The good people of EBS Sweden are now bringing a healthy dose of fuzz to the bassist’s toolbox.
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The EBS FuzzMo (current price in Finland: 169,90 €) is a fuzz-type high gain distortion developed especially for bass.
This stompbox is made in China to the EBS’ exacting standards. It’s a sturdy pedal with very positive feeling controls.
The FuzzMo can be powered in three ways:
If you use an EBS amp from the Drome-, Gorm-, HD- or TD-series, you can use a TRS-cable (aka a stereo cable) to feed phantom power from the amp to the effect pedal.
The FuzzMo pedal also runs off a standard 9 V battery, but you will need a screwdriver to take off the base plate first.
The third alternative is to employ a Boss-type power supply (9 V DC, centre negative) to fire up the stompbox.
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Even though the EBS FuzzMo looks somewhat similar to the company’s Billy Sheehan -pedal, the controls on the fuzz work in a different way.
The FuzzMo doesn’t do ”nice and sweet” – the Gain control offers fuzz from medium-crunchy to balls-to-the-wall-fuzz. Shape adjusts the tone of the fuzz effect – not in the way a traditional tone control does, but rather by changing the waveform of the fuzz signal. At seven o’clock the sound is quite warm and organic with the waveform approaching a square, while five o’clock is far brighter and more aggressive with the waveform resembling a triangle.
The mini-switch underneath the FuzzMo-logo (called Character) also plays an important part in the stompbox’ sound:
Switched to the left no EQ’ing is applied to the signal (FLAT). In the middle position there’s a slight attenuation of the mid-range. SCOOP on the right side results in a very Metal-style scooped-mid tone with plenty of bite.
Modern bass effects often split the bass signal at the input. One half is fed through the effect, while the other half is kept dry and mixed into the wet signal before it reaches the output. The advantage of doing things this way is that it enables you to keep your bottom end and dynamic attack intact.
This is just the way EBS’ FuzzMo works, too:
You use the Volume knob to adjust the fuzz signal’s volume level, and then use the Blend control to add the desired amount of dry bass. This feature is especially important in fuzz pedals for bass, because the hard clipping of a fuzz effect practically negates all your playing dynamics by design. With the FuzzMo there will be no problems with your tone becoming mushy, clogged up and indistinct, because the Blend control lets you restore your bass guitar’s punch and low end.
Here’s a bit recorded with a Jazz Bass (both pickups on) and a relatively low Gain setting:
In this clip I added some more fuzz and bite to a Rickenbacker played with a plectrum:
Thanks to the ability to blend in the dry signal, the EBS FuzzMo also works extremely well with a five-string (in this case a Yamaha BB with active EMGs):
Note that on all these audio clips the Gain control stayed below one o’clock. If you want you can take things much, much further with this EBS-pedal!
The FuzzMo is a typical EBS-pedal – it’s a sturdy, pro-quality stompbox and it sounds great. If you’re a purveyor of sleazy, dirty and aggressive bass tones, you should definitely give this baby a spin!
Marshall’s DSL5C combo is the newest – and smallest – member of the DSL-series.
The DSL-range has its roots in the year 1997, when Marshall introduced their – now legendary – JCM2000 Dual Super Lead -head. The JCM2000 was the first Marshall amp that combined a vintage-voiced Plexi-channel and a modern Ultra Gain -channel in one chassis.
The production run of the original DSL-series was discontinued in 2007, with the JVM-range superseding it. The new DSL-series offers the company’s most-affordable all-valve amps to date, which are produced at Marshall’s own facility in Vietnam.
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As you can easily guess by its name, the Marshall DSL5C (current street price in Finland around 520 €) is a five-Watt, two-channel combo.
In terms of its looks and the quality of its finish, this is a genuine Marshall. Quality control at the Vietnamese factory seems to as stringent as in Britain, and the combo looks great and feels well-made and sturdy.
The DSL5C comes with an open back cabinet. The upper opening in the cabinet’s back is covered with a metal grille to keep stray fingers and hot tubes apart form each other.
This little Marshall uses three preamp valves (ECC83/12AX7), plus a single power amp tube (ECC99/12BH7).
The DSL5C’s speaker is a ten-inch Celestion Ten 30, which is meant to provide a big, warm bottom-end, coupled with a healthy dose of ”Celestion grunt” and bite.
This compact combo weighs less than five kilos, making it very easy to carry, using its rubberised handle.
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The Marshall DSL5C is a two-channel, all-valve combo:
Channel one – Classic Gain – is voiced to give you a classic Marshall 1959 -style tone and gain structure. The Classic-channel goes from bright and clean all the way to mid-level, classic crunch. Due to the fact that this channel doesn’t have a master volume, distorted sounds can only be had at very high volume levels – unless you switch to Low Power mode (more on this further down).
True to its name, the second channel – Ultra Gain – is made for modern, saturated high-gain sounds.
Both channels share a three-band EQ-section, which means a certain amount of tonal compromises will have to be made. But thanks to the way both channels have been voiced, a shared EQ doesn’t pose any real problems in the Marshall DSL5C’s case.
Pushing in the Tone Shift switch will give you a thinned out, sharper mid-range, making it ideal for many Thrash Metal tones. Engaging Deep bolsters the bottom-end at the output stage for a fatter sound.
The back panel offers you an effects loop, as well as a footswitch jack for the DSL5C’s sturdy channel switch (supplied, see pic below).
There’s a very nifty speaker-emulated output designed into this Marshall combo, which works in two different ways, depending on the setting of the Power-switch:
In Full Power mode the output gives out a line level signal, which can be sent to a mixing console or your recording equipment. The speaker will run even with a plug connected to the output. In Low Power mode (the manual says 0.5 Watts, the website 1 W) the output level is changed to work with headphones, and plugging a pair of cans in will mute the speaker. The Aux In only works in Low-mode, and its signal will be sent directly to the headphones.
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In my opinion Marshall’s DSL5C is a fantastic-sounding little Rock- and Metal-combo, ideally suited for use in your bedroom, for practice, for recording and for backstage warm-up.
My only small niggle would be with the emulated output of our review sample, which produced more hiss than what I’d have expected. Anyhow, I was able to EQ out most of the hiss for the sound clips, meaning it really isn’t that much of a problem. And then there’s always the possibility that there was something wrong with this particular combo…
The DSL5C’s two channels enable you to get a wide variety of different Rock-, Metal- and Thrash-sounds out of this little combo, depending on your gain-, volume- and EQ-settings, but also on the power mode chosen. Going to Low Power doesn’t only drop your output levels, but also adds a lot of tasty, squashy power amp compression. This means that you can choose between very tight sounds (Full Power) and fatter, compressed tones (Low Power) by using the switch on the back panel.
All sound clips have been recorded in Full Power mode to allow for direct comparison between the miked up sound of the speaker and the speaker-emulated output.
For starters I played my Stratocaster through a clean setting on the Classic-channel (recorded with a Shure SM57):
…and here’s what the same bit sounds like recorded directly via the emulated output:
Here’s the Classic-channel and the neck pickup of my double-humbucker Hamer Studio Custom (miked up):
…and the same clip recorded direct:
Here’s my Strat into the Ultra-channel (Tone Shift off), recorded with the SM57:
…and its speaker-emulated counterpart:
This is the Hamer, tuned to Drop-D into the Ultra-channel (Tone Shift on), miked up:
…and this is the direct recorded version:
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Marshall’s cute and cuddly new five-watter, the DSL5C, is a great choice as a first tube combo (”My first Marshall”), as well as a precision tool for any guitarist in those situations, when high wattage is more of a problem than an advantage (like at home or in the project studio).
The DSL5C delivers genuine, all-valve Marshall-tone in a handy package, and the combo’s Vietnamese origin means it’s also very affordable.
James Hetfield is a musician, who surely needs no introduction. He is Metallica’s frontman, singer, songwriter and guitarist, and has played a very important part in the development of the Metal genre.
Metallica’s guitarists – Hetfield and his colleague Kirk Hammet – have long been collaborating with ESP Guitars. The LTD James Hetfield Snakebyte is the most recent fruit of this partnership.
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In the early years of Metallica, James Hetfield used to play a Gibsonin Explorer, and looking at his new signature model, it’s easy to conclude that this guitar legend still holds a place in his heart for angular guitars.
LTD’s James Hetfield Snakebyte (current price in Finland:1.098 €) is an ultra-modern Metal-machine, with a clear stylistic nod to the Explorer.
Both the guitar’s body and set neck have been crafted from mahogany, while dark-black ebony has been chosen for this model’s fingerboard.
The Snakebyte’s body is noticeably more compact when compared to its vintage forefather, making for a lighter and more comfortable playing experience.
There’s a long, flat chamfer on the body’s bass side, which proved hard to photograph, but which really makes a difference in terms of the Hetfield signature model’s ergonomics.
A set of locking Sperzel tuning machines have been chosen for their high quality and proven tuning stability.
The Tone Pros bridge and tailpiece combination is locked in place after adjustment, meaning everything will stay perfectly put even under the most demanding onstage conditions.
LTD’s Snakebyte sports 22 jumbo-sized frets. The fretwork is first-rate, resulting in a fast and rattle-free playing surface.
Active EMG-pickups have long played an important part in James Hetfield’s sound. A couple of years back EMG have introduced a signature pickup set –the EMG JH ”Het” Set – made to the legendary guitarist’s specifications, and used on this signature LTD.
The JH-Nneck humbucker has been developed based on EMG’s Model 60, but Hetfield’s humbucker uses separate ceramic magnets and fatter coils. EMG’s Model 81 has formed the basis for the JH-B signature bridge pickup, but here steel polepieces have been added to the pickup’s ceramic bar magnets.
According to EMG the ”Het” Set has a warm and organic basic tone, coupled with a very clear attack and loads of output power.
OK, one three-way toggle, two controls – case closed…
Hold your horses! Yes, the toggle switch works in the usual way, but the controls aren’t a master volume and a master tone, but rather two separate volumes – one knob for each pickup.
James Hetfield doesn’t need a tone control, as all his settings are dialled in by his guitar technician. This way he only has to concentrate on pickup selection, while playing and singing at the same time.
The battery compartment’s cover is held in place by machine screws and threaded inlets.
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It’s true that in 1958 Gibson’s Explorer was a trailblazer thanks to its unusual, angular design. But it’s also true that this classic model is very large and cumbersome, often feeling like a bedside table strapped to your body.
Hetfield’s LTD signature model succeeds in keeping the Explorer’s angular spirit intact. Nonetheless, the LTD Snakebyte is a much more compact affair, which makes it far more comfortable to play and easier to hold.
The Hetfield Snakebyte is a fantastic player, as you would expect from a pro-quality guitar, such as this. The neck profile is a rounded ”C”. Our review sample came with a light action, measuring 1.8 mm (bottom E) and 1.6 mm (top e) at the 12th fret (with a set of 010s), and played well and rattle-free across the whole fretboard.
I must admit I was quite surprised at the sheer beauty of this guitar’s unplugged voice. There’s a strong, piano-like attack and an open character with a long sustain-phase.
EMG’s active ”Het” Set has the power of an approaching speedboat, yet the humbuckers still manage to offer open-sounding clean tones with plenty of organic mid-range character:
Switching to a High Gain channel takes the LTD Snakebyte straight into – surprise, surprise – legendary Hetfield-Metallica-territory. There’s power and attack to boot, and ample bite to cut through:
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In my view, LTD’s James Hetfield Snakebyte is a top-notch precision tool for the Metal- and Thrash-guitarist. This probably isn’t the most versatile electric guitar ever, but if you’re into Hard ’n’ Heavy this guitar offers the most direct way to sheer sonic bliss.
TheItalia Fiorano Standard (price in Finland approx. 640 €) is a beautiful thinline, double-cutaway semi.
The Fiorano’s body is made by routing large pockets into the front of a solid mahogany body. In contrast to Italia’s Rimini 6 or Mondial Deluxe models the Fiorano doesn’t have a full centre block, though, but features an opening in the block between the guitar’s pickups. The body is then finished by glueing on a bound spruce top.
Hard rock maple is used for the Fiorano Standard’s neck.
The modern tuning machines are embossed with the I-for-Italia logo, and work very nicely.
The bound fretboard sports Italia’s stylish inlays, consisting of pearloid blocks and abalone dots.
The Fiorano Standard’s neck is glued in at the 19th fret.
Great to see Italia using a modern version of the venerable Tune-o-Matic-bridge. The updated design does away with the annoying and ever-rattling piece of wire, used to keep the bridge saddles in place in the vintage version.
The snazzy chrome tailpiece adds its own bit of panache to this stylish semi.
As you might know by now, I’m something of a P-90 fan. The Fiorano Standard comes equipped with not one, but two of my favourite pickups. These are made by Wilkinson and come with chromed dog-ear covers.
Like many of Italia’s models, the Fiorano also features a sping-suspended plastic tray as an unusual control cavity cover. The electronics comprise a three-way toggle, as well as master volume and tone controls.
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Italia’s Mondial Deluxe (price in Finland approx. 675 €) is a genuine semiacoustic hybrid, offering you a piezo-equipped bridge (and active preamp) for acoustic-style guitar sounds alongside its traditional magnetic humbuckers.
Thinline-type mahogany body is mated to a maple top, which sports a very fetching Rickenbacker/Mosrite-style German Carve -edge. The top’s edges have been left natural, constituting what is usually called ”fake binding”.
The Mondial comes with a set maple neck.
You can also see the quick-release battery compartment for the 9 V battery used to power the piezo preamp.
Italia’s top nut is made from a self-lubricating material containing graphite.
We find the same decent-quality tuners on Mondial Deluxe as on the Fiorano.
Look at the all the nice hues of blues and greens in the guitar’s abalone dots!
The Mondial’s bridge may look identical to the Fiorano’s, but this here is a piezo-equipped model. There’s a thin lead going from beneath the bridge and through the maple top to feed the piezo signal to the preamp.
”I” – stands for Italia…
Two vintage-voiced Wilkinson WVC-humbuckers handle magnetic duties on the Mondial Deluxe.
The sliders on the guitar’s shoulder control the piezo side’s three-band EQ.
The magnetic signal is fed to a three-way toggle selector and master volume and tone controls.
There’s a dedicated volume control for the piezo signal, as well as a second output jack, enabling you to feed the acoustic side to a mixing console or a dedicated acoustic amplifier.
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Italia’s Fiorano Standard is just the guiar for me. It is comfortably lightweight and balances nicely. Its relatively thin body sits nicely against your belly/ribcage, even without any contouring or bevels.
The neck has a nice, mid-depth C-profile, which will feel comfortable to most players. The Fiorano arrived extremely well set-up with a slinky action (E: 1.9 mm/e: 1.7 mm).
Even if you cannot expect a thinline guitar, such as the Fiorano Standard, to out-shout a fat Jazz guitar, the Italia’s spruce-topped mahogany body results in a warm and woody acoustic voice.
In my opinion, P-90s are the best choice for a guitar of this type, because their singlecoil construction makes for a more percussive and dynamic tone than what you’d get from a creamy humbucker.
Played into a clean amp channel you’ll get a nice, clucky attack and a open, yet strong overall voice, that will fit Jazz just as well as Brit Pop, Country, Blues or early Rock’n’Roll (why not add a Bigsby, perhaps?):
If you’re after warm, rich and dynamic dirty tones P-90s are just the ticket! The Fiorano Standard will work great for any Beatles-, Kinks- or Who-inspired player, as well as George Thorogood-style electric Blues:
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Italia’s Mondial Deluxe is a medium-weight instrument. The well-executed German Carve and very clean fake binding make this guitar look more expensive than it really is.
The neck’s D-profile feels really good. Thanks to its clean fretwork and fine set-up this instrument also plays great (E: 2.0 mm/e: 1.3 mm).
Unplugged, Italia’s Mondial Deluxe is rather quiet, but its fresh acoustic voice and clear attack bode well for things to come.
This hybrid’s piezo sound was the real surprise for me in this review. Italia’s piezo system simply sounds that good and genuinely ”acoustic”:
Naturally, it’s good to hear the Mondial’s magnetic side perform to equally high standards. This guitar’s vintage-voiced Wilkinsons do a fine job of translating the Mondial’s fresh unplugged voice into nice clean tones:
Switching over to the distortion channel will turn the Mondial into a Seventies-style Blues Rock machine:
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It’s nigh on impossible not to get a crush on these Italia-guitars: Both the Fiorano Standard and the Mondial Deluxe are distinctly different from the mainstream of guitars on the market, but their design idiosyncrasies never get in the way of easy playability and great sound. If you want to steer clear of the usual copies, bust still look for a guitar with its own charm, you should definitely check out an Italia.
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Italia Guitars – Fiorano Standard + Mondial Deluxe
Marshallin DSL5C on DSL-sarjan uusin, ja samalla myös pienitehoisin jäsen.
DSL-sarjan juuret ulottuvat vuoteen 1997, jolloin Marshallin legendaarinen JCM2000 Dual Super Lead -nuppi julkaistiin. JCM2000 oli silloin ensimmäinen Marshall, jossa oli yhdistetty Plexi-tyylinen vintage-kanava ja moderni Ultra Gain -kanava.
Alkuperäisen DSL-sarjan tuotanto lopetettiin vuonna 2007, jolloin JVM-sarja tuli sen tilalle. Uusi DSL-sarja tarjoaa firman edullisimmat putkivahvistimet, joita valmistetaan Marshallin omassa tehtaassa Vietnamissa.
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Nimensä mukaisesti Marshall DSL5C (katuhinta noin 520 €) on viisiwattinen, kaksikanavainen putkikombo.
Vahvistimen ulkonäkö – samoin kuin viimeistelyn taso – on ehtaa Marshallia. Vietnamilaisessa tehtaassa laadunvalvonta näyttää pelaavan kiitettävästi, ja kombo tuntuu heti kättelyssä luotettavalta ja kestävältä.
Kotelon rakenne on DSL5C:n tapauksessa avoin. Takaseinän ylempään aukkoon on asennettu metalliritilä, joka suojaa vahvistinputkia kosketukselta ja kitaristin käsiä kuumilta putkilta.
Pikku-Marsun putkivarustus koostuu kolmesta etuasteputkesta (ECC83/12AX7) sekä yhdestä pääteputkesta (ECC99/12BH7).
DSL5C:n kaiutin on 10-tuumainen, keraamisella magneetilla varustettu Celestion Ten 30, jolle luvataan lämmintä bassorekisteriä, sekä monelle Celestion-kaiuttimelle tyypillistä purevuutta preesensalueella.
Tämä kompakti uutuuskombo painaa vain viisi kiloa, minkä ansiosta se on erittäin helppo kuljettaa sen kumimaisella kahvalla.
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Marshall DSL5C on kaksikanavainen putkikombo:
Ykköskanava – Classic Gain – tarjoaa klassista Marshall 1959 -mallia muistuttavaa soundia ja gain-rakennetta. Classic-kanava ulottuu kirkkaista clean-soundeista keskivahvoihin vintage-säröihin. Koska tähän kanavaan ei ole lisätty omaa Master Volume -säädintä, Classicin särösoundeja saa esiin kuitenkin ainoastaan hyvin kovalla volyymitasolla, silloin kun päätevahvistin on 5 W -moodissa.
Nimensä mukaisesti kakkoskanava – Ultra Gain – on luotu tarjoamaan nykyaikaisia high gain -soundeja.
Molemmille kanaville yhteinen EQ-osasto tarkoittaa luonnollisesti, että soundin kannalta täytyy elää jonkin verran kompromisseja tekemällä, mutta Marshall DSL5C:n tapauksessa tästä ei koidu minkäänlaisia ongelmia.
Tone Shift -kytkimellä saa esiin loudnessmaisia Metal-soundeja, kun taas ilman Tone Shiftiä pikku-Marsulla on täyteläisempi keskialue. Deep-kytkin taas vaikuttaa päätevahvistimen bassotoistoon, ja lisää tarvittaessa muhkeamman bassorekisterin.
Takapaneelista löytyy efektilenkin ohella myös liitin pakettiin kuuluvalle kanavavaihto-kytkimelle (katso alla).
DSL5C:n kaappimallinnettu lähtö toimii kahdella eri tavalla, pääteasteen Power-kytkimen asennosta riippuen:
Power täysille jakki on linjatasoinen lähtö mikserille tai äänikortille, ja kombon oma kaiutin toimii myös silloin, kun linjalähtöä käytetään. Low Power -moodissa (käyttöohjeessa lukee 0,5 W, nettisivulla taas 1 W) sama lähtö toimii kuuloketasolla, ja kuulokkeen liittäminen jakkiin mykistää vahvarin oman kaiutinta.
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Marshall DSL5C on mielestäni erittäin hyvältä kuulostava Rock- ja Metal-kombo koti-, harjoitus-, äänitys- ja warm up -käyttöön.
Ainoa kritiikkini kohdistuu kombon kaappimallinnettuun lähtöön, joka – ainakin testikoneessa – kohisi enemmän kuin mitä olisin odottanut. Tässä voi kuitenkin olla hyvinkin kyse yksilöviasta.
DSL5C:n kahdesta kanavasta saa esiin hyvin erilaisia soundeja, riippuen etupaneelin gain- ja volume-säädöistä, mutta myös päätevahvistimen Power-kytkimestä. Päätetehon pudottaminen aiheuttaa headroomin kutistamisen, mikä nostaa selvästi kompression määrää entisestään. Power-moodin valinnassa ei siis ainoastaan ole kyse pelkästä volyymistä, vaan myös siitä halutaanko soundista tiukemman (Full Power) vai muhkeamman (Low Power).
Kaikki ääninäytteet on äänitetty Full Power -moodissa.
Tässä ensin Stratocaster soitettu Classic-kanavan kautta Shure SM57 -mikrofonilla poimittuna:
…ja tässä sama pätkä linjalähdön kautta:
Tällainen on mikitetty puhdas soundi Hamer Studio Customin kaulamikillä soitettuna:
…ja sama pätkä linjalähdön kautta:
Tällainen on Straton soundi Ultra-kanavan kautta (Tone Shift on pois päältä) SM57 äänitettynä:
…ja sama pätkä linjalähdön kautta:
Tässä soitan Hamer-kitaraa Drop-D-virityksessä Ultra-kanavaan (Tone Shift päällä):
…ja sama linjalähdön kautta poimittuna:
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Marshallin viisiwattinen DSL5C sopii loistavasti sekä ensimmäiseksi putkikomboksi (”My first Marshall”) että varttuneen soittajan työkaluna, sellaisissa tilanteissa, joissa isosta styrkkarista on enemmän haittaa kuin hyötyä (esim. kotistudiossa tai olohuoneessa).
DSL5C tuo aidon Marshall-soundin myös pieneen huoneeseen, ja kombon vietnamilaisen alkuperän ansiosta tämän putkivahvistimen hinta on kukkarolle ystävällinen.
Musamaailma on hiljattain alkanut tuoda maahan Mooerin erittäin kompakteja kitaraefektejä.
Mooerin tapauksessa kyse on suhteellisen edullisista pedaaleista, joille valmistaja lupaa kuitenkin laadukasta soundia. Koska kitaristin pedaalilaudassa on aina liian vähän tilaa, ja soittajan kukkarossa aina vain rajoitetusti rahaa, Mooer-pedaalien kokeilu luonnollisesti kiinnosti.
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Aloitetaan Mooer Pure Boost -boosterilla (54 €), joka tarjoaa 20 dB:n verran puhdasta signaalivahvistusta.
Tämän lisäksi Pure Boost on varustettu hyvin tehokkaalla kaksikaistaisella EQ:lla (+/- 15 dB), sekä Gain-säätimellä, jolla voi lisätä signaaliin pikkuisen putkimaista lämpöä.
Kaikki Mooer-pikkupedaalit saavat virtansa vain ja ainoastaan Boss-standardin (miinus keskellä) mukaisesta 9V-virtalähteestä, ja vain 6 mA kuluttava Pure Boost on varsinainen energiapihi (mikä on aina hyvä asia).
Pure Boost on true bypass -pedaali – niin kuin kaikki tässä testatut efektit – mikä tarkoittaa, että signaali kulkee suoraan tulosta lähtöön, silloin kun boosteri on kytketty pois päältä.
Kestävänoloinen Mooer Pure Boost on erittäin kätevä apulainen, kun halutaan nostaa signaalitasoa, kenties myös hieman maustettuna EQ:lla.
Pure Boostilla saa myös nostettua putkivahvistimen puhtaan kanavan särölle tai lisättyä boostaamisella pikkusärölle vielä aimo annoksen lisää säröä.
Ääninäytteessä Fender Stratocasterin signaali menee Mooer Pure Boost -pedaalin kautta Blackstar HT-1R -komboon:
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Mooer Green Mile (54 €) on firman Tube Screamer -tyylinen overdrive-särö.
Perinteisten Overdrive- , Tone- ja Level-säätimien lisäksi Green Mile tarjoaa vielä kaksipykäläisen moodikytkimen.
Warm-moodissa Green Mile -pedaali toimii tavallisena TS-tyylisenä särönä, jolla on kermainen keskialue ja maltillinen kompressointi. Hot-moodissa lisätään signaalitielle vielä tehokas boosteri.
Green Mile käyttää virtaa hyvin säästeliäästi (7 mA).
Kyllä, hyvin toimii!
Tässä pätkässä Mooer Green Mile on Warm-moodissa. Soitan ensin Stratocasteria puhtaaseen kanavaan, ja sen jälkeen särökanavaan:
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Punainen Mooer Cruncher (54 €) on distortion-tyyppinen särörasia.
Cruncherin käyttö on hyvin helppo, sillä efekti keskittyy olennaiseen tarjoamalla ainoastaan perinteiset Gain-, Tone- ja Volume-säätimet.
Mooer Cruncher kuulostaa mielestäni varsin herkulliselta. Tästä säröstä lähtee sopivasti potkulla ja purevuudella höystetty Rock- ja Metal-soundi.
Jällen kerran audiopätkässä kuulaan ensin HT-1R:n puhtaan kanavaan menevä vaihtoehto, ennen kun Cruncher soitetaan särökanavaan:
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Se on vaaleansininen, sen täyttyy siis olla chorus.
Ensemble King (59 €) on Mooer-pikkuspedujen helppokäyttöinen chorus-pedaali.
Niin kuin kaikkien muiden firman pedaaleissa, myös Ensemble Kingin kotelo on valmistettu kokonaan metallista, ja sen pohjassa on paksu, liukumista estävä kumikerros.
Pikku-Mooerista lähtee kauniisti tiheä, klassinen chorussoundi, joka sopii mainiosti joka lähtöön. Ensemble Kingin oma kohina on kiitettävän alhainen:
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Mooer Mod Factory (75 €) on tämän efektisarjan moniosaaja, joka pystyy tuottamaan peräti yksitoista eri modulaatioefektiä!
Isolla Mode-kytkimellä valitaan Mod Factoryn efekteistä sen, jota haluaa käyttää.
Tarjolla ovat chorus, flanger, phaser, envelope phaser, tremolo…
…stutter, vibrato, Univibe, auto-wah, touch-wah, sekä kehämodulaattori.
Omat suosikkini ovat Mod Factory -pedaalin molemmat phaserit, sen tremoloefekti, sekä tämän Mooerin auto-wah. Olen kuitenkin melko varma, että jokainen kitaristi löytää Mod Factorysta muutaman mielenkiintoisen efektin omaan käyttöön.
Tässä esimerkissä soitan kaikki efektit läpi (aloitan choruksesta):
Room on huonetta (tai studiotilaa) muistuva kaikusoundi, kun taas Spring-vaihtoehto on digitaalinen näköispainos jousikaiusta. Shimmer on ShimVerbin erikoiskaiku, jossa tuodaan kaikuun hieman metallista hohdetta lisäämällä signaaliin kvintin verran ylöspäin nostettua ääntä.
ShimVerb on tästä kattauksesta ehkä se pedaali, joka puhuttelee minua henkilökohtaisesti vähiten. Ainakin omiin korviini Room on pikkusen liian honottava, eikä Spring-kaiusta löydy niin selvää jousimaista klangia ja pärskettä kuin odotin. Mooerin Shimmer-kaiku on kuitenkin mielenkiintoinen valinta kokeiluhaluiselle kitaristille.
Aloitan äänipätkässä Room-kaiulta:
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Mooer Reecho (75 €) on viivepedaali, joka tarjoaa kolme erilaista delay-tyyppiä:
Analog on Mooerin versio vanhasta analogisesta viivepedaalista, Real Echo on nykyaikainen digitaalinen delay-efekti, ja Tape Echo matkii vanhan nauhakaiun soundia.
Mooerin Reecho-pedaalin Time-säätimellä voi säätää viiveajan viiden ja 780 millisekunnin välillä.
Mielestäni Reecho on ilahduttavan suoraviivainen, mutta silti melko monipuolinen delay-pedaali. Analog-moodi soi juuri oikealla tavalla suttuisesti, kun taas Real Echo tarjoaa orgaanisen lämmintä viive-efekiä. Pitkillä viiveasetuksilla Tape Echolla on ehkä hieman liian voimakas nauhahuojunta, mutta Rockabilly- ja Rautalanka-meininkiin soundi sopii kuin piste iin päällä.
Esimerkki alkaa Analog-vaihtoehdosta, sitten tulee Real Echo, ja sitten Tape – viimeisinä toinen Analog-viivellä soitettu pätkä:
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Baby Tuner (49,90 €) on tämän Mooer-sarjan digitaalinen viritysmittari.
Vaikka Baby Tunerin ulkonäkö muistuttaa erästä polyfonista viritysmittaria, tämä pikku-Mooer on kuitenkin perinteinen viritinmittari.
Ison, kirkkailla ledeillä varustetun näyttönsä ansiosta Mooer Baby Tuner on erittäin helposti luettavissa, ja viritysmittari on optimoitu toimimaan moitteettomasti myös seitsenkielisillä kitaroilla ja viisikielisillä bassoilla.
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Mooerin mikrokokoiset efektipedaalit kyllä tarjoavat roimasti vastinetta rahalle! En väitä, että nämä pikkulootat olisivat boutique-luokan peliä, mutta Mooer-pedaalien soundi on kuitenkin niin hyvässä mallissa, että näitä löytävät varmasti tiensä myös monen ammattimuusikon pedaalilaudalle.
Nyt kokeiltujen pedaalien lisäksi löytyy vielä runsaasti lisää Mooer-efektejä, joihin kannattaa varmasti myös tutustua lähemmin.
Blackstar Amplification’s very popular HT Venue-series has recently been joined by the company’s brand-new HT Metal-range, which offers you valve amplifiers tailored specifically to the needs of Metal-guitarists.
Kitarablogi has received the compact five Watt HT Metal 5-combo – meant for use at home, for warm-up and in the studio – and the chunky three-channel, 60 Watt HT Metal 60 -combo for this review.
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The Blackstar HT Metal 5 (street price around450 €) is based on the company’s extremely successful HT-5R-valve combo, with the new amp sharing the older model’s main architecture and push-pull power amp.
The HT Metal 5 uses two different valves to amplify your guitar signal – one is an ECC83 (aka 12AX7), the other a model 12BH7.
Instead of a woven speaker cloth – like on the HT-5R – the HT Metal 5-combo sports a very sturdy metal grille.
The cabinet is a half-closed affair. The lower third of the back is covered by a metal grille, through which you can spot this Blackstar’s Chinese 12-inch speaker.
This compact combo weighs only 14 kilos, making it very easy to lift and carry around by its single top handle.
The Metal 5’s control panel looks like this (click for a larger picture):
This valve combo features two channels, called Clean and Overdrive. The Clean channel is equipped with a simple tone control, while Overdrive comes with a full 3-band EQ, as well as Blackstar’s patented ISF-control. Turning the ISF-control (ISF stands for Infinite Shape Feature) you can go from a USA-type response (with a loudness-style sound) all the way to what is known as a British tone (with its fatter mid-range).
The HT Metal 5 also comes equipped with a very nice digital reverb.
It is rather surprising to find so many different connectors and pushbuttons on such a small amp:
On the left, you will find the combo’s three speaker outputs.
Next up is Blackstar’s speaker-emulated output. A switch lets you choose between a virtual combo and an emulated stack sound. This output also works with headphones, and when the combo runs on standby.
The effects loop on the Metal 5 can be switched from a nominal signal level of -10 dB to +4 dB.
The line input on the far right allows you to connect your mp3-player to the combo.
A footswitch for channel switching is included in the price of Blackstar HT Metal 5!
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Blackstar’s HT Metal 60 (street price around1.000 €) is a three-channel powerhouse meant for live use.
This combo is build around a pair of ECC83-preamp valves and two 6L6s in the power amp.
The HT Metal 60 is equipped with two 12-inch Celestion speakers.
The closed-back cabinet aims at giving this amp a stack-style tonality and punch.
Because of the considerable weight (30 kg) of a large tube combo, such as this, the HT Metal 60 has been equipped with two metal handles, installed into the amp’s sides.
You can choose between two different tonal characters in this Blackstar’s Clean channel, using the Voice-switch: Boutique Clean puts the amp in Class A mode, giving you a very dynamic response, but with less clean headroom than the voicing called Modern Clean.
The channel’s Bass- and Treble-controls make it very easy to find your sound.
The HT Metal 60 offers you two distinct overdrive channels – named OD1 and OD2 – which share the three-band-plus-ISF equalisation section.
OD1 has a tad less gain than OD2. Thanks to its slightly less compressed sound, as well as its drier bottom end, OD1 is the ideal choice for chunky and precise rhythm parts.
OD2’s massive gain reserves are combined with very creamy compression, but there’s plenty of bite here, too, to make sure your lead lines cut through with authority.
The master section comprises controls for the HT Metal 60’s digital reverb, overall resonance and presence, as well as master volume.
You can connect the HT Metal 60 to virtually any other speaker cabinet, thanks to the five speaker outputs found on the back panel.
In addition to Blackstar’s well-designed speaker-emulated output, and the combo’s effects loop, there’s also a switch to access two different types of reverb (labelled ”light” and ”dark”).
The blue D-SUB-port is meant for the combo’s chunky FS-7-board (included, see below), that handles channel-switching duties and allows you to turn off the reverb on the fly.
The regular Footswitch-jack allows you to connect an additional footswitch to activate the combo’s internal boost. This boost is factory preset, and its amount cannot be changed by the user.
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The Clean-channel on the Blackstar HT Metal 5 takes you from totally clean all the way to a mild Blues-crunch.
There’s more than enough volume on tap for living room and studio use. There’s a limited amount of clean headroom, though, which means that you will have to turn down the volume pot on a humbucker-equipped guitar.
This clip is played on a Hamer USA Studio Custom into the Blackstar’s Clean-channel, and recorded using a Shure SM57:
Here’s what the same clip sounds like recorded direct via the speaker-emulated output:
The HT Metal 5 dishes out delicious overdriven and distorted tones by the bucket load. Blackstar’s 12-inch speaker sounds fat and muscular, and makes it hard to believe that you’re listening to such a compact little combo!
Turning the ISF-control up full gives you a great Marshall-style tone, regardless of whether you’re using a mic…
…or the built in DI-output.
With ISF turned to zero the sound leans heavily in a Rectifier-type direction (first the SM57-clip, then the speaker-emulated output):
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Blackstar’s HT Metal 60 naturally offers a much wider tonal palette than its small brother.
You can get two different types of clean sounds, with Boutique Clean being the rounder alternative of the two.
SM57:
Line output:
Modern Clean comes across as brighter and somewhat more compact (first the Shure SM57 -clip, then the speaker emulated output):
Here’s an example of the OD1-channel with the guitar tuned to drop-D.
First the ”British” version (ISF=10):
Then its ”US” counterpart (ISF=0):
With the exact same EQ settings, OD2 has more bite.
ISF=10 (”UK”):
ISF=0 (”USA”):
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In my view, Blackstar’s new HT Metal-series is a fantastic addition to the company’s line-up, which takes the needs of modern Metal-guitarists into full account.
The HT Metal 5’s clean sound is very decent, even if the available headroom isn’t on a par with some larger amps. The distortion-channel is really where it’s all at with this compact combo – you will be floored by the big and fearless nature of the Metal 5’s mighty roar!
The Blackstar HT Metal 60 is the workingman’s Metal-combo. This is a professional grade combo offering both very tasty clean tones, as well as bone-crushingly powerful overdrive and distortion with spades of creamy compression. In all but the largest of venues this combo’s volume levels will surely be more than sufficient, even without adding any external cabinets.
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