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Are you subscribed to our newsletter? Mike Rutledge is, so he enters our regular pedal giveaways that are just for newsletter members... Here he is with the brand new Plextortion he won last week! Later this year we have the biggest competition we've ever been part of coming... Subscribe here to make sure you find out about it first!
This week on Chasing Tone! Highlight real!
Amp in the Box (AIAB) pedals and the importance of cab simulators: Ok, ok - getting right to it. (AIAB) type pedals do typically, or should, sound very close to the actual amp they are trying to mimic. When played through a tube amp - AIAB's (especially ours - insert shameless plug here) help replicate the recreated amps tone and with the help of your guitar's amp and speakers - and do a pretty darn good job of it. However when you use a AIAB straight in to a PA/ mixer - you lose the help of your amp's speaker cab. Don't fret too much though! With a cabinet simulator like a Radial, Two Notes, etc - you can help recreate those speaker tones that your PA/ mixer is lacking.
How to get a fuzz pedal to cut through the mix in a live setting?: The easiest thing - is to turn up your fuzz. Sounds simple - but if you crank up your fuzz and not blast everybody out - DO IT! If you want to use your existing fuzz - use a drive pedal (like a tube screamer) before or after your fuzz to tighten it up and help it cut through the mix. Travis likes to run his drive before his fuzz to help boost it and Brian likes to run his drive pedal after the Fuzz to help shape it's EQ. Play around with your order and let your ears be your guide! See ya Monday Tone Chasers!
Forgeries... Have you got a real Wampler?
Hi guys, Jason here invading the blog - this has just come up on Facebook from a customer so I thought I would invade Max's blog to address it properly!
This has been a hot topic for us for several years now - I am painfully aware of this issue as being the person responsible for every international dealer outside of North America. A lot of "my" dealers around the globe are constantly fighting the proliferation of forged pedals. The issue is simple, they (the forgers) see a great product, they take the circuit from a well known forum and produce it as cheaply as possible and then sell it for their own profit.
Before we get into this properly... in the face of the inevitable question - this is not "yeah, but it's just a tube screamer, what's so special about your Clarksdale when I can etc etc". When we build a circuit that is inspired by another, we take the basic premise of that circuit and Brian explodes it - makes it his own, new EQ stack, clearer gain stages... So, yes - the Clarksdale is a "tubescreamer" but it's a new take on the classic circuit (after all, there are only so many ways you can clip a circuit and make it sound good).
So, when a company copies your design, puts your name on it and sells it as an original, there is a problem!
Here is a site that sells a forgery.
As you can see, the products are extremely different - just on atheistics alone they are easy to spot. Wrong fonts, cheap components (check out the input/output jacks) and the lack of consideration of the labelling of the knobs/stomps.
Remember, we build and design our pedals to a specification, not a budget. We offer a 5 year fully transferable guarantee on ALL pedals and make them with pride and passion in America. All of the above would be impossible with a sale price of $68.80 including free international shipping!
If you are in doubt look at the obvious points. If it is too cheap, therefore too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true. If it looks like it's been made poorly and rushed, it has been. If it's on a site where you can't contact the "dealer", then they don't want to be contacted... If you are concerned, contact us, we can confirm quickly. However, a quick look at the product will show how authentic it is!
This week I actually kicked off the show with my "radio guy voice" kind of cheesy - but it made people laugh so that's something... "From land of snow and tacos". If you don't know what I'm talking about - it's worth at least a listen for the first 2 minutes.
So right out of the gate! Speaker Positioning On Stage. Amp stand or right on the stage? Would you rather put your amp on an amp stand or directly on the stage? Well in our small assembly we had 1 for the amp stand - and 2 against. Brian hates when the speakers of his amp are pointed right at his leg because he can't get a good tonal reference between his guitar, pedals, amp, and speaker sounds. Travis and I aren't a fan of amp stands and would rather have our amps directly on the stage. We both in agreement that we weren't a fan of having our amp's speaker blasted right in our ears. (that's what the front row is for right?) I actually use a long cable and walk out in the audience - before the show- to get a good reference to what my amp sounds like.
Boosting an Overdriven Amp: So what is the perfect way to boost an already overdriven amp? Well - we have to ask ourselves - what is perfect? Other than tacos and Travis' hair of course. According to Brian though - there are about 3 general ways you can boost an already overdriven amp. 1.) A complete full frequency boost. (like our Decibel plus). 2.)Top End Boosts. Which are going to take off some bottom end. 3.)Midrange Boosts. (My personal favorite.) Think a tube screamer.
Stay tuned for this Thursday's show Tone Chasers!
Plexi Drive Deluxe - Now available!
Today would have been George’s 72nd Birthday!
So here is a tip of that hat to you George! Thank you for your contributions to the musical world!
We are having a drawing for a free Plextortion Pedal this week - make sure you enter by going here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d81ba8e34/?
Tips for making your rig sound better: Eric Swanson writes, “3 tips from everyone ‘even Max’ on how to make your rig sound better." Travis takes the lead on this one and quotes a great slogan from Brian, “Less eBay or more Mel Bay”. Practice up! Nothing will make your rig sound as good as practice will. So study a style, a genre, your favorite artist, knowledge is power – and your tone and ability will reflect that.
My 2 cents on this subject was on gear. If I was trying to achieve an S.R.V. type tone – after I practiced the licks and got those down – I would start doing research on what type of gear he used – or what kind of gear can get me in the ballpark of those tones. Not everyone can afford a Dumble – but a Strat, tube screamer style pedal, and an amp that is 6L6 based will get you in the ballpark. Do some homework before you start buying gear and have an idea of the tone direction you want to go in – and you won’t be disappointed. Brian made an excellent addition that - if you are thinking about buying a pedal, from any manufacturer, give them a shout first. Explain your rig, and the tones you are after, and ask their opinion on if their pedal, or some other pedal - will help you achieve the tones you are after.
Picks: So the pick craze. Is some of it hype/ good marketing? Or is it part of the building block of good tone? Either way – pick materials can have a big effect on your tone. You can read a more in depth article about it here: http://wamplerpedals.com/blog/how-to-pick-your-pick/ Let us know what your favorite picks are and how they influence your tone!
Pros and Cons of playing like your heroes: So the Cons first – you obviously get “pigeon-holed” as a clone/ copy of your heroes. To some people this is a bad thing – as just about every guitar wants to be original. While to other’s playing just like their favorite guitar player is exactly what they want/ what they are going for. I think just about every guitar player can honestly say that they have taken things from this player and that player and have made it their own on some level. In my case – I’m not shy in openly admitting I’ve taken this lick from this guy and another lick from that guy.
Tech Tip of the week: (Soldering tips) Use smaller solder! I hate to admit it, but this is a lesson that took me a long time to learn. Small project = small solder. Also if you are having a hard time with pointed tipped soldering irons – check out a chisel tip – a total game changer in my book! Helped me gain way more control over my soldering iron.
That will do it for this week – stay tuned on Monday for a new episode of Chasing Tone!
Chasing Tone 36/ Which is Better: Nice Amps or Nice Pedals?