What's That Dude Play?

In the year4545…

Blake — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:08:34 +0000

Brian at smallsound/bigsound has a new noisemaker available through Fuzzhugger – the year4545. The year4545 is a lofi fuzz/filter that works via a transistor amplifier stage that boosts and fuzzes up the signal, which then gets sent through a pair of unstable oscillators. The result combined with the controls spread promises sounds including from fuzz, filter, octaves, hisses, crackles, squeals, etc… Controls include an oO knob which is a blend control between the fuzz and oscillator sides. X and Y controls tweak the pair of oscillators. XX and YY controls adjust the oscillator frequency shifts. There also is an internal trimpot to tame some excess high end at the output.

Majikbox, Paul Gilbert explore the Fuzz Universe

Blake — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:46:33 +0000

Majikbox has teamed up with guitarist Paul Gilbert to produce a specialized overdrive/boost pedal. Dubbed Fuzz Universe – after Gilbert’s new solo album – the pedal sports a custom taper tone control for easy access to all of Paul’s favorite overdrive tones and Paul’s preferred bass cut off frequency, optimized for pure shred. At its core, the Fuzz Universe is the circuit of a Majikbox Venom boost and modified Body Blow pedal, both of which were used extensively on the new record. The true bypass Fuzz Universe is expected to start rolling off the line in November. The pedal will cost $279. Take a closer look at the pedal after the jump!

Nashville Amp Expo 2010 – An amp gallery

Blake — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:03:48 +0000

First and foremost, the Nashville Amp Expo is about amps. We would hazard to guess there were well over 250 unique amplifiers at the show. Maybe closer to 300. About 90% of them any interested party would not be able to go into their local music store and get hands on with them… amps from Trillium, Kingdom, Swamp Works, Nice, East, Simple, Reinhardt and on and on. We put together a small gallery of just some of the amps that caught our eye. Trust us when we say this is just a tiny sampling… the scope of the show is vast. Take a closer look at some of these toneful beauties after the jump!

Fingerprints in the Snow(flake)

Blake — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:02:27 +0000

Secret Seasons Electronics – soon to release a new fuzz based on Penny Pedals’ Fingerprint stomp – has made the original Fingerprint circuit available as a DIY kit. The kit – called Snowflake – is available online right now from the fine folks at Fuzzhugger. The new pedal – dubbed the Snowdrift – has its roots in the original Fingerprint, but has an extra gain stage to send it into newer sonic territories. Like the Fingerprint, the Snowdrift will continue to be handpainted by Laura Bennett… who may also paint some Snowflake enclosures for sale at a later date. Stay tuned!

Barber’s gain is Unlimited

Blake — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:01:18 +0000

Barber Electronics will have a short run – and by short they mean 55 – of the new unLimiTeD pedal available around the end of summer. The unLimiTeD is a higher gain version of the LTD SR overdrive. According to Barber, they added nearly as much drive as a Direct Drive (down position) with the large response of the LTD SR tone control, and tweaked the sound for a little more tasty aggression and sustain. The sonic character of the pedal is positioned so players can roll off their guitar tone control a little to get a super fat squawky tone, then wind it full up for a wide open ringing quality. Interesting stuff! Pricing and firm availability info when we get it. Stay tuned!

Nashville Amp Expo 2010 – A pedal gallery

Blake — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:32:07 +0000

Just because it’s called an ‘Amp Expo’ doesn’t mean that the Nashville show earlier this month didn’t have its fair share of pedals and guitars. It did. Pedal exhibitors included Rockett, Pigtronix, Wampler, Cusack, Xact Tone Solutions, Hip Kitty and others. We wanted to put together a little photo gallery of just some of the pedals at the show. I know we missed a few – a side-effect of only being able to attend for one of the two days, but this should give you an idea of the pedal presence at the show. It’s the variety and ability to test drive so much gear all in one place that make these shows so important. Enjoy the stompage sample… after the jump!

Xotic Custom Shop plans AC-Comp

Blake — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:31:26 +0000

Xotic Effects Custom Shop has revealed its latest custom pedal offering due out near the end of next month – the Custom AC-Comp. Based on the classic overdrive sounds of the AC, the AC-Comp allows the player to choose three levels of compression via a toggle switch. There are also internal dip switches that allow you to tailor the treble and presence to your needs. The AC-Comp can be powered by 9v up to 18v for desired headroom. The AC-Comp is the second offering from the Xotic Custom Shop. The limited BB-MB pedal was released late last year.

Skreddy adds Supa Tone to line

Blake — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:30:58 +0000

Marc Alfs at Skreddy Pedals has, at the urging of his customer base – added the one-time limited edition Supa Tone pedal to his standard line. Based on a 1974 edition of a fuzz released by Colorsound, the circuit is not based on a germanium Tone Bender design, but is a variant of the Big Muff circuit. According to Skreddy, the first pair clipping diodes is removed, so there is more clean boost in front of the remaining pair of clipping diodes. The tone stack is the original mid scoop, however the pedal does have the Skreddy ‘flat-mids’ switch added. The pedal is available for order now.

Egnater evolving Tweaker amp into range

Blake — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:54:11 +0000

The fine folks at Egnater had their Rebel range and Tweaker amp available for test drives at the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo, which reminded us of an interesting bit of gossip we’d heard regarding the latter. Seems the Tweaker has gone over well enough with customers that two additional units are being planned – one understood to be a 40-watt unit sporting 6L6s, the other a 90-watter with KT-88s. Word has it the company is on schedule to have these ready for formal unveiling at the January 2011 Winter NAMM show. We tried to get more info on the new Tweaker range, but the company is playing this one close to the chest. Stay tuned!

Hip Kitty showcases new combo amp

Blake — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:53:55 +0000

The cool cats at Hip Kitty had a new, retro-styled combo amp on display at the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo. The Panetone 1×12 is a ‘tall’ combo amp rated at 25 watts and powered by a pair of 6V6s. The amp also is fitted with NOS RCA 5751 pre-amp tubes. According to the Hip Kitty crew, the amp’s specially designed transformers and rated/matched 5751s set it in a class all by itself. The Panetone’s sliver face plate sports controls for Master Volume, Presence, Bass, Middle, Treble and Volume and two instrument inputs. The amp comes stock with a new Jensen Falcon 12″ speaker. The Panetone was offered for order at show for $1,100. Check out the big picture after the jump!

Cusack reveals ‘Never Off’ trio

Blake — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:12:15 +0000

It was a coming out party for four new Cusack Effects pedals at the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo – the aforementioned Tap-A-Delay and a threesome of new ‘Never Off’ mini pedals. Previously shown as mock-ups, the Never Offs were live and in the flesh last weekend. The Louder is same circuit as the More Louder, but without the bypass system. It can be used as an always on buffer or in a looper set-up. The Scruzz is the mini of the Screamer Fuzz and the Scream is a mini of the Cusack Screamer. All three Never Off pedals are now available. Check out the pics after the jump!

Emily churns to life for Category 5

Blake — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:03:55 +0000

Texas-based Category 5 Amplification had a brand new – and we mean days old – amp head on display at the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo last weekend. The Emily is a stout 200-watt beast special built for the guys in Gov’t Mule. This specific unit is going in bassist Jorgen Carlsson’s rig. The Emily takes its cues from the old Marshall Masters amps with a bit of Cat 5’s own JB100 – Joe Bonamassa’s signature unit – thrown in. The two-channel amp sports two inputs per channel, independent volume controls and Presence, Bass, Middle and Treble knobs. The back panel has an effects loop, pre-amp out and level controls and speaker outs. Take a closer look after the jump!

Rockett/Trombetta take fuzz to Stage 6

Blake — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:52:19 +0000

A few days before the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo, word got out that the Jay and Chris from Rockett Pedals had hooked up with boutique fuzz-meister Paul Trombetta – maker of the Mini-Bone and the Fudge among others – for a new fuzz pedal and that a prototype of said pedal would be at the show. The news made the Rockett room one of our very first stops upon our arrival at the show. We rushed in and got the tour of the new fuzz… then heard it in action. The verdict? Ooooh maaaan… The new pedal – with the working name of Stage 6 – is slated for release in the coming weeks. Wanna hear it now? Check out a little demo starring the excellent Greg V after the jump!

Satellite Amps unveils 2-watt dynamo

Blake — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:48:12 +0000

Adam Grimm of Satellite Amps – which offers our current favorite amp on the planet in the form of the out-of-this-world Space Boy – showed off a new 2-watt pedal sized amp at the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo last weekend. The soon-to-be-named-after-Adam’s-daughter amp sports a single EF86 and EL84 and is expected to cost between $200 and $300. Controls include power switch, Level knob, instrument input and speaker output. The micro-head could be available as soon as next month. Take a closer look at the pint-sized pocket amplifier – and the Space Boy too – after the jump!

Fuchs eyes new addition to delay family

Blake — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:46:33 +0000

Andy Fuchs brought a healthy amp and pedal spread to the Nashville Amp Expo last weekend – including his latest amp – the high-gain Mantis – and his family of Plush Pedals Replay tube delays. The Replay range currently consists of the high-end Replay, the REP-3 and the Replay Jr. Now, the company is looking to add another pedal to the line – a lower cost (around $200) delay with no meter and standard controls – Mix, Delay, Repeats – with internal pots to control wow and flutter. The new pedal – which could be called the REP-1 – is tentatively slated for release around year-end. Stay tuned!