NPD: It BAD@$$

[Aceman]

Literally...Looking forward to a test drive tomorrow!

Maybe this vs a DS-1, and vs a Distortion+

[UnderTheFlame83]

Awesome. Let us know what you think!

[Mincer]

Now this is the review I wanna read.

[Aceman]

So I did a short drive today. Honestly....not sure I'm gonna like it at all. Might be the guitar (Ceramic pups in the Jackson) might be the clean channel on the Marshal VS100,, might be both....

We'll see. More to come.

[ErikH]

From what I’ve seen, it is a DS-1 circuit so if you don’t like the DS-1 out of the box, you won’t like this.

[Securb]

It happens we don't like everything we plug into at least you can return it.

[Mincer]

So I did a short drive today. Honestly....not sure I'm gonna like it at all. Might be the guitar (Ceramic pups in the Jackson) might be the clean channel on the Marshal VS100,, might be both....

We'll see. More to come.

So what don't you like about it?

[LLL]

I've had one of these for a few years now.

It, like the pedal it replicates (BOSS DS-1); albeit a modified DS-1, works best as a goose stomp.

Get a tube amp good and cooking (some gain and compression; like a Marshall on "5"), then slap this on top.

I wouldn't use this as a clean channel stomp; it's not an amp-in-the-box thing, but a goose stomp to take the amp to the next level (like the old days).

[Aceman]

I didn't expect it to be amp-in-a-box like. But running it into a clean tube is what I did. Like I said - it was a quick trip. We'll give it a good run through the Mesa tomorrow....

[Mincer]

I always thought it was an amp-in-the-box pedal. Well, then, I doubt it would be for me, then.

[Aceman]

OK - further updates: I took it and ran it through the OD 1 channel on My VS100.

It was able to totally turn it into the OD 2 Channel. I dimed the output and it sounded great at pretty much any distortion level. The crunch button made it tight and, you guessed it, crunchy!


I know - you are saying "But you HAVE an OD 2 Channel, why the need for a Pedal?" Well, that's THIS amp. I bet I can turn my little Fender Pro Jr. into a beast with this. Or - I can have a third channel on my Mesa; I could set up one channel for cleans/lightly crunchy sounds, and add another tone to it. Now I have three channels instead of two.

I'm playing around with my recording gear too. Look for a very cool vid (a lot of them) shortly as I figure things out.

[CaptainWhizz]

Looking forward to the video(s). I’m mostly a simple man when it comes to pedals; EHX, MXR/ Dunlop, Boss, Digitech/ DOD. I always wondered how the MXR Custom Distortions compared to a Distortion+.

[Aceman]

So - this just in! I tried it through my solid state Peavey Express 112. Sounded fantastic! So...there's that. Again - sorry for the "bits and pieces" approach.

I think I'm just gonna run it through all 5 amps and see what's what: Marshall VS100, Pro Jr. HK TM18, Peavey, and Mesa...As I said - the clean on that Marshall could be questionable. But my Wampler Plexi sounds awesome through it?!?!?!? So confused...


Also - remember, the CBA78 is "allegedly" based on the original DS-1 design from 1978, which was "apparently" different than those that followed. If you are into that kind of thing, just a point to consider.

[Mincer]

How close does it sound to a DS-1? Is it different enough from other pedals you have to keep?

[ErikH]

The Wampler PlexiTone is meant to be used in front of a clean amp or one with some dirty on it already. Completely different circuit than the CBA78 (which yes, is a DS-1 style clone based on the original circuit). You've even said yourself that the DS-1 is meant to hit the front end of an already overdriven amp. That is where those overdrive/distortion circuits shine.