Posts Tagged ‘Review’

Vox Satchurator Pedal

The Vox Satchurator is a custom built pedal that was built just for Joe Satriani. Everything about this pedal is made exactly to Joe’s specs. Now, you have the ability to sound just like Joe Satriani. The Satchurator has nice, thick sounding distortion and sounds great running through a lightly pre-distorted amp. This pedal also comes with a built in boost toggle switch which allows you to boost your signal when you go ripping into a solo. The Vox Satchurator is an amazing, dynamic distortion pedal and you can own one today! Check out the demo and review video below.

Pick up the Vox Joe Satriani Satchurator Distortion Pedal from American Musical Supply today!

Tube Screamer Comparison TS808 vs Keeley

Below is a video that compares the sound between the traditional Ibanez TS808 tube screamer and the Ibanez tube screamer with the Keeley mod, both version of the pedals have been used by many of the blues legends and guitar masters. The most notable user of the Tube Screamer is Stevie Ray Vaughan.

This video was posted by MyChrisguitar. And here is the description and the video from youtube:

The first pedal is a traditional Ibanez tube screamer TS-808 and the other pedal is a TS-808 with the Robert Keeley Modification… For this video I used my American Standard Fender Strat with maple neck and my fender 65′ twin custom 15 amp (twin reverb HEAD with a 15” speaker)

The pedal has an overdrive knob, a tone knob, and a level knob. The drive knob controls the level of distortion, the tone knob adjusts the amount of treble in the sound, and the level knob controls the output volume of the pedal. The pedal can be used on a solid-state amp to try to mimic the sound of a vintage tube amp, although many guitarists prefer to use it to push a tube amp’s pre-amp into an overdriven state. The classic Tube Screamer sound includes a “mid-hump,” which means that the circuit accentuates frequencies between the bass and treble ranges (mid-frequencies). Many guitarists prefer this sort of equalization, as it helps to keep their sound from getting lost in the overall mix of the band.

The pedal was produced with many variants. The early incarnations of the TS-808 and TS-9 are the most sought after by collectors, due in part to the fact that Stevie Ray Vaughan and many other famous players are known to have used them as part of their signature sound. Other variants, including the TS-10, TS7, and TS-5 are less collectible and vary in the their reproduction of the original circuit. The TS-9 and TS-808 pedals have been reissued, and according to the company, feature the same circuitry, electronics and design components that helped to shape the famous Tube Screamer sound. Some musicians have a technician perform modifications to the unit to change the sound to their liking. Also, Maxon, who produced the original Tube Screamer pedals for the Ibanez brand in the seventies and eighties, produce their own version of the Tube Screamer. In addition, many of the most highly-regarded overdrive pedals, both mass-manufactured and boutique, owe their heritage to the Tube Screamer circuit.

When used with a tube amplifier the Tube Screamer increases the gain of the input signal overloading the preamp and further distorting the signal. When used with a cranked master-volume type tube amplifier, this can result in much higher volumes than before the pedal is engaged if the preamp is not already turned up fairly high. Provided the preamp gain is already turned up, the Tube Screamer will saturate the signal, creating a thickly overdriven tone.

LINE 6 DL4 Delay Pedal Review

So, I have heard a lot of people asking questions about the LINE 6 DL4 Delay and decide to pick one up a try it out myself. This pedal has been out for a while and has gotten some great reviews. It is hard to review pedals because sound is subjective and everyone has their own opinion of what “good” sounds like. I will give you my take on this delay pedal and hopefully, you will agree with my opinion. Let me know what you think of this pedal!

The Line 6 DL4 Digital pedal is easy to use, in my opinion, though it does have a lot of parameters that can be tweaked. Each of the knobs on the pedal can greatly change the sound of the delay that you are getting from the pedal. It definitely isn’t just a plug in and it sounds great pedal – it will require a day or two of tweaking before you really get a feel for how good this pedal sounds.

This delay pedal is a great sounding pedal. It has a wide variety of delays from digital, analog, a reverse delay, and everything in between. The digital delays are exceptional, and I especially enjoy the stereo delay. The analog sounds are fair, but like most other Line 6 units, they aren’t quite dead on with the sound. Overall, I would say this is one of the better sounding delay pedals for the money/amount of different delays.

I have heard a few complaints about the DL4 Delay not being to reliable; However, from my personal experience, it has been nothing but reliable. I even dropped it once and it worked like a champ and didn’t even scuff up. The one thing that I would complain about is the battery use. You really need to find an adapter to plug it in because this thing sucks up batteries.

I would be willing to recommend this pedal to anyone. As long as you are not looking for the best analog pedal in existence, then this pedal is perfect for you. Of course, even if you are looking for the best analog pedal ever, I would still recommend picking one of these up. Why? Because you get a plethora a delays to chose from and it comes with 3 presets! It also comes with a looper, while not the best, it is definitely a great thing to have. I know that this is kind of a general post about the pedal, but with so many parameters and things, it is hard to know what to talk about. So, if you you have any other questions, feel free to ask! And for just $250, you can pick up the LINE 6 DL4 Delay Pedal.

Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer Review

I wanted to do a review one of my favorite overdrive pedals, the Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer. This pedal has been widely used by a variety of big named artist – Stevie Ray Vaughn was one of the notable users in his time. Of course, they have modded versions of this pedal that give them different little characteristic such as more gain. It is hard to review pedals, especially overdrive pedals, because sound is subjective and everyone has their own opinion of what “good” sounds like. I will give you my take on this classic overdrive pedal and hopefully you will agree with my opinion. If you do, feel free to chime in and add information to the comments section – and if you disagree, please feel free to let me know why. (Note that in this review I will be discussing the reissue of this pedal – NOT the original Tube Screamer.)

The Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer pedal is easy to use, consisting of tone, level, and distortion knobs – all right on the front of the pedal. The level knob is a “set and forget” knob that simply matches the effect volume to your guitar’s pickup volume. The tone knob, like the tone knob on most effects pedals, cuts or boosts the treble in your signal, and the overdrive knob dials in the amount of distortion that will be applied to the guitar sound. Like most overdrive and distortion pedals, this one is very easy to use and simple to dial in great tone. Be sure to play around with the tone and the overdrive knobs – you can greatly change the sound by a simple twist of a knob.

The TS808 is one of the best overdrives out there today for the price. If you are looking for a ballsy, tube-like sound then this is the pedal for you. This pedal can give you a crunchy, chunk overdrive that is great for rhythms or you can dial in a smooth, creamy tone for a nice bluesy solo. This pedal is especially good if you combine it with your amps distortion. I personally like to use this pedal as something a little extra when I play my solos. It gives me a little extra gain and sustain. It does color your tone a little bit – but its not a boost pedal, so you should expect it too.

The Tube Screamer is built like a tank. I would have no problem with dropping mind from a high place on a concrete floor. You can either power it by a 9-volt adapter or your classic 9-volt battery. I would recommend using always the power adapter for any pedal!

I think that this is a great pedal for anyone on its own or if you are looking for more out of your amps distortion. You can get a great warm tone out of this pedal – if you dial it in correctly. You can get a very nice crunch sound of this pedal. Also, you can get a nice sustain if you add this pedal on top of your amps distortion. There are, of course, higher end – better sounding – overdrive pedals. (Or, if you can find one of the vintage TS808 Tube Screamers, even better!) For the money, and even just in general, the Tube Screamer is an excellent pedal. A lot of people will recommend the cheaper version of this pedal, the TS9. I, however, do not. It doesn’t even compare to the TS808, and I think that you would be much happier going with the TS808. I hope that you found this Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer review helpful!

Fulltone Full-Drive 2 Review

Let’s review one of the greatest sounding overdrive pedals around, the Fulltone Full-Drive 2. You can pick up the standard version of the Full-Drive 2 which is great for that chunky overdriven sound or for adding a beautiful, warm color to your amps distortion. If I had to rate this on a scale of 1 – 10, it would get a 9 easily. It is hard to review pedals, especially overdrive pedals, because sound is subjective and everyone has their own opinion of what “good” sounds like. I will give you my take on this overdrive pedal and hopefully you will agree with my opinion. If you do, feel free to chime in and add information to the comments section – and if you disagree, please feel free to let me know why.

The Fulltone Full-Drive 2 pedal is easy to use, consisting of volume, tone, overdrive, and boost knobs – all right on the front of the pedal. The volume knob is a “set and forget” knob that simply matches the effect volume to your guitar’s pickup volume. The tone knob, like the tone knob on most effects pedals, cuts or boosts the treble in your signal, and the overdrive knob dials in the amount of overdrive that will be applied to the guitar sound. Like most overdrive and distortion pedals, this one is very easy to use and simple to dial in great tone. Be sure to play around with the tone and the overdrive knobs – you can greatly change the sound by a simple twist of a knob. The feature I really love is the boost knob which has a separate foot switch to activate it. This boost really helps make sure your solos are heard loud and clear.

The FullDrive 2 is one of the best overdrives out there today for the price. If you are looking for a ballsy, tube-like sound then this is the pedal for you. This pedal can give you a crunchy, chunk overdrive that is great for rhythms or you can dial in a smooth, creamy tone for a nice bluesy solo. This pedal is especially good if you combine it with your amps distortion. I personally like to use this pedal as something a little extra when I play my solos. It gives me a little extra gain and sustain. Remember, it has a built in boost switch that helps put your solos out front.

This Fulltone pedal is built like a tank. I would have no problem with dropping mind from a high place on a concrete floor. You can either power it by a 9-volt adapter or your classic 9-volt battery. I would recommend using always the power adapter for any pedal!

I think that this is a great pedal for anyone on its own or if you are looking for more out of your amps distortion. You can get a great warm tone out of this pedal – if you dial it in correctly. You can get a very nice crunch sound of this pedal. Also, you can get a nice sustain if you add this pedal on top of your amps distortion. The boost feature is really the perfect touch for this pedal and I would recommend this pedal to any guitarist. For the money, and even just in general, the Full Drive 2 is an excellent pedal. I hope that you found this Fulltone Full-Drive 2 review helpful – Rock on!

DigiTech Whammy Pedal Review

The DigiTech Whammy is a pitch-shifter effects pedal manufactured by DigiTech. By rocking the pedal back and forth (like a wah pedal) it gives the musician the ability to shift the pitch of a guitar up or down. Not only is it a pitch shifter, but it also can do harmonies (though most are cheesey and artificial sounding) Like most pedals, the original Whammy (DigiTech WH-1) is the most sought after. The newer WH-4 gets the job done, but something about first run products makes people want them more. Everyone from Tom Morello to Joe Satriani to David Gilmour has used or currently uses the Whammy pedal. I mostly just use this pedal for the 1 up octave pitch shift, but some of the other sounds are good too.

How easy is it to use? 5 out of 5 (Too Easy)
The pedal itself is pretty much self explanatory – in fact, you don’t even have to open the manual to figure out the pedal. It has a turn dial to lock in the harmony or pitch shift you want, play a note, rock the pedal and listen. Easy huh? Very. Some of the pedals don’t exactly match the correct pitch when the pedal is rocked all the way forward or back, but this is easy to fix – just adjust the pedal gear a little and there you go, perfect pitch!

How does it sound? 3 out of 5 (Good)
Some of the harmonies sound completely fake and boring. After all, you can buy expensive harmonizers that sound amazing, so I tend to think that pitch shifting is the only real value of the Whammy pedal. It does have some cool features like detune and dive bomb which can give you some nice Van Halen sounds. I have played every type and style guitar through this pedal and it sounds just as good with all of them. Again, be aware that some pedals aren’t correctly positioned out of the box and might need to be adjusted to sound in key!

Is it reliable? 4.5 out of 5 (Very Reliable)
I have had my pedal for several years and it works still works wonderfully! It took some beatings and has lots of scratches, but the pedal still works perfectly fine.

Overall, I would say the pedal is great for pitch shifting. If you don’t mind the digital sound, then this pedal is absolutely perfect. If you prefer more realistic sounds, I would go with more of its more expensive competitors. Good pedal, but not great. I would give the Digitech Whammy Pedal 4 out of 5 stars, thumbs up, or whatever you want to imagine.

This is not me, but here is a audio example of the pedal:

DigiTech Whammy Pitch Controller Pedal Every feature of the original WH-1 has been included in the new Whammy; From the rotary preset selection knob, to the Ferrari red color; from the mechanical momentary switch, to the exact same interval selections. However, the new Whammy has added the versatility of MIDI control, making this timeless effect flexible enough for any situation.