First Impressions – Page 9 – HomeToneBlog.com

15th November 2021

First Impressions: VS Audio Royal Flush Dual Overdrive Pedal

This photo shows three pedals on my practice board.

On the far left is the VS Audio Royal Flush - the subject of this blog post. In the middle is the Analogman King of Tone. On the right is the gold JRAD Archer Ikon.

The Royal Flush has a distinctive graphic on the top, of a woman's face. Half of the face is a skull with Medusa-like snakes for hair. It's really quite striking. — The VS Audio Royal Flush on the left, next to the legendary Analogman King of Tone

I recently managed to snag one of my bucket list pedals: the VS Audio Royal Flush. Here are my First Impressions.

12th November 2021

First Impressions: Bare Knuckle Pickups Polymath Bridge Humbucker

I recently bought the newly released Polymath pickup, to go into my old Charvel. I’ve been looking for a bridge pickup that suits both the guitar and me for a long time.

Have I found it?

7th November 2021

First Impressions: PC30 Lovepedal Englishman Clone Overdrive

The photo shows a rather dusty-looking pedal in a black enclosure.

There are two control knobs, labelled Level and Drive. Also shown is a toggle switch, which is (if you zoom in a lot) has settings labelled 'D' and 'S'. — The “PC30”, a one-off Lovepedal Englishman clone.

Back at the end of August, I bought a (I suspect) one-off clone of the Lovepedal Englishman overdrive pedal, called the PC30. It arrived in early September, and I promptly forgot about it 🙁

What is it like? Here are my First Impressions.

16th October 2021

First Impressions: Seymour Duncan Antiquity Tele Bridge Pickup

This photo shows the Seymour Duncan Antiquity Tele bridge pickup, fitted to my Squier Esquire known as The Squirrel.

We can see that the pickup has six flat pole pieces (ie no raised pickup poles at all), in a black bobbin.

The pickup has been distressed to make it look old. So have the screws that came with the pickup. — The Seymour Duncan Antiquity Tele bridge pickup fitted to The Squirrel.

I recently bought a new bridge pickup for one of my cheap-and-cheerful Esquire guitars.

How did I get on with it? Read on for my First Impressions.

13th September 202111th September 2021

First Impressions: Mad Professor Super Black Pedal (Straight Into A Power Amp)

It’s not every pedal that gets not one, but two First Impressions posts here on the HomeToneBlog. In fact, I believe this is the first one that I’ve done this for.

How does the Mad Professor Super Black preamp pedal sound, when I run it straight into a power amp? Let’s find out.

11th September 2021

First Impressions: Mad Professor Super Black Preamp Pedal (Into The Front Of An Amp)

This photo shows a top-down view of the Mad Professor Super Black pedal.

The pedal is rectangular; slightly taller than it is wide.

There are two rows of control knobs. Each row has four knobs.

The top row says: "Bass", "Middle", "Treble" and "Gain". These are all in white lettering.

The bottom row says "Volume" and "Presence" in white lettering. Then there are "Volume" and "Drive" in orange lettering.

Below these controls, there are two toggle switches. The switch on the left says 'Bass Cut' in white lettering. The switch on the right says 'Compression' in white lettering.

There are two footswitches on this pedal. The foot switch on the left says 'ON/OFF' in white lettering. The foot switch on the right says 'ON/OFF' in orange lettering.

The controls in white lettering control the blackface side of the pedal. The controls in orange lettering control the Sweet Honey Overdrive side of the pedal.

Finally, we can see that this pedal has side jacks. The 'IN' jack is on the right of the pedal, and the 'OUT' jack is on the left of the pedal. — Mad Professor’s Super Black Preamp Pedal

I recently managed to tear myself away from my beloved Tweed Deluxe amp long enough to snag a second-hand Super Black pedal. And I swear that I didn’t realise this is (partially!) a tweed pedal when I bought it!

16th August 202114th August 2021

First Impressions: Vox’s GIULIETTA VGA-3PS Guitar

You probably haven’t heard of this guitar. We certainly hadn’t. But once we’d tried one, we were sold.

This is an official product photo of Vox's Giulietta guitar.

It's a top-down view of an archtop guitar, in a natural finish. There are f-holes on either side of the top, a floating bridge, and black pick guard.

No pickups are visible. — Vox’s new archtop guitar, the Giulietta. Official product photo.

30th July 202127th July 2021

First Impression: Bearfoot FX Emerald Green Overdrive Pedal

The photo is a top-down view of the Bearfoot FX Emerald Green OD guitar effects pedal.

Input and output jacks can be seen on the right and left side of the pedal casing, respectively. The power input jack can be seen on the right hand side, just below the input jack.

On top of the pedal, there are four black control knobs. Clockwise from the top left, these are labelled Volume, Drive, Treble and Voice. — The Bearfoot FX Emerald Green Overdrive pedal.

I recently picked up another Bearfoot FX pedal: the Emerald Green OD. Read on for my first impressions.

29th July 202127th July 2021

First Impressions: Fryette Power Station PS-100

My new Tweed Deluxe amp is a bit of a dream come true. Being a vintage amp circuit, it’s also a bit too loud for regular use at home. If I’m going to enjoy it, I need a way to turn it down.

My tool of choice for the job? Fryette’s Power Station PS-100. Why did I pick this over the considerable competition? And does it actually do the job? Read on for my research notes and First Impressions.

28th July 202126th July 2021

First Impressions: B&G Little Sister P90 Crossroads

Earlier this month, I took a trip up to Birmingham to try out a couple of B&G Little Sister P90 Crossroads guitars. I liked them so much, I brought one home with me and named it Merrang! (The exclamation mark is part of the name.)

Why did I get it, and what is it for? Read on for my First Impressions.