The Current State Of Multi Effects

I've written about multi-effects on here before, But there has been a lot of time in between now and then so here we are. What do I think about multi-effects? Well, I use to hate them. I had a pretty bad experience with them. I owned a few Digitech units. These were early 2000's and early on in my guitar playing. So I thought they would a good way to have lots of effects without going broke. And it was, what it wasn't was passable for live performance which is what I would later try to make it do. I would later attempt to use multi-effects with Marshall's line of amps before their current CODE line. Again, these left a lot to be desired. I blame these two experiences with the poor impression of multi-effects. It has been a long time since I have tried seriously use multi-effects. So let's take a look.

Line6 did a lot to turn the tide of multi-effects. The POD had a lot of serious users, but I never bought into it. It was too soon for me. I just had a bad taste in my mouth from Digitech. Also, it wasn't a pedal, so it wasn't cool enough. Then came the M series. The M series probably turned the tide on multi-effects. The large unit, M-13, could be your entire pedal board. It could also be a part of our pedal board. The M-13 probably pushed the limit in many respects. It was really expensive compared to other units. Despite that fact, the M-13 was extremely popular. There had been other "high-end" multi-effects" but the M-13 did so well that it renewed interest in premium multi-effects. Yes, Line6 ushered in the new era of multi-effect. Eventide and Strymon probably would be as successful if Line6 didn't help so many of us find faith in their ability again.

Today, multi-effects are again surging in popularity. Line6 have again pushed the boundaries. The Helix series has filled in a gap in the market. With the rise in popularity of high-end,multi-effects, all-in-one boxes, Line6 took what they do well and married it to super-detailed, high-fidelity effects processing. Headrush and Positive Grid both have products that compete with the Helix. Both of these companies have great products that basically changed the multi-effect game practically overnight. But what Line6 has done is married their experience with pedal making (love it or hate it) and the full weight of their multi-effect engineering. The product of all this was Helix.

Is the Line6 Helix the end-all-be-all of guitar effects? I don't know. I not trying to tell you that you need to buy a Helix. In fact, I not trying to say that the Helix is better than making a pedal board of all sorts of different pedals. But, these effects are doing so much more than they used to. Entire digital rigs that act more like their physical analogs than ever before. It all depends on what you want from your rig and how you use it. A guitarist that use a DAW could possibly replace their entire rig and silently record and still have a great product. Some will always love running through an amp and analog effects. There are less and less differences between the actual product, so what you use will depend on what you want from your effects. At the end of the day, Digital improving so much and so fast that soon it will be hard not include these effects.

NAMM 2018: ProCo Rat Tail Distortion Cable

No, the title of this post is not some sort of typo. I has to read a little bit before I actually understood what this product actually is. I still may not know exactly what this cable does, but I do know that it is a guitar cable. Everything else I haven't fully accepted yet. According to ProCo this cable has a Rat circuit in it. Meaning that your cable is now capable giving you that sweet vintage distortion that you love so much. I guess there are those that only use a Rat and no other pedals. This product lets them get their kicks without have a pedal on the floor. This isn't a product that I don't particularly see a market for, but I'm wrong a lot.

From Effects Database:

RAT INTRODUCES NEW RAT TAIL DISTORTION CABLE AT NAMM 2018

Built-in and Selectable Distortion Now Available Directly on the Connector
JACKSON, MO, JANUARY 16, 2018 – RAT FX, known for its world-class distortion pedals, enters into the cable market with its first RAT Tail distortion cable at NAMM 2018 (RapcoHorizon Booth #11610). The new RAT Tail distortion cable offers guitarists a new way of achieving some of the effects of the Vintage RAT distortion pedals, as this cable is built using the same clipping diodes that drive Vintage RAT pedals’ signature distortion tones.
With two built-in ranges of distortion circuitry directly selectable on the connector, guitarists can shift seamlessly between settings with the connector’s easily accessible dial, without missing a beat. The RAT Tail distortion cable comes equipped with three settings, including true bypass, distortion overdrive with unity gain and distortion overdrive (+3dB of gain).
“We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality distortion options on the market, which is why we utilized our expertise in the cabling market to innovate this new RAT Tail distortion cable,” says Darius Seabaugh, vice president of marketing for RHC. “We’re confident guitarists will recognize the benefit of having a full range of distortion options at their fingertips, no matter where they’re playing on the stage.”
From the very beginning, the RAT was destined to define “The Sound of the Underground.” It was, after all, born underground in the basement of the ProCo Sound factory in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. RAT has evolved from a single, hand built prototype into a family of the most versatile and most recorded distortion pedals in the world. The brand is now adding cables to its line-up, offering even more options for its customers to achieve the quality distortion that they have come to expect from RAT.


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Hands On Review On MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

For a long time, the Carbon Copy analog delay has been the darling of many analog delay users. It wasn't until recently that I was able to sit down and fully review one of this pedal. I've been going through tons of delay pedals recently and I was looking forward to really get to know this pedal. So with that in mind, let's get into it.


Solid

This pedal is compact. Messing around with the new line of TC Electronic's economy line has gotten my used to a bit larger format. Even a BOSS pedal make this pedal seem slender. It also has a lot of heft. The enclosure is thick. In fact, I took the screws out of the bottom and fit of the bottom plate was so solid, I almost had to pry it off. When you hold this pedal next to something like the JOYO digital delay, the differences are huge. Quality is evident even before you plug it in. MXR did an awesome job at building a super solid pedal.


It Does What It Does

There isn't a lot of extras with this pedal. Mono in, mono out, but what is cool is that it includes a mod buttons, so that's fun. There are three controls, but you do have internal controls to control the mod. That is good, because when I first engaged the mod button it was too present. Other than Tap Tempo and longer delay times (both are almost always limited on analog delays. Also, the carbon copy has longer times than the Echobrain analog delay.) This isn't a feature pack pedal, but what it does it does quite well.


The Sounds

I did want to compare the Carbon Copy to the other delays that I had laying around. I was excited to compare the Carbon Copy to the Echobrain. The Carbon Copy blew the Echobrain away. Delay time (which is a big deal for me) was a lot of it. The Mod switch just made the Carbon Copy so much more of a pedal. I also put this up against the Behringer EM-600 Echo Machine. I set a good tone on the Carbon Copy and tried to copy it with Echo Machine. It got 90% there. The Carbon Copy just has a way of not coloring your dry signal. When making a big ambient swell, other pedals cover up higher frequencies, but the Carbon Copy is a champ. I could hear delicate note despite the huge amount of noise behind the playing. Impressive.


Conclusion

This pedal I lovely. There is a reason that this pedal is so popular. Yes, it was trendy, but there is something to be said for when I pedal is done well. There is very little to complain about with it as well. You might want stereo operation or tap tempo, but that is still rather uncommon is a small format, sub $200 pedal. The only thing that really detracts this pedal is the price tag. I'm not saying that this pedal isn't worth $150, but that price point puts it next to pedals like the EHX Canyon, BOSS DD-7 and TC Electronic Flashback II. Yes, they are all digital pedals, but I am Ok with running digital if it sounds good. So for the analog loyalist, this is awesome pedal, but those that play the field might want to check out their options.

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 Green Russian Big Muff Reissue

Those that follow the history of the Electro Harmonix Big Muff know the pedal has had a long and complicated past. Starting life in New York City, the pedal has seen many revisions spanning decades and continents. Those casually aware of the pedal may be familiar with words surrounding the pedal like Ram's Head, Triangle, Civil War, and Russian. I won't get into all of those in this post, but I will take a close look at Electro Harmonix's latest muff, the Green Russian reissue.

What Does A Green Russian Sound Like?

Well, those unfortunate enough to be unable to find/afford a vintage Green Russian Big Muff (like my self) have to settle for finding clips on the internet. An excellent source for all things Bigg Muff is Kit Ray's site devoted to the accumulation of accurate Big Muff knowledge. According to the site's research, all Russian made Big Muff pedals (Green Russian, Black Russian, and Civil War) all have similar components and sound (Fatter Bass, Brighter and less-scoped Mids, and Less Gain) These features made it a natural for bass players looking to add a fuzz to their tone.

A Russian Spy?

It is speculated that maybe, just maybe, the Green Russian has been operating undercover for years and we just haven't noticed. Some suspect that the Nano Bass Big Muff has been a Sovtech Spy all along! Actually, there is a rumor that the Green Russian reissue is just a Bass Big Muff in a new coat of paint. (admittedly, that new coat of paint looks awesome.) The strongest case for this being the EHX website! From the Nano Bass Big Muff Page: "With voice inspired by the battle tank, GREEN RUSSIAN BIG MUFF" (emphasis mine). Well well well... I'll just leave this here:

Placebo Mojo

Expert wine tasters have been fooled into describing a white wine with typical red wine characteristics because it was made to look like red wine with food dye. Similarly, the same experts praised inexpensive wine when led to believe it was more costly, and dismissed top-shelf wine when told it was inexpensive. Why am I talking about wine? Because the same effect happens to guitarists. The Boutique Boom was born out of people wanting more expensive looking pedals. It's no coincident that re-boxing BOSS pedals became a big thing around the same time. You could pick up a used BOSS pedal and put it in a boutique looking box for less than most boutique builders ask for their pedals. I'm not better. I'd spend time swapping out the LED on a BOSS pedal and become the proud papa of a custom/modded pedal. There is something to be said for enjoying the way your pedals look. You always want to be proud of your rig, but remember to use your ears first.

Conclusion

It is well-documented that the Big Muff has had numerous variations. Each one of those variations having a different effect on the sound produced. Many variables come into play when discussing tone, perhaps none more hotly debated than mojo. Some tout the Green Russian as the superior Russian Big Muff others believe the Civil War Big Muff the best, but in all honesty, the circuits are nearly identical. All components have tolerances, some as much as 20%, so there is some truth to the "this one sounds different than that one". Is this the golden goose of tone the EHX has been reluctant to put out until now? No. This is a way for Electro Harmonix to offer a genuine Green Russian Big Muff... clone that was made in the far east, assembled in NYC and has already been on shelves for years under a different label (probably). But it looks really cool!
Also, just to point out, that according to NWinther of tdpri.com, the Cyrillic letters spell out "Overdrive". Which could be a shout-out to the Red Army Overdrive, the pedal that Mike Matthews of EHX produced before regaining control of the EHX brand and Big Muff name.

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Ugly Guitar Truth: Cock Fight Plus Wah

Talk about burying the lead, EHX has announced their third rocker pedal in the last few weeks. The Cock Fight Plus is planned for release soon. Fans of the cocked wah sound flocked to the Cock Fight for its expressive nature and unique filter. EHX has now taken that sound added more control and feature, then put it inside of a rocker pedal. Is it all good news?

No Brainer

Fans of the original Cock Fight could add an expression pedal for real-time control of the pedal's filter. The Combination of the two pedals seemed like a given. With the release of EHX's two new expression pedals, this pedal is a perfect match. In fact, it makes one wonder which they developed first. Was the Expression pedal just a byproduct of the Cock Flight Plus' development? Either way, this pedal has a lot under the hood. You have your choice of vintage wah filter or vowel sounding format filter, in addition to a pre- or post-fuzz. Certainly not a one-trick-pony.

Return To Form... Kinda

Although most of us are glad that Electro Harmonix has done away with their "no moving part" type rocker pedals, these rockers are not just like the classics. Every rocker that EHX has produced recently has been composed from a composite material. This adds cost savings and weight reduction, but at what costs. EHX has stated more than once, that these pedals are road-worthy and just as dependable as their aluminum counter parts. But what if I have to break out my car's window? What will I use if my Wah isn't made like a brick?

Chicken Feed

Fans of the original Cock Fight might not trade their pedals for this. After all, the main attraction of the original was that it was a wah pedal that was attached to a wah. You can set-it-and-forget-it unlike a wah that is easily displaced from the 'sweet spot'. However, those that want a feature heavy wah, or those that use an expression with the Cock Fight, it is time to rejoice. For less than 12 dollars over the cost of the original, you have the Cock Fight filter, an expression, and fuzz in a single box. All that for a poultry sum.

Conclusion

I enjoyed the Cock Fight when I first tried one out. I never bought one because I wouldn't use a cocked wah sound and I had a wah that did its duties well. I did think would have made more sense to put the whole thing in a rocker but maybe I just missed the point. We now have what is possibly the best of both worlds. Two filters, a fuzz, and a rocker come together to make Dunlop cry like a baby...  

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Ugly Guitar Truth: EHX Hot Wax Overdrive

Somehow, EHX was about to the keep the announcement of their new overdrive pedal a secret from me for the last few weeks. They have produced a new dual overdrive pedal that has taken me by surprise. The Hot Wax is not at all what I expected for Electro Harmonix. As it is explained by EHX, the Hot Wax overdrive is basically the Hot Tubes overdrive mated with the Crayon overdrive. Is this a match made in heaven or some hellish concoction? Let's discuss.

It's Probably Not What You'd Expect

Unlike previous match ups, the two drive circuits share some functions. This means the two drives are not independent from one another. Unlike the Turnip Greens and Soul POG, this pedal shares tone controls and does not feature an effects loop. Were these cost cutting measures or lazy design? Maybe neither. Electro Harmonix is, if nothing else, a company that doesn't suppress creation. Does this mean that everything they make is a winner? Hardly. I imagine when something at EHX make Mike Matthews say, "That's cool." it gets produced. At least they aren't telling us that this is the latest and great, brand new, totally original design from EHX. They're honest. They told us that if these two pedal had a baby, then this is the result. It's not two pedals in the same box, it's a product of commingling,

It's Nothing New

I know we discussed how it was the product of two other pedals, but there is a problem whenever you have these situation. These two pedals, respectively, have been on the market a while. I checked out the Hot Tubes when I first noticed it a few years ago. I passed then. I was rather excited about the Crayon during its release, and it continues to be a go to pedal for me. It could be that these pedals sound great together, but that would only prompt me to buy a Hot Tube pedal to test that theory.

Rebranding

What EHX may be doing is branch out into larger, more complected drive pedals. Looking back at the catalog of EHX drive pedals, you'll notice their wasn't much that didn't have MUFF in the name. The popularity of their (for the lack of a better word) clone pedals is allowing them to move in a different direction. Let the Muff return to its fuzz roots and develop overdrive circuits that stand on their own. While most drive options have been compact, three-knob-jobs, the line needs more complete and capable gain stage options. Instead of reinventing the wheel, Eletro Harmonix married two existing circuits. Instead of blowing (cigar) smoke up our collective butts, they gave us the truth. Respect. But this could all just be EHX trying to flesh out there Drive pedals with a more diverse offering.

Conclusion

For me, I already own a Crayon, so it doesn't make a lot of sense to pick up this pedal. I would like to give a run through. For someone looking for a overdrive/boost or dual overdrive pedal, then this might be your thing. The Hot Tubes in my opinion does a fine job at being a mid/light gain, mid-humped overdrive. The Crayon is a good sounding, flexible overdrive. Put them together and what do you get? Magic? Gold? ... Hot Wax...

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Ugly Guitar Truth: TC Electronic Hall Of Fame 2 Reverb

Several new reverb and delay unit have been released lately. Far from the least of which is the TC Electronic Hall Of Fame 2 reverb. The sequel to the rather iconic Hall Of Fame reverb, the HOF 2 bares a strong likeness to its predecessor. The controls, toggle, and stereo in/out are all still there. The majority of the reverb modes are the same as well. So are there enough differences between 1 and 2 to make a current own run out and buy number 2? Let's take a look...

Real Time Control

As with the Flashback 2, the Hall Of Fame 2 comes with the Mash function. This basically lets you take control of a single parameter by pressing the pedal's foot switch. This unique function turns your on/off button into an expression pedal. Not only that, but in the Tone Print settings, you can set the Mash function to any parameter that you want. This level of real time control is totally unprecedented in a single-sized, compact pedal. Personally, I am more excited to see this function in a reverb than in a delay.

Shimmer

Finally, TC has caught the Hall Of Fame up with the massively popular trend of Shimmer. This effect has become widely popular and is included in nearly all digital delay and reverb pedals in the last few years. It was a major selling point with the RV-6 and the MXR reverb. TC Electronic has implemented the same octave algorithm from the Sub N Up pedal. To say the the Sub N Up is a good octave pedal is a little bit of an understatement. If the thought and care that went into the Sub N Up also went into the shimmer setting on the Hall Of Fame 2, then rest assure it is a impressive effect

More Custom Options

In addition to the other changes, TC Electronic have made room for two additional Tone Print settings. This has come at the cost of the Tile, Ambient, and Gate settings, but those are still available under the Tone Print editor so we aren't really losing them. In combination with the Mash function, these Tone Print setting become extremely valuable. Tone Print offers a deep and rich editor that allows you to control much more than what the four knobs on the face of the pedal can do.

Conclusion

TC has put out an incredible pedal. The features alone are tempting. Combine that with the pedigree of the Hall Of Fame, dependability of TC Electronic's reputation, and powerful Tone Print editor and you have a killer pedal. The only bit of criticism I can muster would be for the Mash button. This function uses a new piece of hardware. How will this stand up to years of use? We don't know yet. I don't expect this to fail, but it may be a weak link. It also poses a problem for the tinker that like to fiddle with their pedal's bits. Neither of these would persuade me to discourage someone from checking out this innovative  pedal.

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