MXR: EVH 5150 OD

Good Sunday morning, everyone. December is a busy month for many of us. For the gear hunters & tone chasers everywhere, we are in a better financial standing to consider a pedal (or two... three even) for whatever the occasion may be. Dunlop's MXR division has the new 5150 OD out not too long ago & it's finally in the shops here for our consideration. This should keep up busy, yes?

Build/ Features

The fact that you are representing someone's guitar tones in a pedal format is a little dangerous. That's because the pedal itself proves to be a fraction of the tone equation, the guitar & amp are other crucial elements in this understanding. The 5150 here is an interpretation of Van Halen's 5150 tone & we take this to mean his overdrive voicings from his amp. We do note the fact that Van Halen uses tube amps with a unique set of circuitry not reproduced by this pedal, hence the 'interpretation' understanding. On this note (no pun intended) the features on board are measured understandings of what this tone manifestation should consist of- an intense overdrive section with a boost capacity for some OTT responses as well as a 3-band EQ portion for adequate frequency sculpturing. The noise gate feature is the manufacturer's hint of what you should be supplemented with in view of the level of gain on tap (more on this later). 

As with other MXR products, the 5150 is as sturdy as it should be & it isn't heavy should you be wanting this in your pedal board line-up. The pedal's flip side (seen above) revealed a no-frills battery compartment cover but you need a little bit of fingernail play here to get it open. Also, the pedal features allen-type access instead of the conventional slit/ cross top feature. All in all, the pedal was well cut & assembled at the factory, nothing dodgy to report here. Oh, those knob slit indicators- they glow in the dark.

Tone

If you choose to invest in this pedal (which could easily get you a starter guitar), it means you have a tone priority. The 5150 emulates Van Halen's current amp tones (lest you forget why it's labelled 5150), notably his Peavy/ EVH package. If you wish for his Marshall brown sound drive, it's not represented in this one. Engaging the pedal itself, you get a saturated amount of crunch bordering on the extreme. Putting that boost feature to use gets you some insane drive responses which could rival a heavy metal-type intensity. This brings the noise gate feature into play; the extra background hissing (further amplified by whatever gain-laden pedals you have in your set up) means you are better off with this application turned on (if you are using single coil pickups, it becomes mandatory). I personally feel it's a very useful consideration in this package & it's a quality noise gate implement, mind you, not a get-by standard. 

Let me fill you in with the rather repulsive element included in this pedal- that excessive amount of treble. From the get go, you'd be taken aback by how much top end excess this pedal offers, even when you trim the amount down to zero- that's right, it's really excessive. You might say it's an oversight on MXR to be having this on board but the reality is, Van Halen has this much working top end in his amp so hearing that in this pedal simply means the manufacturer factored this peculiarity into it. The thing with any 5150 amp is,  once the treble amount is checked, lower setting would simply turn the drive voicing into a smooth, polished tone we all love to hear but that does not happen with this pedal. So this, my friends, is a make-or-break consideration for you because you will be forking out a good amount of money for some Van Halen love which might not appease you personally. 

Conclusion

How can you accurately replicate a tube laden voicing into a transistorized representation for the masses? You can't. The 5150 pedal is a very good reproduction of what we expect to hear from a Van Halen type amp response but it's missing some elements only players who had come across the 5150 amplifier would understand. If you worship this pedal in isolation, it probably means you are agreeable with what the manufacturer offers, not because you are blown away by how accurate the representation is. Treble issue aside, the MXR EVH 5150 overdrive offers a different overdrive experience & would easily appeal to those of us who are after an intense drive response, not the polite type typified by almost all overdrive pedals out there that make it a point not to cross into distortion territory in this aspect.

Rating: 80%

MXR: EVH 5150 overdrive

Availability: Swee Lee/ Davis GMC

Price: Please call for quotes

Friday night Hutchings

That's right, folks, Alex Hutchings was here last night conducting a BOSS clinic at Swee Lee's Bt Timah showroom. I've talked to countless players throughout the years & they swear by their BOSS pedals but the enthusiasm wasn't manifested last night as there were less than 30 attendees listening to some captivating guitar works from Mr. Hutchings himself.

This isn't Mr. Hutching's debut clinic in this country, some of you might recall he was here a few years ago (Here: CLICK) with his other Waghorn guitar. I was expecting an 8-string but let's be objective- it's a purposeful event & some tools are more apt for the cause than others.

Some of us keep our effects line-up simple, others depend on a gamut of pedals to deliver some order (hey, some of us are preforming pros & we live by this). The former camp will find this clinic unimpressive because Alex Hutchings had a rather excessive display of effects at his behest. At the end of it all, it's about showcasing the effects & not much of anything else, save for the educational aspects of guitar playing from time to time. What you would've heard last night was a very processed guitar output which you need to embrace in order for some appreciation to happen. I'm from the former camp, I live by an angry amp & not much else but keeping an open mind means acknowledging Alex Hutching's tone was some of the best I've heard in a live context. All those processing led to an increase in pick sensitivity & that's something I could relate to. Also, there wasn't much extraneous noise to be heard & it was a lesson in noise management for those of us keen in this manifestation of tone.

What I like about product clinics is the very fact that it's educational while being entertaining. Alex Hutchings took time to explain why he used some of the pedals seen above & it could be summed up to being objective. There was very little discussion about drive/distortion & he kept it simple with a distortion & drive each. The rest of the implements there were time-based & modulation units & that brought us to another aspect of guitar playing that isn't addressed much- nuance. Delays & reverb type processes served to add depth to our tone & this is important in a performing & recording context. The other pedals that were of service were volume, expression & wah units. Also making an impact here was a switching unit which allowed Mr. Hutchings to re-order his line-up without re-arranging his pedals physically.

The second half of the clinic saw the synth aspects of guitar playing being put into context. This was the reason why the SY-300 & GT-100 made their appearances there. This focus wasn't the bulk of the clinic time but it should open up some perspectives for those of us interested in music as opposed to being guitar-inclined exclusively. All in all, it was a thoroughly informative engagement, thank you Swee Lee & BOSS for a great Friday night.

Chapman: ML-3 Modern

The Chapman brand in guitar-dom is, by now, a notable name in mid-price guitars. While observing a strict QC discipline, it adds little to costs. The ML-3 Modern here is a Tele-style model with a reverse headstock & sporting a dual humbucker combo that departs from any traditional voicings of its inspiration reference. Having fused elements of both the traditional & contemporary, what’s in store for players looking for a deserving 6-string in this price bracket?

Quality/ fit/ finish

As this model hailed from the renowned World Music (Korea) factory which is currently handling other mid-priced assignments from respectable names in this industry, this category is a mere reiteration of the fact that production standards have been up there all along. An end-to-end inspection revealed much vigilance in crafting this guitar. We note how well-fitted the hardware are as all surface mounted appointments sit flushed against all surface tops. I’ve seen some skimpy workmanship in this aspect lately but the ML-3 is a safe bet. The finish level (or the lack thereof to be precise) is also impressive as the satin overcoat for both body & neck were evenly applied & proved to be inspirational at play time.

Playability tone

There is no overtly slim or tapered neck profile here to appease the excessively shred-inclined among us. Yes, there’s sufficient playability to bring us there but the overall neck carve is equally inspirational for bluesy bends as well. However, those X-jumbo frets make heavy metal & all things bent on destruction very enjoyable. A thing to note here is the instrument’s very heavy physique (mahogany!), weighing a hefty 4.2kg puts the ML-3 in the same league as the ‘50s Gibson Les Pauls. Those among us with physical frailty- you have been warned.

The manufacturer did well in including high output pickups here & the neck humbucker proved to be a proponent of clarity under high gain settings. The bridge humbucker was equally adept in this light; it could be more appealing in terms of cleans but I doubt anyone of us would want one for this application. It would perform better, in my opinion, if there’s a tad more focus in the lower frequencies. I expected more bass-end propulsion in tandem with the heftiness on offer but it didn’t materialize so get some external EQ implement ready to address the matter (if your amp doesn’t already feature a decent EQ section).

Thumbs up to that Hipshot-type fixed bridge in supplementing a very comfortable palm placement. It also added much ease to palm muting.

Conclusion

No Tele-type tones on board the ML-3 Modern, the coil-split facility would give you adequate single coil enjoyment from time to time, do not expect more. On the contrary, we should welcome the ML-3 Modern in view of what it was tailored to be; a great, drive-friendly instrument with a reasonable asking price. Weight issue aside, the ML-3 Modern is a deserving member in the Chapman line-up that offers a great contemporary voicing without wimping out but faces stiff competition from Ibanez, LTD & Schecter in this division. 

Rating: 80%

Chapman: ML-3 Modern (bag included)

Availability: Musicark

Price: $1,000.00 (list)

Keying in

My meddling with non-guitar tones continues- EHX KEY9. As the name suggests, keyboard-type tones from this pedal. The absolute liking for this pedal is its latency-free processing as illustrated by its other sibling, the C9 (which I own as well). Disclaimer- I've not tried this one with longer cables, as to whether this manifests latency issues, it remains to be tested.

Edwards gone platinum

FYI, Edwards is ESP's domestic market wing. They don't ship out, the products are strictly for the local Japanese demand. They are however offered in international online stores so if you are interested in any of the products, make your way there (Google will help you). Recently, Edwards announced its Platinum series of guitars & that pretty much excited me because we know Davis GMC brings in selected Edwards instruments (special arrangement).

This EP-ST-ASR is a worthy consideration- ash body, Duncan pickups & if they get the neck profile right, it should be a solid Strat interpretation.

Yes, the alder body version is also on the list: EP-ST-ALM

Not forgetting our bassist friends: EP-JB-ALR

PRS S2: Vela

Final acquisition for 2015- PRS S2 Vela. Thank you Davis GMC for listening to me: 1) I want a Vela 2) I want it in a finish that isn't conventional 3) Can I get it before Christmas? Yes, yes & yes... :-)