Montag, 1. Dezember 2008

Germanium Based Overdrives - A List

Alvin Youngblood Hart's Blood Drive
Earthquaker Crimson Drive
DOD 250
EHX Germanium OD
Frantone Hi-Ball
Fultone-Webb Textosterone
Keeley Fuzzhead
Mellowtone Singing Tree Germanium
Musician's Junkyard Guitar BQ (D+ clone)
MXR D+
Pedalworx DD+
Skreddy Screwdriver
$uperPuma Trotsky Overdrive
Telenordia TA-100
Tonefactor Cream Pie Deluxe

Samstag, 25. Oktober 2008

About tape delays and emulations

tape compression and saturation can not be emulated
properly in the digital domain yet and bucket brigades
have their own thing going.

I think its not about warble and flutter, because a well
maintained tape echo, with fresh tape will not do that.
Also there is no signal degradation but, as mentioned
above, tape compression and saturation.

If one really wants to have tape echo than a real tape
delay unit is mandatory anything else can only be a
close approximation.

Its like the age old (it seems) question, what comes
close to a TS. The answer is: a TS!

Right now I am experimenting with two Revox B77 as
delay units. I have used these babies in the 80ies
two have my own Frippertronics.
You would never believe how much difference in sound
the brand of the tape will make ....

Maybe some people here remember the cassette tape recorders
and the different tapes one could buy: chrome coated tape for example.
Do you remember the difference in sound?
Now think about those tapes in the delay units ....
Has this ever been discussed?

Conclusion:
Tape delay units all sound a bit different (almost like fuzzes)
depending on maintenance status and usage of tape and so on ...
If you would try to emulate a tape in the digital domain,
there are far more parameters than the usual settings, delay units use.

With a 'simple' stomp box one can only emulate a specific tape delay unit.
I think the Skreddy does that. It emulates the specific delay the
builder used to sculpt the sound after.

Sonntag, 7. September 2008

Lovepedal COT50 Gold - Review

Lovepedal COT50 Gold - Tone Factor Product Details



The COT50 simulates a cranked vintage Marshall at the lower gain settings and a nasty fuzz tone at the upper end. The COT50 GOLD adds a new flavor to the classic COT 50, Master Volume and a Vintage Tone Stack. A pedal you can leave on all the time and get a diverse range of tones just by varying your guitar volume knob.

This unit can give you that magical Plexi tone regardless of amp make and model.

Glassy cleans, nice crunch, or a nice overdriven sound - think classic Billy Gibbons, SRV clean with just a bit of hair.

And it is a pefect stacker (see video).
Try any overdrive or especially fuzzes with the COT in front.
Maybe one of the best non-boost boost pedals ever.

Tone Factor demo video of the COT50 pushing a fuzz:

Effects Explained: Overdrive

Here is another installment of Gibson.com's "Effects Explained" series.

Effects Explained: Overdrive

Samstag, 6. September 2008

Some Tone Factor Trivia

List of all the pedals Tone Factor ever has produced.
The ones with links are still in production.
The ones marked with a '*' are not yet available.

442
75 Special
770 Flanger *
Black Betty
Bottom Feeder
Copperhead
Cream Pie
Deuce
Eleven
Eyeore
Fuzz Saw
Hellbaby
Hellbilly
Huckleberry
Luna Vibe
Mobius
Mule
Mystic Octavius
Nebula
Omega Fuzz
Red K/Ramrod
Soul Provider
Squeeze Factor/Pulp Mill
Sugar Baby
Ultra-Lord

Freitag, 5. September 2008

My Next Peal - Keeley Fuzz Head

I was always on the search for a pedal, that could bridge the gap between Fuzz and Overdrive - I think I have found it!

Keeley Fuzz Head - Tone Factor Product Details




Tone Factor demo video of the Fuzz Head: