2022 April Pedal-Chain Update - Episode IV - Binary Emissions

A few long-term targets here - the HotCake, Gain Changer and actually Natural Selection - the last mentioned which was originally due to land in January - but hit several snags along the way. The El Hombre is fantastic - could possibly have done with just one more EQ / Harmonics control to offer a little more precision in dialling in the perfect harmonic texture - but undeniably great as is. I had always wanted a cool custom edition of the D&M Drive - so that finally happened, while the Mooer Model X X2 Preamp was snagged really very opportunistically!

• Crowther Audio HotCake V2 2020 Overdrive
• Fairfield Circuitry Barber Shop Millennium Overdrive
• Greuter Audio Natural Selection Organic Overdrive
• J Rockett El Hombre Texas Blues Billy Gibbons style Fuzzy Drive
• J Rockett Melody 6-Band Dumble
• Keeley Electronics Altered History D&M Drive Ninazu Purple Edition
• Mooer Model X X2 Dual-Channel Digital Preamp

Of course headlined by the new Aleks K pairing - which still seem somewhat under-appreciated though where those pedals are both quite distinctive and wonderfully nuanced - and deserve a much larger audience! The Gear Ant YellowJacket was just an exercise in waiting for the next batch - while the Thermion Gasoline is a pedal that caught my ear via my coming across some really smart demos of the new more compact and practical V2 version - really versatile and sounds pretty fantastic wherever you choose to set those dials - really crisp and articulate throughout!

• Aleks K Production Mad Maple Noble Drive
• Aleks K Production Maple Leaf Royal Drive Output Mod Edition
• Gear Ant YellowJacket Dual DOD250 / Distortion+ Overdrive
• Thermion Gasoline High Octane Drive / Distortion

Obviously headed by the final roundup of Mini Fuzzes required for my 32 selection. Still managed to snag 2 superior new fuzzes - both really versatile and texturally superb - the Basic Audio 2-Stroke Beaver Multi-Muff, and Extended Range Frost Giant Soma / Massif Fuzz!

• Bardic Audio Devices 2 Stroke Beaver OpAmp Multi-Muff
• Fortin Mini Fuzz
• Frost Giant Electronics Soma Fuzz V2 (Massif+)
• JHS Foot Fuzz Mini V2
• MXR Classic 108 Fuzz Mini (FF)
• Mythos Pedals Au79 Gold Fuzz (Low Gain Fleece)
• Rainger FX Bleep Fuzz + Igor Pad Controller
• Zvex Fuzzolo

This only seemed to land in stock in the UK very recently, I quite like this, but really prefer some of my existing classics which have even more of a 'flavour' about them.

• TC Electronic Stereo Chorus Flanger SCF+ Gold Edition

Weirdly for a Chase Bliss - I was a little unexcited when this very first materialised - thinking it fitted more in with the 'Nice-to-Have' category, but then I saw Andy Martin's superb demo and I was smitten. While my initial gut-reaction was probably right on balance - which you can read in the recent article on that Experimental Chase Bliss Trio / Trifecta!

• Chase Bliss Habit The Echo Collector Experimental Delay 

This was for sure another opportunistic acquisition which came on the back of my securing this one's series siblings - the Melody and Rockaway. I was just curious at what price I could snag one of these to complete the set - and lo-and-behold a suitably 'could-not-refuse' price materialised out of the aether - and I had another Compressor in the collection - but one which will only every be deployed in a somewhat secondary capacity. Undeniably cool and clever, but doesn't offer the 3-way hit of my essential JA Bloom!

• J Rockett IQ Compressor

So 14 'NEW' additions to the chain this month - on slots #5 (no surprise!), #10, #11, #12, #15a, #15b, #20, #21, #23, #24, #26, #27, #32, and #33! Of those 11 were Brand New, and 3 (in Yellow) were New to Me. Obviously 2 New Digital Overdrives were new this month - the Neuron on #11, and Mooer Model X Preamp on #27 - so I also brought back the Boss OD-200 onto #16 so I could round out that experience and complete my comparative overview on the state-of-the-art of Digital and Hybrid Multi-Drive Pedals! So a pretty significant 15 slot changes - where ironically the only sign of the massive Mini Fuzz roundup is the Free Fall Diver Huge - occupying slot #15c. Obviously slot #15 usually has the Chase Bliss Automatone Preamp MKII in residence - or often the Thermion Stone-Age Multi-Fuzz these days. While I've used a 3-way branch to accommodate 3 analog dirt pedals for this month!

I have an article forthcoming about my compact and bijoux capsule collection of Multi-Bender Fuzzes - of which the Red Noise Germanium Stone Blender is a fantastic example - particularly on the Yellow 1N270 Germanium Diodes Clipping Mode! Perhaps not quite as versatile as some of that selection - but a fantastic ambassador of its kind nonetheless.

The Greuter Audio Natural Selection Organic Overdrive seemed to suffer every indignity possible - in having experienced parts supply and production challenges - then exacerbated by Logistics and Delivery issues which culminated in a Customs Documentation snafu! All's well that ends well though - and it was lovely to have the Natural Selection in the collection at last - some 4 months behind schedule!

This was very much an inquisitive opportunistic acquisition where the price was just right. And I'm really pleasantly surprised overall at how natural I can get this to sound right through the gain range. It does require quite a lot of knob-twiddling - but with 6 Presets onboard it's all very satisfactory in the end. The Neunaber Neuron Gain Intelligence Preamp / Multi-Drive can really deliver some very fine drive and distortion voices - and is worth checking out for its flexibility and live playback practicality!

It turns out that I'm an even bigger fan of the Allman Brothers Fillmore East Live sound than I originally believed - and surely that's found it's perfect form in the Missing Link Audio HotLanta Dual Drive pedal which is an unerringly authentic take on those exact tones you can hear on the live rendition of 'Whipping Post' which I keep referring to. A really distinct and nuanced overdrive singularly adapted to that task!

The J Rockett Rockaway Archer Overdrive is one that I've had my sights on for some time - but I was always trying to snag one at a reasonable discount which weirdly happened just when I needed it too! I acquired each of the 6-Band Series about one week apart from each other - having to wait through an Ebay auction for the Melody - and then spotting a really fantastic deal on the IQ Compressor - and hey presto! Trifecta complete!

Weirdly the J Rockett Melody Overdrive  is not quite as immediate as the Rockaway - and for some reason it seems quite a bit trickier to dial in - event though I unintentionally kind of arrived at a similar ascending diagonal slider profile on both pedals - but where the Melody is slightly notched up +1 on each of those. The Melody also has less gain range and less output volume as compared to the Rockaway - so for me it's not quite as versatile - while still capable of some very decent tones. The Rockaway though for me is really the star of the show - with just bundles to tones and potential onboard and where you get to those sweet-spots really rapidly and easily!

Readers of this blog should not be strangers to the Boss OD-200 Hybrid Drive - which has featured here several times. I still think it's a wonderful Multi-Drive despite my still having some ongoing niggles with it. It has the broadest palette of tones of everything anywhere near that size and acquits itself really well in most regards. I'm surprised it has only one Fuzz voicing (Muff), and slightly disappointed that the smart 15 Boosts cannot be applied independently! Room for improvement for sure - but still incredibly impressive!

When doing my write-up of the smart Keeley Fuzz Bender Ghost Prism - I stated that I was really looking for a cool custom edition of the D&M Drive - and lo-and-behold - Robert must have been tuned into the same frequency as not long after - the Keeley Altered History D&M Drive Ninazu Purple Edition materialised. I'm getting to do a head-to-head between that and the VS Audio Royal Drive - and interestingly they're actually quite distinct in their own way - and I'm trying to make up my mind on which I like more - which is proving to be very difficult!

This was another waiting game acquisition - where it took roughly 6 months for this Funny Little Boxes 1991 Dual-Drive / Distortion to materialise. For sure mostly worth the wait - while I have a few even more stellar Dual-Drives in the collection. You certainly can't argue with the Price to Value ratio - at the £100 price tag level - really decent and very cleverly made!

I've often spoken of my love of 80's Style Liquid Distortion Tones - and the Aleks K Production Maple Leaf Royal Drive Output Mod edition is the perfect proponent of that sound. It has a lot more versatility and depth to it and can render all manner of singing lead distortion tones - while it has a very unique timbre and tonality that really puts it on a pedestal for me for Liquid Distortion. This latest version tackles the output issue of the original - where the nature of the break-up and compression of the distortion signal naturally results in a degree of loss of output volume. This new version has it about right now!

Aleks K Production Mad Maple Noble Drive is an excellent addition to the Maple Leaf series - with its own slightly grittier and more textured output. Probably the slightly more versatile of the two - both are totally unique and distinct - also capable of producing stellar tones - but where the Maple Leaf has some added sentimental value for me!

I somehow overlooked this update launch - of the V2 Thermion Gasoline High Octane Drive / Distortion - but then caught a couple of superb YouTube demos somewhat serendipitously and I was quickly onto my good friend José to get one of these in the reference collection. A distortion with real verve and clarity - which maintains crisp articulation throughout its range and remains tight and percussive pretty much at all times - just how I like it!

I had intended to get one of these - but the opportunistic acquisition of the Neunaber Neuron somewhat accelerated the timeline and I serendipitously found a Mooer Model X X2 Preamp / Multi-Drive at an offer price that I really could not refuse. I had already decided I was doing an article on the state of Digital / Hybrid Overdrives - so this all happened very fortuitously indeed. The Mooer has so far been a really pleasant surprise - delivering mostly very authentic and natural sounding Drive and Distortion Voicings across 14 beloved Amp varieties.

The Chase Bliss Habit the Echo Collector aptly illustrates the flip-flop nature of pedal acquisition where you have a solid gut-reaction, then get carried away by the exuberance of the launch support materials and a great demo or two - and before you know it - something that was a 'Nice-to-have' has all of a sudden become an 'essential'. But then on further extended exposure you realise your original reaction was probably about right, and the pedal is again reduced to a 'Nice-to-have' status - while having surreptitiously wormed its way into the collection anyhow. The Habit is a really great pedal for sure - just some aspects of its operation remain a touch challenging and mean that it's often better deployed in a tabletop environment versus as a pure-play floor-based stompbox!

I've wanted a classic TC Electronic Stereo Chorus Flanger SCF+ for quite some time - so the new Gold Edition seemed like a good time to get onboard. Considering its illustrious history it ended up a touch antic-climatic for me - compared to the stellar delights of some of my other favourite Chorus and Flanger pedals. Overall this comes across a touch 'weak-sauce' it certainly has a pleasant timbre, but it's a touch subtle for my liking, and there are some odd quirks in Stereo deployment. Nice to have it in the collection at last, while I'm not sure how regularly it will get into the rotation!