Monty-Jay
New member
(I posted this to rig talk, where the pass around originated from...just in case some of it doesn't quite make sense)
Ok, so I'm trying to put on my social sciences cap on and refrain from any biased honeymoon style thoughts here so bare with me
Mr. Fedex dropped this little guy off just before 6pm so I was happy that I could try it out for a little while before getting it sent back on the road Friday. I can't really crank the amps up tonight but rest assured that will happen tomorrow. However, that doesn't mean that no air wasn't being pushed around at all
I got the Tremoverb and 5150 up at decent levels so I could checkout this badboy. On the Tremoverb, I used vintage high gain with moderate EQ settings and the gain around 11:30. So just from the amp, it was kinda dirty and starting to clip but nothing extremely heavy. I setup the blues mode for a similar tone. 5150 had the rhythm channel engaged and again, I was going for a similar amp tone where it was dirty and starting to clip. The two guitars I used were a lp custom with Duncans (JB/59) and a Strat with stock pickups (nothing to write home about but they sound cool).
Right outta the box, you notice how cool the Power Screamer's finish is and I honestly thought the enclosure would be slightly larger than it actually is. It's fairly small....this pleases me I went through the enclosed documentation, read through the manual again, and I was ready to make some noise.
Basically, it's setup like your traditional overdrive unit with regards to style and approach. Three pots control Gain, Tone, and Level, all of which are pretty self-explanatory
Located above the tone control is a 3 way mini toggle switch that selects different diode settings. The first setting (left) sounds very much like your traditional overdrive unit when you running similar settings (I had a modded TS9 for comparison). This setting alone sounds really great and cleaner than my tube screamer does. It doesn't seem to have the mid hump either. Switching to the second position (middle and my fave so far) adds more gain, bass, and volume to the signal and gives you a really nice, fat, yet clear tone. Position 3 (right)...I dunno what to say. Remember Spaceballs? Can you say ludicrous speed? Yep. This one totally sounds insane, haha. Tons of bass/gain added as well as a healthy dose of compression and it can get some REALLY fat/sweet tones, but can be a bit overpowering at times. I had to quickly dial down my bass on my amp (it was around 9:30) and then it was ok. But like I said, I really dig position two. It's fatter than your traditional OD tone but it doesn't get out of hand...for me anyway.
Next up is the boost switch. This adds 10db to your signal and it seriously takes what ya have and just makes it better. Along with this is the fat boost mini toggle switch, located on the left side of the unit. This is only active when the boost switch is active. The documentation notes that some of these settings sound best for single note work and I see what they mean rather clearly. The 3rd diode position and the fatboost sound KILLER for single note stuff but (again for my situation) a bit too much while running through the les paul and playing chords. Now I did use the strat and single note stuff still sounds great and believe me, chords sound almost as thick as those found when using the LP, haha.
Bottom line, I'm not really a fan of distortion pedals but I LOVE overdrives/boost pedals and I think I just found my next one True bypass, 3 great diode settings leading to different OD tones, 10 db boost, and of course the optional fat boost...all packed into one small box of mojo
Thanks again for setting this up guys! I'm gonna keep on playing tomorrow and see what else I can squeeze outta THE Power Screamer...I think my other ODs are gonna be jealous though, haha. Oh yeah, also included is a Burr Brown IC to compare to the stock JRC. I'll try that tomorrow too
mJ
Ok, so I'm trying to put on my social sciences cap on and refrain from any biased honeymoon style thoughts here so bare with me
Mr. Fedex dropped this little guy off just before 6pm so I was happy that I could try it out for a little while before getting it sent back on the road Friday. I can't really crank the amps up tonight but rest assured that will happen tomorrow. However, that doesn't mean that no air wasn't being pushed around at all
I got the Tremoverb and 5150 up at decent levels so I could checkout this badboy. On the Tremoverb, I used vintage high gain with moderate EQ settings and the gain around 11:30. So just from the amp, it was kinda dirty and starting to clip but nothing extremely heavy. I setup the blues mode for a similar tone. 5150 had the rhythm channel engaged and again, I was going for a similar amp tone where it was dirty and starting to clip. The two guitars I used were a lp custom with Duncans (JB/59) and a Strat with stock pickups (nothing to write home about but they sound cool). Right outta the box, you notice how cool the Power Screamer's finish is and I honestly thought the enclosure would be slightly larger than it actually is. It's fairly small....this pleases me
I went through the enclosed documentation, read through the manual again, and I was ready to make some noise. Basically, it's setup like your traditional overdrive unit with regards to style and approach. Three pots control Gain, Tone, and Level, all of which are pretty self-explanatory
Located above the tone control is a 3 way mini toggle switch that selects different diode settings. The first setting (left) sounds very much like your traditional overdrive unit when you running similar settings (I had a modded TS9 for comparison). This setting alone sounds really great and cleaner than my tube screamer does. It doesn't seem to have the mid hump either. Switching to the second position (middle and my fave so far) adds more gain, bass, and volume to the signal and gives you a really nice, fat, yet clear tone. Position 3 (right)...I dunno what to say. Remember Spaceballs? Can you say ludicrous speed? Yep. This one totally sounds insane, haha. Tons of bass/gain added as well as a healthy dose of compression and it can get some REALLY fat/sweet tones, but can be a bit overpowering at times. I had to quickly dial down my bass on my amp (it was around 9:30) and then it was ok. But like I said, I really dig position two. It's fatter than your traditional OD tone but it doesn't get out of hand...for me anyway.
Next up is the boost switch. This adds 10db to your signal and it seriously takes what ya have and just makes it better. Along with this is the fat boost mini toggle switch, located on the left side of the unit. This is only active when the boost switch is active. The documentation notes that some of these settings sound best for single note work and I see what they mean rather clearly. The 3rd diode position and the fatboost sound KILLER for single note stuff but (again for my situation) a bit too much while running through the les paul and playing chords. Now I did use the strat and single note stuff still sounds great and believe me, chords sound almost as thick as those found when using the LP, haha.
Bottom line, I'm not really a fan of distortion pedals but I LOVE overdrives/boost pedals and I think I just found my next one
True bypass, 3 great diode settings leading to different OD tones, 10 db boost, and of course the optional fat boost...all packed into one small box of mojo Thanks again for setting this up guys! I'm gonna keep on playing tomorrow and see what else I can squeeze outta THE Power Screamer...I think my other ODs are gonna be jealous though, haha. Oh yeah, also included is a Burr Brown IC to compare to the stock JRC. I'll try that tomorrow too
mJ
