Things That Are Older Than Me Episode #4: "And I Don't Care Where I'm Goin'"

It feels good to be back, and it feels good to be back with one of these.

Tonight’s “Things That Are Older Than Me” is about modulation.

This is about a Flanger.

Quick update, life has been wild. I got to visit a excellent friend in Asheville, NC in the spring and to snag a beautiful black label OC-2 (which is another story for another day). Work has been rocking, life has been rocking, band has been really rocking!

As you may have surmised, I believe there is something to be said about vintage pedals. I also believe there is something to be said about new and improved counterparts. That OC-2 is something special. But in a live situation I appreciate the dependability, accessibility and improvements (top jacks yo) on modern variants of storied pedals.

However, components and design are great reasons why vintage pedals have a place in my heart, even if they don’t have a place on the pedalboards that I take out. They may not see certain gigging/jamming situations, but for recording and making music they can be magical. Which takes us to the point of this….

The MXR M-117.

So I like flangers, I really do. It’s such a fun effect. Quite by chance, I stumbled upon this M117. I wasn’t too sure of the year, I was semi familiar with the modern repro with side mounted jacks. So it was bye to the eq pedal I wasn’t using and hello to the flanger that has been a ton of fun to play.

It turns out this thing is (at least to my dating) a very late 70’s- early 80’s variant. The first thing I thought of when I saw this pedal was Van Halen. “Unchained” and it’s flanger usage is so rad and inspirational to me. This, to my research, would be the variant that would get me closest to that era and sound. I mean, flange is just a cool effect all around. It’s perfect for someone that loves filters, hates chorus, but still needs that modulated sound. It goes deeper and is more emotive as a way to enhance a tone, in my humble opinion. So with a flange I get my chorus vibes covered without a chorus pedal, sometimes (depending on the flanger) I have my funky vibes covered too. It’s the perfect modulation pedal for me.

This M-117 has the AC power vs a now standard 9v (or similar DC) connection. And those side jacks..for both input and output! Solderless cables are a godsend for runs like this, because very few companies make a patch cable that would work in this setup. 

And now the sound. This thing can go from warm and funky to jet plane and everywhere in between. On bass it just adds this nice little dimension that I can slip into. It is a deep flanger, or at least it can be if you want it to. Lay it back and it does subtle like it invented the word.

I have flangers that can be great flangers. I have flangers that can go through zero, I haven’t been able to push this one past zero yet, but I’ve gotten really close. 

Remember when I was talking about modern improvements? I make exceptions to lack of LED indications for the noise this thing puts out. What a rad Flanger.

Safety Nets

Since day one of recording on my own, I always strove for a dry track when possible. I liked the idea of a safety net. In my mind, if I messed up with micing, or phase or whatever, the dry track would be the life preserver for whoever was mixing it. I would position it early in the chain, usually right after my compressor and record that way. Sometimes I’d run the DI from the amp as well, not an entirely dry track, but in the same vein.

Fuck. That. 

Truant Minds recently took a look at some older material. This material required me to re-record the song as we’ve been playing it for the last 2 years. With this band, of course depending on the song, I try and do my thing. Sometimes I can’t, because the original parts are exquisite and they have to stay. I can’t change excellent lines, and that’s okay, there is nothing to improve. I have a blast playing those songs. Respect and kudos to the bass players that came before me.

This song was one that gave me freedom. I could do my own thing on this. 

This particular song needed some sway, it has that thing. After a bunch of recordings, I’ve been able to experiment and explore what works. I think this recording was the ultimate refinement of that process. My RBH cab is unbeatable, but I don’t know if I like the CX-115 with a mic in front of it. Or at least not for TM, it sounds great beyond that and I love jamming through it. For Truant Minds there’s this grind I’m going for that the RBH just has. The CX-210 was used this time around, which I like a lot. That cab is solid. the combination CX-210/RBH115 gets me the exact sound I want.

Sorry, I got distracted talking about cabs.

Anyways... so for this song I wanted to capture that sway. So I went with two mics, One on the 15 one on the 10. I had a DI from the amp. That DI track is currently chilling in my trash bin. This was also the first TM recording with my #1.

(I’m about to get off topic a bit, skip the next two paragraphs if you don’t care about my Precision Bass)

Short story:

In high school I worked during the summer,

saved a few bucks and bought my first Fender Precision Bass. This bass has seen a lot of bands, many situations and a ton of different strings. It’s always been my go to. When I joined Truant Minds it was strung with flats, so it was a never used. I was also trying to go for a bit more top end tonally, maple boards worked better in that regard. But then I got some new Curtis Novak pickups in it (which rule) and thought “what if I throw some DR Lo-Riders on it and see what happens?”.

Dude! The neck felt like home. It just felt right. Everything felt right. It sounded incredible, it sounded right. Those pickups feed dirt exceptionally well. Goddamn. I love that Precision.

So.. sway... yeah. P Bass+ (Boss CS2-> Fuzzrocious Demon-> Fuzzrocious Broke Dick Peanut Gallery)+cranked Gallien Krueger= my favorite bass recording so far. 

I’m proud of everything I’ve put out, but this symbolized a refinement of the process. I found an equation that worked! 4 sources were useless, I’m so happy with 2 now. Less confusion, less mucking around, more playing. 

I got rid of the safety net, and it was an excellent sonic decision. We all have safety nets, and they might not be sonic ones. Since this revelation I’ve been trying to uncover my nets and challenge them, bass related and life related.

It's more fun this way.

Accomplishment

I haven’t done one of these in a while.

I want to talk about accomplishment. 

Approximately 14 months ago, I had this idea, this vision if you will. I wanted a pedalboard for everything that wasn’t my main gig. Originally I just wanted a bunch of cool shit on it, but eventually narrowed that down to the best of the effects I use. “Best” is suggestive of course, I was looking for the effects that were best for my ear and for best for everything I like to play. 

Thus started a list, written on some receipt from somewhere, of potential pedals for this project. It took a lot of experimenting, and really figuring out what I needed/wanted on this board. There was supposed to be a looper or switcher for the multitude of sounds at my feet. But I really didn’t have the time, need or want for that kind of wiring. Bit Crushers, Delays, Loopers and other awesome stuff are on that receipt, but realism reigned. There are a few pedals remaining from this project that didn’t make it on the final iteration of the board. I’m sure I’ll find a use for them. My Wounded Paw Blender is a casualty of this failed design. It is such a cool piece, it really is, but it was too much for what I was after. It is kind of the pedal that helped me to realize I wanted to keep this board (relatively) simple. I still use it to test pedals and order, and it’s amazing for that. Maybe one day when things get a bit more effected I’ll add it back in. 

Stupid wiring phase over, the goal was quality. I know what I like. It took a bit of research to find the companies who were making what I liked. The dirt pedals that didn’t end up on the Truant Minds board usually made their way to this board. One that immediately comes to mind is the SS/BS Buzz. It’s such a savage fuzz, but it didn’t really work for what I was trying to do in TM. It’s perfect for this board though. It covers everything from vintage to modern, which is excellent for a board that is supposed to do everything. I have always had a fondness for light/uncolored drive, which I have abundantly covered on the TM board. I snagged a LunaReclipse for that role on the “everything else” board. I snagged a SS/BS Mini as well, which definitely can have a more vintage vibe if I need it. 

I took a lot from the TM board. That is my favorite board. Lets talk about proud for a minute, I am fucking proud of that. I like gnarly distortion, excellent fuzz, compression, color, and raw savagery. That is the TM board in no particular order. I took everything I learned from the TM board and applied it to the “everything else” board. The lessons I learned from that board (compression is cool, layout is key, tone is paramount) all played into the completion of this one. I purposefully designed this board to be the one that I could play everything on. Effect choices changed between the two, but the ideas remained similar. Excellent sounds, no compromises. 

I’m having a real “whats next?” moment here. My gut tells me the next step is to get my recording gear in order. Am I done with pedals? Hell no. But the immediacy of acquisition has ended. I have the sounds I need to do what I want, and most importantly; sound how I want. There are hours of research, trial and error, frustration, education, love, headaches and enjoyment in this thing. I cannot wait to use this thing to it’s full potential. 

There was an exorbitant amount of time spent on education and research when it came to this board. When it comes to snares, cymbals and mics I have friends that I can consult. This was a solo effort. This was truly listening to every flanger, chorus, fuzz, comp, octave, and filter in my price range and finding the ones that worked best of me. 

This is the final iteration. This is my board*.

*The only thing I might change is the SS/BS Mini. I have the LunaReclipse, which essentially serves the same purpose. I may have to swap the Mini for a Fuzzrocious Cat Tail at some point, because the Cat Tail is the best bass dirt ever. But until then, the board is actually done. 

NPD: Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace

To further connect this to music, I'll let you know what I'm listening to while I write this. To further connect this to beer, I'll let you know what I'm drinking while I write this. Unfortunately it is neither beer nor good this time*. Jeff Buckley Live at Sin-e’ is permeating my speakers while I write this. Sublime music at it's core. This album is a guitar, a voice and something to say. Check it out if you haven't. 

So I'm here to talk about a fuzz (shocker). It's not a clone of anything though, it's not a reimagined classic circuit, it's a original piece and it sings and snarls. This is about the Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace.

You can't name a pedal "Blast Furnace" unless it's going to be savage. This pedal is savage. I first heard about it during the lead up to winter NAMM I think, and definitely saw videos after the event. The kind of videos that make one go "I need this". It's a cool idea, fuzz+delay, that opens a ton of options. But beyond the exterior, and at the heart of this pedal, is the original fuzz. This is not a clone, it's tweakable and it sings. 

There are undeniable titans of the fuzz realm, the classics, the unbeatable, the "sound". There are undeniable interpretations of those titans available for purchase, and most of these interpretations are exquisite. I applaud (and proudly use) pedals based off lauded designs. Most have modern improvements that make them perfect for achieving the tones I'm after without having to worry about powering, durability and how they will work in a band setting. 

But there is something to be said about making your own fuzz, and that's what Fuzzrocious did. 

This pedal is gated, anything gated can be touchy (pun intended). For myself, there was always a fine line; When does a pedal become a glitchy fuzz v.s a usable gated fuzz? I have gated fuzzes and they sound great, but lean more towards glitchy. Gltichy has its place, I love me some gltichy. But in a full band setting sometimes gltichy just doesn't translate well for my needs.

And that's where the Blast Furnace comes in. It cuts (I can't stress this part enough), and in a band setting it just works. That's usually my biggest worry with fuzzes, how they'll compete live. Luckily I didn't have much worrying to do. The tone control gives you everything you could want. I spent a few days playing with mine stock, figured out the sound I wanted and opened it up to find the tone. It literally took me 5 mins of experimenting with the internal trim pots and I found it. I run it with the toggle down, and it sounds huge.

Still, I was a little hesitant bringing it to band practice. I knew that if this didn't work tonally I'd have to bring a screwdriver out to find the ideal setting. For once I thought ahead, and dialed in that tone control with a band setting in mind. I leaned more on the treble than I normally would have, but not by much and it worked. The tone stays pretty consistent with volume changes and low end is retained. Huge shoutout to the band for putting up with me messing with the delay side of this thing way too much my first practice with it. 

Oh yeah, this thing has a delay. For the music I play I don't use it much, but experimenting with the delay side is a rewarding endeavor. Solid, no frills and musical this is a delay that functions. For my uses, which are just being obnoxious and making loud noises, it's the best thing ever! In my quest for making noise the delay side provides me with a multitude of possibilities. 

My final thoughts: This thing rules. Props to Fuzzrocious for making a killer, original, fuzz. It's pretty well documented that I like all of Fuzzrocious's offerings. If there is a tone I'm after, chance's are they have a pedal that does it. All that aside, I can't find a fault with this thing. I didn't think I'd like the controls only being accessible from the inside, but I do. The "set it and forget it" nature of this pedal is part of what makes it fun. I turn it on and it sounds good, no messing around, just having fun with a fuzz. 

This is actually rare, but I want another one. I have a band board and another board for home use, I want a Blast Furnace for both. I try not duplicate pedals, different options are cool from a musical standpoint, they can lead to variety in expression and output. Having said that, the Blast Furnace just works so well I wouldn't complain if I had another one.

*I'm drinking Victory Dirt Wolf while I edit this. It is both beer and good.  

NPD: It Came From Canada

                                                     

There are a few pedals I want to try.. actually that's a lie, there are a lot of pedals I want to try. The list is pretty staggering, but lately a Ring Mod is something I've been searching for. 

So what even is a Ring Mod? I'm still kind of not sure. Tony Iommi had one, so that makes it legit I guess. What I'm finding is it makes cool sounds, in a way that no other pedal I have does. It's a unique tone, I think that's why it so quickly rose to the top of my next pedal list. I have delays, fuzzes, phasers, filters, octaves and a ton more. However, I didn't have the sound that is a Ring Mod. 

I'd gone down this path before, but never pulled the trigger. Initially the Ring Modulators on my list were the Moog MF-102 and.. I think that might have been it actually. That's not to say that pedal isn't in my future, but right now I find myself in a place where I'm limited (mainly by choice). Dimensions, power options and the avoidance of unnecessary distractions are defining this board. The Montreal Assembly Puhzing is super simple to dial in, not big at all and sounds great!

So, in trying to avoid the "unnecessary" I now have a Ring Mod. A pedal, which as a bass player, might be the definition of unnecessary. Could I have gone with other pedals like a bit crusher for my weird tones? Absolutely. But shit, this Ring Mod is fun! 

I'm all about getting synthy tones from my instrument right now. The Puhzing is just one piece of the puzzle in creating a functional board that can get weird. 

I feel like it's unfair to dive into this pedal until I get a expression pedal to use with it. I think that will open up the Puhzing even more, but for now it's been fun. I have it towards the end of my chain. With the wet around unity and the dry off and it sounds pretty cool. Adding the dry back in allows for a nice presence in conjunction with the effected tone. I need to play with it more to figure out its place with other effects, and that expression pedal should change things.. I'm stoked. 

It is solidly built as well, not ton of weight to it and everything is sturdy. Montreal Assembly gear has been getting great reviews recently, I look forward to what they put out next!

So the verdict on the Montreal Assembly Puhzing: It is cool and it is weird. Nice footprint, simple controls, rad tone. Good times.

Things That Are (Potentially) Older Than Me Episode #3: Boss PS-2

When I was 11 I got a PS2 for Christmas, the Sony kind. I was really stoked, Santa gave me the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King game that year too. Rad gift, I got to run around saving Middle Earth, good times. 

A few years later I quite literally stumbled upon another kind of PS-2. This particular one comes from Japan and has a blue label. I can’t accurately date it as the serial number is faded, but the blue label would put it in the late 80s/early 90s. While I don’t have the exact year of its creation this pedal is most likely older than me, production was stopped in 1994. 

But who cares how old it is? This thing is cool. 

I like simplicity and this thing is simple. It has a Level control, Feedback, Pitch Shift/Delay parameter control (labeled as “Fine/Manual) and Mode. No going through the non-existent manual that came with this used piece, what each mode does is clearly listed on the face. I love that. 

Having the ability to blend the signal isn't always critical for me, but in some effects it needs to exist. This has and ultimately needs that blend, leading to some interesting tones and better control of the effect. It tracks really well. It does the glitchy thing, and I love me some glitchy, but it can tighten up nicely. It won’t stack up to some modern options (duh) in terms of pure tracking/tone and that is to be expected. However it is definitely a contender and certainly doesn't suck. 

Modern and improved circuits offer much tighter and truer reproduction of sound, I think thats why I like the PS-2. Its different, it has a character that is sometimes hard to find in current gear. Not that anything out there sucks when it comes to pitch shifting, we are living in a golden age for this stuff. But sometimes I’m looking for that little slice of weird, those subtle musical imperfections and pedals like this deliver. 

By the way, this thing has a delay, 2 pedals in 1, I dig it. 

The Wounded Paw Effects Blender V4

I gotta talk about this thing, it’s awesome.

I never really planned to include a blender in my rig. I love the idea (and theory) of just running everything straight, as I really dig stacking pedals to achieve sounds. As the layout for my board expanded the largest obstacle became using the pedals I wanted while maintaining a tolerable signal quality.

Enter the blender. I eventually figured a blender was needed, I really didn’t know what kind or where to start. What drew me to Wounded Paw’s offerings were the options (as compared to say an LS-2) and yeah, that’s really it. However the more I thought about it the more I realized the depth of this pedal.

Four independent loops, summed together. In my case this meant a few things.

1. The ability to create my favorite stacks of pedals and blend them in as needed:

I enjoying running my Wren & Cuff Pickle Pie in the effects loop of the 3 Leaf Wonderlove. But while doing this I want to maintain a lot of my core tone.  

2. Using the octave as an always on effect:

When doing this I can add a really cool texture to my clean tone. There is no discernable glitching out on the low notes but enough to hear the octave in the tone. I can push pedals harder than I could previously, because the resulting levels can be controlled with precision. 

3.  ORGANIZATION!:

 By grouping my effects by channel I’ve been able to condense and organize the board. My synth or synth related pedals are in one chain, delay/modulation are in another and my drives are divided into two channels. Everything can be laid out in the order I desire, without compromising the core tone.

If you’re looking for a blending pedal you know what they do, you probably know what is out there and you probably know the options each pedal provides. I can’t speak for any others, but for me the Wounded Paw Blender V4 has performed perfectly. I definitely recommend checking it out.  Like I said, the field is big. What are you using as a blend on your board?