artifex_adrift's Pedalboard

5 stars, no questions asked on this one. It seems too simple to be useful, but the sound is perfect for those syrupy, fuzzy neck pickup solos that I like to play. Not so good for playing chords on the settings I use, but I have noticed I still have the speed and response when playing solos on the higher strings. After I heard George Lynch say something to the effect of "you can still play fast with fuzz if you use it right", I realized this pedal was he only one I had used that made me agree with that. A+, also easily modded, so that's a major win for me.

There isn't much you can milk and spin into a review about a pedal with one knob, but this pedal does its job really well. I like to run this pedal through the front of an Orange Micro Dark into a 1x12 cab with an Eminence Wizard in it. Turning the knob up to 8 O'clock and playing with the gain knob on the amp to find the sweet spot can give you that stressed Sunn Model-T sound that everyone likens the sound quality to. It is definitely an effect that needs some pampering while you play, because if you want a lead sound that doesn't sound breathless, you'll need to dial it in, but when you go back to playing those sludgy chords, it'll take some adjusting to get it back. Needless to say, find the one thing you want to get out of this pedal, and make it do its job well.

I purchased the 10 band version so I could have more granular control over the range of frequencies. That and a 'volume' and 'gain' setting make this pedal way more applicable for my purposes. It can get noisy when used with overdrives and distortions, but I found a fairly specific use for this pedal outside of that. The clean channel on my Marshall DSL5CR that has a really anemic, weak sound (especially with single coils) now has a great tonal characteristic to it when I use this EQ. I need a snappier, "pecky" type of sound for clean but pushed-sounding runs (like surf music), and this pedal does just the trick.

I also noticed from person experience, as well as from reviews I've read, that some pedals placed before this can cause the LEDs to freak out when both are engaged. Given that I essentially only use this as a clean boost with EQ shaping and cleanup, I don't really have to worry about that.

It's a great pedal, but not a "Swiss army knife of tone" like some EQ pedals are praised for being. It definitely has its limitations, but it works for my purposes.

Up until a few years ago, I refused to stray away from analog reverb tank-based units. I've never been a fan of digital pedals, because in the 90s everything I came across sounded really thin, anemic, and lifeless. Now that modern pedal manufacturers are leaning more towards the method of blending dry and wet signals in conjunction with higher quality digital technology, I decided to give them a shot.

I purchased one (and eventually two) MXR Reverb pedals, and was really impressed with them. Running a stereo amp set-up, having a pair of these in both amp's FX loops meant I could dial in different types and amounts of reverb to get really ethereal soundscapes. Then I got curious and wondered what else I could try, and that's when I eventually came across the Crazy Tube Circuits Splash Mark IV.

Full disclosure, I had to give it 4 out of 5 stars because some of the mode settings are a little too "digital" sounding, and when you're talking about reverb nothing bruises the signal like a fizzy, choppy sound. However, based on the various knobs that allow you to taper certain settings, there are modes that actually sound really great. The ability to plug in an external expression pedal to control aspects of the reverb, as well as a built-in switch, places this pedal in a higher class of modern reverb pedals. These are features that I have come to expect, and the versatility of the Splash Mark IV keeps this thing off the shelf and on a pedalboard at all times for me.

The decay setting goes from subtle to drastic, which I like. Some pedals have such a limited range on the settings, which is always a bummer. The mix and volume knobs allow you to get a good line level setting, as well as dry/wet blend so you can make the reverb sound way more organic than some cheaper alternative. The excite setting (complimented by a push button switch to swap between decay) is where you get the versatility here. Being able to press down on the excite switch to give your sound those long tails is a great way to have an otherwise usable, traditional reverb sound without it having that wishy-washy drowning effect where your playing just gets lost.

For the money, I say this is a great pedal. While all the modes won't necessarily be your favorite, there are still plenty of settings you'll be able to get some interesting reverb effects out of.

This type of pedalboard is as basic as you can get, but it gets the job done. I tapped the mounting holes for a 9 Spot powersupply that fits neatly and perfectly to the undercarriage area of this little board. It allowed me to get a small yet fully-functional mini pedalboard setup to easily move between smaller amps around my home if I want to.

If there was maybe an off-set row of thinner punch-outs for pulling up power cable runs without removing too much Velcro surface area, that would be the only improvement I could suggest. I have no intention of using this pedalboard outside of my home, which is good because the travel bag does not offer a degree of protection for the pedals mounted to the board. Otherwise it comes with the essentials that you need to slap together a mini board without too large of an investment of time or money. It comfortably fits at least five 1590B sized pedals, but even more if you use a smaller form factor like 1590A.

The fact that this powersupply not only comes with mounting hardware and fittings but a drilling template is worth an honorable mention. This cam in particular handy when I was putting together a mini pedalboard using an On-Stage GPB2000. The clearance was perfect, and the number of power outputs is more than ample, even if you've got a mini board full of smaller form factor pedals like 1590A.

There is a good amount of variety for switchable power ratings using the DIP switches. Not just for 9 volt pedals, but you even have the options for two 12 volt and two 18 volt, which substantially increases the adaptability for use with "hungrier" pedals. The powersupply comes with plenty of cables and accessories, all you need is a small pack of Velcro cable ties and the means to mount this to a board and you're all set.

It's not too noisy, and features isolated power channels, so you don't get that hum and hiss you do with less practical options like daisy chain wall wart power supplies (please don't use those...). The main power cable is long enough to give you a good run off of wall or strip power, but not so long that you have anaconda of a cable to try to hide once setup.