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.

DOD FX-65 Chorus Pedal

DOD is not a name that is often used in conjunction with higher end stuff, but they made some decent pedals that were very affordable. The FX-65 was a good chorus pedal that as I look back, still looks sounds great.

What I liked most about this one was that it was simple simple simple; nothing fancy, just level, speed and depth. I will say that I never really understood why DOD used those plastic switches. In addition to being less than sturdy, there seemed to kinda work when they wanted to. Nonetheless, there was a warmth to this little one that I always kinda liked. Sure, I often reached for my BOSS CE-2 first, but used this one more than a few times. Utah is not a place that I think of when it comes to “Great Guitar Pedals”… y’know what I mean? But that is not fair, DOD made some pretty decent stuff over the years.

I once heard someone ask: “If Jimi Hendrix had not died at 27, would he ever have hosted the TV Show: ‘Solid Gold’?”

What this means is that many artists eventually make bad choices and undermine their credibility because they simply cannot maintain their living legend status forever.  Sometimes when an artists dies very young, the body of work they leave behind is flawless; they never had a chance to make many bad career decisions or sell-out. Randy Rhoads would fall into this category. Not only did he never host a cheesy TV show, but he only had a chance to play on two albums before his tragic death in 1982. Both of those albums are perfect. Regardless of whether or not you are an Ozzy fan or even like hard rock, you simply cannot deny that Randy was poised to knock Edward Van Halen off his throne. His technique was astounding, he had an excellent grasp of theory, he could play classical guitar and he was extremely modest.

It is a little-known fact that just before his death, Randy Rhoads had planed to quit Ozzy’s band and persue a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Guitar from UCLA. Who the hell walks away from a once-in-a-lifetime career to get their college degree in classical guitar? A real musican. That’s who.

Now, the title of this article is sure to anger or annoy many. Look, I was a huge fan of Van Halen in the late 70’s / early 80’s. He was a monster; totally on top of his game and exploding with qualities that also made him very unique such as being incredibly humble and not particularly interested in the architypical rock star life. But he got lazy. I know, I know, I’m gonna get a lot of negative comments on this one. I have to stick to my guns though; after 1984, it was all down hill. Granted, 5150 had some strong hits and dam smokin’ guitar and “OU812″ also had some pretty good playing. But by this time, he had become a parody of himself; same old dive-bombs, same old finger tapping, etc…

In fairness, had Randy Rhodes lived to this day, he might have in-fact hosted Solid Gold, or done something otherwise stupid. But I can only go on his actions and his actions portrayed a guy completely focused on musicianship and not much more.

What made Randy such a standout was his infusion of classical theory into his love of Rock guitar. Listen to just about any solo on either album and you hear it; this guy knew his stuff and he practiced. It really is such a shame that he died so young. His death did pave the road of opportunity for guitarists such as Brad Gillis, Jake E Lee and the Caveman toastmaster general Zakk Wylde (what is with that guy anyway? hmmm… I’ll save that rant for another un-popular post). These are all fine guitarists. But I would rather Randy had not taken that fateful joyride that morning; he would have really gone on to do great things.

In all honesty, while I did really like his playing a lot at the time, I was much more of a Van Halen fan when Randy was alive. I preferredblues based rock and realy liked what Ed was doing with the guitar in just about every way. Trust me, I was a big EVH fan. I kinda drew the line at Black Sabbath / Ozzy though and did not consider my self much of a serious hard rock enthusiast. But in retrospect, this guy had not only some very very serious chops, but he had a perspective on music and guitar that is really what it is all about. Van Halen was an insanely good guitarists in the day, but he seems to have morphed into a real wierdo and I just lost interest after Dave left. Had Randy Rhodes lived, he would have surely knocked Van Halen off his throne and I think the ’80’s might have been a bit different. We’ll never know, but that is my opinion.

DISCLAIMER: Seriously, I’m sure Edward Van Halen and Zakk Wylde are very nice people. No dis-respect intended here at all to either guy. I’m just praising Randy Rhodes, who deserves to be remembered as one of the greats.