h_pr's Reviews
27 reviews Back to h_pr's Equipboard
1359
Great overdrive
The version 1 of the Danelectro Cool Cat Drive quickly disappeared from the market when it was discovered that the circuit was a bit too similar to two boutique pedals - if you take a look at the circuit, you could view this one as either a Voodoo Lab Overdrive with added tone control or as a Fulltone OCD without a Hi/Lo switch. Either way makes this a pedal that sounds much better than you'd ecpect at this price point - and it comes in a sturdy metal enclosure too, true bypass and all. Much recommended if you can find it somewhere. The later redesigned version 2 doesn't sound bad either, but it lacks something of the tonal character and edge that this one has.
1359
Good fOXX Tone Machine Variant
MXR's take on the famous fOXX Tone Machine octave fuzz sounds a bit brighter than the original, but comes in a much more pedalboard-friendly enclosure. While it doesn't have quite the same amount of low end, the fuzz tone is still full-bodied in a classic Tone Machine kind of way, and the octave can be piercing and tracks well. Now that MXR have replaced it with the larger and more expensive Sub Machine, this is an excellent pedal to look out for on the used market.
1359
Decent modeling amp
Decent enough modeling amp with lots of options such as built-in effects, stereo input, an effects loop and cab sim output. It's just about loud enough to play gigs in small venues, and it's not too heavy for its size. My main problem with it was that I felt it sounded a bit nondescript. Maybe I should have played a little with the built-in effects to get a better sound from it, but with just my pedals, it left me a bit underwhelmed. Of course it's at a price point where you wouldn't expect the epitome of sound, and there's no doubt that you get a lot of amp for your money.
1359
More tweakable classic Dyna Comp
Everything that the manufacturer's description says is true. It's one of the few Dyna Comp variants that still use the now discontinued CA3080 chip, and components have been optimised so that it has a lower noise floor than on the standard model. The result is indeed the same classic warm Dyna Comp sound and quieter operation. Don't buy if you want a compressor that doesn't colour your sound, but that applies to every Dyna/Ross-inspired compressor. The two internal trim pots are a welcome addition to further tailor the sound. Excellent product.
1359
Faithful fOXX Tone Machine Clone
As the boss of Danelectro is the person who had designed the famous fOXX Tone Machine fuzz in the 1970s, it comes as little or no surprise that this tiny piece of plastic has exactly the same circuit inside and sounds almost identical (minor differences might be explained by component tolerances). Unfortunately, in one other aspect it also copies the Tone Machine, and that is the lack of a status LED, which is an important issue as the footswitch is somewhat flimsy and doesn't always switch as expected, so some visual feedback if it worked is sorely needed. Other than that, it's the sound of one of the greatest fuzzes of all times at a budget price.
1359
TS808 Clone
A ridiculously cheap clone of a TS808 Tube Screamer in a plastic enclosure. And by "clone" I mean that it is so close to the original that in a blind test I was unable to tell any difference between this and an original TS808. No idea how durable the enclosure is, and I guess there are some who wouldn't want to be caught with a Behringer pedal on theitr boards, but if you always wanted to know what a Tube Screamer sounded like with your rig but didn't want to shell out a lot of money to find out, then this is your safest, and by far cheapest, bet.
1359
Problematic use of batteries; does not switch silently
This is probably one of Boss's poorest designs. This AB switch requires power and has no plug for a DC power supply, so you have to use batteries. Unfortunately, the pedal is switched on as soon as you connect a cable to the input, as you would on any pedal board, and as there is no on/off switch, the batteries drain within a few days if you don't unplug the cables. The power requirement is there to enable silent electronic switching, but there is still a notable pop when you press the footswitch. As a result, I would not recommend this to anyone who uses it more than just occasionally, and you can't really use it on a fixed pedal board.