Your Monkey Or Your Wife (Electric Mistress)

My previous post got me thinking about my old Electric Mistress pedal.  When I say "old", I'm serious - I probably bought it in the early 1980s.  Yes, I was buying pedals from the womb!  Back then, I only bought Electro-Harmonix pedals.  Too bad my Big Muff and Doctor Q gave up the ghost many years ago.

Happily, the Mistress still works.  I have to twist around the adapter, twiddle knobs, and say a prayer to the Guitar Gods (maybe two or three) before the effect finally kicks in, but the whoosh is still there.

That's the Mistress pictured above, in all its shiny aluminum exterior glory.  I took that photo a few days ago.  About a week earlier, I used the pedal in a song I wrote for Beta Monkey Music's Hard Rock Funk III Songwriting Challenge.  Much to my surprise, the song ended up tied for third.  Sometimes, the Guitar Gods smile down upon the less fortunate six stringers.

Here's the song, "Your Monkey Or Your Wife" (the link takes you to Beta Monkey's SoundCloud account)".  I used the Mistress for most of the guitar bits, changing settings each time out.  The "Color" control seems to really dish out the swoosh.  The Mistress can be noisy, but it's a lot of swirly fun.

World Changing Pedals

Premier Guitar magazine has published an article which lists ten pedals that made a difference in rock history. It's an interesting list, containing some of the usual suspects, of course: has there ever been such an article that didn't mention a certain song by the Rolling Stones? I only own one of the pedals mentioned, the Electric Mistress - I wonder if mine still works? Click this to read "Ten Stompboxes That Changed The World"

Cheezy

 Cheese please!  This is the Danelectro Grilled Cheese pedal, and I bought it off eBay some years ago.  In fact, I bought TWO!   To this day, I have no idea how I wound up bidding on two auctions for the same pedal. The only upside is that I think the combined cost was under ten dollars.  I probably paid more in shipping.

This pedal is basically a one trick pony.  It provides a nasal fuzz tone, which you control with the Resonance control (that's the knob on the right).  I find that cranking the knob fully clockwise produces a somewhat mellow distortion.  Going the opposite direction gives you the nasty.  The other control is Level, so it's a pretty basic pedal.  If you want a Dano fuzz packed with features, order up some French Toast.

Listen for yourself on this little tune I recorded.  I'm using the Cheese (cranked fully counter clockwise) on my Stratocaster (fourth position) and I used no other effects on the guitar except for a bit of post-mix reverb.  There's no compression, no EQ, or anything - this is the Cheese in all its obnoxious glory.   I think I put the Resonance control in the center for the solo.  The amp provided no coloration either as I went through Pod Farm's basic Fender amp model.

The rhythm guitar went through the same guitar set up, minus the Cheese and with the Pod Farm Phase model.  The Danelectro bass went through my Alesis Smashup compressor.  Oh, the strings and choir sounds came courtesy of a VST instrument plugin called Mellowsound (available at this link) - yeah, I wish someone sold a pedal that made your guitar sound like a budget Mellotron. I would be all over that!


If the Soundcloud widget doesn't appear, please click on this link: Cheezy!

Tasty Pedal!

You can never have enough fuzz pedals, especially when they're bargain priced!  The Danelectro French Toast was a cheap and cheerful pedal that hit the markets a few years back.  I bought one because it was based on the 1970s classic Foxx Tone Machine, including an octave up feature.  The only drawback to this pedal is the lack of a LED to indicate when the pedal is on.  There probably wasn't room to squeeze in the circuit. 

I recorded "Toaster" to show off the French Toast with the octave up feature engaged (I'm pretty sure the photograph above shows the settings I used for the recording). I find that the pedal sounds more lively that way.  I was using my Stratocaster and no other effects were used, so you're hearing the pedal in all its raw glory.  The echo was added later.  The spooky sounds in the background beginning with the second verse were created with a Minimoog V Original VST instrument.  The bass was my Danelectro (hmm ... is there a pattern here?), while the drums came courtesy of BFD Eco.


If the Soundcloud widget isn't visible, please click here:"Toaster"

Let's Swirl!

So here's a pedal I don't use often enough - the Ibanez Bi-Mode Chorus.  The premise is somewhat unique - this is a single pedal which contains two separate chorus pedals, each with their own SPEED and WIDTH controls (see the above photograph).  Playing around with each pair leads to some intriguing sounds.  I recorded "Swirly" with the controls set above.  The pedal can be heard best in the main guitar line, while the guitar solo is he same setting only with some distortion added.  The more outrageous sounds and stereo effects were made with plug-ins.



If the Soundcloud widget isn't visible, here's the link to the tune:

Swirly .

Filter Fever! (Two videos)

What a cool sound!  Listening to this made me want to go out and buy a BOSS AW-3.  Luckily for my credit card, it was late, and the shops were closed.  So I had time to ponder - don't I have any pedals that can give me a similar sound?

I do have a Line 6 FM-4.   And it has a "Voice Box" setting.  So I plugged in and tested it out.  Close enough (especially if I play around with the controls and bring in other pedals).

The following video is something I put together to show the default setting of the FM-4's "Voice Box".  I used a Danelectro Surf & Turf compressor to beef up the sound going into the FM-4.  This is something I do whenever I use any kind of filter-based pedal, especially if I'm using my Strat.  There are no other effects on the guitar, and I plugged into a POD's Small Tweed setting.  Here it is:

  

Great video for BOSS AW-2 owners

Now this is a great example of a pedal demonstration video. It's not flashy, but it does the job. The video points out a number of useful settings for the BOSS AW-2 pedal. I have this pedal and like it, but didn't realize it could be this versatile.

Ten Pedals Reviewed!

A big shout out to PREMIER Guitar for helping fuel Gear Acquisition Syndrome with this article. Click on the link below to read short but sweet reviews of the following pedals: Boss FRV-1 Fender Reverb, Guyatone Mcm5 Micro Chorus, Granville Procrastinator, Way Huge Angry Troll, Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive, Whirlwind Gold Box, Granville Spiney Norman, Aguilar Octamizer, Guyatone Svm5 Slow Volume, Seppuku Octave Drone.

I came across this article while looking for reviews of the Guyatone Slow Volume pedal. My local music store had a used one for sale. After reading the review, I don't know if I want to add it to my arsenal for the asking price ($99).

Click here to read the article

Too much temptation here!

I just want to share the following article, courtesy of PREMIER Guitar.  The author focusses on four kinds of effect pedal, and gives just enough detail for me to grab my wallet and hit the local guitar shop.  For example, I never gave much thought to ring mod pedals, but after listening to a few samples, I wonder how I can live without one.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit ... but only a bit.  Click the link below to read the article. 

Unconventional_Effects_and_How_To_Use_Them

What The Fuzz?

This is an interesting pedal, though I wonder about the ad copy. "The fuzz for people who don't like fuzz?" Who DOESN'T like fuzz? I watched the video (below) and this certainly sounds like a versatile pedal. I was interested in the more extreme settings, because I already have enough overdrive/distortion type pedals. This pedal gets nice and crazy at the "far right".

To learn more, click here to visit the Rockett site and download a PDF for the WTF.

Play Guitar? Bought a lot of guitar magazines? You'll LOVE this link.

Well, if you're reading this blog then you probably know where I'm coming from. It's not enough to buy guitars, and not enough to buy guitar pedals. Somewhere along the line, the urge includes buying guitar magazines. I pretty much stopped when I noticed the magazines seemed to be repeating the tabs for the songs I loved. So I've got a ton of magazines, and no idea what tabs are located where (where is the tab for "Layla"?). What's a player to do?

Check the Internet! I did just that and I discovered some kind soul has indexed the tab for nearly EVERY guitar magazine published since the late 1980s!

Here's the link: www.classicrockguitar.net/index-of-guitar-magazine-tab

Rock on!

Having fun with the BOSS DF-2 and FZ-2!

In an earlier post, I said I would create another Danny Kelly slideshow once I got an appropriate song.  Well, I think this is it.  I still have to put together the slideshow, but thanks to SoundCloud, I can post the song now.

I wanted to have a Link Wray feel to the song, so a feedback intro was in order.  And so I pulled out my BOSS Super Feedbacker and Distortion pedal (DF-2).   After I recorded various noises,  I tried it out on the main guitar parts.  Something was lacking.  So I added my BOSS Enhancer (EH-2) to the mix.  Now it was a bit brighter, but the sound still wasn't where I wanted it to be.

Here's where the versatility of some BOSS pedals came into play.  I generally keep a BOSS Hyper Fuzz (FZ-2) at the front of my pedal board.  Now, I had already ruled out both of the FZ-2's fuzz settings for this tune, but the pedal had one more card to play.  If you have the pedal, you know the third setting is Gain.   The pedal also boasts separate Bass and Treble controls.  So I turned the Bass almost off and cranked the Treble until the DF-2 was singing!  And that's what I used to record all the guitar parts.

For the power chord rhythm parts, I added a Danelectro Tuna Melt.  There weren't any pedals used on the bass parts, which is why they're laying back in the mix.

Once again, the drums were produced by BFD Eco.

Go All The Wray!

I just want to pay tribute to one of my favorite guitar players. While I had read about Link Wray over the years, I had no idea what he was all about until I stumbled upon a copy of "Rumble!  The Best of Link Wray".  I bought it on impulse and never regretted the decision.

If you like guitar instrumentals, if you like distorted guitar, if you like ROCK AND ROLL, you'll love Link.  He laid down some of the most primal and invigorating guitar tones imaginable.  My personal Link favorites are "Jack The Ripper" and "Raw-Hide".

I won't go into detail about Link, because that information is available elsewhere on the Web (and I'll provide a link, pun intended, below).  I just want to give two reasons why he's become a huge influence on me.

One, the raw passion and energy present in Link's songs is infectious.  Every time I listen to Link, I wanna grab my guitar and rock out.

Two, in the early '60s, Link set up his own three-track recording studio.  This is where he and the band recorded for the next decade, often leasing out the the sides under various names.  How can you not appreciate this D.I.Y. ethic?  I would love to emulate this one day.


Want to learn more about Link?  Here's the official site: http://www.wraysshack3tracks.com/
And here's a site packed with information: http://inductlinkwray.com/link-wray-biography/

Want to own a great Link CD? "Rumble! The Best of Link Wray" contains 20 classic chunks of Wray magic, including "Jack The Ripper", "Raw-Hide", and Link's greatest hit, "Rumble".

The BOSS EH-2 Pedal

This is why I love the Internet!  I bought this pedal off eBay some years ago for a really great price.  In fact, I bought because of the price, not because I had any idea of how the pedal sounded.  What can I say?  I was a real BOSS fanatic back then.

Ironically, given the BOSS reputation for durability, the pedal came with a non-functioning power indicator.   That was probably enough to turn me off the pedal.  That, and the lack of a manual.  So the EH-2 simply gathered dust.

Until I saw this video.  I just finished playing my Strat through the EH-2.  Luckily, there's a second light which does work, so at least I can tell if the pedal is on.  And guess what?  Playing with the controls makes a very marked effect (pun intended) on the Strat, particularly the MIX control.  It certainly brightens up the sound.  In fact, when I stepped off the pedal, the guitar sounded muffled to my ears.  I can see this pedal coming in handy to help the Strat cut through the mix.  I'll definitely use it the next time I record.    

Who is Danny Kelly?

I needed a good reason to get my blog up and running.  What better reason than to help promote an artist who deserves some recognition?  I met Danny Kelly on Facebook.  He studied at the Joe Kubert school and has a very dynamic and passionate style.  I decided it would be fun to create a slideshow with some of his art.  It would be even more fun if I composed a song to go with the video.   

I was stuck for inspiration until I spotted this drawing Danny posted on Facebook:

Yes, that's Led Zeppelin caught under the red light!  That inspired "Lead Footed".  I used BFDeco for the drum pattern - too bad the program doesn't include some Bonham style drum patterns!  I used my Strat for the guitar, my Danelectro bass for the ... well, bass, and those other sounds?

I dug down deep, deep, deep into a closet and pulled out an Electro-Harmonix Mini-Synthesizer.  I don't remember the last time I used it, and I really didn't think it would work.   They built things to last back in the early '80s!

By the way, Danny's collection contains a lot of action shots too.  His action shots are raw and visceral, and I decided they wouldn't fit in with the overall feel of the music and the other images.  Rest assured, I will do a second slideshow when I come up with a suitable song.  Where are my fuzz pedals?