Electro Harmonix Black Finger

While many of the non-tube guitar compressor stomp boxes fare just fine, there really is something special about a real tube-driven compressor. Enter the Electro Harmonix Black Finger.

This one really stands out as it warms up your sound very nicely. The control set is quite helpful in sculpting your compression. There are two types of compression “Lamp” and “LED”. The Lamp setting will produce a more subtle compression with a slower attack. The LED setting is much more aggressive. With both pre and post gain, you can use this pedal to really goose your drive in very crafty ways or simply use those controls to fine-tune your compression type. The overall effect is an extremely warm compression that can range from being very transparent to really squashing your sound; all up to you.

This pedal does come with a few caveats though. The downside of allowing for as much as 300 Volts of swing is that you definitely cannot operate this with a 9-volt battery; there is a pretty serious (and proprietary) wall-wart that is chained to the pedal. Also, due to the nature of the two tubes sticking out and a less than military-grade construction, I’d recommend this as a “set it and forget it” pedal that goes on top of your amp.

Fulltone Ultimate Octave

Fuzz is great. Octave-Up Fuzz is even cooler. Fans of the original Tycobrache Octavia know this to be all to true. Many a fist as been proudly pumped in the air in reaction to some Dude (or Dude-ess) doin’ their thing through a great Octave-Up Fuzz pedal. This is an effect that you can certainly over-do, but with a little taste it can really add some fun to the mix. The Fulltone Ultimate Octave is one that should be on your short list if you are in the market for an Octave-Up fuzz.

The good news is: The controls are incredibly interactive.
The bad news is: The controls are incredibly interactive.

This is both a blessing and a curse. You can spend countless hours channeling Jimi’s “Third Stone from the Sun” vibe, only to make one minor twist and find yourself in a remote county of western Pennsylvania. On the good side, there are literally an endless array of awesome sounds in this black box. As you increase / decrease the three controls you find yourself whizzing through space in a search for new life and new civilizations. And then you add the Octave-Up. Crazy. Needless to say, this pedal is True-Bypass and and the love child of master engineering & tru knowledge of what guitarists need (and which Fulltone pedal does not fit this description??).

There is not much Rocket Science to discuss here. What happens is: you plug in, you twiddle a bit, and then you rock out like there is no more coffee cake left at the PTA meeting.

Rick Franklin Boss SD-1 Mod

This is a special little combination that really works. Rick Franklin’s mod of the BOSS DS-1 implements the much-needed true bypass that takes this pedal from “working class” to “boutique”. What I loved so much about this mod is that it other than the true bypass, it does not necessarily introduce any noticeable features. The end result is simply at much better sounding DS-1.

The original is not a bad sounding pedal, but it is a bit “working class”. With this great mod by Rick Franklin, you get chimier “chime” and gritter…. “grit”. The breakup is a bit creamier and a little more complex than one finds out of the box. I suppose each mode can feel a bit different. Mine seemed to have a bit more headroom and overall the pedal breathed better.

What is cool about this mod is that other than the upgrade, it is still a BOSS pedal, so you get that same rugged construction, easy batter compartment access and reliability.

I’ve never had occasion to interract with Mr. Franklin, but from what I understand, he is excellent with regards to customer support.

BOSS CE-3

Introduced in 1982, the CE-3 was the first Boss pedal to have three knobs in a row. The odd metallic finish was also a bit of a departure for Boss. This pedal was featured on many early ’80’s recordings, characterized by it’s slightly metallic sound. The “Rate” and “Depth” controls were pretty standard but the third knob was a little cool in that it allowed for two distinct “Chorus Modes.”

If you’ve ever owned or even tried one of these then you can attest to the slightly exaggerated high-end it has. This can easily be toned down a bit with your amp or guitar. Other than that, it’s a pretty good chorus pedal. Live most Boss pedals, it’s built like a tank. Mine never broke.

If I ever come face to face with Neal Schon, I’m sure I will pay for this, but.. here it goes: Man, I hated Journey when I was in High School. There, I said it. Breathe out…. sorry Neal, it only gets better from here on, I promise.

DEFINITEY Stop Believin’

I went to High School in the late ’70s / early ’80’s and what music you admitted to liking was tantamount to your very survival, as I’m sure it still is to this day. Back in my working class town, liking Journey was not a good thing to admit in public. Sure, there were a few guys who did, and they were beaten regularly behind the handball courts after detention. Girls didn’t count, they could like whatever the hell they wanted; we were lucky if they even spoke to us. I was not the brightest little grasshopper back then, but I knew to keep my mouth shut. Fortunately, I was not really into Journey’s brand of candy-ass feel-good pop (I’m so sorry Neal). I just didn’t buy it. I liked music that ended badly, inspired disgust and pissed off my parents. Had I owned any Journey records, I’m sure my parents would have been just fine with it. Deal breaker. So, I was busy getting strait “C” grades and rockin’ out to Van Halen, Foghat, AC/DC, The Who, Stones… y’know, real intellectual stuff. But I wasn’t getting beaten up after detention… well actually I was, but certainly not for liking Journey… which suited me fine.

(Neal, if you are still reading, here is the part where I start to say really nice stuff about you)

Open Arms – I am getting old and don’t care what anyone thinks any more

Jump out of the time machine, here it is 2010, and I am lookin’ my 45th birthday in the eye. I finally feel pretty comfortable that I am free from the bullies and will not be anywhere near the handball courts, so I can finally express my inner… whatever and speak about music without fear of being publicly beaten.

As I look back I have to say, Neal Schon was a great guitarist.

I don’t walk around wearing a Journey concert shirt or anything. I may be old, but I’m not stupid. But I do listen to many things now that I would not have in 1980. I can’t say I’m anything close to a Journey fan, but they did write some very catchy songs that have done well over time. A big ingredient is Neal Schon’s playing. The guy really wrote some very memorable riffs and got great tones. More than anything, he played for the song. This might have been a bit more common in the ’70s, but in the ’80s, it was all about the guitar solo, and Monsieur Schon continued to display a keen ability to do what was most important; play for the song.

As far as his solos, he could definitely solo and was no slouch. As an aspiring guitarist, I certainly would have benefited from a tad less AC/DC and maybe a bit more of Neil’s playing. He really nailed some classic clean tones. For example, “Lights” has some incredibly pretty playing that is just dripping with Motown double-stops and has a friggin’ great solo.

Early Days with Santana

I can’t really say much about the whole “…he played in Santana when he was only 15… isn’t that amazing ??!!…” thing, that was a little before my time. Let’s just say that at 15 my career consisted of playing birthday parties in smelly basements. So, yeah, I’m impressed. Not much more to say about that.

Memories of Mr. Schon

I actually remember seeing Journey on “Midnight Special” around 1978. I was so hungry for live music on TV then, I’d watch anything. I used to beg my parents to let me stay up and watch “Saturday Night Live”. They would always be asleep by the time it was over, so I’d defy their authority and stay up for Midnight Special at 1AM, which was hosted by Wolfman Jack, or maybe it was “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert “?? . Anyhoo…. I remember Neil Schon playing a white strat when they played “Lovin’ Touchin’ Sqeezin’..” I always thought that song was kinda for girls, but man what a great tone he got, and s really smokin’ solo. I also remember that he used Peavey amps at that time, which was so odd because to me, Peavy was an amp that you used because you could not afford a Fender. They did make some good amps back then, but I just did not know it. I only knew of the “Backstage 30.”

Summary

I have to admit that if I could do it all again… I’d still hate Journey (gotcha). I’m no punk, but that kinda stuff could never have been my thing at 16.  I would however have listened to more of Neal’s playing. He was an excellent guitarist who probably deserved more credibility than he got. Granted, he didn’t stand a chance being in that silly band, but he was still a monster player who contributed to a lot of good songs. I could only wish for a smidgen of the career he has had and if we ever do meet face to face, I’m sure that after he socks me one for everything that I have said, he will gleefully remind me that he played with Santana when he was 15. Yeah, I can’t touch that one, he wins, I lose. Great guitar player.