I wasn’t supposed to buy anything at all this month. Christmas is fast approaching, and I’m one of those people who gets their Christmas shopping done super-early. Which, indeed, I have done 🙂
Then I found a couple of real bargains, and decided that I didn’t want to pass up those opportunities. Oh, and I needed a new power supply for my pedalboard too.
(And I got a sneak peak at a very special guest that’s coming before the end of the year!)
Maxon OD-820 Overdrive Pro
Back in the very early days of Guitar YouTube, Maxon’s OD-820 was a pedal that got a bit of love. Then the flood of new boutique pedals started, and (by and large) this pedal stopped appearing in videos.
I’ve had a clone of the OD-820 for at least a decade. I like the clone, but I’ve no idea how accurate a clone it is. So I’ve always wanted to get a real one to try (just not enough to buy one brand new).
I’ve finally found a second-hand one at a price that tempted me. And I’ve been having a lot of fun with it since it arrived.
SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor (UAD Plugin)
Rightly or wrongly, I subscribe to two theories when it comes to Universal Audio’s plugins:
- in the old days, physical recording studios were known for a consistent sound (in part) because they used a consistent set of gear (for example, their SSL console) – so it makes sense to (say) use SSL plugins with other SSL plugins to get a consistent sound at home; and
- only buy Universal Audio plugins when they are on sale (unless there’s an immediate need to have the plugin sooner).
And that’s what happened here. UAD’s SSL 4000 G Bus Compressor plugin went on sale for a very special price. I’ve already got the SSL console plugin, and I wanted this to pair with it.
I’m not going to post a First Impressions of this any time soon. Right now, I don’t have a recording project to use it on. (I should do something about that!) I only bought it because of the sale price – I doubt I’ll ever see it at that price again.
Fender Engine Room LVL8 Power Supply For Pedals
I’ve been using the Friedman Power Grid 10 for many years now, and I’ve been very happy with it. It’s so reliable, I’ve been able to take it for granted, and not even think about how I’m powering my pedals. So why change, and why now?
Some of my overdrive pedals also support 18v power, and I’d like to hear what difference (if any) that makes. Unfortunately, the one feature that the Power Grid 10 lacks is support for 18v. So, as much as I love the Friedman Power Grid 10, I need to replace it with something else.
The way my work is shaping up for the rest of the year, I’m probably going to have a block of free time before the Christmas holidays. If it happens, I’m going to use it to queue up some blog posts for 2025. By getting the new power supply now, I can explore the world of 18v in advance, and start to figure out if 18v even makes enough of a difference to put any effort into writing about it.
ThorpyFX The Dane Mk 2
Technically, this isn’t a new arrival this month. I don’t actually get this until Christmas Day: it’s a present from Kristi. But when it arrived, Kristi did ask me to try it (to make sure she hadn’t been sent a faulty one).
OMG. In the short time I had with it, it’s firmly in the running for not just the best pedal I’ve tried this year (and that’s already a crowded group!), but also it’s up for being the best pedal I’ve ever played. It sounded absolutely ridiculous through my rig.
It’s going to be a long wait until Christmas. Speaking of which …
Fender CS ’52 Telecaster (aka Jessie)
I’ve found the right Telecaster – maybe even the right guitar period – to indulge my love of tweed tone. It’s called Jessie, and I’ll introduce it properly soon.