Guitar Effects

Jack Conte makes music all the time, whether it's on his own or with Nataly Dawn in Pomplamoose. He makes this music with all sorts of gear goodies that you get to see in his VideoSongs, which are cleverly edited documents of his recording process. In this interview, we talk to Jack about how the Electro-Harmonix Tube Zipper turns his acoustic guitar into one nasty screaming axe.  

Jack Conte is a San Francisco-based musician who, both on his own and as part of Pomplamoose, is a pioneer in the medium of "VideoSongs." Among other things, VideoSongs apparently require EHX gear. In this segment we focus on the Electro-Harmonix Bass MicroSynth, and hear exactly how much you can mess with an old holiday favorite.  

Those dirty teases over at Electro-Harmonix have put up preview pics of their two soon-to-be newest envelope filter pedals, the Electro-Harmonix Riddle Q Balls and the Electro-Harmonix Enigma Q Balls. Designed for guitar and bass, respectively, the new pedals are the product of the continued partnership between Mike Matthews and Mike Beigel, founder of Electro-Harmonix and creator of the Mu Tron III, respectively.  

The new VOX Joe Satriani Signature Pedals are truly awesome. If you're still undecided as to whether you'd want to sound like Satch, VOX is now making that sweet-sour-salty deal that will eventually convince you. A free CD of Chickenfoot's debut album will be yours for free if you buy a VOX Joe Satriani Signature Pedal before the end of August. Delicious!  

We are back geeking out with Tony Fredianelli of Third Eye Blind, this time about vintage pedals. From the pre-Boss era, Fredianelli's favorite Roland AP-7 Jet Phaser employs "jets" (no, really) to create its signature sound. Sneak a peek into the rest of his pedalboard in this video.  

No surf guitarist or country picker worth their sex-wax or salt-lick (respectively) would gig without a Fender Reverb Unit, or at least a spring reverb that sounded sufficiently Fender-y. Now you can get that classic, dirty, spongy tone in the COSM-powered BOSS FRV-1 Fender Reverb Pedal.  

While still not as small and collectible as pogs, the new Electro-Harmonix POG2 takes the original Polyphonic Octave Generator, squeezes it into a tighter chassis, and adds new features like "Attack" control and a programmable preset bank. Now, can we get some Sailor Moon graphics on the POG2, please?!?!?  

Imagine a pedal so big and sturdy it makes you feel like you're driving a semi, combined with a cute little psychedelic lightshow that makes shoegazing even more fun than it is already. Add in the fact that it's also a functioning phaser pedal, and you have the Fender Classic Series Phaser. See and hear it in action, courtesy of Owen O'Malley's great big dogs, in this video.  

Sporting a glittery finish that would give Mariah Carey whiplash, the new Godlyke Little Dipper is simple, rugged, and effective envelope-controlled filter. The Little Dipper is the first model in Godlyke's new Totally Wycked Audio "boutique" effects line. Their motto: "with a name like TWA, the sky's the limit."  

When you have so many effects you sort of need a glossary to even find them all, how are you supposed to access them onstage? Feet are not known for their punch-button finesse, at least not for those of us without prehensile toes. In the third and final video on the Eventide PitchFactor, Owen O'Malley shows us how to tame this effects-laden beast, making it your musical slave. Turns out, taming the beast is pretty straightforward and clearly outlined in the manual.  

The Eventide Pitchfactor pedal-a-gogo has so many effects, Eventide ran out of real names and had to start making stuff up. Like, what's a "Harmodulator," anyway? No matter; when you hear what this pedal can do, you won't care if they start naming effects after Josie and the Pussycats.  

The Eventide PitchFactor has options aplenty! In the first of a three-part demo series, Owen O'Malley bravely dives into the daunting but rewarding array of goodies in this new pedal. Actually, "pedal" doesn't seem to do it justice, so let's think of another name for it. Suggestions?  

Analog Man (Mike Piera) is perhaps the leading authority on vintage effects. He initially came to prominence modding off-the-shelf pedals with high-quality components and features like true bypass, turning them sonically into the equivalent of high-end, boutique pedals. This pedal, the AnalogMan ARDX20, however, is an example of the next and current stage of his effects-obsession.

His empire has grown to include manufacturing his own line of very-sought after pedals and his customers include the guitar world’s elite including Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, and Scott Henderson.

 

Jimmie Deeghan of Every Avenue admittedly does not have a lot of pedals, and the Electro-Harmonix Russian Muff he does have is not really the apple of his eye at the moment. Hear his best impression of that pedal, plus some highlights of consumer challenges as a touring musician, in this video.  

Cetan Clawson gets all goofy about experimenting with effects chains, and the DigiTech Reverb is one pedal that's just "necessary" for the fun. Listen in as he goes-geek on different effects patterns involving his favorite central pedal.  

From light bubbling and gurgling to wide open chorusing, Effectrode Audiophile’s Vibra Chorus can send you to ethereal highs.  

The young and soft-spoken Cetan Clawson recently stopped by Chicago for a show, and also to show off his pedalboard to us, the stomp-a-philes at GW. One of the items sharing space thereupon is the unmistakable Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, which stares up at him with its logo-composed grin whenever he wants a fuzzy tone.  

There are so many ways in which the new Lovepedal Mini Pedal stompboxes are like Gremlins. They may look tiny and adorable, but don't let their size fool you: these pedals are capable of some seriously aggressive and powerful tones. Also, you don't want to get them wet.  

Guitarists are figuring out new ways of using old effects pedals everyday, but mixed-media artist (and former Urban Verve member) Robin Rose has found a use for the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi that I assure you, none of us has considered before.

We almost went with the headline "High Gain Meets High Concept," but that's a little too gauche a way of introducing an art installation, wouldn't you say, darling? Say, I do hope the champagne is Korbel.  

Luke Mulholland is nineteen, he's already toured with Bon Jovi and Dicky Betts, and he hasn't yet received his bachelor's degree. Um. Well, maybe you can take solace in using one of the same pedals that he does, the venerable Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner. Hear about that useful item, and prepare for jealousy as Luke talks about playing video games on his tour bus.  

What is it folks always say about pleasure deferred? Oh yeah, "it sucks." Mike Matthews agrees. That's why you can order your new Electro-Harmonix Deluxe memory Man -- in its revamped, compact, die-cast chassis -- now, and not a month from now as was originally planned.  

You've heard that story about the three little pigs, right? Well, thanks to FuzzHugger(fx) Great Wall, there's a fourth pig out there somewhere living in a house made of fuzz. I think his name is Matt Pike.  

Some effects pedal companies just have their finger on the pulse of a nation. Like Fuzzhugger(fx). We don't know what "Tea Bagging" is, but the new FH(fx) Tea Bagger is riding the crest of one mighty popular wave.  

If your pedalboard's been getting crowded, there's no need to do away with lush delay. The new Deluxe Memory Man arrives in a new board-friendlier chassis.  

"But you will receive power when the Godlyke PowerAll Deluxe Kit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Je-ROCK-salem and in all RUDE-ea and SLAM-aria, and to the end of the earth.”
—Acts 1:8  

Lovers of guitar effects fall into two camps: those who espouse the sophistication and flexibility of the multi-effect pedal board, and those who worship the tone and individuality of stompbox systems. The new Electro-Harmonix Screaming Bird and Mole pedals are extreme fetish items for those of latter group: one pedal, one control, one transistor, one boosted frequency band (high or low).  

Much like Skylab, the new VOX TonelabST doesn't take up a lot of space, but it sports plenty of features for studying various effects. Actually, that metaphor is more like Skylab, in that it was quickly abandoned before it came crashing back to Earth.  

Apparently, somebody thought that the Nova Delay was a bit too complicated. The TC Electronic Nova Repeater is a streamlined version of the Nova Delay, except they also added some features. . . ok, now I'm confused.  

Indie-effects company FuzzHugger like to do this thing where they come out with a really sick pedal, and then, about a month later, come out with a second version of it. So it is with the FuzzHugger AB-Synth Version 2, an update of the crazy guitar synth stompbox that was released. . . uhh, three weeks ago.  

The new T-Rex Gristle pedal line -- including the Gristle King, Luxury Drive and DGMT -- will be on gristly display at MusikMesse in Frankfurt next week. Hope the T-Rex booth brings enough barf bags.