Low down battalion

Here's something new from the EHX camp, a comprehensive DI unit for bass. I like this kind of product where the manufacturer offers what the player needs in a single unit so it helps those of us who performs frequently. The compression unit there is the definite thumbs up feature, it's somewhat a synonymous feature for bass. Almost mandatory, we could say. A full EQ section is always the best consideration for any kind of instrument in my opinion. The distortion there is optional but it's there for versatility's sake with details to boot; you can choose how it affects your signal with the arrangement option (pre/post/dry). OK so let's hear it in action:

New bosses

Wrapping up October with news of 2 new BOSS pedals:

1. AD-2: What do you really hear when you are playing your acoustic guitar? That's right, you hear 2 things 1) The sound of vibrating metal strings 2) That same string sound with natural reverb- this is something we tend to overlook. To me, all those pedals recreating acoustic tones, those so called 'simulation' pedals, they are actually recreating a piezo-type tone, not the tone of a true blue acoustic. BOSS' AD-2 aims to address this oversight by adding a reverb element to that unplugged tone. It's something worth checking out even if you're not a fan.
2. CP-1X: This is something the manufacturer claims their pedal could do- a new compressor unit that doesn't suck tone. I'm definitely a compressor fan but I hear those fine difference between a compressed & non-compressed tones only in clean mode. Pump the drive up & this difference becomes rather marginal. Once again, it's something worth checking out even if you've not been compressing your tones since day one.

Low preaching

I must say that I'm a fan of EHX's mini pedals. The dimensions are wonderful, more importantly, these pedals retain the performance of their full-sized siblings. The Muff units would be a good example. The Bass Preacher you see here is a close derivative of the Soul Preacher & here's proof that it's what you'd expect from it (maybe even a bit more):

Compressing Timmons

It's a little surprising that a compressor is Andy Timmons' pick for a signature pedal but this preference had been the all along; Mr. Timmons is someone who takes spride in tone refinement, especially the non-drive aspect. You'd note that the pedal might suggest a direct recreation of Carl Martin's standard production model but it's actually loaded with the specific level & compression preferred by Andy Timmons. This means the range on offer is differentiated from the standard offering so it's a hit/miss affair, best you try one yourself if it it's your thing.

Seymour Duncan: Get a grip

Seymour Duncan is adding to its increasing line up of pedals; we have a booster unit, fuzz, overdrive, distortion, delay, tube-based units, now a compressor joins the fold.

2 things to note: 1) That Blend function dictates how much dry or compressed signals are heard at the amp. 2) The H/F/M means a frequency shaping of your dry signal before it blends with the compressed ones. Neat.

VS: Route 66 V3

This isn't new, the Visual Sound Route 66 pedal had been done before & it proved to be a popular 2-in-1 offering. Instead of cascading 2 overdrive units in a single housing, the Route 66 offers a compressor-overdrive pairing. The V3 version here has some refined features notably the clean mix control there that helps to balance unaffected signal in the output section which translates into more sustain. Unlike the wedge/pentagon outline of its predecessors, the V3 returns to a more traditional rectangular design that helps separate both ON/OFF buttons so having them sitting a little further apart means you can prevent accidental activation from taking place.

COMPing

Everyone gets older, I think I'm realizing this a little later than many people out there. OK maybe it's a perceived realization. Whatever. More importantly, the older I get, the more difficult it is to appease my tone ideals. All this while, I've been working on the notion that saturation is best served with a pinch of drive. Naturally, cascading drive ad nauseam seems to work for me but let's face it, there's more to drive saturation than adding more of the obvious. Going the compressor way is one of them.

Compression, in a layman's nutshell, is the taming of protrusive peaks while beefing up the limp other end. It's putting a stop to whatever excess in your signal which are clearly not useful (like they say, too much of something is bad) & pumping up those which are necessary but not served adequately. This is the reason why you hear the leveling of peaks & thickening of bottom end, so the end product, more often than not, is a smoothing & thickening effect. This is what I hear lately & liking not because it's something revolutionary- it's been there all this while- it's a different approach to what I prefer & it works for me.

So the MXR Super Comp you see here is what I bought recently & I'm applying it in the following context:

1. Adding it to a mild drive/ distortion pedal
2. Adding it to an intense drive/ distortion pedal with the gain not at maximum
3. Adding it to an amp's drive channel at reduced gain/ maximum gain setting

More to this after a more comprehensive application :-)

KOMPed

As you would have recalled reading in these entries, I'm not quite a pedal fan but time & again, I see greatness in some pedals I come across & wouldn't hesitate buying them to reinforce my tone. My latest addition is this little wonder (it's smaller than your credit card- ha!) is a Hotone Komp pedal- a compressor unit from the Skyline series.

I really wish majority of the compressor units out there are effective as this one; it adds much saturation to whichever drive/ distortion unit you couple it with. I'm currently placing it before the drive/ distortion source & it's simply great! You'd hear immediate & marked injection to your tone, increases pick sensitivity as well. If you like cascading 2 drive/ distortion sources into each other, try replacing one of those pedals with a compressor- hear more of the same but at a heightened performance, that's my best take on the situation. 

Hotone pedals are available at SV Guitars, they are smaller-than-your-palm units aimed at giving more tonal performance & the obvious sacrifice here is its inability to be powered by a battery, PSU is the only way to go.

Billy goes pedal-ing

Here's a new one by EBS- it's a signature Billy Sheehan bass pedal, it's a drive unit with on-board compressor feature. There's a loop access there, that's the plus.

Pigtronix: Philosopher's Tone

Some of us swear by a compressor, we believe the pedal's sustain inducing ability as the ultimate ingredient in our tone reverence. Pigtronix's Philosopher's Tone is a little different because it also offers some fuzziness in the mix. Do be careful because the compression & clipping going on simultaneously would manifest a fluctuation in volume once you start playing unlike a tremolo unit. But one thing for sure, if you are disturbed by your current compressor's noise inducement while in use, the PT is a quiet servant.

Product availability: Davis GMC

Price: Please call 6337 5092