I purchased a Roger Mayer Voodoo-1 pedal about 10 years ago. I stuck it on my pedalboard as the last pedal in the chain for its signal buffering qualities and set it for a slightly gritty boost and left it 'on' always -- volume at 3 o'clock, tone at 10 o'clock and gain at 9 o'clock. I liked the gritty boost because it sounded like a clean amp set to LOUD and on the verge of breakup.
For the uninitiated, Roger Mayer designed and built some of the pedals Hendrix used, most notably the Octavia which created the random octave generating effect heard on Purple Haze. It's no small feat coming up with a whole new category of pedal like Mayer did with his Octavia, and have it become a sort of cult classic.
But after a few months, for some reason or another, I relegated the Voodoo to the dark recesses of my pedal closet.
To my ears my Ibanez Tube Screamer or Boss Blues Driver sounded better -- particularly the Blues Driver for its clarity of tone.
With its design pedigree, the Voodoo 1 was a 'semi-boutique' pedal, with its more reasonable price being the only factor in its not qualifying for full-boutique status. Bear in mind that around this period of time, boutique pedals hadn't yet taken off to the degree they have today. And the ones that were out there were seriously over-priced and generally sounded like 'carefully executed farts' -- to quote bassist Michael Anthony. Damn germanium transistors..
Of the better known boutique overdrive pedals of note 10 years ago, the Klon Centaur and Fulltone Full Drive were high on the tone list. But I didn't think they were very good despite the hype and hoopla. I dislike pedals that color the basic guitar tone too much, or make everything sound like you're playing through a vintage Fender Bassman -- that dark, thick, clunky, fat for fat's sake tone.
I'll say it again -- the Tube Screamer and Blues Driver sound pretty good. Still do.
Getting to the point of this story (finally) -- I recently got out the ol' Voodoo 1 again to explore the dual buffered outputs of the pedal. I got it out totally on a whim prompted by a sudden recollection of the bi-amp possibilities of this pedal.
I fired up my Marshall TSL amp and Fender Stage 160. The tube TSL100 has really nice classic Marshall tones while the solid-state Stage 160 does a half-way decent job of replicating a clean Twin Reverb. The words 'fired up' when applied to tube amps always makes me feel uneasy..
Combined together via the Voodoo 1 set to the cleanest setting, I was amazed at the complexity of sound, even at the relatively lower (for me) volume I was playing at. Setting the Fender on a very mild overdrive and with the Marshall's preamp channel pumped, I got a clear singing tone and great note separation on diads and 3-note chords.
Playing around with the guitar's volume pot yielded a whole spectrum of colors. Single notes had definition and character and were easily nuanced by changing pick attack. Feedback also seemed so easily attainable at certain notes on the guitar, particularly on the upper frets on the second string.
If you ask me, bi-amping is the way to go -- it truly is 'the secret' as tonemeisters Lukather, Landau and Thompson will attest. And we haven't even scratched the surface of the stereo reverb/delay possibilities.
The Voodoo 1 might have a little voodoo in it after all.
Showing posts with label fulltone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fulltone. Show all posts
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Joe Bonamassa | Signature Sounds, Styles & Techniques DVD
Bonamassa opens this DVD with a free-form guitar solo that is very reminiscent of Eric Johnson with flurries of pentatonic licks cascading in position vertically up and down the fingerboard. Which I find strange. Most guitarists, given the opportunity to produce their own DVD, would strive at the outset to establish their own distinct musical identity.
But no matter. Perhaps it was more of a homage and stylistic tip of the hat to Eric Johnson, whom Bonamassa is obviously greatly influenced by.
In the first chapter of this dvd, Bonamassa proceeds to talk about the versatility of the Fender Stratocaster and begins by playing what he calls a Hendrix blues-rock style. Again we hear that unmistakeable Eric Johnson influence. I admire Bonamassa's playing, so this is just an observation on my part, as a fan of both Eric and Joe. And Jimi.
His explanation of the different pickup selection combinations available on the Fender Strat is one of the clearest and best I've seen as he explores the various timbres the instrument has to offer. He also demonstrates using the tone controls for even more colors and mentions how he wires the lead pickup on his Strat to a tone control where the lead pickup would ordinarily not be wired. Really, a very valuable insider tip to get that Strat lead pickup under control, and something too few instructional videos talk about.
Joe goes on to very ably demonstrate his various techniques on a custom Gigliotti telecaster-style guitar with a brass top(!) and a Gibson Les Paul. And Bonamassa's pro tip on stabilizing the Tele's bridge pickup to eliminate squealing feedback is priceless information to Tele players everywhere!
His sections on rhythm playing, soloing and slide guitar, while not being very explanatory as far as the notes he is hitting, are nevertheless good demonstrations of the many stylistic facets of his style. A beginner or novice would, however, be left in the dust with no clue. As with the other examples throughout this DVD, no written music or explanations are offered as to what is being played.
In the effects chapter of his DVD, Bonamassa talks about his pedalboard that includes a discontinued Korg G4 for a Leslie speaker effect and Boss DD3 delay, both of which are run through the effects loop of his Marshall amp. A Carl Martin Hot Drive 'N Boost, Fulltone Octafuzz and Reverend Drivetrain II are the source of his overdriven tones while a Prescription Electronics Vibe Unit, TC Electronics Chorus, Flip Vintage Tremelo, Line6 DL4 Modeling Delay and Vox wah complete his tonal palette.
In the amp chapter Joe talks about the Budda and Marshall Jubilee amp heads that he switches between for different tones. A plexiglass baffle surrounds his speaker cabinets enabling him to crank up his volume so he can drive his power tubes hard while not blowing out his audiences eardrums when playing in smaller clubs. Makes a lot of sense.
All in all this DVD provides a great overall view of the guitar style and musical personality of Joe Bonamassa. Like I mentioned, it is not an instructional DVD in its truest sense but one does get a sense of what hanging out with the man for an afternoon might be like.
But no matter. Perhaps it was more of a homage and stylistic tip of the hat to Eric Johnson, whom Bonamassa is obviously greatly influenced by.
In the first chapter of this dvd, Bonamassa proceeds to talk about the versatility of the Fender Stratocaster and begins by playing what he calls a Hendrix blues-rock style. Again we hear that unmistakeable Eric Johnson influence. I admire Bonamassa's playing, so this is just an observation on my part, as a fan of both Eric and Joe. And Jimi.
His explanation of the different pickup selection combinations available on the Fender Strat is one of the clearest and best I've seen as he explores the various timbres the instrument has to offer. He also demonstrates using the tone controls for even more colors and mentions how he wires the lead pickup on his Strat to a tone control where the lead pickup would ordinarily not be wired. Really, a very valuable insider tip to get that Strat lead pickup under control, and something too few instructional videos talk about.
Joe goes on to very ably demonstrate his various techniques on a custom Gigliotti telecaster-style guitar with a brass top(!) and a Gibson Les Paul. And Bonamassa's pro tip on stabilizing the Tele's bridge pickup to eliminate squealing feedback is priceless information to Tele players everywhere!
His sections on rhythm playing, soloing and slide guitar, while not being very explanatory as far as the notes he is hitting, are nevertheless good demonstrations of the many stylistic facets of his style. A beginner or novice would, however, be left in the dust with no clue. As with the other examples throughout this DVD, no written music or explanations are offered as to what is being played.
In the effects chapter of his DVD, Bonamassa talks about his pedalboard that includes a discontinued Korg G4 for a Leslie speaker effect and Boss DD3 delay, both of which are run through the effects loop of his Marshall amp. A Carl Martin Hot Drive 'N Boost, Fulltone Octafuzz and Reverend Drivetrain II are the source of his overdriven tones while a Prescription Electronics Vibe Unit, TC Electronics Chorus, Flip Vintage Tremelo, Line6 DL4 Modeling Delay and Vox wah complete his tonal palette.
In the amp chapter Joe talks about the Budda and Marshall Jubilee amp heads that he switches between for different tones. A plexiglass baffle surrounds his speaker cabinets enabling him to crank up his volume so he can drive his power tubes hard while not blowing out his audiences eardrums when playing in smaller clubs. Makes a lot of sense.
All in all this DVD provides a great overall view of the guitar style and musical personality of Joe Bonamassa. Like I mentioned, it is not an instructional DVD in its truest sense but one does get a sense of what hanging out with the man for an afternoon might be like.
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