The sun goes down

Got this a week ago. I have ceased updating recent purchases immediately namely to give sufficient time for a deserving appraisal. I'm not a Strymon fan due to price-related matters but I deem the Sunset OD as beneficial to my inclinations- I appreciate pedals with built-in boost/ cascading features. More updates in time to come. 

River bank bust

This was on my watch list last year, it's finally available at Swee Lee but on the deep side of $300. Considering the priorities now, it has to wait. 😒

River driver

When a pedal bears the Strymon name, chances are, it's gonna be impressive and costly. I'm getting good vibes from the Riverside pedal after watching the demo clip but it's bound to burn a deep hole in the pocket in time to come.

Delay-ducation (3)

Our next delay discussion is by far the most contemporary preference- the digital delay (DD).

Unlike the analog sibling the DD is devoid of signal deterioration upon repetition. What you hear deteriorating is the signal volume & this is the very reason why those ol' timers would tell you the DD is devoid of 'warmth' (as understood on Ep. 2). However, the great advantage here is the fact that DD allows the user to enjoy longer delay intervals so the player's delay output is not strictly limited by the device un-tweakable capacity but what he/ she is able to dial in. The other editable parameters include delay depth & number of repeats (among others). This means the modern delay unit is also able to re-create ambience in addition to mere repetitions. The fact that the DD involves a good serving of programming, it costs more than the average analog version & consumes battery more rapidly as well. The learned among us will invest in a good power adapter for our beloved DD pedal which makes more sense here.

Some recommendations

BOSS is arguably the leading name in DD for its simplicity & effective applications. Despite perpetual re-design, the DD-3 remains to be the manufacturer's landmark unit & it's no wonder that the pedal is being preserved in its catalogs till today. Yours truly here keeps coming back to the DD-3 after countless flirtations with other units. The current additions to BOSS' DD models include the DD-7 & the other-worldly DD-500 (the latest addition, 2015).

If you wish for a more updated DD design without losing footing in your guitar focus, check out Strymon's El Capistan pedal. Some of the lushest DD tones can be had here but if you wish for a simpler Strymon philosophy, the DIG model should be it. Please note that the Strymon brand name isn't the most affordable out there but it's good for the money.

There are players out there who wouldn't mind access & some programming/storage capabilities in their DD pedals. Not too long ago, the standard to beat in this category (at least in my books) is Vox's Delaylab. However, the good people of Korg had re-introduced their wonderful SDD-3000. The SDD-3000 is a legend per se that started off as a rack mount unit. Excess here is a little under-statement, you get MIDI feature, panning, note values differentiation, etc... plus the fact that it's a true bypass unit.

To be concluded...

Link to Episode 1: CLICK

Link to Episode 2: CLICK

Price cuts: Strymon @ SV Guitars

Today is the final day to enjoy the Strymon discounts happening at SV Guitars. Many are sold out at the various branches so if you interested in any one, please call up the stores to check stock (no point making a trip down to places only for them to be sold out):

• Marsiling: 63686586
• Peninsula: 63383371
• JCube: 66845310 

Strymon: blueSky

I was at Standard Value to get some guitar spares yesterday (tinkering in progress...) when Mike told me to take a seat & give the Strymons a listen. There were no drive pedals to behold so I was not as enthusiastic but after some trying, the blueSky lifted me up, way up...

This is a reverb unit, an extensive one I might add. It's actually a simple twin feature offering; the reverb TYPE (3 type there on offer- plate/ room/ spring) & MODE (ie. how deep you wish your reverberation to be). The rest of the features are voicing tweaks. I was rooted by the Plate + Shimmer combo for a good... can't remember, maybe 20min or so (might have been longer, he he...)? The objective of a reverb unit is  the addition of depth to your note definition. If you do lots of distortion, reverb might just get in the way; the reason why Van Halen dislike this feature in his tone/ amp. The best appreciation for a reverb effect is to play clean. It helps you acknowledge the value of slowing down & refined listening. The Shimmer feature here adds a chorus tingle at the death of each note. This is definitely Robin Guthrie territory, plunging into dreamscape, turning notes into an art form. 

If you wish for a simple reverb, this pedal is unnecessary, especially at $455 (it's not cheap, mind you...)- you are better off with your amp's default reverb feature. However, if you are adventurous in plying your trade, the blueSky is an astral touch.