When the sine wave produced by the amp gets boosted beyond what the amp was made to put out, the tops of the waves are clipped off - the amp is said to be clipping...thank you, Captain Obvious.
This is what OD pedals are trying to simulate.
Too often, they are pseudo distortion pedals - fuzz boxes in OD clothing. It is much easier to muddy the signal - make is a square wave (fuzz tone) than cause it to go into clipping.
Toward this end I must have half a dozen OD pedals - each nice in their own way. Some better than others with a particular guitar.
Marshall makes, or made two fine OD pedals in the BluesBreaker (still produced) and the Guv'nor (both version I & II are out of production, but can be found on eBay).
Boss makes several - I have only used the BD-2 and at that, sparingly. It is a very loud pedal. To compensate I have to cut the amps overall volume even further.
I also have a sample of DanElectro gear - The Fab OD, a very servicable box with little to distinguish it from any other.
Before Thanksgiving I learned I had an upcoming gig and I knew I would need an OD that at that moment I didn't possess. Something very crisp and lacking all 'cream.' Creamy is the adjective tagged to most ODs. A thick sound - as though it were humbuckers, even if it wasn't. Sustain in abundance. And most of the time, that's a good thing.
But for this gig, I needed clean Fender twang with a bit of punch to it.
Joe Satrianai has attached his name to a line of pedals made by Vox. Not my favorite musical concern. I dislike the amps they make today. But one day while perusing at Styles Music, Pomona I spied a 'Satchurator.' Much like Emelda Marcos and shoes I have a thing for pedals. Many guitarists do. Always searching for perfect tone. Whatever that may happen to be this week. You see, the target is elusive and constantly moving. A fact we musicians ignore. But I got the Satchurator and really grew to love the pedal. Well made and very versatile.
I noticed on Google, reviews for another Vox pedal in the Satriani line, called the Ice 9.
Everything I read sounded as though this would be a perfect addition to my pedal board for the gig. Joe has a thing about having a second switch on his boxes allowing for a 10db boost.
In the case of the Satchurator, it is perfect. Two levels of punch.
The problem was that Styles did not have one in stock; I would be forced to deal with the demon Guitar Denter.
Guitar Center is to music what Wal-Mart is to the American standard of living - a huge detriment.
But I needed this pedal and I needed it it now. The gig was Saturday and it was Wednesday already.
I've had it a month or so and have grown to really appreciate Satriani's input into these pedals. Again, the second boost is fantastic, although do not double up on both and expect anything other than Hendrix.
Besides the standard Gain, Tone (high cut) and Volume dials (chicken heads), they have included a Bass dial, not a cut - a boost.
This pedal is clean - when driven hard...this pedal is clean. No mud, no cream. Just an honest punch up.
All the pedals in the line sport nice thick baked on enamel paint, the Satchurator is Ferrari Red while the Ice 9 is..Icy White.
The only downside to these two fine pedals is their size - they are beefy, wide pedals.
No comments:
Post a Comment