloned the Mobius, but the format and function of the 500 series sync up with flagship Strymon pedals pretty well. BOSS has put their unique touch on all the pedals in this line. They've also put great thought into the features and effect that went into this pedal. Although it share some characteristics with the more established pedals, the MD-500 is a stand-out in its own right.

Something New, Something Old

This brand new pedal has a list of feature that stretches long. Included in those are some that are familiar with  those who know their BOSS pedals. The Slicer and Dimension effects hearken back to pedals of BOSS' past. Long loved effects that have found a home with those that desire eclectic, vintage tones and those that want unique, creative effects. Also available in this unit is an effects loop. Place it before or after the main effect, the loop can be set to be triggered by the Control/Tap foot switch. Don't let the simple layout of the pedal fool you, this pedal fully editable.

More Than Meets The Eye

On the surface you get a powerful modulation pedal, but that's just scratching the surface. Each effect is deeply editable through an LCD screen or by linking to a computer and using BOSS' effects editor. All of these features are packaged into an unassuming, attractive frame. What make this particular pedal special, is the fact that it does so many different effects. Where the DD-500 does delay and the RV-500 does reverb (and a little delay) this pedal does so much. It's hard to say that a ring mod and rotary effect are related, but there they are sharing space on the same pedal. That's where this pedal shines. Where you may not use tremolo on every song, you very well may find one of the many effects available in this unit that you do need. So where as the DD-500 might replace your delay and the RV-500 could replace you reverb, the MD-500 might well well take several pedals off you board.

Conclusion

The MD-500 is something that the market has been looking for. Does it complete kill the Mobius? It's hard to tell since the pedal is currently only in pre-sell. Personally I think that the Mobius is a little more exhaustive. However, the MD-500 is offering a lot and the price seems like a bargain compared to similar units from Strymon and Eventide. It will be very interesting to see how this pedal stacks up with established top dogs in this section of the market.

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