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Blindfold Tubescreamer Challenge

Chappers and The Captain have posted their latest blindfold challenge. Can Lee tell a real Tubescreamer from a pool of clones? And which ones will he like?

The Tubescreamer is possibly the most-copied pedal circuit of them all. Most pedal brands have a TS-style pedal in their range, and there’s a TS-style pedal to fit every budget.

It’s not really an overdrive pedal, and that’s very confusing when you get one for the first time. It’s more of a colour pedal, thanks to it’s pronounced mid-hump. Run it into a dirty amp to shape the overall sound, or run it after a gain or fuzz pedal to act as a great boost.

A Strat -> Zendrive -> TS signal chain in particular is a very special sound.

Over the years, I’ve had a few of the pedals in the video, and the one I use is the Mad Professor Little Green Wonder. You can’t get a sense of it from this video, but one of the great things about the LGW (and, indeed, all Mad Professor pedals) is the low noise floor.

I’d love to try a Wampler Clarksdale one day – just waiting for one to turn up at a good 2nd hand price. The J Rockett Blue Note is another pedal featured in this video that I want one day. Burgs did a demo of it years ago now that really sold me on it.

And just how good does the new Hot Rod Deluxe Mk 4 sound?

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed the Andertons video.

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AxeFX III Initial Demos

Camilo Velandia has received his Axe FX III, and has posted several videos to show what it can do at launch. A couple in particular are of general interest, whether you own an Axe FX unit or not.

In the first video, Camilo compares quite a few of the stock amp presets from the new AxeFX III vs the older Axe FX II. To my ears, they’re almost identical.

That’s no sleight on the AxeFX III at all. Folks upgrading from the older unit will want reassurance that the tones they know and love are still there.

https://youtu.be/w5Ymqdetopc

In the second video, Camilo does a straight shootout of the Axe FX III amp models against highly-respected Kemper profiles. It’s not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, but it does reflect how the two units are used in practice.

The results are a bloodbath.

All the problems of the Kemper’s limited frequency reproduction are front and centre. The Axe FX III has all the body and definition that the Kemper has always lacked. It sounds richer, crisper, and more detailed.

I wonder how many more years Kemper can continue to ship the MK 1 unit? The Kemper’s main defence has always been that you can’t hear most of these differences in a full mix. And, indeed, a recorded Kemper is actually easier to mix that a more accurate tone, in my experience.

Please head over to YouTube to leave likes and supportive comments if you enjoyed Camilo’s videos.

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Sidechain Compression How And Why

Glenn Fricker has posted a super-useful introduction to sidechain compression, as part of his Audio Basics series:

Sidechain compression is one of those audio mixing techniques that makes a huge difference to your own recordings. As Glenn explains, it’s used to make a bit of space in your mix whenever you have two instruments competing for the same set of frequencies.

The classic use is to carve out a space for the kick drum. The kick drum is used as a trigger for a compressor on the bass guitar. The compressor reduces the volume of the bass guitar a little bit, so that the kick drum is easier to hear.

I use sidechain compression on my guitar tracks too. I like to turn down my rhythm guitars a little bit when there’s a lead guitar part or a vocal part. I find that it makes it easier to hear the lead / vocal parts, and it helps keep the overall master output volume from jumping too much during those parts.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you found Glenn’s video helpful.

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Road Trip to Ernie Ball Music Man Factory

For this week’s Tuesday Talk, Mary Spender has shared her experience of driving up through California to visit the Ernie Ball Music Man factory.

It’s always cool to see how and where guitars are built. Most of us will never get a tour around a factory, so it’s awesome that Mary shared this with us. And California is just such a beautiful part of the world … 🙂

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Mary’s video.

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Fender 59 Twin-Amp Joe Bonamassa Edition

Joe Bonamassa has posted a promo video for his new signature amp: the 59 Twin-Amp from Fender.

Several years ago, Joe famously switched his amp back line to vintage Fender amps. And now Fender has created a limited run of reissue amps, recreating the classic dual twin amp – and its unique tone – in great detail.

It feels like Fender is really on a roll this year, holding the spotlight at a time when arch-rival Gibson is all but invisible and fighting for its very existence. So I did chuckle at seeing Joe play a Les Paul in a promo for a Fender product 🙂

If you want one, they’re only available through Joe Bonamassa’s website. I have to wonder if he financed this limited run. If he did, well done Joe for bringing this reissue to life.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Joe’s video.

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Seymour Duncan Silver Lake Reverb Demo

Pete Thorn has posted a demo of Seymour Duncan’s Silver Lake Reverb pedal.

When you think of Seymour Duncan, you probably associate them with decades of pickups. In recent years, they’ve been branching out into effects pedals. The Silver Lake Reverb is the latest to hit the streets.

I like how this is a true stereo pedal. Mono reverbs have their place – mainly for amps that don’t have a built-in reverb of their own. Beyond that one use case, I think mono reverbs just fall flat as a feature effect. Reverb needs to be in stereo if you want it front and centre in a soundscape.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Pete’s video.

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Pedals Into A Clean Amp vs A Dirty Amp

Brian Wampler has posted a video of what it’s like to run drive pedals into a clean amp, and what it’s like to run the same pedals into a Dirty amp.

He’s picked an Orange Rockerverb 50 Mk 2 for this. It’s an interesting choice, as it isn’t your typical Fender-voiced or Marshall-voiced amp.

If you’re interested in running pedals into an Orange amp, hopefully you’ll find it useful.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Brian’s video.

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Suhr Reactive Load Demo

Ola Englund has posted a demo – as only he can – of Suhr’s Reactive Load box, and compared it to the Two Notes Torpedo Reload.

It’s a really cool demo that shows how different load boxes do sound different. Neither one sounds bad. It’s simply a case of choosing the one that you like best.

Please head over to Ola’s channel to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Ola’s video.

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One Control Baby Blue Demo

Mike Hermans has posted a demo of One Control’s Baby Blue Overdrive pedal.

This is a pedal designed by Bjorne Juhl. If you haven’t heard of him, you might have come across BJF or BJFe designed pedals from Mad Professor or Bearfoot FX. The guy’s a legend in the pedal community, and arguably one of the top pedal circuit designers of all time.

I’ve got plenty of his designs on my own board or close to hand in my pedal cupboard. Whether it’s the Sky Blue Overdrive, Sweet Honey Overdrive, or the Uber Bee, his pedals have been at the heart of my guitar tone for many years now.

So what about the Baby Blue Overdrive?

This reminds me a lot of the Amber Overdrive – a fuzzy overdrive pedal trying to sound like a cranked Fender amp. [The Amber Overdrive is actually chasing the sound of a vintage fuzz into a cranked Marshall stack – Ed] Both designs need to be first in your signal chain, like an old-fashioned fuzz pedal. In practice, the Amber Overdrive is challenging to dial in. I haven’t found that sweet spot yet on the two examples that I’ve owned.

The Baby Blue looks like it might be a little more forgiving. Had to say for sure without trying one. Speaking of which …

New for 2018, Bjorn is hoping to ramp up production of pedals based on his designs, and bring the prices down to more obtainable levels. He’s going to be doing this through One Control, and it seems that his long association with Bearfoot FX has come to an end.

Elsewhere in the same forum thread, Bjorn says that this new version of the Baby Blue OD is built using modern components (the original ones were built using NOS components that he can’t get any more). As a result, it does sound different, and he thinks it’s closer to the sound in his head than ever before.

Unfortunately, I can’t find one to buy just yet. I’ll keep looking. I really want to put this side by side with the Amber Overdrive to see how they compare.

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Squier Contempoary Series Telecaster 2018 Dual Humbucker Demo

Shane’s posted a demo of the new-for-2018 dual humbucker Squire Contempoary Series Telecaster. Check it out.

A Squier with a satin finish neck? That alone is likely to make it a popular choice. Squier necks are known for having thick glossy finishes that can be a little sticky for some players.

It’s hard to say how good this guitar sounds. The clean tones, and the dirt tones with the volume rolled down sound nice and clear. The full fat tones? Not so much. Shane does say that he thinks the guitar does sound clear, so maybe what we’re hearing is the effect of YouTube’s audio munging.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video.