Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Yet more Pedal chain stuff

So, this will be the last of the pedals for awhile, unless I get some via gift, or horse trade. But, the pedal chain feels pretty complete. What completes it? A Behringer US600. Now, Behringer specializes in copying Boss pedals, but this isn't a clean copy of either the Boss PS-6, or the Digitech Whammy, it's more like a hybrid of the two. Used with my DOD Octoplus, I can get a decent Micro POG type sound, but without it, I can get a far more natural harmony effect just using that function- just select your key, select how many semi tones off you want your accompaniment, and you're off to the races. I can't say I get Thin Lizzy leads, but it does sound pretty much like a second lead line. Just using the Octave up, I can nail an Octavia tone. Using, the detune, I can get a chorusy/vibey effect about half way between a Chorus ensemble and a Univibe. Using the Trem effect, I can get the Tom Morello squeal- but I really haven't mastered that, as yet. I'm sure that with practice, I can get everything from Dimebag grunts, to Dan Auerbach divebombs. Finally, it's got a function  I haven't even tried yet called "flutter" that's a trem into detune effect. That's a lot of functions, yeah? For a hobby player like me, that's just unbelievable. It'll take me years to get all that use out of it. But, as an added bonus, it's making me a better player- I have to think about the notes and their relationship to each other, in order to get it to sound 'right" to my ear, so I have to compose even my improvisations- If I'm 5 semitones up, and in D, I'm going to have to stay in key, and even then, I've got to choose my notes carefully, otherwise it can go south quick.
So do I suggest it? At 50 bucks, absolutely. I could even see the point in getting a tuner, a dirtbox, and this pedal, and calling that a full chain For players who are more compositionally advanced this might just be a goofy little toy, but still, it's a fun toy But, for most of us, this will be both a fun little effect, and a good exercise. Sometime, I'll have to take a picture to show my board, but yes, I'd say it's pretty dang complete, now.

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