jimmarchi1's forum posts 8022

Again, since we're speaking of solid state as well as tube amps, everyone should try a Quilter. It's hard to believe those tiny amps aren't tube amps or digital modelers, but they're just well designed to behave like a tube amp.

If you need a portable combo for gigging:

quilterlabs.com/collections/guitar-amplifiers/products/aviator-cub-us

They go for about 500 USD used.

I've never seen an Aviator Cub combo in person so if someone knows of a store near them that carries Quilter amps, please try this thing or the channel switching version and report back. Or if someone has the balls to order one as their new amp without trying it in person, let's see some youtube videos. I own a 100 dollar microblock 45 as a backup amp and it sounds impressive... really amazing considering it's the size of an mxr pedal.

I've posted a variation of this in all 3 amp recommendation threads. Someone try or buy a Quilter Aviator Cub in either flavor and report back.

Speaking of solid state amps, everyone should try a Quilter. It's hard to believe those tiny amps aren't tube amps or digital modelers, but they're just well designed to behave like a tube amp.

I bought a microblock45 pedal sized amp as a backup when they still made them and I'm still really impressed. It sounds very very good even when producing it's own overdrive, which sounds better than most dirt boxes and responds to your playing almost as well as a tube amp. I've frequently touted Quilters on this and other forums. I have the cheapest, shittiest one and it's pretty darn good.

If you need a gigging combo:

quilterlabs.com/collections/guitar-amplifiers/products/aviator-cub-us

I've never seen an Aviator Cub combo in person so if someone knows of a store near them that carries Quilter amps, please try this thing or the channel switching version and report back. Or if someone has the balls to order one as their new amp let's see some youtube videos.

For a really great pedalplattform I would save some more money, but maybe you will find an great AMP in your current budget when testing them, or you will see then you might wanna save some more money.

Eh, if you have 'amp in a box' pedals I think you can get away with a modern solid state amp. That wouldn't make ME happy but it's an option.

Speaking of solid state amps, everyone should try a Quilter. It's hard to believe those tiny amps aren't tube amps or digital modelers, but they're just well designed to behave like a tube amp.

Edit: I bought a microblock pedal sized amp as a backup when they still made them and was really impressed. It sounds very very good even when producing it's own overdrive, which sounds better than most dirt boxes and responds to your playing almost as well as a tube amp. I've frequently touted Quilters on this and other forums. I have the cheapest, shittiest one and it's pretty darn good.

They currently make some phantom powered pedalboard amps which are a neat idea, but for those seeking a combo with classic fender coloration theres the Aviator Cub 1x12 which can be had for like 700 bucks new and around 500 on reverb. Theres a uk voiced version that doesn't sound as 'right' in the demos but doesnt sound bad. I've not tried a quilter combo, i never see them in person, but if my microblock45 and the demo is any indication, the fender voiced version of the Cub combo will work for a lot of folks who have been asking for amp suggestionsaround here. There are lots of expensive tube heads I like less than my $100 microblock.

https://www.quilterlabs.com/collections/guitar-amplifiers/products/aviator-cub-us

I've never seen an Aviator Cub combo in person so if someone knows of a store near them that carries Quilter amps, please try this thing or the channel switching version and report back. Or if someone has the balls to order one as their new amp let's see some youtube videos.

We should both marry Norwegians. The road to a residence permit and eventual citizenship is long, but the pay off is pretty great.

I'm down, my wife was a blonde wasp so its not a stretch

This is a far from perfect analogy... ridiculous, even --

You said it, not me

I walked right into that one.

No comment

Resources. Period. I think my working class bitterness shows more than I realize. But okay... plus, I AM a mediocre jazz musician who was playing and working on rock as well, just after Quincy and Herbie made it acceptable... and I really would have wanted to be a classical or even just a film composer but I didn't have the resources and connections... okay, okay... or the ability... or the first class training or even settlement school and curtis training... because as a kid I lacked the work ethic.

After one of my many rants about the injustices of arts funding and the art market, a professor I respected turned to me and said "yes, but you think this way because you're not 'of privilege' ". Which was a humane way to say "your white trash is showing". It's hard to ever really get out from under the perspective you're raised with. I'm certainly not free of it, though I try.

You obviously went to a better school than me, though I will we question the professor's acknowledgement of privilege since it seems like approval too, as if our background makes us inherently unworthy of recognition... I would bar fight this a$$hole

These are honorable qualities, Jim. Above and beyond what is expected.

I like to think of myself as someone who is willing to pleasantly recant, when warranted... but I'm not sure if the evidence here would support claim.

I can't speak to your equipboard record but I like you... and this s9ght has run off a lot of good folks i met here and still keep touch with

That's an intimidating # of musicians... they sound wonderful, though.

Cool video, right? Few of us will enjoy such a situation.

I suspect so, my friend. By the way, I posted a couple new threads in mod squad on behalf if aggrieved users while I was slacking off work if you would be good enough to take a look.

The dude spends the first 10 minutes of the essay just talking about chess notation, with zero mention of music... and yet, I was hooked.

That was actually the grabber for me to see how he came down on music notation after the crash course on algebraic chess notation and its rivals... and I am known play a little chess so that helped

He gives zero f%#*s, makes videos at an irregular clip

A man after my own heart.

I can't think of a time period the history of the world where having a career in the arts was easy, fair and required no compromises. Each era favors some unique blend of skills, and punishes others.

Scandinavia seems to have its act together these days but sure, ageeed.

What if he was just a mediocre producer? What if being likable and watchable in front of a camera is what he is actually best at?

I hope not

I suspect that some of the first jazz musicians to jump ship and lend their talents to the emerging rock acts of the 50s and 60s were looked down upon by some of their peers. They were helping to perpetuate a hokey, simplistic new form of music that only kids liked... and that hokey, simplistic form of music was seen as degrading force within society.

Now it's 2023 and more people across the globe want to be a Youtube star than want to be a rock star.

This is a far from perfect analogy... ridiculous, even --

You said it, not me

but history tends to rewards those who figure out which way the wind is blowing and make the most of it and/or people who have a better idea for how things should be, and the talent, energy and resources to force that better reality into existence.

Resources. Period. I think my working class bitterness shows more than I realize. But okay... plus, I AM a mediocre jazz musician who was playing and working on rock as well, just after Quincy and Herbie made it acceptable... and I really would have wanted to be a classical or even just a film composer but I didn't have the resources and connections... okay, okay... or the ability... or the first class training or even settlement school and curtis training... because as a kid I lacked the work ethic.

But it really doesn't matter what we do or don't do. Our country doesn't value the arts and the internet pyramid schemes like YouTube are just a symptom.

Amen. Too bad we missed out on all those New Deal dollars back the the 30s, eh?

If you're not being sarcastic then I agree. Either way I'm seeing Rick differently.

i admire that you took the time to re-evaluate your Beato-thoughts, Jim.

For some reason that's not my reputation even in real life here on the east coast... but I think a lot of my bullishness is contextual... if someone makes me think twice I'm going to, and if I'm being irrational I'll eat my hat and say thanks. But you often get your reputation from the loudest acquaintances and clients (or real internet trolls who don't know or care where you're coming from and are actively seeking to take you the wrong way) and these folks also tend to be the dimmest stars and the thin skinned grapes. So you've handed me my hat and I'm chewing. Thank you.

PS: sometimes I watch spitfire audio videos when they're not shilling product and telling how to score for a genre that probably needs a breath of fresh air from new ideas...

https://youtu.be/HaWGWQJVVBI?si=Te9ILcwElpgNjxfk

I've never tracked a classical ensemble this size so this was a grabber. Enjoy.

He's referring less to an amp's inherent output sound pressure than to each amp's sweet spot where the whole system from strings to pickup to amplifier to speakers and hopefully the room interact musically versus the tendency these days to either crank up the gain knob and dial down the master very low, below where the tubes and speakers 'wake up' or to so something similar with gain pedals on a non master volume amp like a deluxe reverb dialed down until its stiff to play. I'm very aware of what he's talking about. Its not so much about playing really loud but as loud as you have to in order to get the whole instrument to resonate with your playing and the instrument is everything from strings to speaker. You can maintain much better clarity with the right powered amp and appropriate speaker(s) and enclosure for your environment.

Without stirring up a wood debate I definitely agree with him here on amplifier/guitar interaction. The amp is subbing in for a large acoustic chamber.

The admins can help with this, but they have day jobs and mortgages like everyone else... equipboard is a labor of love. It's not a cash cow. No one makes a living administrating or moderating this site... or even makes a penny. In fact I'm slacking off work right now and need to knock it off and get back to it.

I've put this on the mod/admin board for you.

Use YOUR stuff and see if you can tweak everything to make your ears happy at volume levels you will realistically use day in day out.

Friedman interview

So wait, are you trying to get a bass sound and a guitar sound from one instrument? If so look up the band Local H. They did that live.

If I was setting up my bass to play like power chords I would put the lightest bass strings I could find on it and then fool with my tuning, guitar and bass gear until I got something that I liked. YMMV... depends what you're into. Maybe you're about to pioneer a new sound. Be creative!

Careful with a Crush, very flimsy build quality. The circuit us built well enough but the chassis is more of an L bracket with a faceplate and the pcb isn't secured to it in a way that I would be comfortable with. But with the low pricing of the crush line I can't blame them for cutting a corner. Just don't bang it into anything.

They also make that solid state pedal platform amp... haven't been in one. Try it out.

I usually hate to register products actually... for the very reasons you state. And I've never had an issue with warranties. However, I make exceptions for anything with firmware updates and an offer of robust tech support. I really don't regret registering my high end MOTU interfaces I bought when I was redoing my studio. I've had a few firmware issues and comparability glitches and their US tech support is right there for me 9-5 eastern, Monday-Friday. They get me back to work every time.

There was a time when I wasn't too enamored with the management at UA but they've since restructured and tossed the clowns that were in charge of daily operations so I think I would chance registering a Ruby. Understand that I own NO current UA gear. I don't like the reissue compressors as much as old ones and clones or the newer preamp designs and the apollo range is nice but it doesn't meet the needs of my studio... I've considered a satellite but never followed through on it as my experience with non native plugin processing platforms has been that they have a short shelf life as technology evolves. My only UA experience is in other people's studios and meeting their reps at trade shows. The current management seems a lot better and maybe the current la2a reissue sounds right... ymmv... if o buy a Ruby I'll register it unless I dog it so much out of the box that I don't want add ons and updates.

Voxes are finicky about dirt boxs. Anything CAN work but settings are really important on both the pedal and the amp. The current ac10 is not really an ac10, nor is the current ac15. They're low power ac30s. Definitely try an ac10 with your signal chain before buying one. I love vox tube amps but I've had trouble incorporating a lot of overdrive and distortion boxes that I really like with other amp brands into a an ac30 rig. My experience for decades of vox ownership is that I can do a rat or a hot cake and I can get away with a modified boss sd1 type of pedal... otherwise its boosters and turning up so the amp distorts which is loud even on an ac10. The master volumes on new voxes are in the power section and sound pretty good at stage volumes if not as good as blasting the amp, but getting much below noon this style of master will sound thin. There are mods to improve it a bit but I wouldn't tamper with a new ac10, everything is pcb mount and the board isn't of very high quality.

My experience with the katana in a recording scenario was that it sounded shockingly good using the onboard gain and fx but not with the owners pedalboard. Again, test a katana with your stuff.

4 on the dial is just where the 6v6 starts to sing.

They're just porting their satellite plugins into stomp boxes. If they use the same type of sharc processors it's just a matter if replacing the gui with a physical interface. The r&d for the actual sound processing is already done. I have to admit I want to get my hands on a Ruby to see if it really captures a 60s ac30.

I'm not sure I followed a lot of what you said though, are you using google translate or something?

Yeah, the yba1 bassmaster is the creme de la creme of traynor tweed bassman style amps... you'll run into another one. They made tons of them. The ones that look more like blackface fenders are the best versions for that sound but they're all nice if you can wind the amp up enough to get there.

The most desirable traynors are the bassmasters. Jtm45ish. Not much of a bass amp. The bassmate combos are real sleepers for guitar or studio bass playing. But I really dig all the other models. Their voicemaster pa head was a great platform to do my first scratch design. It actually wasn't a bad GUITAR amp stock (can't imagine it as a pa head) and can be modded into an orange or80 pretty easily... I kinda wanted to use all those 12AX7es so I did something loosely hiwatt based.

You can't go wrong with most traynors. The more they look like fenders the better.

The guitar mates are sweet little amps, the fender blues junior seems to have ripped off the basic circuit but the traynors will kill a blues jr all day due to the high quality components. My buddy has a 4x8 version that is really cool in the studio.

Traynor made great stuff. The new traynors are not the same.

I had a jcm800 4104 combo that sounded really great. Early 2204 circuit with the vertical inputs with flying leads. Never needed any work, it just wasn't my sound. I also had a split channel before that and a 900slx. Both very solid cock rock Marshall's but the 50 watt 800 combo was hands down the best sounding bar gig marshall of the bunch. I actually prefer the laney gh50l though for THAT sound, that's neither here nor there. Those are great sounding 800 cousins though. I think the 2203 is just a squinch too loud for the average guy. The 2204 isn't half as loyd but the sweet spot on the master is low enough to use at home sometimes. The 50 watt power amps are a little different than the 100s and sound a little sweeter with the brighter preamps that came in with the JMP series. If it's got 4 inputs and shared v1 cathodes I like the superlead but you can't crank that amp anywhere these days.

I think my favorite 80s marshall I owned was the studio15. My wife bullied me into selling it and i really regret it. Theyre so rare. I basically got it for free too. Traded in a maestro fz1a I got from a friend as a gift... what a cool little amp. Only the tiny cab held it back. I shoulda put it in a head but I didn't want to deface a piece of marshall history that they only made for like a year.

If you're buying a 2203 look at an old jmp or the vertical input vintage JCM. The horizontal inputs are prone to pulling off the pcb. I think the reissue shares this issue. These are incredibly reliable amps and it's rare to see an old one that's not working unless it has a bl7wn OT from a transformer mismatch or something like that. Or there's the laney gh100L which sounds really really good and has quiet power, no hiss or hum at all unless you engage the goofy lead boost. Also can run 6L6es without modifications. It's not better built than a reissue though. An early 800 or JMP 2203 us virtually bulletproof.

The JVM is failure prone in so many places and they aren't as service friendly as an 800. Mire features jammed into a similar footprint.

And you're running 2 overdrives into a champ? Holy distortion. I guess you must be running it pretty low on the volume dial, cranked up a tweed champ IS an overdrive. What a ripper.

Yes, to buy an used AMP is risky , specially when not tested before that it does function at all, when you know how damaged capacitors are looking like , leaking, signs of overheating, ... Fotos can help to make choice before testing the AMP and be sure they are not used to death.

Wear is generally good. The signal caps tend to drift if an amp isn't powered up regularly. If stored in a humid environment carbon based resistors tend to take on moisture and drift upwards. This can cause issues but the worst us when a resistor goes open in a PSU rc filter. Super dangerous. Better for the resistor to short out. A well worn but maintained old amp will probably be a better bet than one that was sitting most of the time. Running the amp a lot is actually better for the parts than if its sitting, even filter caps last longer when charged up regularly. When electrolytic caps sit around without seeing voltage, especially if exposed to high ambient temperatures they tend to go leaky, both electrically and as you mentioned actually buldging with dielectric trying to drip out of the housing.

I've had good luck with road warriors. My cleanest looking amps gave needed a lot maintenance. I used to tour with vintage amps. I know what I'm talking about. My main stage amps never went down and they were in shabby cosmetic condition. Well loved workhorses that threw down every night.

I had to check reverb, GC and SamAsh to find out that used fender bassbreakers are in your price range. I have a friend with the 18 watt one. Its loud, has rich clean sound, a good classic rock grunt when pushed and he hasn't asked me to service it once in 5+ years. Seems like any model from thus line trades for 700 or less. Not sure what people don't like about them.

You might wanna Test Out a Roland Jazz but they are very cleanish and but not for Metal you said playing also Metal,

The jc120 is a good solid state amps but finicky.

or a Bugera Infinium, or a Blackstar

Maintenance nightmares

To Buy an Used AMP is risky ,

Depends on how well made the amp is. Vintage amps tend to be very easy to service with simpler circuits that can be easily diagnosed so even if you have to go to a tech at some point the bench time will be less and therefore the cost if the repair tends to be lower than say a mesa or even a jazz chorus which are hella complex and not service friendly. Also, pcb amps tend to be less durable. There are exceptions but not for 600 bucks. Theres a huge list of amps I won't even work on. It would be cheaper to replace it because it's going to take me so long to diagnose, disassemble and repair that a new amp is cheaper. The list features "high end" amps that are utter garbage inside like 90s mesas loaded with obsolete jfets in the switching circuitry that are extremely prone to failure when exposed to heat and have stacked pcbs so some parts of the circuit are hard to access safely... or the marshall dsl amps that tend to warp and crack their pcbs lifting the traces over time. Fender hot rods have become more annoying to work on every version. Still, fender is top of the heap for serviceability... only a few models have proven to be completely frustrating.

Maybe just get some more money and take your time and buy then an AMP you more looking for,

This. When you settle on a dream amp, save up for it. Buy no other gear until you get the amp for you. If you can only gave 1 amp stay away from "all arounders" and settle on YOUR sound and get a durable amplifier that does the thing you want most of the time. Save your money, test lots ofamps to narrow the list, read reviews to determine roadworthiness, and buy the amp that fits the bill.

or go out and test used AMP if possible at a local Store...

If you can't get a used amp from a store you can safely bet on vintage amps as long as the seller can provide photos of the electrolytic filter capacitors. If these aren't new then it's a bad bet. They have a shelf life and are quite expensive. Also not a safe DIY job for a novice. Even if you go to a store, if an amp is more than 20 years old you should ask if it has been recapped and unless you trust the proprietors ask them to take the chassis out so you can examine the internals.

for 600 maybe something like a Blackstar would also fit your needs for Rock and Metal , also when it is not really a pedal plattform.

Not reliable and hard to service with the exception of their little 5 watt single ended models. My son has a friend whose dad has 2 of them. They sound good and though they've gone down on him they're easy enough to fix and modify that he DIYed them every time even if he's had to ask me for advice. My experience with the other black stars left a bad taste in my mouth. Flimsy pcbs with poorly spaced components, lots of low voltage solid state parts makes for complex power supplies with more failure points.

That rules out pedalboard amps.

600 bucks isn't much scratch anymore. These days I'm not sure what you can get in all tube combos for that money that's worth using. Maybe a used silverface "68 custom" fender deluxe reverb reissue? That's the best current production deluxe to my ear and the cheapest. Probably 300 bucks over budget though.

The 70s hybrid musicman amps are insanely good pedal platforms but they're not as cheap as they used to be. Its clean solid state input circuitry with a tube power amp designed by Leo Fender himself. 112 or 210 HD combo could be a 100+ dollars over budget. You might be able to make an offer on reverb.com if you find one close enough to you to pick up. Shipping a combo will kill your wallet these days. But those are great sounding clean amps if you're into that... extremely durable and easy to service if needed. I don't think I've ever seen a broken musicman.

You may be able to obtain a less desirable vintage traynor for 600. Theyre some of the best built amps, crazy durable. The combos are big and stupidly heavy but sound great with a bold clean tone. Again, shipping would put it out of your price range. You would need to find one local to you or score a crazy deal.

I recently encountered a boss katana that sounded pretty good on it's own for what it is, but the owner's pedals didn't sound so hot through it. Coulda just been her. YMMV. I find the orange crush amps to sound tolerable, especially set clean, but a fellow tech i chat with all the time recently serviced a combo and the build quality is awful. The chassis construction is too flimsy to gig. If you're moving it regularly it will break eventually.

Combos are tough, there's a big cost jump between durable ones and flimsy ones... to say nothing of sound. Maybe you can up your budget to a grand? The days when you could score a vintage marshall from a pawn shop for 600 bucks are over.

Theres already a pedalboard thread, but I changed my shit up for a session gig that needed a lush 80s sound and now I'm all about this rig; TC Polytune, homemade high voltage 'mixing console' fuzz, TC novadrive preset OD/distortion, passive DI box, Radial Tonebone ABY, roland SRE555 chorus-echo (rackmount BBD chorus, tape echo, spring reverb off board, everything else including footswitches for roland is on a little homemade pedalboard running individual wall warts because everything but the polytune is at 12v 18v, 24v, meh).

Dry signal goes from ABY out A to 1962 ac30 brilliant input with volume at about noon, B output feeds chorus echo which returns wet only into the ac30 normal input, usually subtle chorus heavily EQed and single tape slap or sound on sound set up to suit the song with long repeats, channel volume 9 or 10 o'clock. I have latching switches for the chorus, delay and spring reverb and a momentary switch to go from slap to self oscillating repeats, I also gave a g switch on the board to access presets I made on the nova drive. +4 output of the chorus echo can be sent direct with or without dry signal, dry can also be taken from direct box to do stereo reamping or whatever. Options.

My chain is damned similar in spirit to Giullio's above. In practice it sound like a police, simple minds or psychedelic furs record but it's pretty flexible. Kinda heavy. I don't play live anymore so I can deal with the weight.

New hotness from Tantacrul, who is also heads up Product for Musescore:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq3bUFgEcb4

THAT was pretty thought provoking AND entertaining.

I think my objection is less about Beato gaming the internet system and more about how he draws my attention to a major cultural phenomenon that really bothers my sensibilities... maybe its not Rick bothering me at all this whole time. I'm really bothered by the new business model for the arts and I just focused my ire on Rick becausemy introduction to him about 5 years ago was when someone linked me to a rant that was followed by him asking for likes, donations and for people to buy the Beato Book. Which is really smart. He's under way less financial strain than I am. But neither of us should have to do what he's doing and that's probably what I'm pissy about... and Rick just became an easy target for my misplaced indignation. I withdraw my negative remarks about Rick. Since the internet doesn't reward you fairly for quality content even if its massively popular you need to play the game and use that exposure to maximize those other revenue streams. It just chaps my ass and people who play along chap my ass too because I guess part of je always feels like participating in the great internet swindle prettymuch means you're perpetuating it. But it really doesn't matter what we do or don't do. Our country doesn't value the arts and the internet pyramid schemes like YouTube are just a symptom. Its not like major labels were much more fair and they were also undemocratic gate keepers.

So again. I'm going to stop worrying and learn to live Beato. I'm just not making any patreon payments to him.

I dunno. My desk is from the same time period and is still going strong, knock on wood. It's not like I can swing a $20k post console so it's all just whistling Dixie. If I were going to spend that kind of money on a single purchase it wouldn't be on audio gear if any kind. Wish it could be, but it wouldn't be responsible.

EDIT: that said, I've still been on a 1man campaign to get harrison to make an automated 32classic. I've prodded their reps every time they post about this new mixer on a social media platform and had some private email discussions... on the off chance I could justify buying something like that I want a version that meets all my needs.

Wow, for 24k could buy one of Sony Picture's smaller LaFont desks. It's got the short faders, vca automation. Caps still have life in em... includes all the cabling and TT patchbays. Probably no transformer ins or outs and definitely no adda conversion but with the savings you could buy a decent car or a fully decked out burl mothership or something. Harrison is in for a tough time with this new mixer in a world where a 90s cobsole that probably cost a quarter to half a million bucks can be had for the cost if a Honda accord.

Done.. I might add all their knockoff boss pedals when I have time... just to be a completist. I'm sure they're in basement junk bins and sock drawers all across the globe. That's the kind of thing you got in the 90s and just left at your buddy's mom's house when the band broke up...

its a preamp pedal, I have one of these and I quite like it. but yes it's Like a cheap Teisco transistor amp in a pedal

So would you classify that as an Overdrive, Boost, Distortion or EQ????

Do you have a speaker cabinet? If so, there are lots of options from tube heads to pedalboard amps. If you need a combo? Hmmm. Tricky. The dollar isn't woryhqhat 8t used to be.

F A C E P A L M

What is that? Like a cheap Teisco transistor amp in a pedal? WTF?

Done.

We have plenty of Ibanez Gio GRX40 MLB entries. Only 1 is needed. With respect, I'm not trying to eat up server space with every color option of every guitar or every year of the fender deluxe reverb even when there were no changes in features or circuit configuration. We have far too much of that already to the point where I got sick of merging all of the items. For example, every time I would tidy up the marshall JMP superleads someone would add a purple one or a specific year that was exactly the same as a number of surrounding years and undo all my hard work organizing them by major circuit revisions. This kind of organization requires a lot of knowledge, research and unpaid hours of work.

Is there anything that differentiates this GRX40 other than the paint job?

If you want to learn about tube amps watching a pro do hands on maintenance and repair? Uncle Doug

https://youtube.com/@UncleDoug?si=wNqEcZonk-IDZneP

This guy is always spot on. I love his folksy style too.

I want one that’s cheap, but that sounds good.

Tricky. Do you want a tone machine or a pedal platform?