Lee_M.
Brockburst Toneologist
To all -
I think the search is finally over. The quest for the perfect OD/Distortion pedal has ended with my purchase of the Landgraff OD. I didn't think a pedal existed that could take you into sonic territories such as the great JCM 800 crunch and the infamous SLO 100 lead tone. I'm pleased to say that with the right settings on the pedal and your amp, the Landgraff can do both.
I started the test-drive this morning with my Timbucker equipped '02 R8. As recommended by a friend, I fired up my Vibrolux on the bright channel (port 1) and set the Landgraff to: Toggle Switch (up), Gain (1:00), Tone (1:00) and Volume (to taste). Immediately, my Lester started singing with distortion that was so very, very sweet. It was a more modern sounding distortion (dimed JCM 800 / low gain settings on an SLO) versus the vintage Marshall vibe; however, I am playing through a reissue Vibrolux with 10" Jensen Alnicos. That amp doesn't lend itself to squeeking out Duane's tone by itself. I think the speakers are part of the issue.
Anyway, I kept fiddling with the settings and after 45 minutes I settled on the following: Toggle Switch (up), Gain (3:00), Tone (12:00), Volume (12:00). I also adjusted the tone control on my neck pickup to 7.5 (500K Audio Taper Pots with Hovland .022 caps) and the volume control on my bridge pickup to 8. The result was simply astounding in the neck and middle positions of my R8. All of the inherent flaws of the typical Tube Screamers (i.e. TS-808, TS-9, RAT et al) were non-existent. This pedal had enough gain to melt your wall, enough volume to blow it down and enough tonal sweep to keep the pickiest people happy. In more or less words, this thing is a boutique flame thrower. I was so taken back by the tone of my rig that I actually had to unplug my guitar, turn off my amp, sit on the couch, and pinch myself.
Shortly thereafter, I realized that I needed to incorporate my Klon for a solo boost. The results were just as good. With the Klon in front of the Landgraff (not after) I found that once I dialed in the right setting (which took 30 minutes unfortunately) I was in Warren Haynes territory - straight off a Gov't Mule live album. I was so happy that I called Blues Angel Music in Florida to thank Jim DeStaffney (sp?) for selling me the Landgraff. Honestly, I almost purchased a second pedal on the spot I was so excited.
I will note that at first I was very disappointed with how the Klon slightly colored the tone of the Landgraff. It took me quite some time to find the sweet spot with the two pedals, together. However, once I found the sweet spot, the Klon added just a smidge more volume and a bit more gain and compression to give me that trademark early '90's Warren Haynes tone from "An Evening with the ABB - Set 1". I played for another 45 minutes until my figures almost bled.
Conclusion:
The hype about the Landgraff is true. It is worth every penny of the $400 price tag. And, now that I know how to mix the Klon and Landgraff, I can re-create my favorite Warren Haynes tone through almost any decent tube amp - thus eliminating the need to re-purchase the SLO that I just sold for $2,000. For a total price of $695 for both pedals, I think I came out ahead.
So, thanks GuitarG for all of the great recommendations and reviews of the pedal. The next course of business is to take the Landgraff / Klon combo to try it out with vintage Marshall amps. I'm hoping the tone (through 12" speakers) will be equally as pleasing!
And, perhaps one day I will purchase the other side of John Landgraff's dual overdrive pedal - the 818 Pedal Man. Apparently, it mixes even better than the Klon!
So, have a great rest of the weekend and thanks for reading!
Lee Moore
Search Words:
John Landgraff Dynamic Overdrive
I think the search is finally over. The quest for the perfect OD/Distortion pedal has ended with my purchase of the Landgraff OD. I didn't think a pedal existed that could take you into sonic territories such as the great JCM 800 crunch and the infamous SLO 100 lead tone. I'm pleased to say that with the right settings on the pedal and your amp, the Landgraff can do both.
I started the test-drive this morning with my Timbucker equipped '02 R8. As recommended by a friend, I fired up my Vibrolux on the bright channel (port 1) and set the Landgraff to: Toggle Switch (up), Gain (1:00), Tone (1:00) and Volume (to taste). Immediately, my Lester started singing with distortion that was so very, very sweet. It was a more modern sounding distortion (dimed JCM 800 / low gain settings on an SLO) versus the vintage Marshall vibe; however, I am playing through a reissue Vibrolux with 10" Jensen Alnicos. That amp doesn't lend itself to squeeking out Duane's tone by itself. I think the speakers are part of the issue.
Anyway, I kept fiddling with the settings and after 45 minutes I settled on the following: Toggle Switch (up), Gain (3:00), Tone (12:00), Volume (12:00). I also adjusted the tone control on my neck pickup to 7.5 (500K Audio Taper Pots with Hovland .022 caps) and the volume control on my bridge pickup to 8. The result was simply astounding in the neck and middle positions of my R8. All of the inherent flaws of the typical Tube Screamers (i.e. TS-808, TS-9, RAT et al) were non-existent. This pedal had enough gain to melt your wall, enough volume to blow it down and enough tonal sweep to keep the pickiest people happy. In more or less words, this thing is a boutique flame thrower. I was so taken back by the tone of my rig that I actually had to unplug my guitar, turn off my amp, sit on the couch, and pinch myself.
Shortly thereafter, I realized that I needed to incorporate my Klon for a solo boost. The results were just as good. With the Klon in front of the Landgraff (not after) I found that once I dialed in the right setting (which took 30 minutes unfortunately) I was in Warren Haynes territory - straight off a Gov't Mule live album. I was so happy that I called Blues Angel Music in Florida to thank Jim DeStaffney (sp?) for selling me the Landgraff. Honestly, I almost purchased a second pedal on the spot I was so excited.
I will note that at first I was very disappointed with how the Klon slightly colored the tone of the Landgraff. It took me quite some time to find the sweet spot with the two pedals, together. However, once I found the sweet spot, the Klon added just a smidge more volume and a bit more gain and compression to give me that trademark early '90's Warren Haynes tone from "An Evening with the ABB - Set 1". I played for another 45 minutes until my figures almost bled.
Conclusion:
The hype about the Landgraff is true. It is worth every penny of the $400 price tag. And, now that I know how to mix the Klon and Landgraff, I can re-create my favorite Warren Haynes tone through almost any decent tube amp - thus eliminating the need to re-purchase the SLO that I just sold for $2,000. For a total price of $695 for both pedals, I think I came out ahead.
So, thanks GuitarG for all of the great recommendations and reviews of the pedal. The next course of business is to take the Landgraff / Klon combo to try it out with vintage Marshall amps. I'm hoping the tone (through 12" speakers) will be equally as pleasing!
And, perhaps one day I will purchase the other side of John Landgraff's dual overdrive pedal - the 818 Pedal Man. Apparently, it mixes even better than the Klon!
So, have a great rest of the weekend and thanks for reading!
Lee Moore
Search Words:
John Landgraff Dynamic Overdrive
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