Pushing the driver

These two go well together. In fact, I tried them both together at the store prior to purchase. They are complementary in this exact arrangement.

The NUX OD-3 is a surprisingly polished mild driver. By virtue of its colour alone, you know what the OD-3 is offering tone-wise. There isn't any pronounced midrange hump heard so if you wish for that reproduction on a budget, this might be a let-down. I view the OD-3 as a very shrewd follower of Fuch's Plush without sounding too familir. Artec's gainer boost on the other hand, is a smooth operator, not by default though, but by engaging its 2-band EQ. The gain on tap here is rather intense but in a good boost kind of way, not as a definite drive source.

Now, cascading the OD-3 into the GB is a polished affair. The OD-3 requires a booster unit that complements its silky voicing & the GB does just that if you turn the treble control down & start with the bass control at noon position. Turning the gain control Eastwards wasn't as impressive as bringing the volume up, mind the additional treble while you're at it but there's always the treble control to keep things in check. The overall voicing is one of smoothness- think Alan Holdsworth & Tom Quayle- without sacrificing saturation & harmonics richness. All for less than $160- now isn't that a steal?

Bosses

My subversive nature always manifest a bad relationship with bosses or the authority in general. The only bosses I am on good terms with are my BOSS pedals- the only bosses you can step on & make them obey.

Anyway, despite not being a BOSS fan, I do own 4 BOSS pedals as depicted above:

• OD-3: to give my TS9s some competition
• DS-1: on days when I need a harder booster for my primary distortion
• BD-2: because it's crunchier than the above-mentioned pedals
• RC-2: for days whn I feel like jamming with myself. It was on sale anyway, so nothing to lose in terms of practicing supplements

Fender: Mini Twin

Is it really an amp or a mere toy? I get asked this question all the time when I display the Mini Twin. Yes, it's a fully functional amp but it does not possess the legendary reputation of its namesake. Indeed, there is a pair of 3" drivers on board to credit the 'twin' tag but these babies are too shrunk to reward anyone looking for a pocket-size (no, this amp doesn't fit any of my pockets) Fender sparkling cleans; they rattle too easily at higher volume/ drive settings. Nevertheless, before the arrival of my X-mini Capsule Speaker, the Mini Twin served all my fanatical urges to play guitar at ridiculous venues- in the store room, the wash room (no kidding!), under spiral staircases at deserted venues, at the reservoir park, sports stadium viewing gallery & countless other locations which I can barely remember (getting old...). The amp lasts for more than an hour's worth of non-stop playing when powered by a non-alkaline 9V battery. I bought a power adaptor for it but this method of operation simply triggers hum so it was avoided. A passable guitar amplifier but one heck of a novelty item.

Other items in pic:

• BOSS OD3 (for relative size comparison)
• Ribena berry portable fan (not the Mini Twin's complementary accessory but it does fan the sweating player)