The Ugly Guide To Buying Your First Guitar Pedal

Let me start by saying that the previous post about "Your First Guitar Pedal" was just awful, and not very helpful at all. Having said that, lets try it again...


So there you are, standing in the store or, more likely, looking at a website. Let's do this: find the guitar effect page, then select the box that sorts everything in order of cheap to not-cheap. Now we should be looking at some very reasonably priced items. The first pedals you might see are some by Danelectro. There are some of these pedals that are diamonds in the rough, however we are going to move past most of these because of their durability. They are affordable, but they are made from plastic and won't stand up to much rough housing. For the same reason, we are going to skip past the Behringer pedals. These aren't bad choices, but I'd prefer to have a pedal that I can grow into rather one that I'll quickly out grow.


Now we are up to pedals that cost right at $50. This gives you a lot of options. There is a pedal that you are going to want to buy. It is a Boss Distortion. It is Orange. Do not buy this pedal. For some reason, every guitarist wants to buy this pedal. I bought one. Everyone who has played pedals has been temped to pick up one of these pedal. resist that urge. Put. The pedal. Down. So you have a choice to make, but don't worry, I'll help you. There are four pedals: Boss SD-1, TC Mojomojo, TC Dark Matter, DOD 250* (*currently at $50, but I've seen it at $99 when not on "sale", but it can be regularly found for $50 new) All of these pedals are very solid, but you have to know what you are looking for. These are all overdrive/distortion pedals. So decide how much grit you want and pick your pedal. Just want a little grit? DOD 250. Little more? SD-1 or the Mojomojo (the mojo has bass and treble control, the SD-1 has a more classic sound) The Dark Matter is a flexible distortion that punches about it's price tag.


But wait, what about BandX pedal that cost (<50 and="" best="" bread="" distortion="" it="" overdrive="" s="" says="" since="" sliced="" strong="" the="">


Most of the pedals that fit into that statement above have a few things going against it. Modtone, Outlaw, and many others aren't going to offer the type of support that the larger established makers can. It's important that your first experience with effects be a smooth one, otherwise you might get a bad impression due to a bad QC or customer support. Boss (Roland), TC Electronic, and DOD (Digitech/Harman) are going to stand behind their product and offer warranties.


What about this one guy that makes a pedal that's the greatest thing since sliced bread?


 Again, there are reasons why your first pedal shouldn't be one that fits into the previous statement. Not to say that boutique pedals, I like them. The main thing that deters me from recommending these pedal is the price. Many people just getting into effect don't want to invest more than they have to. Also, there are so many builders and sometimes their products can be a little cryptic. You might want to buy a light overdrive and end up with a over the top fuzz pedal. It might be exciting to buy from a boutique builder, but when it's your first go-round, then you should get your feet wet before jumping into the deep end.


Should I only buy Boss/TC/DOD pedals, of course not. But these are good pedals to get your start. It is a new experience to have the capability to adjust your tone without taking you hands off the guitar. These are great pedals that can serve as a great jumping off point for anyone looking into guitar effect pedals.

Ugly Truth About The Eletro Harmonix MEL-9 Mellotron Emulator

So Mike Matthews and company have been at it again. Offering us yet another pedal that we didn't even know that we wanted, EHX have served us a new polyphonic pedal that emulates... Mel... Gibson? Wait, that can't be right...

That's Right, It's a Mellotron Emulator... Whats a Mellotron?

Not only is this a pedal that we didn't know that we wanted, it is a pedal that emulates something that we don't know what is. The description provided by EHX never says "mellotron" outright. I'm guessing that it is trademarked by its makers. So, the suggest it. A mellotron, as I have recently learned was a type of keyboard that reproduced different voices by looping sample that have been recorded to tape or disks. So no one knows what a mellotron is, so why emulate it? Turns out that the sounds of this antiquated beast have been used by bands such as Genesis, Beatles and The Grateful Dead. Chances are, you've heard one of the those bands, or you may even like these bands. More importantly, bands around the country, and probably the world, are paid good money to cover these bands, so now guitarist are able to emulate the actually instrument played rather than play the riff while sounding like a guitar...

Another 9 Voices

If you have followed EHX's theme with these pedals, There are 9 voices in each box, this isn't surprising. It is a little frustrating. At this point, it's like buying a keyboard with 9 voices only for another keyboard to come out 6 months later with another 9 voices. The hardware in the pedals are staying the same. It's the software that gets the revamp. Why can't we shove a few more one and zeros in there to hook us up with a few more voices, or all the voices, or let us edit and create the voices... Come on Mike.

There Is A Pattern Here

It now seems like there is going to be a "9" pedal every 6 months or so for the rest of our lives. As long as we keep plopping down $200 for these things. Electro Harmonix is going to keep selling them to us. I'd love to see something like TC Electronics' Toneprint tech in EHX's polyphonic emulators. Let us edit and customize the 9 voices that we get to play with.

In Conclusion

I was impressed with the video that EHX released with this pedal. They have the promotion for these pedals really nailed. Show someone playing the pedal and make it sound great. If you make it recreate an iconic lick 'spot-on' then that's a bonus... There are several sounds in this pedal that sound great on the video. The Choir voices are pretty stellar. Also, I was impressed with the last little bit of the video where they strummed a acoustic guitar and made a guitar+fill sound. Making this a pedal that has a range of applications other than 'make you guitar sound like ________".

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The Ugly Truth About TC Electronic Bodyrez Acoustic Pickup Enhancer

So TC Electronic brought this thing the Summer NAMM and I honestly have to say that I'm geeking out about it. It looks like a great solution for an acoustic player. The video (that we all expect to see from TC Electronc now) explains, and hypes, this tiny pedal. Like their ditto pedal, there are more features than you would expect from a pedal with one knob. There is a feedback filter, phase inverter, and mute function. In a pedal with ONE knob. Not only that, but the eagle eyed among us may have noticed that there appears to be a micro usb port. So this pedal might be a part of the Toneprint series, or at least give us more options with connectivity.

So what is so ugly about all these features being stuffed into a tine little box? Well, Lets look. If you are a acoustic player, then you probably don't use many pedals. A tuner as some sort (which may not be a pedal), A DI to run into whatever PA you use, and maybe a tone shaping tool provided that your onboard electronic doesn't do it for you. You might run a delay or reverb, but that is a Effect as apposed to signal processing. What TC Electronic has made is a super compact pedal that provides a simple and elegant solution. But these are other options.  BBE makes the AcoustiMax that does everything this pedal does and give you tonnes of control. It is also roughly 7 time larger than this pedal, but it includes everything but a tuner. Aphex make the Acoustic Xciter. I love this pedal as well. The controls are a little more open to interpretation, but the effect it has on a peizo pickup is amazing. It doesn't have all the function of the Bodyrez, but you'd be hard up to find a pedal that does what it does as well. I'll be first in line to get my hands on one come September, because these don't hit the market till the 29th of September. I guess we will have to wait till then.

The Ugly Truth About TC Electonic's Dark Matter Distortion

If there is anything in the world that gets my attention, it is guitar gear that's cheap. I'll rummage through a whole heap of junk to get to a great pedal that is reasonably priced. There are tonnes of great options in the $150-200 range, but lets get real, I got about $50 to spare, so I'm looking a lot lower than a car payment when shopping for pedals. That being said, I came across TC Electronic's Dark Matter Distortion for $50 and did a double take. Normally priced north of a hundred US bones, the Dark Matter is one of only 2 distortion boxes made by the highly praised effects company. These people put out quality stuff, but they are more known for their Hall of Fame reverb and Dito Loopers, than their dirt.

If you watch their promotion video about the Dark Matter Distortion, then you notice that they came how uncompressed the pedal sounds. This was great news because the only real complaint that I had about my current distortion pedal is that it tended to get rather compressed when the gain was turned up. If you've read about my adventures with back-orders, you know that I originally ordered this pedal online. It never came, but I was able to find it at a local music store. I ran through a clean fender amp and used a double humbucker equipped guitar. Setting the EQ flat on the amp, I started the pedal off with low gain. These sounds are nice. Compared to the Rottweiler, this pedal can actually clean up quite a bit. It's not going to be a very "clean" boost, but if you want to punch up a lead with more volume and a bit of dirt, this could do it.

Where this pedal comes alive is when the gain is past noon. It wants to rock. I found myself messing around with heavy metal riffs and chunking along like I knew what I was doing. The clipping is smooth and natural sounding. It doesn't get hissy when pushed. The pedals "noise" level is very low. Open chords ring out rather nicely, and the voicing option is really nice. It takes this great sounding distortion and gives it a little more flexibility. I did start to notice that there was something missing from this equation though.

Even though this pedal is a steal at $50, (if it is still at that price) there is a trend right now that a lot of guitarist, including myself, are really enjoying. Pedals are being designed with transparency in mind. More and more guitarist are relying on their guitars and amp for the majority of their tone, and when they turn a pedal on they want that sound to still be the bones of their tone. Many pedals tend to hijack the sound. Chief among these are one that alter the sound the most, like Distortions. Active EQs and lots of saturation will take over most any guitar, but there are some pedals being designed with Blend knobs that mix in clean signal to the effect. This is a bit of electronic wizardry, and it is wonderful.

In conclusion, I like this pedal. It is worth the $50. If you are looking for a great distortion for minimal investment, then look no further. For what you'd spend on a Boss DS-1 you can pick up a better sounding and more flexible pedal. If you have a distortion that you are satisfied with, but looking to expand you sound, then maybe this one isn't for you. It does do nice things, but it's probably not different enough from your current rig for you to go running out and buy one. It's got, but not exactly "standout".

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.

Backorders Suck!

Back in April(?) I ordered a Dark Matter distortion pedal from TC Electronics. It was backordered for like a month. I Then waited said month and still nothing. I contacted my favorite online music store and the date had been moved to June. The pedal should have shipped by now but I continue to torture myself by rereading the description on the web. I've been unable to play one of these pedal (or even see one in person for that matter). The pedal was marked down to "clearance" price, so I couldn't pass it up. Also I had just discovered that my "distortion" choices on my board were light. By that I mean I had one distortion.

Whats My point in all this? Waiting for a pedal sucks. I can not stand waiting. It should come soon but who knows. I'm also waiting on some parts from China, but that's China... It has been months since I've bought anything new. I'm Jones-ing real bad. I almost bought a guitar today at Guitar Center. It was a Squier Showmaster. Lately I've been wanting a guitar with Floyd Rose. Go figure. I read somewhere that Floyd Rose was objectively better than non-FR trems... Whatever. I've never really played with a guitar that had one. The times I messed with one I found it bulky and clumsy. Its time to revisit that. I'll dream about that Showmaster tonight...

The Ugly Truth About Multi-Effect Pedals

Not too long ago I wrote a post about the EHX Turnip Greens pedal that combines the Holy Grail Max reverb and the Soul Food overdrive. Technically this is a multi-effect pedal because it contains more than one effect. There are advantages and disadvantages to this pedal and you can read about them here. When I mention multi-effect pedals, I'd assume that most of us think about the large "processor" type pedals. I started getting into effects when I bought the Digitech RP100 multi-effect processor. It was impressive, but I started outgrowing it rather quickly. Of course playing with all the different sounds it could make was a lot of fun, but when it came to playing something on stage (which at this point was seldom but it happened) the sounds were as good as they were useful, that is to say: not very. Everything sounded fake, compressed, and cold. Those aren't kind words to describe your sound. There was also a pause when switching channels which meant you were stuck with one sound. Multi-effect have come a long way in the following years, but that doesn't mean that everything is so pretty...

When you hear "multi-effect" you probably think about Boss' processors, Digitech's RP series, and pretty much everything put out by Zoom and Line6. These guy's have been putting out units for decades. Digital effects are powerful tools. Nearly all studios use some sort of digital processing. Music and digital have almost become synonymous thanks to the vast digital music stores that make buying and selling music so easy. So why is it that digital effect like multi-effects processor have such a disdain among guitarist? It might be because

They have a sketchy history

Like I stated before, I owned a Digitech RP100. While that unit wasn't horrible, it did have some down sides: I couldn't use it for the most part (sound quality/pausing between channels), Most of the effects I didn't want or know how to use, complicated effect editing menus, hardware issues. I'm not saying that all multi-effect has these problems, but the ones I came across did. If they didn't have their issues, then they would have taken over by now. I paid less than I would for a Tube Screamer on a processor with at least a dozen effects. The bang for your buck it there, but it's less of a bang and more like a plop. Digital effects in the consumer market have a reputation for disappointing.

They aren't getting much better

Over the years, many of the familiar multi-effect have gotten a face lift. Everything looks a little more modern and flashy. The soft switches are replaced by buttons that resemble the big metal ones on boutique pedals and now have added features like tap-temp, but the guts seem to be about the same. They still try to make digital sound like analog sound that we know and love. There have been some improvements thanks to new comers. TC Electronics Nova system was a breakthrough when it came out. It still had a clunky interface, but the sounds more closely resembled those it was modulating. Line6 also came out with their massive M13 processor with basically all the effect that Line6 could make fit into one box. While these were giant leaps forward from the state of multi-effect had been, they would not be seen as the end-all-be-all. They took existing ideas and made them stage ready. The digital processor may be on its way out.

The Term Multi-Effect Is Completely Changing

A while back before I wrote about the Turnip Greens pedal, I was somewhat confused by what I saw in the multi-effects category. Regular stomp boxes seem to have found their way over to, what some may call, the dark side. To be fair, the Turnip Greens is just two pedals smashed into one. Their is no big mystery there. But EHX has put forth some interesting pedals that might blur the line between what we think of as an effects pedal and multi-effects pedals. EHX has shoved the Holy Grail Max, Electric Mistress, and the Micro Pog together to form the Epitome. They have done this again with the Tone Tattoo, combining the Memory Toy, Neo Clone, and Metal Muff. This isn't limited to Electro Harmonics though, Tech 21 has the Fly Rig that puts together their delay, amp mod and distortion. Zvex has put forth a big box of nasty with their Bomb Pop that combines their Super Hard On Boost, Double Rock Distortion, Instant Lo-Fi Junky, and Wah Probe. More and more we are seeing pedal pushers releasing big boxes with a bunch of their signature effect in one spot. It seems to be a middle ground between the old digital processors and individual effects boxes. Many effects already include more than one effect. Fuzz pedals with octave, OD with boosts, Delays with filters. Many of us already use "multi-effects" of some sort. 

Are these big box mash-ups the way of the future? I don't know. I think if there is a big enough difference in price between one box or several, then you'll see more of these combination. As for me, I'll be just fine collecting all the little boxes and fiddling with them until I can fiddle no more.