Ugly Guitar Truth: TC Electronic Fluorescence

It seems like every time I turn around TC is putting out yet another round of their compact, budget-friendly pedals. This time they have four new pedals. Typically, these pedals are stripped down, simple pedals that do a very particular job. These are no different. We are going to look at the Fluorescence Shimmer Reverb.

While the Skysurfer pedal has Spring, Plate, and Hall settings, it is more suited for shorter, more traditional type of reverb. The Fluorescence Shimmer reverb is built more as an ambient, long-tail reverb. Simple controls make this pedal very easy to use. Reverb, Mix, Tone, and Shimmer are all rather typical for this type a reverb. Shimmer has become an effect that many players have come to embrace. That makes this an attractive pedal for anyone looking to try shimmer, but not looking to really looking to replacing their current reverb.

Other than what you see up front, this pedal doesn't have very many features. TC is known for their endless customisation, but this line of effect is more about offering options for a reasonable price. TC has done a decent job putting out quality products. There really isn't a lot of complaints about any of these budget effects. Not all of them will appeal to everyone, but there is probably a few of them that would fit right into your pedalboard. The Fluorescence Shimmer might be a welcomed addition to your pedalboard.

What else can you say about this these effects? The Shimmer reverb is a winner in my book. If I was looking to add that particular effect to my board, then this might be just the thing. TC Electronics add a level of credibility to these inexpensive effects. At the rate that they are pumping out these effects, they must have a very streamline production process or a large increase in manpower. At the very least, There are a few very interesting pedals released with each one of these batches of pedals. The Fluorescence Shimmer Reverb is another solid offering.

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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