Fxdoctor Saves Cool Cat Vibe with Volume Mod

Never one to give up and move on – usually the smartest and least expensive course of action – I decided to try and improve my Danelectro Cool Cat Vibe CV-1. If you read my review of it here: http://tonewarrior.blogspot.com/2009/10/product-review-danelectro-cv-1-vibe.html you’ll know I liked the sound of the pedal (a lot), but could not live with the huge volume boost, which made the pedal virtually unusable.

In search of a cure, I visited a few online forums and found some threads about how people have added a volume pot to reduce the boost. I’m no electronics expert and should probably be kept away from a soldering iron at all costs so I went looking for someone that could fix the boost and perhaps completely rehouse the pedal.

I found Boston-based fxdoctor (www.fxdoctor.com) and after a few emails with Joshua I sent over my pedal for some open case surgery. Joshua added an internal trim pot set at unity so the volume when switching the pedal on and off is now even. And because it’s an internal trimpot, there has been no drilling into the pedal casing. I don’t see the need to adjust levels once it’s set at unity so this internal trimpot is a good solution for me. I decided not to go the rehousing route because I have an awesome $300 KR Products Mega Vibe so this Cool Cat was never going to be my main vibe and as a result it wasn’t worth the additional investment.

The fxdoctor answered my emails promptly and was a fast surgeon. I sent my pedal on Monday and had it back on Wednesday. The total cost including shipping and handling was $37. Added to my original eBay purchase price of about $40, I now have a very usable, high quality and true bypass vibe for under $80. I’m running this pedal on my second “small board” and am having a lot of fun with it now the boost has been tamed.

If you are sick and tired of the volume boost on your Cool Cat Vibe, the fxdoctor has the prescription.

Peavey Reactor - Great Telecaster Copy

I love Craigslist. I just picked up this Peavey Reactor for only $125. These typically sell for $200-$300 on eBay and this one is in mint condition so I would expect it to sell near the top of that range. There is literally not a scratch on it and no fretwear.

The Peavey Reactor is a really nice copy of the Fender Telecaster that was produced around '93-94 and is made in USA. It features a superb, fast playing and smooth two-piece maple neck and three piece poplar body. The pickups are decent and quite usable, but not great. The neck pup sounds rather muddy for my tastes, but the bridge pup delivers some nice treble tones and bite. With the current pickups, it is ideal for blues and rock, and although you could play country on it, it is not as twangy as you would expect compared to many of the Fender Teles.

I am planning on swapping out the pickups, getting a new pickguard, changing the pots and adding a 4-way switch for some more tonal options. I am noticing some tuning issues, so the tuners may have to go - or it could just be the old strings that I haven't changed yet.

For the money this is a great guitar with excellent build quality. It is certainly superior to many of the Mexican, Chinese, and Indonesian imports that are flooding the low end of the market and could give the USA Fender Telecasters a run for the money - if you upgraded the electronics. If you see one under $300, give it serious consideration.

I'll post pics of my upgrades when they are done.

Pedal Boards of The Stars - Michael Landau

Michael Landau is a killer guitar player with amazing tone. Check out his solo album "Tales from the Bulge" or his work with Karizma. Here's what he uses on his current board:

• Maxon SD9 Sonic Distortion (for heavy distortion)
• Roger Mayer Voodoo 1 (for light distortion)
• Boss Volume Pedal
• Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe
• Geoffrey Teese "Real McCoy" Wah Wah
• DLS RotoSIM - A rotary speaker simulator. For years he has been using the Arion SCH-1 Stereo Chorus to get a Leslie sound, but this seems to have been replaced with the $299 RotoSIM.

The other units on the left side of the board are channel switches for his amps and he also has a Boss tuner.

Recommendation: Ernie Ball Earthwood Acoustic Guitar Strings

Strings are often overlooked by guitar players. This is surprising because I think different brands differ considerably in tone and feel.

I've been through a lot of different sets over the years searching for the ultimate acoustic tone and these strings give the best tone per dollar in my opinion. They're incredibly vibrant and resonant and really bring out the natural tone of your acoustic. I play a Fender f-65 (made in Japan circa 1980) and these strings make it sound better than any other that I've tried.

First I went with a lighter gauge, but found that the medium lights are the best as they deliver smooth and rich bass tones as well as a nicely balanced treble. These are highly recommended and typically retail for around $5 a pack so they are also quite cost effective. Don't be afraid to check 'em out.

Product Review: Danelectro CV-1 Vibe

I was quite impressed by the Danelectro CF-1 Fuzz so I decided to check out the Cool Cat Vibe, which at $69 MSRP is the most expensive pedal in the range. I happened to find a mint condition CV-1 on eBay for only $33 and could not resist. But really, how good could it be at this price? The surprising answer is very good indeed.

As with all pedals in this range, the controls are on the back face of the unit making them a little challenging to access. And like its brothers and sisters, this pedal is true bypass and comes in a strong metal casing – a vast improvement over the previous plastic encased “deli” range of pedals. This particular unit sports a cool ‘50s sea foam green color, which I quite like.

Despite the placement of the controls – Mix, Intensity and Speed – they are fairly straightforward to use and offer up a wide range of tones. The mix control is particularly useful as you can mix your dry signal and the effected signal to taste. One big plus is the variety of different sounds you can get out of this pedal – regular vibrato, phaser-like swooshes and swirly chorus – so it is very versatile. It will definitely put you into Hendrix, Trower and Gilmour territory if desired.

As you would expect at this price point nothing is perfect and it does have some issues. First, it takes a second or so for the effect to engage after you have stepped on the pedal - not a big deal to me. Second, there is a significant volume increase when the effect is on when typically modulation pedals are a little quieter than your normal signal. And while the CV-1 is true bypass and quiet when not being used, it does affect your tone a little when engaged. You'll notice it takes off some high end giving a more compressed and richer tone. That I can live with, but the volume boost is so large it makes the pedal all but unusable unless you are recording and have your levels all set. As a result, the CV-1 did not make it onto my main board even though I liked its versatility and the sounds I could get out of it.

I did an A/B test to compare this with what I consider to be the best vibe on the market: the KR Products Mega Vibe, which costs around $300 if you can even get hold of one. The Mega Vibe was certainly more transparent and authentic – you can replicate Hendrix almost exactly. However, the CV-1 was certainly in the ballpark and could get you perhaps 75% there. So considering the $60 price tag I do think this represents great value for money. For a more affordable vibe that doesn't break the bank I think the Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe is the best value for money at around $130.

In conclusion, the CV-1 Vibe is not going on my main board, but it is a lot of fun to play around with so I am keeping it as a back up and for recording situations.

Product Review: DOD FX20 Phasor

The two classic 1970s phasers are the Electro Harmonix Small Stone and the MXR Phase 90. While I like both of those units, they have a very distinctive and not particularly subtle sound. I wanted something a little different and less intense. I was so impressed with the dirt cheap DOD FX65 Chorus I have that when I saw this phaser at Daddy’s Junky Music in Boston – DOD calls it a “Phasor” – I decided to add it to my pedal collection.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. This is one boring, ugly looking pedal. Obviously not one extra cent or brain cell was expended on making it look attractive to potential buyers. But once you get past the dull gray appearance, the sound is full of life and color.

Produced between 1980 and 1984, this is a simple four-stage phaser . . . sorry phasor . . . like the MXR Phase 90. However that’s where the similarity ends. This has a very subtle, watery and shimmery sound that adds no distortion to your signal like some phasers. There are only two controls, speed and regeneration, but with a fairly wide range you have enough of a soundscape to get a lot of different tones. My favorite setting is with Speed at 10 o’clock and Regen at 11 o’clock. This delivers a wonderfully warm and rich phasing sound with both clean and distorted channels – just enough to know you have the effect on, but not enough to completely smother your tone. Perfect.

There are some basic design flaws with this pedal that are common to this style of DOD pedals. The battery compartment has a removable plastic cover and probably 90% of pedals from this era come without the cover (including mine). The on/off footswitch is also not up to Boss standards, although I haven’t had any issues with this aspect.

If you are looking for a subtle phaser full of analog warmth, you could do a lot worse than the DOD FX20 Phasor. Like the FX65 Chorus, it’s another overlooked bargain from DOD that can be had for between $20 - $50.

Product Review: Boss ME-50 Multi Effects Pedal – The Smorgasbord

Putting together a pedalboard of effects is not quick or cheap. You have to work out what effects you want and then decide among myriad vendors for each type of pedal before buying and trying. This can take months. Or longer.

Then again, you could just buy the Boss ME-50.

The ME-50 includes a wide variety of different effects in one fairly easy to use unit for under $300. Basically it’s a stompbox on steroids. What you get is 10 EQ presets, 22 distortion types, 11 modulation types, 11 delay types, and 6 expression pedal effects. This smorgasbord of effects also includes a compressor and noise gate as well as some more esoteric effects like a ring modulator, octave up/down, harmonizer, and acoustic simulator. As usual with Boss, it is built like a tank.

The good news is that while Boss has pretty much delivered the kitchen sink of effects pedals, it sounds surprisingly good. The disortions are decent and varied, if not a little raspy, which I find typical of most Boss boxes. While they don’t measure up to boutique units, they are quite acceptable and useable.

The modulation channel is also decent, giving you a wide tonal palette to play with including chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, Uni-Vibe and a rotary effect. Because of a lack of real estate you don’t get all the controls you would if you were to buy individual modulation stompboxes, but you can still coax out some respectable sounds.

The delay channel is the standard Boss offering and gives you plenty of options from short slap back to 2000ms. One big plus of this unit is the expression pedal. You can select from six different settings including a ring modulator which was a lot of fun and a really, really nice wah.

Boss also provides a number of preset tones that are actually quite good although navigating through them is a little cumbersome and something that may be a challenge in a live situation, especially if you want to use two or more different presets on the same song. Presets can be edited if you want to add your own although there are only 30 slots available so you would have to delete one of the factory presets to add one your own.

I had a lot of fun with this unit and it’s a great option if you want to go to rehearsal without dragging your main board along. With a headphone socket and controllable output, this unit is also an ideal practice buddy. Interestingly, spending some time with the ME-50 really helped me work out what effects I liked and used and which ones I didn’t. That was invaluable because from there I was able to research and confidently purchase the individual pedals I wanted for my own board. This alone saved me many hours and a lot of money buying and trying.

The main compromise of the ME-50 is that sometimes you might want to layer multiple effects, say chorus with tremolo or stack two types of distortion. Unfortunately you can't do this as you can only have one effect from each bank running at the same time. Also I’m not 100% convinced it is gig worthy although some players do use this very unit live including Fareed Haque from Garaj Mahal.

Overall, the Boss ME-50 gets two thumbs up from me – one for the variety of decent sounds provided and one for value. Above all, it’s especially useful for those that want to build their own pedalboard, but are undecided about what types of effects to purchase for it.

Product Review: Danelectro Cool Cat Fuzz - The Unfuzz

I’m on the waiting list for a KR Products Gypsy Fuzz. Based on my research it sounds absolutely killer and exactly what I want for $170. But I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting.

So to give me some fuzz tones in the interim I went looking for a good and cheap fuzz pedal and decided to give this unit a try. Some of you may know about the heated discussions online that allege Danelectro has copied the interior workings of some popular boutique pedals for its Cool Cat line. Supposedly the Transparent Overdrive is a copy of Paul Cochrane’s Timmy and the Cool Cat Fuzz is a copy of the $325 Frantone Electronics Peach Fuzz. Interesting that they picked a peachy/orange color. Is Danelectro trying to tell us something?

For $35 including delivery from Musician’s Friend I decided to check it out.

The unit seems well constructed and build quality is far superior to previous Danelectro pedals. It has a die cast metal housing and is true bypass for starters. The controls are on the back face of the pedal which doesn’t bother me, but I could see how this could be a problem, especially if you were playing live as they are hard to see and adjust. So how does it sound?

In a nutshell this is a very nice distortion pedal, but a poor fuzz. It is very quiet when not engaged, but it has a huge boost even at 12 o’clock so you will have to ratchet the volume control down considerably. What’s really important though is that it delivers a rich, luscious and deep distorted tone somewhat reminiscent of the Mesa Boogie Rectifier amps. I really liked the tones I could get from this box, but unfortunately I could already get them from my amp, my MIJ Boss DS-1 and my Timmy. What I wanted was that classic, wet and splattery Fuzz Face tone that completely overwhelms your speakers. Unfortunately in this critical area, the Cool Cat fell short.

For $35, this is no brainer if you are looking for rich, heavy distortion. However, if you are looking for classic ‘60s fuzz tones, look elsewhere. I am very impressed though with what you get for your money so that has got me interested in checking out the Cool Cat Vibe.

Product Review: Danelectro Mini Modulation Pedals

I landed a selection of Danelectro mini pedals from eBay recently for $56. I wasn’t seriously interested, but I have read quite a few positive comments about them so for that price I could not resist the opportunity to check out the tones.

What you get is essentially a mini board of modulation pedals in a custom carrying case with power supply and cables included. The “grab and go” convenience is quite compelling when you don’t want to drag a big expensive board across town to rehearsal or to a gig at a beer chugging frat party. Of course as any guitarist knows, it’s all about the tone regardless of how convenient the set up.

Based on my gear and my ears, here are my opinions of the effects:

Milk Shake Chorus – Does the clean '80s Police sound quite well, but it is not articulate enough to get a rotating speaker/Leslie simulation. Overall it is reasonable, although a bit too “seasick” sounding for my tastes on all settings and it can get metallic quite quickly. There is a volume boost when engaged. Verdict: 5/10

Hash Browns Flanger – Another volume boost when engaged, but overall this is a pretty good Flanger. The sound has some analog warmth to it, although the pedal is somewhat limited in what it can do so don’t expect the diversity or control that a Boss BF-2 provides, for example. Verdict: 6/10

Pepperoni Phaser – I didn’t like this pedal at all. It has a one-dimensional sound that is a vague representation of a real phaser and delivers a huge treble boost when engaged. Verdict: 3/10

Chicken Salad Vibe – This pedal surprised me . . . but not in a good way. I’ve read a number of positive reviews of this pedal on guitar community web sites, but it just didn’t do it for me. Again, it sounded like a vague representation of a Vibe without really capturing the essence of what a quality Vibe is all about. I won’t be swapping out my KR Products MegaVibe any time soon. Verdict: 4/10

Tuna Melt Tremolo – Of all the Dano pedals this was the best by far. It has a very warm and organic sound and can get you that clean Fender amp tremolo sound with ease. I prefer the soft setting to the hard “choppy” setting by far. I currently use a Voodoo Lab Tremolo on my board, which I think provides a bit more control and subtlety, but for the price the Tuna Melt represents outstanding value for money. Verdict: 9/10

Tuna Melt aside, I was disappointed in these pedals. Instead of letting your natural guitar tone shine through they cover it in a not very subtle or controllable effect that vaguely replicates different flavors of modulation without nailing any of them well. Other than the Tuna Melt, I would save your money and wait to buy better effects in each genre – or even the new Cool Cat Danelectro pedals, which come in a metal case and are true bypass.

Product Review - Boss CH-1 Super Chorus

Boss has a long history with chorus pedals starting with the CE-1 in the late 70s. This was was essentially the same circuit that first appeared on the famous Roland Jazz Chorus amplifier, but shoehorned into a separate floor-based unit. Then came the legendary sky blue CE-2 stomp box, which has become the industry standard chorus and is on the boards of many famous players to this day.


So on to the Boss CH-1 Super Chorus. With the Boss pedigree in chorus pedals you might think this particular model would be something special. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

The CH-1 is a fairly popular, widely available unit that is made in Taiwan. Based on my gear and my ears, here’s what I think about it:

The Good
· Does not affect your natural guitar tone
· No volume boost when engaged
· Does the classic clean and icy chorus sounds quite well
· You can run your signal into a second amp from the unit
· Boss “tank like” build quality
· Works well with single coils and humbuckers

The Bad
· Limited range of subtle sounds so not very versatile
· Cannot do a Leslie simulation at all
· EQ and E.Level controls do very little
· Cold and sterile sounding

My favorite setting is 12 o’clock on the E. Level and EQ, and about 2 o’clock on the Rate and Depth. The pedal can be used with acoustic and bass guitars and because of its subtle effect, it works quite well with these other instruments.

Overall I think this is a very average chorus pedal and there are many better options out there even though you can pick these up used on eBay for only $40-$50. For a little more money I would go with a used Arion Stereo Chorus SCH-1, a used Boss CE-2 or perhaps an Electro-Harmonix Small Clone. And if you are really serious about chorus, there are many boutique offerings from Analogman, Diamond and others.

Les Paul R.I.P.

Les Paul, the inventor of the solid body electric guitar passed away today from complications associated with pneumonia. All guitar players owe him much gratitude.

From the early days when he unveiled "The Log" to his pioneering work with multi-track recording and tape echo, he was a music icon - much like the Gibson guitar that bears his name. His contributions to music will never be forgotten and he will be missed.

LYT Pedalboards – Good Value for Money

I thought about making my own pedalboard, but I don’t have a workshop, the tools I’d need or very good woodworking skills. I also don’t have the time so I went in search of low cost alternatives.

I ended up buying a LYT Pedalboard that I purchased via eBay for about $70. I use less than 10 pedals so I didn’t need a huge board so I went with the LYT 24 without the carry case. It arrived within two days and it was, as the name suggests, quite light. It is made from a pressed composite that is quite strong and painted in a flat gray color. The first step was to cut the enclosed Velcro to length and cover the board. My only complaint is the minimal amount of Velcro included – not enough to account for any errors or cover underneath the riser or the sides. I wanted everything covered in black Velcro so I went to Home Depot and purchased some more.

That minor gripe aside, I am very happy with the board. The riser is a nice touch (although it is fixed) and it is a great organizer – all my effects loop pedals are grouped on the riser. The board looks good and is quite strong. For bedroom use and playing out a couple of times a week it is a solid choice. If you are playing out a lot or touring I think any of the Pedaltrain models would be the way to go, but for what I need and the price, I give this two thumbs up.

Danelectro Mini Effects Pedals

I won an eBay auction last week landing five Danelectro modulation effects pedals for $56 including carrying case, cables and free shipping. Score!

The pedals are:

• Milk Shake Chorus
• Hash Browns Flanger
• Pepperoni Phaser
• Tuna Melt Tremolo
• Chicken Salad Vibe

I’m especially interested to hear the Tuna Melt Tremolo as it is on some pro-player boards who could buy any tremolo they wanted. I’m also interested to put the Chicken Salad Vibe up against my $300 KR Products MegaVibe – can I hear a $290 difference in tone?

I will review each product individually in upcoming posts.

King of Tone - Chris Duarte

Many people write Chris Duarte off as a Stevie Ray Vaughan clone – just like when Robin Trower was seen as a Hendrix clone early in his career. Wrong on both counts.

Duarte is really maturing as a guitar player and singer and I really like some of his more recent CDs. His tone is excellent – driven by a nice selection of analog effects pedals.

There is a great video up on YouTube where Duarte talks about his gear. Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmXUSfBIIsM&feature=PlayList&p=07ED3F6DA67A5E99&index=10


If you’d like to hear Chris is action check out these CDs:

• Chris Duarte Group – Texas Sugar Strat Magic
• Chris Duarte Group – Blue Velocity

You can also stream or download some live shows from here:

http://www.archive.org/details/ChrisDuarteGroup

Pedal Boards of the Stars – Guthrie Govan

I thought I’d start this new feature – Pedal Boards of the Stars – with a guitar player that may just be from another planet. If you don’t know him, the English guitarist Guthrie Govan has been dropping jaws all over the world since his debut CD “Erotic Cakes” came out in 2006. Quite simply, one of the best guitar CDs released this decade.

Besides being a stellar player, Govan has a very nice tone – much of this has to do with his boutique Cornford amp (he is an endorser) and his custom Suhr guitar. But a nice selection of analog effects pedals also play a role.

I’ve seen a number of pedal board photos so his rig seems to be changing, but as far as I know the photo above is the latest incarnation. It features:

• Analogman Chorus
• DigiTech Whammy
• T-Rex Replica Delay
• Guyatone WR3 Wah Rocker Envelope Filter
  
• Menatone J.A.C. JFET Compressor
• Hermida Audio Zendrive Overdrive
• Ernie Ball Volume pedal
• Pedaltrain Junior pedal board

Can’t wait for the next CD.

Product Review - Boss FT-2 Dynamic Filter

In the late 1980s and early 90s, Boss decided to discontinue a number of esoteric pedals like the Dimension C, Xtortion, Slow Gear and Dynamic Filter because they were not big sellers. Fast forward 20+ years and due to their relatively low initial sales, these pedals are quite collectible among analog pedal enthusiasts with a price to match. The Boss Slow Gear for example regularly sells for over $200 on eBay. When I saw a Dynamic Filter come up for auction a couple of months I was very interested mainly because the guitar player Alex Gunia from Matalex (a killer German fusion band - check out the "Jazz Grunge" CD) had one on his pedalboard and I really liked his guitar sound. $75 later and the Boss FT-2 was mine.

According to the promotional verbiage the Boss FT-2 is an auto wah pedal that fits into the company’s line of auto wahs between the TW-1 and the AW-2. I think this is a little misleading because in essence the Boss FT-2 is an envelope filter and produces quite a different effect than an auto wah.

There are four controls on the pedal: Sensitivity, Cut Off Frequency (high – low), Q, and Up/Down/Manual modes. You also have an “Exp In” jack, which provides the option of plugging in an external expression pedal so you can control it like a traditional wah, although I did not bother to do this.

The keys to this pedal are the Cut Off Frequency the and Q, which controls the peak bandwidth. By finding the right setting you can get some decent “quack” from this pedal, especially with single coil pickups, but try as I might I never really found “the sound” to make it a keeper. The pedal is an obvious choice for funk guitar, but it is more subtle and less usable to my ears than the Electro-Harmonix Dr Q or its Micro Q-Tron, which I think are much better sounding effects pedals in this genre.

When engaged the Boss FT-2 also destroys your tone – not really surprising because it is a fairly aggressive filter effect. My favorite setting was using full on distortion from the amp – it produced a very subtle wah effect, which could spice up solos and with the distortion cranked tone loss was less noticeable. I did try this pedal with my Ibanez bass and I think this may be where it shines best. Despite being a rare and somewhat collectible effects pedal, it didn’t make it on to my pedalboard so back to eBay it goes.

King of Tone - Scott Henderson

Scott Henderson - founder member of the ground breaking jazz fusion band Tribal Tech and former GIT instructor - has always been one of my favorite players. And his tone is killer. These days he is using a beautiful Suhr Strat and a variety of analog effects.

There's a great video interview up on YouTube where Scott talks about his gear, what effects he uses and how he uses them. Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeJYAH-Kiy8

If you are not familiar with Scott's playing and want to hear more, these CDs are all highly recommended:

Tribal Tech - Face First
Tribal Tech - Reality Check
Scott Henderson - Dog Party
Scott Henderson - Live!
Vital Tech Tones (with Steve Smith and Victor Wooten)
Zawinul Syndicate - The Immigrants

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Better Tone for Under $50 – Graph Tech String Saver™ Saddles

I had mid 90s USA Peavey Reactor (Telecaster copy) lying around and decided to make some upgrades because the neck just feels so good to play. I’ll cover some of the other upgrades in other posts, but here I am going to focus on a change that was fairly minor and cost-effective, yet resulted in a big return on tone – adding Graph Tech String Saver™ saddles.

I was somewhat doubtful about the Graph Tech claims (reduces string breakage, increases sustain, improves midrange depth) and was really more interested in the fact that these were black in color, which would fit the theme of my black and white “Tuxedo Tele.” So when I saw a set come up on eBay for $25 I took the plunge.

Once installed, I was pleasantly surprised. The new saddles brought a somewhat dead sounding Tele to life with a big boost in tone and responsiveness. The guitar really sings now – it is extremely vibrant and sustain is much improved. Graph Tech claims an increase in sustain by up to 25% over brass saddles and 15% over steel and that’s probably about right.

I think the company could do a better job marketing these because they focus heavily on the fact that because each saddle is impregnated with Teflon, friction and string breakage is dramatically reduced. I think they would be better off focusing on how these saddles improve tone. But that's just me.

If your guitar sounds somewhat flat and lifeless I would definitely check these out as they do deliver a nice tone upgrade for relatively little cost. I’m thinking I might also install them on my FrankenStrat, which would take better advantage of the Teflon coating.

You can find more info on this product here:
http://www.graphtech.com/products.html?CategoryID=3

The Dunlop JH-1 CryBaby Saga – Part One

I admit it. I made one big mistake with this CryBaby pedal – buying without trying.

When I plugged in, the first red flag to go up was the narrow sweep of the pedal. I like a nice wide sweep (like the ‘70s Morley units) for a more vocal-like quality, but on this JH-1 the sweep was so narrow it was barely useable. After thinking about this for a while it occurred to me that I could adjust the sweep by rotating the potentiometer. After some trial and error I did manage to make the sweep much wider, but still not anywhere near as wide as I’d like.

As for the tone, let’s say it was mediocre at best. This particular pedal was voiced in the upper midrange so it wasn’t too shrill, but it did not have any body or depth to it at all. It is also a dramatic tone sucker (particularly the high end) whether on or off. When playing with fuzz or distortion I have even picked up the occasional local radio station – reminiscent of the infamous Nigel Tufnell scene toward the end of the Spinal Tap movie.

I think these faults are a reflection of the cheap components used – no DPDT switch to make it true bypass and no fasel inductor anywhere to be found. To be fair, since this model was released, Dunlop has made some significant quality improvements to their line and brought out a number of more expensive models with higher end components that are endorsed by star players like Zak Wylde, Dimebag Darrell and Slash.

So what do I do? Do I sell it on eBay and lay out $200+ for a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe from Michael Fuller or a Picture Wah or Wizard Wah from Geoffrey Teese – probably two of the best boutique Wah builders around at the moment? Or do I try and salvage this sonic train wreck of a pedal with one of the many mod kits that are available?

My soldering skills are very limited so I don’t feel comfortable adding and removing components on the circuit board. After some fairly extensive research on the different options available I think I am going to remove the entire circuit board and replace it with a pre-soldered Vintage Italian Wah Kit from Area 51. At least I can salvage the metal casing of this Dunlop pedal (which I will probably spray bright red). There are cheaper options, but the mod kit from Area 51 seems the best solution and best sounding Wah to my ears.

Once I get this ordered and installed, look for a review of the “new” pedal in Part 2 of this gripping saga.

More info at:

http://www.area51tubeaudiodesigns.com/index.htm
http://www.fulltone.com/index.htm
http://www.realmccoycustom.com/index.htm

Build Your Own Virtual Guitar

Sometimes it’s fun to dream about building your ultimate guitar. Or perhaps you’d prefer to build a hideous looking Frankenstein made up of leftovers from the parts bin. In real life, customizing any guitar takes a lot of time, money and patience. Fortunately the kind folks at USA Custom Guitars in Puyallup, Wash., have a super cool virtual guitar program on their web site that enables your dreams – or nightmares – to become a virtual reality.

In just a couple of minutes you can create your own custom axe by choosing from a variety of woods, colors, special paint effects, pickups, necks, bridges, knobs, jacks and even string trees. The program enables you to create whatever you think is the most perfect looking guitar based on three main body styles. The only problem is that you’ll never get to actually hold and play your creation. But you can at least print it out and dream about what could have been.

You can find the fun at:

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/virtualguitar.html

Product Review - Timmy by Paul Cochrane

Yes, it has a ridiculous name. But it also has ridiculously good tone. I’ve been through more dirt than Caterpillar in my quest for the ultimate distorted tone and after a few months of heavy usage, the Timmy has now been super glued to my pedal board. It’s not coming off anytime soon.

So what does Timmy offer that the others don’t?

First, let’s qualify what the Timmy is – and is not. The Timmy is an incredibly transparent overdrive pedal that provides mild to mid-level crunch. It can deliver a decent amount of drive, but it is not your Marshall stack in a box (like the Fulltone OCD or Keeley modified Boss DS-1) or any of the heavy metal-focused boxes. If that’s what you want, look elsewhere. However, if you are seeking a more restrained and very organic, creamy tube-like overdrive (think classic rock) then the Timmy might just be one of the best pedals of the genre.

Designed and built by hand in limited numbers by Paul Cochrane, the simple controls take a little getting used to because the bass and treble controls are “cut” style – they work in reverse of what we are all used to. Flat (wide open with no cutting of the frequencies) is at about 7 o’clock and as you turn the knobs clockwise you take out (roll off) the bass and treble frequencies, not increase them as with most pedals. Unity gain is about 1 o’clock on the volume so besides overdriving your signal you can also use the Timmy as a clean boost. Nice.

In the notes you get with the pedal, Mr. Cochrane explains these controls in more detail and better than I ever could. I’ve never read a good explanation of the thinking behind the pedal’s design so I am going to quote him directly:

“The bass control is pre-distortion. Most pedals roll off the low end before you distort the signal to keep things tight and clear. A lot of low-end distortion can get real muddy real quick. But what this means is you don’t have the low end when you need it for cleaner settings. The bass control will allow you to keep the low end for the cleaner settings, and dial it out for the good crunchy stuff.”

And here’s what he says about the treble side of the house:

“The treble control is post distortion. Like the bass circuit most pedals will have a preset hi end roll off to keep the pedal from being fizzy and noisy when distorting, but you’ll lose the hi freqs for the cleaner settings . . . Being able to control the pre and post EQ gives you the ability to kill the evil mid bump a lot of pedals have preset into them.”

I’m not a big fan of mid-range-centric Tubescreamer-type pedals so for me, this make a lot of sense. Sounds good in theory, but how does it really sound?

In my opinion, this is one of the most transparent dirt boxes I have come across and it works well with both single coil pickups and humbuckers. It also stacks very well with other overdrive and/or distortion pedals. Because it is true bypass, when not engaged there is no tone sucking at all. Even better, with the Timmy on, your exact guitar tone, and every subtle nuance of it, is still there – just with more volume, bass, treble or gain, depending on your settings. It can get pretty crunchy with the gain cranked – although not enough to make it a good choice for metal – and playing with the controls provides a wide variety of very useable tones for classic rock, blues and fusion. As a convenient bonus, it takes a standard Boss 9vdc power supply.

The only downside to this pedal is that they are hard to come by as demand has been fueled by many positive comments in online forums. Mr. Cochrane is not a high volume manufacturer so you will have to wait approximately six months after you place your order before you can plug in. Alternatively, you can buy one used at a premium on eBay or guitar-focused web communities . . . but I don’t think many owners are selling.

The bottom line: the Timmy sounds like a boutique, high-end pedal and I am sure Mr. Cochrane could charge much more than the $129 he does so it represents great tone for your dollar. Other high quality overdrive units worthy of consideration around this price point include the LTD or Direct Drive from Barber Electronics (http://www.barberelectronics.com).

And about that name. It’s nothing to do with the infamous Timmy character from South Park, but is instead based on Tim the Enchanter from the “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” movie. The Tim was the first pedal and has more bells and whistles; the Timmy is the smaller boxed version of just the main section of Tim.

Here is a decent product demo on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AViMnHAV-lw

You won’t find much info on the web about ordering so it's best to contact Paul Cochrane directly at 615-896-8555. Just be prepared to wait a while.

Bargain Hunting for Chorus Pedals

This has been an interesting journey that is by no means over. Beyond thickening your guitar sound (making a 6-string sound like a 12-string) a chorus pedal can do so much more - spanning that super clean, 1980s icy shimmer favored by Andy Summers of The Police to swirling Leslie tones used by players like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Michael Landau and others.

After a lot of research and trials at local music and pawn shops, I narrowed my search down to two main price points. First, there's the $50 group where you will find the likes of a used DODFX65, a used Boss CH-1 Super Chorus and the brand new Danelectro Cool Cat CC-1.

Jump up to around the $100 mark and you could pick up two pedals that have become the industry standards for their respective sounds. There's perhaps the most famous chorus pedal ever made - the Made in Japan Boss CE-2 - which you can pick up for around $100-120 on eBay. For the swirling Leslie sound, the industry standard is the made in Japan Arion SCH-1 despite the plastic case and knobs that fall off. It is/was used by both Scott Henderson and Michael Landau so who am I to argue.

If your budget doesn't stretch to $100+ you could also consider the very popular Small Clone from Electro-Harmonx, which gets consistently good reviews and is priced around $80. The good news is that these are all decent units and all would work well.

So what's on my current board? While I seriously considered the Cool Cat CC-1, which I felt was decent on many chorus tones but never excelled at any of them, I picked the DODFX65 based on its great price and excellent performance.

I think the DODFX65 is a screaming (and somewhat unknown) bargain. I believe it has the same BBD chip/clock driver as the CE-2 and is almost $100 cheaper. I got mine used for $25 and it is an excellent unit overall and amazing value for money at this point in time. It has a heavy, metal casing and is built like a tank. In addition to the Rate & Depth controls like the CE-2, you also get a Delay Time control which gives you a bit more versatility. I am noticing a slight volume increase when engaged and the on/off switch is not as good as the Boss units, but overall I am very happy with its very warm and lush analog tones. With the speed set at 11 o'clock and the Delay Time and Depth both cranked it is super thick and rich. With the rate control set fairly high you can also achieve a decent Leslie sound. I am not noticing any additional noise when engaged or tone suck, which is very welcome.

I also purchased the Boss CH-1 for $40 and it is almost the polar opposite of the FX65. It sounds very cold, sterile and somewhat digital in comparison, but it does the 80s clean sound quite well. Besides the Rate and Depth control, you also get very useful Level and EQ controls which provide great insurance against tone sucking and volume drop/boost when engaged. With four controls you have a lot of control at your feet, but the overall tone is mediocre at best so this pedal is going back up on eBay.

I'm extremely happy at this point with the "tone per dollar" I am getting from the FX65. I can see myself using this chorus pedal for many years - assuming I don't get a killer deal on a Boss CE-2 or Arion SCH-1 in the meantime.