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Fave Distortion pedal for HB's?


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I recently realized that I'm long on Fuzzes and OD's, but I don't have even one straightforward Distortion pedal? I have Distortion in my MFX pedalboards, of course, and one dual OD/Distortion that's dedicated to my live "Novparolo" 'board, but that's all.

 

All of my Electric Guitars have HB's, so I'm looking for something that sounds good with them. Simple & compact is better; I'm really looking for a "Set-&-Forget" kind of box, rather than a MFX' worth of options. Anything from $50US up to around $150 is good.

 

I've been curious about the Keeley DS9, but haven't gotten to hear one IRL. I loved the Ibanez/Maxon SD9 Sonic Distortions, but the switches were unreliable. I wore out two of them before I gave up. I've also heard good things about Wampler pedals, but my impression was that they're voiced for SC's? If nothing else, it'll be interesting to hear what everyone else is using. Thanks, everyone.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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One of my earliest pedal acquisitions was a Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde V2 OD/Dist, and it has stood tff he e test of time. Sounds good; built like a tank. (VS did a promo vid showing a truck running over a V1 pedal they made to its V2 replacement. The V2 remained playable.)

 

I like it enough that I"m planning on getting a V3 version at some point. The distortion circuit was also released as a separate pedal called Son of Hyde. The SoH and V2 are definitely available in your price range. The V3 may be slightly above it.

 

The Red Witch Famulus is another solid OD/Dist dual option. New ones are currently running @$180 at Sweetwater.

 

I have an Empress Heavy, which is a killer dual Distortion pedal. Unfortunately, it"s about $300 new. However, Empress also has a single circuit Distortion pedal that"s half the price. If it"s anything like its big bro, it"s a good deal.

 

The last I"ll mention right now is the Emma PisdiYOWat. Used ones in good condition run @$150, new they run @$180. It"s a truly great pedal for metal, but it can be tamed as well. Might be a serious option if you want to have surprises available at the tap of a toe. And

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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@Dannyalcatraz - Good selections, but I'm also looking for compact enclosures to fit my pedalboards. Part of the reason I was curious about the Keeley DS9, and the Wampler pedals, the small footprint.

 

I haven't checked out a good old Boss DS-1 in forever, but the DS-1 and the DF-2 Feedbacker (which was also supposedly a DS-1 circuit) were my mainstay dirt boxes for a long time.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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Klon.... or a Klone. Especially if you are hitting an amp with some breakup. Using the Klon as a clean boost is a waste.

 

(It"s not an overdrive. The heart of it is like a MXR distortion plus with a dual ganged clean blend circuit with high headroom capabilities due to the voltage pump circuit. NEVER accidentally plug it into 18 v jack on a power supply. You will fry it because it is already designed to up internal voltage from 9v to about 24v.

 

Way Huge Conspiracy Theory and Wampler Tumnus are in your budget.

 

I like the Tumnus Deluxe a lot. It"s about $50 more but offers a lot more sound options.

 

I"ve taken to using a Rangemaster into Voxy/Matchless style EL84 amps lately but that is more of a P90 thing for me.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I have 3 distortion pedals a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic (the one with actual military style tubes in it)

 

A Friedman Motor City Drive that has a 12AX7 in it. The Friedman Motor City Drive has an actual high voltage (220 volt) driven 12AX7A pre amp tube)

 

And a Nady TD 1 tube distortion pedal.

 

Of all of them my TD 1 is my favorite sounding. Then the Twin Tube Classic. Then the Friedman Motor City Drive which is my least favorite. But all of them sound rather good.

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Want tiny but mighty, versatile, vintage Marshall Super Lead/Super Bass head like voicing that works very well, indeed with humbuckers (even particularly hot ones), is dynamic responsive, and doesn't get overly flubby or muddy with modulation like a Uni-Vibe in front of its input? I can highly recommend the Xotic SL Drive Overdrive.

 

Don't let the name fool you, it can definitely rise to distortion duties. Deceptively simple; four internal dip switches expand its flexibility, within a Super Lead/Super Bass range of character. Run it on 18vdc for the most headroom, dynamic response, and MORE on-tap.

 

Small enough that you could still put a smallish boost in front of it for even more versatility, and not take up excessive real estate- for example, I enjoy slamming it with a Fulltone 2B Clean Boost/Buffer/Germanium Limiter (also best run on 18vdc) for MORE for big fat fairly compressed lead tones, then switching off the 2B for "rhythm" distortion and overdrive. You could probably find and buy good used specimens of both pedals, and not go over your cited price range by too much. Not that the Xotic SL Drive NEEDS a boost, it's just cool used that way, and cool that it will work well with one. (See attached photos below.) A very good pairing.

 

 

Now... Pushing the price-range and your size matters a bit, but S0O0O WELL WORTH the space and cost as it's very much like getting TWO very excellent modded-Marshall voiced pedals, I can VERY HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend the 12AX7-equipped Radial Tonebone Plexitube dual-stomp Distortion. (I see a couple used specimens on Reverb in the $150 - $160 range.) I haven't felt the need for any other distortion pedal since I bought mine new in 2008; the only reason that I got the Xotic SL Drive was that I needed something a little less gainy and compressed (in a good way) that would play nicely with my Uni-Vibe the way I set my 'Vibe.

 

The Plexitube is basically a two channeled version of the Radial Tonebone Hot British (the Plexitube's Lead Channel 2), with the addition of a beautifully voiced Rhythm Channel 1. If Channel 1 was all there was to it, I would still be most satisfied with it. I set Channel 2 for a louder, boosted, gainier lead-tone with more mids; but I really love the tone and response of Channel 1, which has plenty of toneful gain and ballsiness- more than many. In fact, I never have the Drive (pre-gain/distortion) higher than about 11:30 O' Clock for use of either Channel.

 

It's very, very versatile, with lots of controls, lots of knobs and switches. It can take a while to dial-in, but when you do, it's THERE. I have one combination of settings that are indexed with an Ultra-Fine Sharpie Marker, that I use almost all of the time with "clean" amps and multi-effects/modelers; but I can also dial it in to sound like two gainier and gainier-yet virtual channels of my Fuchs Lucky 7 head, and set so it blends perfectly with that amp. It's like having a three channel Fuchs Lucky 7 head.

 

It's not terribly dynamic, it doesn't clean-up a lot with your guitars volume-controls, but that's really not what it's for. It's for toothsome aggressive Classic, Hard, and Prog Rock and Classic Metal. (Kirk Hammet used the Radial Tonebone Hot British pedal.) It will clean-up a little that way, but not much, and it takes a more drastic roll of the knob to get there at all...

 

It DOES "take pedals" extremely well- fuzzes, octave-fuzzes (Octron > Plexitube KILLS!), wahs, phasers, flangers- in front of its input, as well as after its output; and Lead Channel 2 includes a 1/4" TRS insert-jack for a Y-Cord to connect other pedals- echoes, flangers, what have you- so that they will come on simultaneously with Channel 2 with a single stomp, and bypass with another.

 

plexitube-top-768x467.jpg

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1807.thumb.jpg.690c7359d0e6e7832cb3023948762f17.jpg

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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By way of comparison, typical Boss pedal is 4' x 6'.

 

The VS SoH is 3.1' x 5.7',

 

Emma PisdiYOWat is 3.5' x 4.5'

 

The Empress Distortion is 2.5' x 4.5'

 

So while they"re not exactly mini pedals, they"re between the Boss and the Keeley DS-9 (which is 2.5' x 4.5', as I recall).

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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All I have left now are Tech 21 pedals. The Tri-AC is still my favorite but too big for what you want.

Maybe one of their character pedals, they emulate a Boogie with one - I think it's the US Steel pedal. The plugs are on the end instead of the sides so that makes it smaller width but longer.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I've also heard good things about Wampler pedals, but my impression was that they're voiced for SC's? If nothing else, it'll be interesting to hear what everyone else is using.

Note that being as the Wampler Pinnacle Standard and Deluxe pedals were designed with "the brown sound" voicing in mind- Eddie Van Halen's, whose tech gave the Pinnacle a thumbs-up- it was doubtless intended to work well with humbuckers.

 

I think it's a safe bet that the Wampler Plexi Drive pedals were also designed to work well with humbuckers.

 

The Wampler Pinnacle Standard and- particularly- Plexi Drive Mini would easily sit within your space requirements; more recent iterations of the Pinnacle Standard also have top-mounted I/O jacks.

 

 

I have yet to try any Wampler pedals, but I would expect them to be especially excellent, indeed; if I were looking for a distortion pedal for myself to replace or improve upon my beloved Tonebone Plexitube to pair with my humbuckers, the Pinnacle and Plexi Drive would be two of the top of my list.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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It's cool to see that everyone has a slightly different take on what works or qualifies for them.

 

@Dannyalcatraz - Thanks for that size comparison. Some of those pedals I'd only seen in online photos, and they may have looked larger than they are because some of them are more wide than tall.

 

@Caevan - Thanks for reminding me about the SL. I kept seeing the SP Compressor, and the EP Drive. That Plexitube looks like something I'd use when I get back to playing live.

 

I'm surprised to see the Tumnus here? My impression was that the Tumnus is another Transparent OD, somewhere between my Walrus Messner and Walrus Warhorn in Gain? Maybe the Deluxe has more Gain on tap.

 

Top contenders right now are the Wampler Sovereign and Keeley Filaments. They're both in that $190-200 range, but used ones are more reasonable.

 

Among the things I'm really looking forward to when this plague has passed, sitting in a Music store just trying out gear is high on my list, right after going out for pizza and pinball.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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Everyone calls the Klon a transparent overdrive but it isn"t transparent. Brian Wampler even says it isn"t transparent it changes the midrange. It looks like a TL072 Op Amp based distortion to me. Really similar the a Distortion + or DeArmond Square Wave The Tumnus deluxe has more gain than the standard Tumnus but all Klon clones have a lot of gain.

 

Another pedal I like for HB"s is the lowly Boss DS-1. I hate it for single coils. The top end is too fizzy. But it works great for Humbuckers into a tube amp. Especially on stuff like old Journey.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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Another pedal I like for HB"s is the lowly Boss DS-1. I hate it for single coils. The top end is too fizzy. But it works great for Humbuckers into a tube amp. Especially on stuff like old Journey.

 

Supposedly, the DF-2 Feedbacker used a DS-1 circuit for the Distortion part of the pedal, and the DF-2 was my favorite dirt box for a long time. I only sold it when vintage prices were too ridiculous to pass up, and we needed the $$$. At $50 for a new one, even less used, it's worth checking out again.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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Some of those pedal dimensions can be hard to find, especially on discontinued models. Sometimes, the retailers had data not on the builders" actual websites. Go figure.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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Some of those pedal dimensions can be hard to find, especially on discontinued models. Sometimes, the retailers had data not on the builders" actual websites. Go figure.

 

Seriously, that's helpful info. My impression was that the Jekyll & Hyde was more on the order of the Rte. 66, or the V1 H2O.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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Top contenders right now are the Wampler Sovereign and Keeley Filaments. They're both in that $190-200 range, but used ones are more reasonable.

Hard to go wrong with either of those, they each seem like excellent choices and very versatile, judging from what I've heard in various demo-videos...

 

Among the things I'm really looking forward to when this plague has passed, sitting in a Music store just trying out gear is high on my list, right after going out for pizza and pinball.

Here's to THAT! :cool::thu:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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The Sovereign is very similar to Pinnacle. The pedal are voiced different but both sag if your pickups are hot. They can sag pretty bad. ... But some people like that. My two Yamaha Super Strats have Duncan 59 Custom Hybrids and the Pinnacle isn"t usable for me. But it works well with Tone Zone in my old Swede and my stock Sheraton II. Something like a X2N would make the Sovereign cry. But PAF would work pretty good.

 

My humbuckers are usually too hot for my Pinnacle. I could have lowered the pickups but that defeats how I like to hit the preamp on the Boogies.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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Some of those pedal dimensions can be hard to find, especially on discontinued models. Sometimes, the retailers had data not on the builders" actual websites. Go figure.

 

Seriously, that's helpful info. My impression was that the Jekyll & Hyde was more on the order of the Rte. 66, or the V1 H2O.

 

 

The Jekyll & Hyde IS; the Son of Hyde is just the Distortion circuit of the J&H as a smaller, discrete pedal. Here"s demos with singlecoils and humbuckers, so you can see AND hear it.

 

[video:youtube]

[video:youtube]

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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I liked the sounds in the SOH video with the Les Paul much more, no surprise there. Those opening riffs reminded me of 70's Southern Rock . . .

 

I found a demo video comparing a V2 Sovereign and a Pinnacle, using a PRS CE with HB's. In the comments, there's a lot of ragging on the demo player for sticking with the neck PU, but since that's what I usually do, I found it helpful. The Pinnacle got pretty shrill, even on the neck PU; I can't imagine using it with the bridge PU, or with SC's?!?!? The Sovereign won out in that demo.

 

There was also a video comparing the Keeley Filaments with a V1 Sovereign, and in that case, I preferred the Filaments.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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I liked my little Boss DS-1 that I bought new for $39 bucks. It worked great with SC's and HB's. For Southern Rock, I preferred my overdrive Boss Blues Driver, as I prefer clean over distortion. :cool:

 

The Blues Driver was possibly the most responsive OD pedal I've ever tried, it reminded me very much of the Blues Cube Amps. Very nice, if not what I'm looking for right now.

 

It does occur to me that I could have a new Boss DS-1 and a new MXR Distortion+ for about what a used Sovereign or Filaments would cost me. Maybe I should start cheap and easy, and see if I really need anything more advanced, never mind more expensive?

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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Ahhhh, the dilemma rears its ugly head!

 

The best argument I can think of for getting multiple inexpensive pedals (of any kind) is the cheaper buy-in for experimentation and decision making. The second best is that you almost always get more flexibility in that you can include the multiples on the same rig and set them differently. That makes it easier to change on the fly AND lets you enjoy effect stacking, which is its own reward...potentially.

 

Pricier pedals may be more flexible individually. They may also actually sound better, or be better made. Or both. Sometimes they have additional features you want...or didn"t know you NEEDED.

 

I know I buy a bunch of expensive pedals. But when I started off, my go-tos were things like my Korg Pandora"s and my Digitech iPB-10. IOW, MFX devices. Why? Because I was really trying to figure out what I wanted as a guitarist. (Now that I know that I"m a hack and a magpie, I just buy whatever shiny thing gets my attention when I"m gear shopping.𤣠)

 

So, short of buying a MFX device, since you seem to be shopping for an unknown SOUND as much as an unknown pedal, it would seem the cheaper pedal route might be the wiser path.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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You can always try one by buying one at the on line stores having it shipped free (free from Sweetwater). If you don't like it you can send it back because you don't like it (you pay the return shipping).

 

Or somehow it could be defective ;) at which time Sweetwater pays the return shipping.

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Winston, MF also has a great return policy. You could order the Boss and the MXR. Try them together and/or an A/B comparison., and see if they please you. Then send one or both back for a credit to your credit card if they are not a keeper. If you do not need them right away, you can enjoy that visit you are yearning to take to the Guitar store after the plague is over and check them out...and get that pizza too! :thu:
Take care, Larryz
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A Mesa Boogie Simul Class Head with Reverb and EQ with the line output of the head plugged straight into the line in of an Audio Technica 4 track cassette recording studio. A bit long and certainly noisy but a fun tone.

 

https://metapop.com/opossum-apocalypse/tracks/there-go-elephants/142050

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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So, short of buying a MFX device, since you seem to be shopping for an unknown SOUND as much as an unknown pedal, it would seem the cheaper pedal route might be the wiser path.

 

Yes and no - I'm shopping for a sound that I remember, and that I can still dial up in my various MFX. (FWIW, my favorites among those are the Analog OD's & Distortions in my old Boss GT-3.)

 

Part of the idea of going back to some simple, affordable boxes to start with is to get a sort of baseline - not to be confused with a Bass line, of course. The DS-1 and Distortion+ have been around for a long time, so as a starting point for a sound, it seems hard to go wrong with either one, and I don't have to buy both at once, since cash flow is still an issue.

 

Speaking of unknown SOUNDS . . .

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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Late to the party but...

 

I use the Tech 21 CompTortion as a Marshall-in-a-box. Works great with P90 and humbuckers.

 

Former guitarist in my band had a JHS Paul Gilbert pedal that worked really well in certain situations, but he said it was kind of a one-trick pony. As in one setting worked great; but other than that it was not what he wanted. Could be that is sounded great with his Schechter (with humbuckers) but not so much with his Strats & Teles, which he started using more...

He also had a Walrus Iron Horse that I liked, for "classic" metal tones; kind of sounded like old Judas Priest.

"Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion)

NEW band Old band

 

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@Danzilla - I've heard good things about the Iron Horse, and I like the two Walrus pedals I already have, but I haven't gotten to try the Iron Horse.

 

I wondered about that Paul Gilbert pedal? Looked cool, but never heard one . . .

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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The ThorpyFX Warthog may be the most versatile single circuit Distortion pedal I own. The only thing 'wrong' with it is the price, which is over $225 new, because they"re handmade in the UK by a retired military engineer with 'caviar' parts. They"re pretty compact- 2.5' x2'- and all of his pedals are built like tanks.

 

 

 

https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=thorpy%20warthog&sort=price%7Casc

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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I've admired the ThorpyFX pedals before but never had a chance to try them out? That one could easily give me the sound I'm looking for, but . . .

 

New ones seem to be going for $265-270US, which is way out of my price range. The couple of used ones I saw listed were $175 and $225. I'll keep an eye out at my FLUMS website.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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I have a few of the ThorpyFX pedals. The demos don"t lie: they"re built like tanks, the controls have a wide variety of USEFUL settings, and- most importantly- they sound good.

 

They"re not for everyone. They"re obviously not cheap. While they"re usable for noobs & dilettantes (like me), those have the skills to wring the most out of their gear will enjoy them the most.

 

Sooooooo...I"d put them in the same category as some of the better BOO-TEEK names we all know, though. You"re going to get real value out of what you"re paying for.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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