When you have too much time to shop for something, you can start over researching. I originally settled on a HBE Powerscreamer, but can't afford anything till christmas so I kept looking. Clips on the Powerscreamer sounded good, but there was a hint of muddiness (could be that the gain was up too high in the clips) and I don't really need the boost function cause I plan on using a compressor to kick in the solos. I use a Barber LTD for light gain duty and am looking for a higher gain (then the LTD) for my classic rock/med gain crunch. I used to use a DDSS, but it started to feel a little too thick and muddy for what I hear in my head. I want something that is extremly clear and articulate, has a decent amout of gain (AC/DC and a little more) have some ability to tweek the sound for my tastes. No mud and no icepick in the ear please. Now I've gotten back to look at the menatone pedals. Lots of good info on the Red Snapper and Blue Collar. Not much info out there on the WMB. Which of these pedals would you suggest for the above aplications to work with a Blackface Fender Bassman head into a Marshall 4x10" cab using humbuckers? Not excluding the HBE if that's what's going to get-r-done. Tosltoy
I really like my PowerScreamer, but I do use the boost quite often. The Big D is also good, and has more gain on tap & more adjustments... It might do the AC/DC thing a little better. If you're trying to choose between the Blue Coller & Red Snapper, just get a Fish Factory; it's both pedals in one housing... looks pretty cool.
So, would you say the Powerscreamer is clear and articulate as the gain reaches noon, or does it get wooly and muddy? How does the boost function effect the sound overall? Tolstoy
I've got a Blue Collar and like it quite a bit. It has a fair amount of gain, with a nice gritty quality to it. It has a tone and presence knob, but I don't know that it qualifies as extremely tweakable.
I run my PowerScreamer with the gain between 9-12 & the diode switch in the middle. With my Teles (with Rio Grande pups), the pedal is articulate, and responds well to pick attack & volume knob. I've played at a couple of jams, where I've left the pedal on the whole time, and just used the boost/attack/vol, and it worked great. The boost is very usable, about 10db of gain/volume. Mine has the original setup, which sounds more like a treble boost. The current models have two boost modes, the original one & a full-range "fat" boost, which I think might work well, too. The boost isn't adjustable (like it is on the Big D), but I've never found that to be a problem.
Interesting. My new setup is a Red Snapper, Blue Collar, and Working Mans Blue. They all sound great on their own, and sound even better when combined. I use the Snapper for low gain or boost sounds. The Blue Collar is a nice thicker overdrive. I use the Working Mans Blue for a great vintage rock sound. All three of these pedals are excellent. For your application, I would go with the WMB, or maybe the Blue Collar. Hamilton
Hamilton.... Which version of the WMB do you have? Could you go into more detail about the tone, character, tweekability of this pedal? I ask this because there are few reviews on the WMB and no clips that I've been able to find. How's the range of the gain, what type of tones might it be able to provide, how does the eq section respond, is it noisey, is it shrill, is it muddy, so on. I know it's hard to describe a sound with words, but if you could even list some easilly recognizable examples of songs which exhibit tones the WMB is capable. Also, what amp are you using with the WMB? Tolstoy
i've had a Snapper & just sold my WMB. d-o-c has a new Snapper & i think it's great & might get you what you're looking for. the sound of the WMB was nicely represented @ Chapin's website, but it's been down. he calls it a kind JTM45/Plexi sound. it's very amp-like, great usability in tone controls, no mud, can get shrill if you get stoopid (a hobby of mine) w/it & your amp's controls, depending on your amp. hissy, noisy stuff starts at gain levels way above where i'd use it (>1/2). much quieter than similar other pedals. i used it w/a Komet, a Fuchs mod, a Juke 1210, a Blues Jr., and others. (greetings to folks in Ames, i'm originally from Burlington)
I'm selling a Menatone Fish Factory which is (if you don't already know) the Red Snapper and the Blue Collar in one . It's mint . Let me know if you're interested.
If you want clear and articulate, with ample gain, the 6 knob WMB, I think, would be a great choice. It sounds good both for cleanish boosts, similar to the Tim, and also for higher gain stuff. The older WMB, while maybe a little more compressed feeling than the new one, seems a little smoother, to my ears, at the medium gain settings.
+1 on the Fish Factory. I own one and use it quite a bit...really great pedal. I personally couldn't warm up to the HBE Power Screamer. While I found I could dial in some great sounds just by myself, finding those sweet spots in band situations was more work than I care it to be.
