First Impressions – Page 3 – HomeToneBlog.com

20th December 202319th December 2023

(Belated) First Impressions: Rockbox Boiling Point Overdrive Pedal

All the way back in July, I picked up a Rockbox Boiling Point overdrive pedal.

Rockbox Boiling Point and Ibanez Mini Tubescreamer

Now that I’ve had time to play with it, what do I think? Read on for my (very belated) first impressions.

6th December 202328th November 2023

(Belated) First Impressions: Boss HM-2w Heavy Metal Distortion Pedal

Back in July, I picked up a Boss HM-2w Heavy Metal distortion pedal.

The Boss HM-2w and Ibanez Mini Tubescreamer on my pedalboard

I’m finally getting round to trying it out.

24th November 202323rd November 2023

First Impressions: Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-Gain Overdrive Pedal

I recently picked up a Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-Gain overdrive pedal.

This photo shows two pedals on my pedalboard.

On the left side is the Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-Gain Overdrive pedal. It has three controls: Level (set at around 10:30), Gain (set at around 1:30) and Tone (also set at around 1:30).

On the right is the Mad Professor Little Green Wonder overdrive pedal, BJFe's version of a Tubescreamer. It has three controls: Volume (set at 4 o'clock), Drive (set at 8 o'clock) and Body (set at 3 o'clock). — The Carl Martin PlexiTone Lo-Gain Overdrive Pedal and Mad Professor Little Green Wonder Overdrive Pedal

What does it sound like? And what do I think of it? Read on for my First Impressions.

25th October 202321st October 2023

First Impressions: NUX Sixty-Five (6ixty-5ive) Overdrive Pedal

Back in August, I bought a NUX Sixty-Five Overdrive pedal.

The NUX Sixty Five Overdrive, next to the NUX Horseman Klon klone

Better late than never, here are my first impressions of this affordable drive pedal.

23rd October 202322nd October 2023

First Impressions: Warm Audio ODD Box v1 Overdrive

I’ve just picked up an ODD Box v1 Overdrive pedal from Warm Audio.

Is this going to be the Fulltone OCD clone that I’ve been looking for? Or is the original still the only real option for that sound? Here are my First Impressions.

17th October 202324th October 2023

#TweedTone: Is The UAFX Woodrow A Great Alternative To A Real Tweed Deluxe Amp?

I’m lucky enough to own a physical Tweed Deluxe amp. I also think that a Tweed Deluxe amp rig for home use has become so expensive in 2023, it’s difficult to justify. So I’ve started looking at alternatives, to see how they compare to the real thing.

This is a photo of the UAFX Woodrow guitar pedal, from Universal Audio.

We're looking down on the pedal from an angle. The pedal is sat on my practice pedalboard at home.

On the front panel, there are four rows of controls.

The first row contains three knobs. They control INST volume, NORM volume, and OUTPUT volume.

The second row contains three toggle switches. They control the selected speaker emulation, whether or not to save the current settings as a preset, and the kind of boost that is active (if any).

The third row consists of three knobs. These control the amount of room added to the sound; the overall tone of the signal; and how much boost to use.

The fourth row consists of two latching footswitches. They control whether the pedal is in live mode or bypassed; and whether the pedal is in preset mode or bypassed. — The UAFX Woodrow pedal on my pedalboard

This time around, I’m looking at Universal Audio’s UAFX Woodrow pedal.

11th October 20239th October 2023

First Impressions: 2022-spec PRS Silver Sky

I recently picked up a PRS Silver Sky guitar: the full-fat USA version, not the Silver Sky SE version.

What convinced me to buy one? How does it sound? Read on for all of that and more.

4th October 20232nd October 2023

First Impressions: Hudson Broadcast Preamp / Overdrive / Fuzz Pedal

I recently picked up one of my bucket-list pieces of gear: the Hudson Electronics Broadcast.

This … is a bit different to my usual overdrive pedals, to say the least. But, by changing my approach a bit, I got a tone out of it that I really like.

18th July 202317th July 2023

First Impressions: Tone City King of Blues Dual Overdrive Pedal

This photo shows the Tone City King of Blues overdrive pedal on my pedalboard, next to my Analogman King of Tone overdrive pedal.

It’s impossible to talk about the King of Blues without comparing it to the Analogman King of Tone – because that’s the question everyone wants to know. Is it a King of Tone clone, or (at the very least) a passible substitute?

No, it isn’t. The King of Blues is its own thing. And I really dig it. Read on for the full details, including audio demos to demonstrate why.

31st May 2023

First Impressions: NUX Morning Star Overdrive Pedal

A week or so ago, I picked up a new (to me) NUX Morning Star overdrive pedal.

Is it going to be another fantastic find, a big disappointment, or somewhere in between perhaps? Read on for my First Impressions of this pedal.