oedipoes's Reviews

Hidden gem

Only few players remember Bedrock Amplification. It went bankrupt in the early ‘90ies. Even fewer remember their VOX AC-30 version, that they built for VOX. Their attempt to get the build contract for an original design model was not successful (Marshall got the order), but they decided to release it anyway. Lawsuit. Lost. The Bedrock BC-50 is that amp. A VOX AC30 evolution I would say, with high quality components and very reliable. It had a brother with Tremolo, called the BC-75, which is even rarer. I’ve played a few in my quest to find Rene van Barneveld’s tone on Urban Dance Squad’s “Persona Non Grata” album. Fender Tele, BC-50 and a Marshall DriveMaster. On it’s own, the 50W amp has two switchable channels, a clean and an overdriven one. Both sound really great, very similar to the Bedrock 1000 series half stack. A Fender-like shimmering clean channel that can go very loud without breaking up. You can make it break up if you add more volume (crank it). The overdrive channel has a fat, round thick character. The “Persona Non Grata” sound is present, but it’s only with a Marshall DriveMaster pedal with gain on 2-3 that the Marshally barky midrange comes to life. Useful amp that has many good tones in it (with or without the boost). Construction-wise it is a tank. Very solid metal housing in a sturdy plywood enclosure. 2 own design 12E100 speakers designed and built by Bedrock founder Jay Abend with parts from Stanford Acoustics, Eminence and some design assistance from Hartke. Here is the answer Rich Curtis (Bedrock “Tripod” page maintainer) got when he asked Jay about them: “ Rich Stanford Acoustics made the baskets. Cones were from Eminence. Some other place custom made the specially weighted dust caps. We did the assembly by hand in Framingham MA. And it was a ROYAL pain in the a**!! I just built four for a Marshall cab the other day from some stuff in my attic. They really do sound great. All the compression of a Vintage 30 but with the bottom end of a Vox blue!! My friend Ron Lorman from Hartke Systems helped me in the design.

PS: Rich’s Bedrock page helped me a lot in my enduring quest for Bedrocks. It sadly went offline years ago. Jay”

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The Beast. More versatile than you expect.

Bone dry amp that is spectacularly unforgiving. It lights up the imperfections in your playing. Hard work, but also very satisfying. 3 channels: clean, rythm and lead. Clean has great clean tone. Has high/low inputs. A boost is built-in. Comes in GEQ (Graphic EQualizer) and non-GEQ variants. The GEQ is notoriously oversensitive. Don’t do the Mesa Mark trick, be gentle with the GEQ controls! There isn’t a bad tone in it, regardless of how you dial it in. That statement summarizes why you should play one. It is a diffent amp altogether. Doing it’s own thing.

Longread: This amp’s reputation precedes it. VHT Pittbull Ultra Lead as it was originally named, with the rebanding of the company in 2009 became Fryette Pittbull Ultra Lead. Together with the 2/50/2 power amp, it was probably for a big part responsible for the rebranding: owner Steven Fryette explained on his YouTube channel that he felt his company was more diverse than the metal scene where it became very successful and popular. But this HiWatt-inspired KT88 powered tube amplifier can do much more than you expect. I mainly bought it because of Helmet’s frontman Page Hamilton playing it for decades. I like Helmet’s sound a lot and play similar rythmic music styles. Coming from a Marshall 2210 and T75 speakers, and having moved to Mesa Triple Rectifier MultiChannel, I searched for a dryer sound without boosting the Rectifier. I found it in the VHT/Fryette FatBottom with P50E’s: it made the Rectifier bone dry (as expected). But I still wasn’t satisfied. I continued searching for one within budget without success. They are really hard to come by in Europe. I finally admitted defeat and got a Sig:X that also has KT88 power tubes. And within 2 weeks I got offered an UL for sale at a correct price from an acquaintance. Bought it immediately. I admit that I have struggled to dial it in, but everyone that hears it says there isn’t a bad tone in it, regardless of how you dial it in! That statement alone summarizes why you should play one. It is a diffent amp altogether. Doing it’s own thing.

Incredible piece of gear

I hated playing digital plugins. It was laggy and never sounded right. I had heard about Kemper for years and the new kid on the block, the NeuralDSP Quad Cortex One day I tried a QC and was intrigued. I started getting interested in the capabilities of both Kemper and QC. Finally decided to get a Kemper PowerRack because it could power a cab. It turns out to be an incredibly versatile and configurable platform. I profiled my amp head collection using my PowerStation direct fx out and bought some good IR’s. Still not finished refining or redoing them. There are so many options and the interface is not very clear. But the result even though I’m not done yet is of such quality that I didn’t notice playing my Kemper instead of my real amps (which are in a KHE 8x4 amp/cab switcher). That is an achievement. It means the feel is the same as a real amp. And so is the sound. Mission accomplished. Congratulations Kemper. PS: anekdote: when I started exploring the (then empty) Kemper, I stumbled on a Rig in the exchange that was sounding so good. It was a 2203 with an SD-1. I couldn’t get enough of it and went out to search for an original early treble circuit 2203 and an original early ‘80ies SD-1. What a glorious sound! The only thing the Kemper doesn’t do is mimicking the transfo sag on the real 2203. Otherwise they sound equally good. But I had to have the 2203. 🤷🏼‍♂️

SCF. It’s an original. Even if it’s a reissue.

One of the first stereo Chorus, Flanger & Pitch shifters around. Contrary to what you might expect it does all these sounds very well. The chorus is bright and clear, even on a distorted guitar (unlike e.g. my Voodoo Lab Chorus). Sounds awesome. The pots have a good range and actually do something to tje sound. You turn a knob, sound changes. What more do you want? This is my default effect. It Flanges really well too. Again a clearly audible, crispy clear flange sound. Pots work well. Pitch shifting is my least favourite sound. Not because it doesn’t sound good, but because I don’t really have a use for it. All in all it does three things and does them very very well. No compromises on sound. Only on the shared pots: if you set them for Chorus and switch to Flanger, you might want to change the pots. But that’s minor inconvenience. It always sounds good, regardless of the pot settings you choose. The new one is even better as it can be 9Vdc powered. Mine is a ‘90ies unit with a fixed AC power cord.

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The gold standard

There is no substitute for tubes. This thing has a signature tone that you either like or not. It’s become the standard for metal tones, but is so versatile that it also allows superlead-like tones with the middle channel in “vintage” and the bass eq and gain turned down. I love it.

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Well built but not as silent as expected

I purchased a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+ to build a new Pedaltrain 3 Classic board. The PP2+ was not as good and suitable for me as expected. First, I noticed hum and a lot more feedback in my guitar than I was used to in the rehearsal space (with not very good power/earth). I tried to solve it with a noise gate, but one day it was so particularly bad that I decided to power a few of my required pedals from the Truetone CS6 in my backup Pedaltrain Nano+. Guess what: completely silent with noise gate off. No more feedbacking guitar. So I replaced the PP2+ with a Truetone CS12 and have not regretted it. So think before you buy. Try if you can. Second, when I built my PT Classic 3, I needed brackets. Had to order them. Needed some specific cables, had to order those too. Here in Europe I couldn’t find Voodoo Labs cables, so I went for the Truetone cables instead. When I replaced the PP2+ with a Truetone CS12 for the above reason, I noticed Truetone included all required brackets, templates for drilling holes and a myriad of extra special cables like Y-splitters, reverse polarity, other colour (for different voltages/amps etc.). So unless you read reviews, You wouldn’t know that all this is optional with the more expensive Voodoo Lab power supplies yet standard with a direct competitor.

A dream come true

Ever since I've known of their existence, I've been a fan of the sound of an SJ-200 or J-200. I have played a lot of 200's before finding mine. I went from local guitar shops to Denmark street vintage shops over international acoustic specialty shops. Every one I played seemed to sound different: used or new, good or bad shape, they all have their unique character. After years of searching and trying SJ's, I finally found the one for me: a well priced used one, 33 years old, not quite vintage yet. A beautiful natural SJ Standard that sounds exceptionally good. A guitar you fall asleep with on the bed. You can't stop playing it, because the sound and feel are so rewarding. What a contrast with my high end Yamaha FG. No comparison possible. The J-200 is a classic. It has a very balanced sound with good volume. Studio's are beautifully simple, but Standards add real abalone and fine craftsmanship on top. It is one of the few guitars that look good with all the baroque ornaments. That is personal taste of course. Mine didn't come with a pick-up. Not a problem because I only play at home. Also I'm not a fan of the acoustic piezo sound, I much prefer a good microphone to pick up the glorious sound.

Didn’t expect it to be so good.

In my quest for a legendary old VHT Pittbull Ultra Lead with KT88 power tubes, I started looking at alternatives. One of these is the Sig:X. An Ultra Lead is known for its dry and unforgiving tone. Not many amps sound and feel like that. I didn’t expect to find it in the Sig:X in such quantities too! Where the Ultra Lead is extremely good at one thing (albeit capable of many different tones), the Sig:X is even more versatile. It has even more tonal options and switches all over the panel. Initially they intimidate and confuse. But when taking a bit of time experimenting and dialling in the amp, they all make perfect sense. They all do something to the tone that is clearly audible. If you (like me) want to know what you‘re actually doing, the manual explains it very well. It’s also easy to dial in to your tastes (much more than an UL). This amp can do crystal sparkling cleans, nice crunch, strong rythm parts and searing leads. Three channels. A boost*. And a happy guitarist.

• no it doesn’t need a tube screamer. It already HAS a boost!

Didn’t expect it to be so good.

In my quest for a legendary old VHT Pittbull Ultra Lead with KT88 power tubes, I started looking at alternatives. One of these is the Sig:X. It has a similar dry and unforgiving tone to it. Something the Ultra Lead is well known for. But I didn’t expect it in this amp. But where the Ultra Lead is quite narrow-minded (extremely good at one thing), the Sig:X is much more versatile. It has a lot of tonal options and switches all over the panel. Initially they intimidate and confuse. But when taking a bit of time experimenting and dialling in the amp, they all make perfect sense. They all do something to the tone that is clearly audible. If you (like me) want to know what you‘re actually doing, the manual explains it very well. This amp can do crystal sparkling cleans, nice crunch, strong rythm parts and searing leads. Three channels. A boost*. And a happy guitarist.

• no it doesn’t need a tube screamer. It already HAS a boost!

Very bright and sweet sounding cab

Something of a special here. Diezel made these cabs back around 2012. They were a lot more expensive than regular Diezel cabs due to the high end ceramic hemp cone speakers from Tele Tubbies. I didn’t know any of this when I tried the cab out. It sounds absolutely glorious. I used a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier with an SG. I usually hook up to a Mesa Boogie Oversized Standard 4x12 cab, or a VHT/Fryette FatBottom 412S. This Diezel cab sounds very bright. The Mesa is a rather dark amp, so it benefits from the clear and crisp highs in these speakers. Clean tones, crunch tones or searing distortion, this cab does everything without blinking. If you’re in for something else than V30’s or Greenbacks, this cab is for you! Incredible. Worth every penny if you ask me!

Can do anything you throw at it

This amp sounds great. It is 50W, but uses 4 power amp tubes. Clean channel is real clean and lively. The distortion channel can do everything from Jimmy Page to Slipknot. You can spot the 4 gain stages clearly when dialing the gain up. Easy to find your tone. This amp has a gift for pinch harmonics. They are so easy. It doesn’t need a boost, but it takes them very well. In general it is a pedal-friendly platform. Add to that a great over-the-top reverb and you have an amp that can do it all. Seriously. I have many amps and not one can do both pristine cleans and grinding distortion. Very very good amp. 5 out of 5 stars!

Very bright

Good sounding, classic tone producing speaker. Good mids, a bit overpowering high and not much lows. Blends nicely with G12M Greenbacks.

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The best attenuator. Period.

After years of reading and viewing reviews about it, I decided to get this Fryette PowerStation PS-2. It is an actual tube power amp, not a passive device, although it can be used as such (without power, some buttons don’t work). Attenuators usually suck tone. Not this one. I can dial in the exact same tone as without the PS-2, the only difference is that it it bedroom volume. So satisfying. It is even possible to make the tone better than the original (Triple Rectifier) amp. Who would have thought that. Kudos to Steven Fryette. This thing rocks! Specs? It handles 4/8/16 ohm in- and output. It handles tube heads up to 200W (!).

Glorious sound

I’ve been using Orange and VHT cabs with my Triple Rectifier head before. Through the VHT FatBottom with P50E’s it sounded epic, but still a bit on the treble and mid side. Good for band work, less so for home practicing and recording. I like to hear more lows especially when not in a band setting. I added an Orange PPC212 for the lows, but I wasn’t quite there yet. This oversize slant Mesa cab put one term in my head when I first heard it with my own TripleRec head: GLORIOUS. It has all the lows, all the mids and all the trebles that I want in a balanced, almost hifi way. I had to dial the bass and mid eq back to flat and treble to 2 o’clock to have it spot on. It really is a step (or two) up from my other cabs that are already top quality. What it misses compared to my more compact and lighter VHT/Fryette, is the ability to support fast, choppy staccato riffs with lots of rests in between. The Fatbottom with it’s P50E’s are supporting that and accentuating them. This Mesa cab fattens them out and makes them less choppy I noticed. Can’t have it all. But now I’m really splitting hairs. Glorious. Remember that. (Might give those P50E’s in the Mesa a try ;-))

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The best

I was introduced to Santa Cruz when inquiring about a Gibson SJ-200 (a favourite of mine) in a local shop. The salesman showed me that guitar and let me play it. But then he insisted I also play a tiny guitar from a brand I didn’t know. It was made from old wood that had been in a swamp for many many years. There was a whole procedure to dry the wood and use it to make some sort of parlor guitar. I was completely blown away. How could this tiny guitar sound so overwhelming and intense? After this, he introduced me to several other Santa Cruz guitars he had in the shop. I played them all, although way beyond my budget. The Pre War Dreadnought was the one for me. The top end Martins, Taylors and Gibsons ceased to exist near this absolute winner of a guitar. Try one and allow yourself the same experience I had. You won’t be disappointed.

Best sounding envelope filter

I have bought the three envelope filters that Flea used: the DOD FX25, FX25B and the original green EHX QTron. The QTron sounds way fuller. Both DOD’s lack bass response. The EHX doesn’t let the bass tone suffer from the filter effect. There is a reason only the original green QTron is still on Flea’s pedal board.

Easy but powerful double remote

Initially, I bought this pedal, thinking it was an ABY box. When I learned the SW2 was a universal remote, I had no use for it. I traded it for a Tremolo pedal. Then I got a Radial Tonebone VT… and I ran back to the store I traded it and bought it right back. So it is a good remote footswitch for amp heads. But when connected to a Tonebone, it allows you not only to switch channels on the amp head, but also between heads connected to one single cab! Who would have thought this was even possible! The awesomeness of this product shines through when combined with other Radial device gems.

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Excellent true bypass tuner with built-in power supply

The PlanetWaves tuner (currently owned by D’Addario) was a true bypass tuner and power supply built in a metal enclosure. It consumes very little power, has a bright colourful display that is very clear to read. The tuner allows for both silent and non-silent tuning (different jacks). It came in a elastic leather protective pouch. Very well finished product with no issues at all in 15 years of use. It doesn’t even have a scratch, as opposed to my other pedals on the same pedal board! For more demanding users, this tuner allows for custom tunings and can be reconfigured easily to tune in several steps above the pitch.

Best ABY around

Initially I started with a Morley ABY. Although it switches fine and silently, it doesn’t allow to break ground loops or include a switchable buffered interface like the Radial. I have two Radial ABY’s. One earlier generation without the LED’s, one later model with LED’s. Both are top notch. No tone loss (to the contrary), no noise, sturdy package. I love them!

The one and only

I never liked boosts in the first place. Didn’t need it on my Marshall JCM800 2210. Until I started dropping my tunings lower and lower. When getting my 7-string K7, I first experienced muddyness. I steered clear of the TubeScreamer, and got me a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier. Sounds killer, but still struggled with some lack of definition and some muddyness. Years went by and occasionally I’d try an Ibanez TS9 or a TS808, Emma Onomatopoeia and an Xotic RC Booster. Except for the latter, none of them made a lasting impression. I kept learning and reading about the TubeScreamer history and then a used Maxon OD-808 came up for sale locally. I picked it up and fell in love instantly. Unlike the TS9 and TS808, this Maxon sounds full and round. No screechy tones! It’s easy to dial in a tone that you like. All controls work well and it tightens the Triple Rectifier. Even for the 2210 it isn’t overkill. This pedal stays on my board and is always on now, although not true bypass it’s very low noise and doesn’t eat tone at all it makes tone!

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