Winston Psmith

I'll have to check that one out more closely when I get home later. You don't often see a Dirt box of any kind with Dual In's, a VERY useful feature if you're running Stereo Synth sounds into it.

The same fellow, Todd Wolfgram, originally designed the Helium, too. He does a video demo of the Malekko Chaos where it sounds almost controllable. I had one of the earlier, not-quite-prototype models, when Studio Electronics first released the original CHAOS and Helium pedals. There were . . . let's say, conflicting labels on the "Hair" and "Dimension" switches on some of those early models. FWIW, as much as we all enjoy and admire Andy's video demos, I have to say his approach to the CHAOS is a bit . . . restrained. Here's a video from a British fellow who digs into some of the nastier tones - Malekko CHAOS pedal 2 It's louder than hell, and it is NOT a pedal you're going to kick On mid-tune for a solo, unless you want to startle your audience or blow a speaker. For the next week or ten days, I'm still catching up with my work, and my Music life, so I've barely had time to sit down with the new toy, and it's going to take some tweaking. My plan is to put it in the pedalboard with the Bumblebee, the Infinite Jets, the Syntax Error, and the Space Spiral. Not a "normal" Guitar sound to be found among them . . .

I'd been looking for one of these for a while now. I'll let Andy tell you about it . . . One thing to note - around that 1:45 point, where he starts playing the G&L clean, then kicks on the CHAOS pedal, you'll hear quite a boost. It's a feature, not a bug, as they say. Malekko Wolftone CHAOS pedal . . .

The most 'naturalistic'-sounding OD pedal I've played is the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. Very responsive, don't have the compressed, squishy sound of a TS OD, and they're relatively affordable. Sweetwater & Zzounds have them reduced to $89.99 right now, so it may be that the Waza Craft version has cut into sales of the original?

Pedalboard (underneath everything else), Guitar Synth (in soft Pedaltrain case), Looper (Kaces gig bag), KB Amp (under Looper), Guitar Stand, and coffee cup. The random piece of rack gear was scavenged from the studio where I was performing that day, its not part of my set-up. My live set-up for Novparolo fits on one Pedaltrain 1 pedalboard, and we usually go direct to FOH, so it's even more compact. IIRC, that folding cart was around $50US at Costco? Well worth the money.

Fast playing through a Phaser or Flanger set to a very slow rate is very cool sound. Add Distortion to taste . . . Fast playing through a Delay effect, OTOH . . . unless you're very careful about timing, everything tends to come crashing together in a flurry of notes.

Have to agree with @KuruPrionz on the issue of tone woods. I see a of lot laminated Guitar bodies out, even on U.S.-made Gibsons, and a bunch of unrelated woods being marketed as "Mahogany". FWIW, Mahogany is my favorite tone wood for a solid-body Guitar, and I've been able to feel a difference in Guitars made with those other woods. They feel "spongy", for lack of a much better description, softer than they should be, and they seem to absorb the tone of the Guitar, like a sponge, rather than projecting . . .

To address the OP, a lot of those names were bought out a while ago. IIRC, Fender owns, or recently owned, the Gretsch name, and moved much of their production over to China; they also own Guild. Epiphone consolidated much of their production line to their own plant in China, much like Behringer, instead of having a handful of Korean producers. I think Gibson brought back Kahler, although I'm less certain about that. This dovetails into the thread about the Marshall name being acquired. For the most part, what's really changing are licensing agreements; they're selling names, not product lines. A current MIC Gretsch has little or nothing to do with the Guitars that made the name famous; it either stands on its own merit as a Guitar, or it doesn't. The same can be said for Marshall Amps, anything current with the "Fender" name on the headstock, or any of the recent reissue lines. For the money, a lot of those import Guitars are much better quality than the cheap imports that were available when I started out, but OTOH, a $500 starter Guitar isn't exactly cheap. My one semi-hollow is a 2005 Ebony Epihone DOT, from the Samick plant in Korea. At the time, a U.S.-made 335 was running somewhere around $1200+/-, but my DOT was $300, new right out of the box, at my nearest GC. The only thing I did to change it was to install Schaller strap locks.

Damn, sorry to be late, but I hope you had a great day!

I recall at least two pedals that combined Distortion and Chorus, Boss' Digital Metalizer, and Ibanez' Session Man. The idea was that a Chorus/Doubling effect was just as essential to your sound as Distortion, so of course, you'd want them in one pedal, right? Maybe not . . . I don't recall either of them being big sellers. For my part, I like using Chorus as a sort of "thickener" for the Guitar sound, rather than as an obvious Mod effect. The Chorus effect in the various Boss MFX also works very nicely as a "Stereoizer" even with Mod Rate & Depth dialed way back.

FWIW, this is just another example of the rights to a Brand Name being sold; it has little or nothing to do with the Amps, themselves. Leo Fender sold the rights to his name back in the early 1960's, but people are still buying "Fender" Guitars & Amps, because it's the name that sells them. Orville Gibson died nearly 20 years before Rickenbacker brought out the first Electric Guitar, but look at almost any live Music event, and you'll likely see more Gibson Electric models than Gibson Acoustics. MXR, DanElectro, Supro, and more recently Digitech, are just some of the product lines, and brand names, that had gone extinct and been revived, or came up for sale. IIRC, someone tried to bring the SilverTone name back at one point? Somehow, I remember it in connection with Paul Stanley of KISS, but I'm not inclined to do a web search on it right now; you get the point.

Very impressive as an OD, but even dimed out, it never really crosses into full-blown Fuzz territory, which I was kind of hoping for. I much prefer the sound of it with HB's, although Andy seems overfond of the Bridge PU's in this demo? Would have been nice to hear more variety in the Guitar's tone going into the box. SIde note - I hadn't seen a Vantage Guitar in a long time!

Very nice Swell effect, still exploring the interaction with the Compressor. With the Mix anywhere much past 8 o'clock, the Swell effect tends to come in AFTER the initial Compressed signal, depending on the overall settings. I can see why you would like the Fast re-triggering mode, especially with a finger-style technique. What I've really appreciated is how well the 'Bee behaves with my V-Picks! Very responsive to picking dynamics, which is the whole point of the V-Picks. I'm still deciding where the ideal setting is for my playing style, but it's in there, no question. I'm going to try the 'Bee in the Novparolo pedalboard sometime in the next few days, in between home and home gardening projects. Still trying to get back out to work sometime this week, but the issues with my wife's car are ongoing, and aggravating. Don't ask; thank you. I'm also trying to send off the tracks for my current album project sometime in the next week or so. Idle hands, you know?

@KuruPrionz- I'm familiar with the Vypyr series Amps, a friend had one of the early models. I recall there were some features you could only access if you had the Sanpera control pedal, as well. No modeling Amps here, but I have a handful of MFX, which I often use live. Quick-&-easy connections, minimal footprint, and a legion of virtual Amp+FX rigs in one package. I get it, but all too often, I'm looking (listening?) for something that's not on the menu.

Indeed, it's not just a re-housed Slow Gear circuit, that's true. While the Attack and Trigger (Sensitivity) controls largely mimic those on the original Slow Gear, with the addition of the Compressor, and the S-F-M switch, there are definitely more options. It's still the closest thing to the Slow Gear outside of a few inexpensive import models. (I've seen good reviews of Mooer's Slow Engine Funny thing, almost since the introduction of the Waza Craft series, I've seen different Guitar mags or Music sites predicting that THIS YEAR, Boss would finally release a Waza Craft version of the Slow Gear, but so far, nothing doing? IDK if it's a matter of lacking the components to reproduce anything resembling the original circuit, or what? (FWIW, it's basically a modified Noise Gate circuit.) Considering that originals are going for $550-700, I think Boss could sell enough of them at $200-250 to make it worth reissuing?

For me, using effects to shape or even twist my sound is akin to a form of Synthesis, and some effects even do things that my Synths would be hard pressed to emulate. While Guitar is my first love, and my main Instrument, I guess I really consider myself to be an Electronic Musician, if I had to pick a category. I'll try to find a way to use almost anything that gives me a sound that I want, including a lot of Instruments that aren't Guitars, or anything like a Guitar. In that regard, Effects are tools, no less than an Amp, a Mixer, a Synth, a Guitar Tuner, or a bag full of cables. They're what I use to make my sound, or sounds, and I choose them with that in mind.

Have to agree on the vintage Fender tuners, once you get used to them, they're not bad to work with. The guy who sold me my first String-winder, back in the mid-80's told me, "This will save you hours of useful life," and he wasn't wrong. I have one in every Guitar case, and a couple of spares lying around, just because.

Nice clean used one at my FLUMS. Saw it in their Reverb listings a few days ago. I figured most people would just think it was a glorified Compressor and ignore it until I could get it.

I have to give @Caevan O’Shite credit for pointing me towards this one, as it's one of his favorites . . . It's a very deliberate Slow Gear (Attack Delay) clone, with an added Optical Compressor for sustain, in one pedal; I got it for the Slow Gear effect, which is very nice, once you've dialed it in. Think Volume Pedal swells on every note. The Compressor definitely gives you that Chicken Pickin' sound, and at higher Level settings, it gets LOUD. If you've ever had a Compressor squash your sound, this one will let you push back. OTOH, if you just wanted a straight-forward Compressor, this probably isn't it. The top is pretty crowded, three main control knobs, a mini-toggle switch right at Noon, and two smaller rotary knobs at about 9 and 3 o'clock. The three main control knobs seem like typical Compressor pedal controls; Level, Sustain, and Attack. The Attack control is the tricky one, as it controls the Swell rate, in combination with the S-F-M (Slow-Fast-Medium) toggle switch. The S-F-M switch seems to select among a range of Swell Times, which you then tweak with the Attack control. I'm liking the Medium setting, with the Attack knob at around 3 o'clock. The small rotary on the left is a Mix control, with just the Slow Gear effect at CCW, and just the Compressor at full CW. It seems like moving the Mix knob anywhere past fully CCW detracts from the Slow Gear effect. The small Trigger knob on the right functions much as a Threshold/Sensitivity control for the Slow Gear effect. It takes a bit of tweaking to find the Goldilocks setting, where each note fades in nicely, then drops back out of the way in time for the next note to step forward. Side note for gear geeks - The Slow Gear is a Threshold Gate device; it functions much like a spring-loaded garden gate. It takes a certain amount of force ( think: signal strength) to open the gate. Withdraw the force, or the signal, and the gate closes again. OTOH, a line of people passing through the gate in close succession would prevent the gate from closing again until the last person has passed through. The same applies to a Slow Gear device; once you've opened the gate, a rapid succession of notes will hold the gate open, so the Slow Gear effect can't re-trigger. An Attack-Decay Envelope Generator, like EHX' Attack/Decay, or Malekko's Sneak Attack is a very different kind of circuit, and even more tricky to dial in.

@Caevan O’Shite- For some reason, the sound of the Small Stone series never appealed to me? Can't quite articulate it, but just not the sound I was listening for. I have been curious about that stripped-down JHS 3 series, but not curious enough to try them out? Something about that Bathroom Tile White finish suggests "This pedal sounds as dull as it looks." YEMV, of course . . .

I have to wonder why the Resonance control is a 3-position toggle switch? I'd also like to read more about the 30 different parameters the Voice control addresses. When I saw the TIME setting, I figured it was leaning towards a Chorus/Flanger effect, as there's no TIME setting on a Phaser. I'm currently thinking about another Phaser, but I'd like something compact. I have the MoogerFooger as well, but that never leaves my Music room. Other than that,I have the Keeley Bubbletron, which I'm currently using for the Dynamic Flanger effect, and a Mojo Hand FX Nebula IV, which is very close to the classic Phase 90 sound.

@DaveMcM- First thought, be VERY careful with the tuner heads! After all this time, they're likely to be very brittle, trying to force the tuner may well crack the tuner head. Second thought, it's possible that the original lubricant has gelled, and may be part of the current problem, so adding more lubricant, of any kind, may not be a fix. You're talking about a Guitar that may have been an affordable entry-level model back in its time, but at this point, it's worth several thousand dollars, depending on a number of factors. In that regard, it's well worth seeking out a nearby, or relatively nearby, repair shop with a good reputation. At the outside, it might almost be worth contacting Gibson directly, to ask for recommendations. Until then, here is the best thing I could find to address your question. Dan IS THE MAN, when it comes to Guitar repair, have no doubt. Closeted Gibson with stuck tuners

At least the Bad Monkey is real . . .

Speaking for the Fringe element - Drawing inspiration from other Instruments, other Musics, and even non-Musical sounds. You want beautiful phrasing? Try thinking in terms of Vocal lines, or solo Horn lines. The great Stan Getz suggested that Guitarists should listen to Sax solos. Stan Getz' Bossa Nova sound also figures into my next suggestion, which is . . . If you want new sounds and phrasing, look into other Musics, with different approaches to Scale, or even Pitch. Classical composers have often drawn on Folk Music forms for inspiration, while Jazz and Rock Musicians drew on, or outright stole from other Musical cultures around the world; think Sitars in Psychedelic bands, and American Musicians embracing Brazilian Bossa Nova Music. In terms of non-Musical sounds, I don't just mean Noise, or SFX. Listen to a Woodpecker hammering away at a dead tree limb, and try to emulate that pattern in your picking. (Good luck with that one, BTW, those things are FAST!) Moving water, wind through the trees, the rhythm of a moving train, all of those have found their way into Music. Sit under a highway overpass, and listen to the Doppler effect as traffic passes overhead. (I know, that one's a bit out there, but consider the source.) In terms of gear, there's no "One-Tone-Fits-All" solution. To borrow a phrase from another world, everybody has an agenda, in that everyone has a preference, or a set of preferences. If you were to listen to everyone's preferences, and prejudices, you might wind up buying one of everything, or buying nothing at all, because you just couldn't decide. As @Larryzsuggests, if there's an artist whose work or sound you particularly admire, finding out what they use at least starts you in a direction.

Back on topic - one case of Performance Anxiety, rather than Stage Fright. I'd been invited to join a Massed-Guitar event, my first such event, and told simply to show up at the performance venue several hours before the event, for rehearsal. I wasn't sure how any mere human was going to get 70 or so Guitarists to learn, and be ready to perform half a dozen pieces of Music, in the course of an afternoon, but WTH, right? It worked, and it was glorious, a word I don't often use. Since then, I've taken part in several Massed-Guitar events with many of the same folks, at different venues, and those nights are among the highlights of my life as a Musician. If I'd let my initial apprehension about "How are we even going to pull this off?" hold me back, well . . .