What is it? Digitech XBW Bass Synth Wah, Bass envelope filter from X-series. Made in china around mid-00’s. Ok. I’ve had some of the X-series boxes lying around for quite some time. Just didn’t find it in me to open them up until now. All them sounded and felt reasonable good on initial tests, so…
Carlsbro AC1160 Wah Wah
What is it? Carlsbro AC1160 Wah Wah. Made in china around mid 00’s. A wah in a standard Cry Baby sized enclosure, but instead of the basic black, the surface is cool looking chrome. By starters, i must confess that i’m not a big user of wahs. Since i taught myself to user choruses, i…
Boss OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion
What is it? Boss OS-2 OverDrive/Distortion. Made in taiwan, january 1996. I was rather keen on trying this one out. I find the idea of OD and Dist made blendable in a single unit intriguing. This, among with other basic or classic hits as DS-1 and SD-1 are probably the cheapest and most common boss…
Rolls RFX970 Vibraflange
What is it? Rolls RFX970 Vibraflange. Made in USA, 1993. For some reason i wasn’t aware the amount of stuff in the back catalog of this company called Rolls. The reasonably priced headphone amplifiers and patch bays i did know. But then again, the main reason might also be that the bigger part of Rolls…
Colorless writings, part 19 – Component Quality
Are you talking about the marketing text we see on many manufacturers’ sites and brochures? Exactly. The phrases like “Only the best quality components have been used” and “Highest quality components” are something i tend to see around every now and then. I’ll start with this link: http://www.dirk-hendrik.com/boutique.html It is to Dirk Hendrik’s page and…
Digitech WH-II Whammy II
What is it? Digitech Whammy II, made in canada. Possibly sometime in the 90’s. It’s rather rare occasion that someone gets a chance of buying a rare western made unit for a low price. For me, the day this one came for sale was one of those rare occasions. I paid good amount of money…
Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb
What is it? Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb. Made in taiwan, june 2008. So the Boss RV-reverb line keeps getting duller as it goes further. Can’t help but to compare this to RV-2, which was ground breaking pedal in many ways. First off, the RV-2 was the first compact digital reverb ever produced. Second, the design…
Monarch MCO-22 Compressor
What is it? Monarch MCO-22 Compressor. Made in japan around mid to late 80’s. Got this one in a trade. Could have bought it straight off, since the price was right. There is always something interesting in these 80’s japanese cheapos. Mainly because most of them are really good sounding and usable circuits, despite their…
DOD FX96 Echo FX Analog Delay
What is it? DOD FX96 Echo FX Analog Delay from FX series. No serial number, but component stamps suggest the unit is made is USA, 1999. The America’s pedal is once again perfect source for the version details and additional info. So check that out before continuing. I’ve been partly in love with analog BBD-based…
Ibanez PM7 Phase Modulator
What is it? Ibanez PM7 Phase Modulator from 7/Tonelok series. Made in china, 2005 As the truly modern guitar effects go, there are usually those that designers have spent hours to design an effect that sounds great on guitar. Better than the previous takes on this same subject. Then there are these designs that try…