News: CMATMODS Releases Super Signa Drive

I first learned of Chad Matthews about three years ago when he installed the Monte Allums mod on my made in Taiwan Boss CS-3 Compressor. He turned a mediocre pedal that used to hiss like a snake into something very useable and his customer service was first rate. While he was offering his own pedals at that time, he has developed many more since then and one of the most popular has been the Signa Drive.

Matthews has just released a new enhanced version of this pedal – the Super Signa Drive, which seems like the Signa Drive on steroids. The latest version adds more EQ control – instead of just “tone” you now have separate controls for treble, mids and bass. He’s also added boost, which is separate from the overdrive. He states, “There is so much sustain in this pedal it is amazing, it just drips with harmonics and has so much clarity.”

Even though there are so many drive pedals on the market these days, this looks like a welcome addition. Learn more at http://www.cmatmods.com/super-signa-drive.html

Product Review - Ibanez Bi-Stage Phaser

Originally released in 1985 this phaser is from Ibanez’s often overlooked Master Series, which falls between the much more collectible 9 and 10 Series. It is somewhat unique in that you can select (using a toggle switch) between 6 or 10 phasing stages. When I saw this Made in Japan unit on eBay for only $30 my inner fx junky said “Buy it!”

In addition to the Stage toggle switch (which you can only move with your fingers) the pedal has controls for Speed, Width and Feedback. In theory the Feedback control enables you to change the phasing intensity, but in reality its affect is minimal while Width and Speed allow you to adjust how broad and fast the sweep is. The unit is Boss sized and comes in a very rugged metal casing.

The Bi-Stage Phaser delivers a good variety of sounds. The 6 stage setting adds a lot of treble and midrange to your tone making it sound rather “lo-fi”; the 10 stage setting is thicker, richer and more chewy, but it still gives your tone a significant treble boost. With so many options and controls you can get all of the standard phase sounds as well as some very nice Leslie rotary simulation with the Speed control at its higher settings. In fact, I think this is where it really shines. However, despite the many tonal options available, the overall sound of the unit is cold and sterile – a stark contrast to the warmth of the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone for example.

There are also two other issues that are big detractors for me. First, the pedal is quite noisy, in part because it is not true bypass. When engaged, and especially when you are not playing, you can clearly hear it sweeping and at louder amp volumes with high gain channels this is not welcome. It also provides a strong volume boost when engaged and I prefer effects to be at unity gain. What Ibanez should have done is added a volume control and moved the Stage toggle switch to the side of the unit so you could switch between the 6 and 10 stages using your foot on the fly.

My favorite setting is with the Speed control cranked and both Feedback and Width at about noon. This gives a nice rotating Leslie sound with a subtle phase.

Overall, this unit didn’t do it for me so back on eBay it goes. In the bargain basement category, I don’t think it is anywhere near as good as the DOD FX20 Phasor, which I reviewed here http://tonewarrior.blogspot.com/2009/10/product-review-dod-fx20-phasor.html

If you are interested in listening to a wide range of phasers, including this one, be sure to check out the Pedal Area site at: http://www.pedalarea.com/phasers.htm

News: A/DA Flanger Takes Off Again with Help from Analogman

A/DA flangers were highly regarded and endorsed by some respected players including Pat Travers in the late ‘70s and into the '80s. Unfortunately Analog/Digital Associates (A/DA) faded into obscurity years ago leaving prices of these first class flangers to skyrocket on eBay as collectors fight over any remaining units.

The good news is that David Tarnowski, the original owner and designer, has been working with effects guru Mike Piera (Analogman) over the last couple of years to manufacture and reissue the esteemed unit with a few valuable enhancements. Apparently, the signal path for the reissue is identical to the original and Panasonic (Matsushita) bucket brigade devices are still used for the analog delay. One nice new addition is that the reissue is now true bypass.

The reissues have been available since mid-January 2010 for $259.95. You can learn more at the Analogman web site.

News: DigiTech JamMan® Solo and JamMan® Stereo Looper Pedals

I use a Boss Loop Station RC-2 for practicing and I like what this pedal can do. But I wish it could do more – like accommodate more memory so I could store more tracks, and most important of all, connect to my computer so I could easily manage my loops and recordings.

Enter the new DigiTech JamMan Solo and JamMan Stereo Looper pedals.

I am especially interested in the Solo because it seems like it builds on what the RC-2 can do. According to the marketing blurb from DigiTech:

“Both feature the ability to store 35 minutes of CD-quality loops in 99 loops internally as well as having a SD memory card expansion slot, giving the artist the ability to store up to 16 hours of material in the JamMan Stereo and 48 hours of material in the JamMan Solo in an additional 99 slots.

The JamMan Solo and JamMan Stereo feature USB connectivity and will sync to DigiTech's free JamManager™ software that organizes and saves your JamMan loops to a PC or Mac. The software also provides the user with the capability to create JamLists and have them available for use anytime.

Both loopers also include a USB port to transfer loops to and from a computer, metronome with multiple rhythm sounds and time signatures, automatic recording, and Hands-Free™ functionality. The JamMan Stereo also features a balanced, professional grade, low impedance XLR mic input with a dedicated gain control.”

This all sounds pretty compelling to me because using the Boss RC-2 is somewhat like being stuck on a deserted island. Because of its complexity and the fact that it is not a very intuitive pedal to use, I think an USB interface to a computer with requisite software would make it much more manageable. I think DigiTech got it right with the Solo and at around $199 it seems deserving of a much closer look.

News: More MXR Reissues On The Way

After the recent success of the Custom Shop Script Phase 90 and ’74 Vintage Phase 90 it should come as no surprise that other vintage MXR pedals are being reissued by Dunlop Manufacturing.

Here’s what the marketing suits at Dunlop are saying: (I’ve fixed the errors in their copy . . . it should be ‘80s not 80’s guys!)

Micro Chorus – “This ‘80s reissue delivers a stunning range of rich chorus textures, from sparkly watery shimmers to intense rotating speaker simulation with a twist of the Rate control. The Micro Chorus is designed with old-school bucket brigade technology for warm analog tone and features true bypass for pure guitar tone when the pedal is off. Its road-worthy hardware and components are housed in a space saving Phase 90 sized box.”

Micro Flanger – “Based on the benchmark sounds of the MXR M117 Flanger, the MXR Micro Flanger classic features many of the same flanging effects of its big brother, but in a smaller and more convenient size. Originally released in the ‘80s, this faithful recreation features the same two critical controls—a Speed knob to control the rate of cycling and a Regeneration knob to manage the overall intensity—and stays true to its 100% analog bucket brigade technology for the ultimate in warm and organic tone. The Micro Flanger has been updated with a true bypass switch so you don’t lose any tone during bypass. Go from jet plane like sweeps to cool outer space type effects with the MXR Micro Flanger.”

Phase 45 – “The ’75 Vintage Phase 45 reissue from the MXR Custom Shop reproduces the rare little brother of the Phase 90 to exacting specifications. With two stages of phasing, the Phase 45 offers up it’s (sic) subtle and musical voice via hand-matched FETs and hand-wired circuit board. Authentic tried and true components and hardware such as a Carling switch, CTS pot and Switchcraft jacks.”

Considering the very positive reaction to the other recent MXR reissues these should all be home runs.

Learn more at http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page=products/p_and_e&cat=16

Jeff Beck - New York Times Article

Here's an interesting article that includes an interview with Jeff Beck, one of my favorite guitarists. It covers his career, the new tour and the upcoming album "Emotion and Commotion."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/arts/music/14beck.html?ref=arts

Product Review – Tone Factor-Mojo Hand Analogue Filter 442

I have been playing a lot of funk lines lately and using my wah pedal to add some color. However, after a few minutes of this my foot gets tired and there is not much variation in the wah sound. That got me thinking (again) about those envelope filters that were so commonplace in the ‘70s for funkin’ it up.

As some of you may have read in my previous post
http://tonewarrior.blogspot.com/2009/06/product-review-boss-ft-2-dynamic-filter.html I tried this route before with the Boss Dynamic Filter. That pedal just did not do it for me so I went in search of other stronger sounding pedals.

At the high end of the market I considered the Emma Discombobulator, but at over $250 that was too much for my budget considering this is an effect I will only use now and again. I looked at some vintage units like the MXR and the DOD 440, but the pricing and potential reliability problems made me nervous. At the low end of the market I considered the DOD FX25 (two knob version) and the newer DOD FX25B (three knob version as favored by Buckethead). These are not true bypass pedals and I was concerned about tone coloration because my board is getting fairly large these days.

I was quite tempted by the Electro-Harmonix Nano Dr Q, but after a lot of research and auditioning I picked up a used Tone Factor Analogue Filter 442 (now rebranded under the Mojo Hand name). These retail for $149 new and I am really happy with my choice. The pedal is modeled after the DOD 440, which is one of the classic envelope filters. It is quite small and that is a big plus because I don’t have much real estate left on my board and it runs off of a standard Boss type power supply. It is also true bypass and has a handy on/off LED which some of the vintage units don’t have so it is a good compromise – vintage sound, but with an upgraded and modern feature set. So how does it sound?

The answer: pretty funkin’ good! It is very quacky and funky, plus it tracks what you are playing extremely well. There are controls for Level and Range and both give you many options from the subtle to the intense. I’ve found the sweet spot to be around noon for both controls, but this is a fairly sensitive filter so even changing pickups will change the effect – sometimes significantly. It responds well to your picking dynamics producing different wah sounds and the harder you pick the more the envelope opens so the more “wah” you get. I am having a lot of fun with my Boss RC2 Loop Station in combination with this pedal. Typically, I lay down some funky guitar lines over a drum pattern, loop it, and then add some gain to practice my soloing.

Here is a short video from Jack Zucker (he always seems to audition the best pedals!) that gives you a taste of the Mojo Hand Analogue Filter in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8_6dDP43u4&feature=related

The bottom line: This is one groovy pedal. Just be sure to place it very early in your signal chain and before a compressor.

News: Way Huge Aqua Puss Reissue Now Shipping

Way Huge made its name long before the boutique pedal craze with a number of highly regarded offerings with strange names like The Swollen Pickle Fuzz, Pork Loin Overdrive, and Fat Sandwich Distortion. Now part of the Dunlop Manufacturing empire, some of these high quality, true bypass pedals are being reissued at reasonable prices.

As of February 2010, the next reissue to hit the streets is the famous Aqua Puss Analog Delay (US$150). According to the marketing materials, the Aqua-Puss MkII is "ready to bathe a tone-thirsty world in gorgeously smooth delay. One twist of the Delay knob takes you from a tight 20ms delay to a cavernous 300ms. The Feedback control regulates delay duration and intensity. But watch out. Extreme settings can send the Aqua-Puss MkII into self-oscillating psycho-freak-out mode! Meanwhile the Blend knob lets you set a balance between dry and delayed signal—from mild to wild."

Kudos to Dunlop and Way Huge Electronics founder Jeorge Tripps for working together to recreate authentic versions of these classic pedals and bring them to market.

King of Tone - Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson is one of my favorite guitar players. Not only does he have great tone, he also has great taste.

Here is an excellent video of Eric in the studio going through his set up and gear. Check it out at:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/document?doc_id=102063&autop=1&pgvar=interviews&wv=EricJohnson-03-effects_1&vname=Eric%20Johnson%20-%20Effects

If you don't have any Eric Johnson CDs in your collection - shame on you!!! - I recommend his 1990 release "Ah Via Musicom." The sound quality and engineering are first class and the songs are extremely diverse in style so you really get a good feel for the many different dimensions of EJs playing.