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Re: re OVERDRIVES



At 11:59 AM -0800 12/25/08, Rick Walker wrote:
>Jeez, Mech,  I had no idea that you had all this knowledge of radical 
>fuzzes.

Uhm well, frankly, me neither.  ;)

I merely started getting into obscure pedals a couple of years ago 
(hey, they're cheaper by the dozen), and I guess I've figured out a 
thing or two since then. <*shrug*>

>Your post was fantastic,  I just wish I could hear these pedals you talk 
>about
>in person.

Thanks!  Just remember, YouTube is your friend.  Many of the smaller 
boutique manufacturers have started putting videos online, so you can 
find some good stuff by going directly to their site.  Also, there's 
a retailer named Pro Guitar Shop ( 
http://www.proguitarshop.com/index.php?CategoryID=304 or search for 
proguitarshop on YouTube) that does some very good video demos of the 
stuff they sell.  In addition, Effekt Pedaler -- a European dealer 
out of Copenhagen -- occasionally posts some interesting demos ( 
http://www.youtube.com/user/effektpedaler ).  And you might also try 
looking at http://FuzzHugger.com/ or the pedal effects section of 
Analogue Haven ( http://www.analoguehaven.com/what/ and scroll down) 
if you're looking to feed your GAS.

>Of all the pedals you talk about (and assuming that one already owned
>two digital modelling pedals and a half dozen cheap stomp box, non-botique
>distorions (pro co rat, big muff, boss ds-1, et. al.) and a zvex fuzz 
>factory,
>which one of these pedals would you buy for maximum weirdness if you were
>going to a desert island and had to buy only one (and how much does it 
>cost)?

Well, I had to make that choice once already (when I moved out of the 
country last year, and only had a limited amount of luggage space). 
I could only really throw in one "radical" fuzz, so I chose my 
Hachihachi Shiki Kebadate Hizumaseki Super Oscillo Fuzz (Type 88) 
from Lastgasp Art Laboratories (hereafter referred to as the LAL 88, 
or simply the "88").  You can find the manufacturers rundown at 
http://lalweb.com/88/88-e.html and they usually run about the same as 
a Fuzz Factory (got mine from shawn at analogue haven, where they're 
going for about $265).

Not sure if I'd make that choice again, though, for a single fuzz. 
While my 88 is by far my most versatile effect, it can also be my 
least controllable.  It's sensitive to what instrument is plugged 
into it, as well as where in the signal chain it sits.

On the up side, it's a real wildcard, and never ever fails to 
amuse/amaze.  You just have to be very methodical with your setup. 
You've got six switches that can be used together in any combination, 
as well as a continuous Adjust knob whose function varies according 
to which switches are selected.  Add to this that it behaves 
completely differently depending upon the type of the 
guitar/instrument pickup and whether it's placed right after the 
guitar or someplace else in a buffered signal chain, and you can see 
that it's really easy to get lost.  But sometimes that's half the fun 
(just remember to take good notes).

Other options (Devi pedals in particular) might be either something 
with a Feedback Loop, or one of the Manglers with joystick control.

For the former, take a look at the Spectacular Aenima ( 
http://www.deviever.com/fx/spectacularaenima/index.html ).  This is 
the Aenima fuzz that Daryl mentioned a few posts back, combined with 
an extra distortion circuit (the 33) and a Feedback Loop with Photo 
Eye.  So not only do you get a radical fuzz, but you can insert other 
pedals into the loop for more and different effects.  By feeding a 
pedal back into itself, you can get some really bizarre results 
ranging from runaway echo effects (for delay) to screaming 
oscillation (some fuzzboxes).  You can also turn on the photo eye and 
use that to control the level of signal sent into the Feedback Loop. 
For more detail, take a look at this: 
http://www.deviever.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=1135

As to the latter suggestion (joystick control), I'd consider the Bit 
Mangler ( http://www.deviever.com/fx/bitmangler/ ).  I've got a Bit 
(one of the first made, as a matter of fact, since Devi merely 
described a new design and I ordered one sight unseen).  It's a 
fantastically searing modern fuzz, almost approaching "synth" or 
"video game" tones.  With the Bit Mangler, the Bit is paired with the 
VFM (Vintage Fuzz Master) which is a more traditional high-gain 
octave fuzz.  A joystick is then used to blend between the two 
circuits.  You can get a lot of interesting tones by merely 
manipulating the joystick to different positions.  Take a look at the 
videos and you'll see what I mean.

At Analogue Haven, the Spectacular Aenima is $195, and the Bit Mangler is 
$295.

Finally, I'm rather intrigued by this: 
http://www.wmdevices.com/geiger.php -- the WMD Geiger Counter. 
Everybody keeps saying that this is set to be the Industrial 
musician's new love, and if you're into digital distortion, it's 
pretty apparent why.  It features conventional preamp distortion, 
with both bit-depth *and* sample-rate reduction (giving you effects 
similar to the Alesis Bitrman, TSP Downgrade, and Frostwave 
Alienator).  Then it also features a set of digital wave tables that 
you run (rasterize?) the signal through.

Here's what the home page has to say about the Wave Table function: 
"The wave table stage takes your signal and destroys it with math. 
This produces some incredible sounds. The wave tables are organized 
so that a more extreme version is typically found one up from the 
current one. There are 252 wave tables in all, each with different 
harmonic content."

The marketing sounds pretty cool, and the sound samples don't 
disappoint, either.  It just depends on how you feel about digital 
types of distortion.  If that's your bag, this could definitely be 
worth considering.  $299 at Analogue Haven.

>Also,  would you refresh our collective memory (okay,  my memory) and 
>tell us
>1)  what country you live in (I assumed it was the US, incorrectly) and

Well, we were living in the US, but picked up and left for Japan not 
long after my performance at Y2k7, so I've been out here for almost a 
year now.  Pretty cool, except for the occasional bout of culture 
shock.

>2)  what URL we can go to to hear some of the music you've made with all
>of these cool stuff.

Hah!  Thanks for the nudge, Rick.  You know I'm an anal-retentive 
tweek-a-holic, so I never actually *finish* anything, dammit.  ;)

My wife has even become so irritated at the fact I wasn't providing 
any fresh content, that I think she put my Live Looping web page ( 
http://www.dustbunnies.info/ ) on ice for the moment.  I hope to 
remedy that soon, but for the moment, I think my Loopfest performance 
MP3's are still up at http://www.y2kloopfest.com/y2k7/mp3.html (11:00 
Saturday night) and the videos are on YouTube at 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODgLXT56b7M and 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcffXnqv_Lw

Unfortunately, no psychotic fuzzbox effects there.  Mostly just my 
fretless 11-string (electric oud) with VG-99 and Looperlative.

>Thanks for your informative post,  as always!

Thanks for the complement!  I just enjoy chatting about this stuff; 
it makes me happy.  :)

        --m.
-- 
_____
"when you think your dreams are shattered, it's time to dream new dreams"