Noble screaming

Another green pedal in the playing field? Not just another one but this offers options since there are effectively two drives in a single unit. Watch this for a better understanding:

Pic: Keeley

Heavy

Nothing fancy, just spending time with my Edwards today. This E-LP-C is something you should not invest in if you are particular with weight; it's heavy. I do not wish to speculate if it's replicating the true weight of a Gibson LP Custom which is what it was modelled after but on more time - it's heavy. I like to play this guitar because it can easily pull off (no pun intended) one of the heaviest metal-type tones out there. A tone reference for this would be Dissection's Reinchaos & Napalm Death's Fear, Emptiness & Despair. 

Also, this is the guitar I enjoy plugging the above-depicted pedals into; the re-issue DOD OD-Preamp 250 & Elektrik Head's Snakestortion. Due to the guitar's deep, bass-inclined tone, the pedals were dialled up to manifest more top end. For the record, the pickups in this guitar are Seymour Duncan JB (b) & Jazz (n). These are replacement pickups, Edwards no longer equip the E-LP models with Duncans & I simply prefer Duncans in mine.

DOD: Preamp 250

Finally had some time to try this out. It's the re-intro of the DOD Preamp 250 which was quite a hit in its heyday. This debut (sort of) is rather eventful as this pedal was the initial batch of effects units handled by Cort, the new owner of the DOD brand. I get easily distracted by such pedals as they add something useful to my signal chain - boosting my amp's dirty channel, mostly. If you are expecting a very yellow pedal, well, it's actually closer to gold. Not quite apparent in this pic, it seems.

I'm also constantly looking out for pedals that has a battery capacity as I am a pedal minimalist. I simply do not wish to set up another PSU for pedals. I'm only using two at any one time (sometimes just one) so the 250 is a good one for me.

To be continued...

Phenomenal triumph

Wampler did a USD99 thing like JHS did - the Collective series. Currently, there are only two pedals in the lineup, the Triumph (overdrive) & Phenom (distortion) you see above.  The reduced prices would mean they are more affordable for the lay person because we know Wampler stuff are up there in terms of prices. These are already available at SV Guitars (Click for direct link to store page: PHENOM / TRIUMPH). I'm really glad Mike Hermans did a take on them so this is essential reference:

Pic: PG

Duke 'em

This was announced a week ago - MXR's Duke of Tone. Those of us familiar with the script there, would know there's an Analog Man collaboration here. Analog Man is a boutique brand of pedals with a cult following despite the rather prohibitive price tags. If you've been wanting one, you know the semi-ridiculous waiting time involved. This collaboration means, pedals are made more accessible with a more inviting price tag. I just feel good seeing this kinda collaboration not because it satiates the want for a boutique label, but the availability of good-sounding pedals to the masses - that's more important. Here are some insights for your considerations:

PIC: Sweetwater

Screamer

Another Tube Screamer-esque edition to the JHS fold. Yes, they did Tube Screamer stuff before in other guises, this one falls into the 'affordable' 3 series of pedals. It's USD99 but SGD150 here, so 'affordable' here is subjective. There are many TS-type pedals out there so the real draw would be tonal performance & on that note (no pun intended), this is the Screamer in action:

Pic: JHS

Selling: EHX Operation Overlord overdrive

The clearance continues. I usually don't clear much gear, I treasure what I own but times are a changin' & I'll update in due course. The Operation Overlord  OD here is a 2-in-1 pedal, it has a booster function on board for a little more kick.  I barely played this one so it's in near mint condition. Thanks for reading, folks!

• Selling: EHX Operation Overlord overdrive pedal
• Included: Box & power adapter
• Condition: 9/10 
• Self-collect: CCK /Yew Tee MRT station
• Query / confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $150 (final)

Smoothie (2)

Was inspired to play early, like 7am early 😅 Cascaded a clean boost into the TS7 & had some of the creamiest tones for legato. The Killing Floor there is a bit of overkill, really. More than 30kb of boost. With high output pickups, it becomes an overdrive. The formula for smooth overdrive is not about adding more low frequencies into one's tone. In fact, without a marked treble response, it would be a muddy affair. The reason the TS7 was dialled up  for more top end & the KF tone mode was set to neutral. It had been a good Sunday morning.

Smoothie

I usually don't do this but in an attempt to manifest that smooth drive tone, one has to employ a drive unit of that ilk last in the chain. The DS-1 is there as a push / boost unit. The TS, in my opinion, is capable of producing some of the smoothest drive tone out there but sometimes it needs assistance in terms of saturation. 

Purple token

 

Someone sponsored me a pedal - thank you very much! Was gonna choose something else from the list but they were out of stock, this one turned out to be a good consolation. It's something in the likes of BOSS' OS-2. I love the distortion half more than the overdrive half. FYI, Behringer stuff are available at Swee Lee's online store.

Green token

As mentioned previously, no major gear purchases while I'm still clearing my chemo bills. Looking at the figures in hand, it would at least take a couple of months. Behringer pedals are available at Swee Lee in the mean time & you can only purchase them online as none will be brought into the showrooms.  I got myself the TO800 here to prevent me from plunging into deeper depression - it's less than $30. These pedals aren't new, they've been around for a while; at least a decade. I used to own a few Behringer stuff when they were sold at SV Guitars which was then known as Standard Value. 

It's an overdrive & it's green so we now what this is all about. Might do a proper review in time to come but in the mean time, I'm using it as a booster-drive, not as a stand alone drive source.

And yes, I'm running it on battery. 

PS: Thanks for reading my older gear reviews 👍

The other greenie

Since there's so much hype surrounding this pedal & the fact that I'm still in no position to buy a new guitar, have decided to check it out. I'm currently in distortion mode so an overdrive might be something a little off preference. It took quite sometime to arrive, the seller could have indicated it as being out of stock so that our money won't be locked down by the wait for new stock to be available. To be continued...

Nobel segue

Way Huge has released this interesting little pedal - the STO WM25 overdrive (Super Terrific Overdrive). It's a little hazy, by my understanding especially, as to why the STO is cited as a country music stellar supplement which is mirrored after Nobel's ODR-1. One gear-related website went as far as saying it's country guitar's great secret sauce. I'm not aware the ODR-1 has that association to begin with but this is not to discredit both pedals; they sound very good for the application, whatever yours might be. I hear some clear treble end responses despite the punters dubbing it as a popular mild midrange bump. Anyway folks, do listen to the clip here:

Pic: Jimdunlop

Selling: Pro Tone Dead Horse OD

That's right, chemotherapy funding continues (price is FINAL, thanks). Letting this go for a good price, barely played (9.5/10 condition) & no velcro at the base plate. Please note - this is NOT a heavy distortion / intense overdrive pedal. It's best used to boost an already saturated amp, that's what the Pro Tone name is known for. Yes, this is also the version before they slimmed down the dimensions.

• Selling: Pro Tone Dead Horse OD (9.5/10 condition, box included)
• No velcro at base plate
• Works with power adapter only, Pro Tone stopped including battery clip with this version
• Self-collect: CCK / Yew Tee mrt station
• Queries / confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• No trades / reservations
• Price: $150

Belle

 

A new one by Wampler - the Belle OD. You might think it's another TS-like, mild OD unit just because it's green but the Wampler camp paid tribute to another low profile but just as good green pedal; the Nobels ODR-1. Mr. Brian himself with the demo:

PIC: Wampler

Driving trio

Summer driving - that's right folks, MESA has released a trio of OD pedals. That MESA name alone would ignite some GAS among us gear dweebs. These look like they are more affordable than the other series of MESA pedals, the Flux Drive, Throttle Box & co. My take on this is, & has always been, MESA pedals are unnecessary if you already own an amp with the drive you like. For those who rely on clean amps & a lineup of go-to pedals, these might have something for you. Tones from the MESA camp:

Apex

Ooh, la la... There's something about Maxon drive units that make me excited.

OK before we dismiss this as just another iteration of the Tube Screamer, let's remind ourselves that the Maxon camp was the reason why the Tube Screamer became legendary. I will leave the historical reading of the TS-Maxon relationship to your free time enterprise. In the mean time, the Apex version here is a refinement of what makes the TS808/ OD808 much sought after in terms of tone. 

This one was personally handled by the chap who had his hands in the initial success of the pedal, Mr. S. Tamura. The chip used was traced down to the original manufacturer plus year of production & recreated here. In view of its offerings, the Apex will serve the user in a stand-alone application as well as a booster unit best cascaded into amps. Folks, this one is hot, it's already sold out at many pre-order websites. It's also a little costly, hovering over the USD300 mark. 

I need to at least check this one out. 

HybridOD

Final acquisition of the decade. Perhaps.

Overrated

It finally happened - got my Overrated Special. Nothing new, really, just that Way Huge shrunk it down to this size & I prefer it this way. Appraisal soon. 

Nano lord

The original-sized EHX Operation Overlord pedal was more than twice the size depicted here. I love it for the on-board boost feature. Now that the OO is reduced to this pedal board-friendly Nano version, the boost feature is still in tact but just a button at the top left corner of the pedal. Everything is as menacing as its bigger sibling.