Jet Age Eric
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Greg SGFX asked me if I'd help curate a box here so, to that end, I came up with a list of regular forumites (some of whom I know, others not really) who were interested in trying some SGFX stuff out and a list was compiled. A couple of 'em are known for doing demos so hopefully we'll see some here.
Greg sent the Rosie fuzz, Zeta Drive OD, Electroman delay, and Zeta High Gain, a variant of the Zeta Drive (you figure it out). My thoughts are as follows:
The Electroman: Im over analog (i.e., Im ok with digital), but this reminds me what there is to love about analog delays: big, deep, and sits perfectly in the mix, and I mean PERFECTLY. Wish it had tapthat deficiency is almost overcome by the awesome warp function, which allows you to self-oscillate (and stop oscillating) at the stomp of a switch. I'm not big on modulation in delays, but I have to say I really liked the way the decays here modulated, and I have to assume that's part of what helps it maintain presence in the mix without killing the note and attack. This pedal has an effects loop so you can further affect the delayed signal, but given the nicely dialed in modulation, I'm not sure why you'd need to.
The Zeta Drive: Oh, manthe most responsive pedal Ive ever played (alongside the POT). Its only got three knobs, but theres a lot going on therehuge gain range, and a deceptively subtle-yet-broad range on the Tone control.
MUCH stringier and leaner than my beloved Superdrive (and with smaller but sharper teeth), theres a dip around ~110 hz (open low A) that subverts that which I love most about the original Superdrive: the Superdrive's massive low endlet jetagegreg figure out how to fit in the mix! (He loves the Superdrive, too.) Bringing the gain up does bring up saturation, which fattens the low end, and you cannot be afraid to dial that tone knob back to help balance top and bottom.
This pedal makes me think of Kings of Leon, who I have to admit I really like, or Drive-by-Truckers: Lean, muscular, toothy, DIRTY. The PGS demo really nails it, which is kinda surprising because their Superdrive demo sucked so bad. L Ive said that using the Superdrive is like adding a pushed stack of closed back cabs; the Zeta is like a pair of cooking Twins, or, turning it up, like Ron Wood (in The Faces) or Neil Young burning down their Deluxes. The Superdrive is very articulate, which is to say I always hear the chord I'm playing, but smacking an open A with the drive cranked to Townshend-like levels (which is where I live), I was shocked by how clearly each note stood out. This pedal doesn't speak to me the way the (now discontinued!!!!) Superdrive does, but I have to wonder if it's even more functional in a band context--sadly, my drummer cancelled out last two practices, so this didn't get a work out with the band. (Drummers ...)
The Zeta High Gain: OK, this one aint my cup of tea. The Zeta HG supposedly delivers crunchy, medium gain driveby which Greg must mean an exploding Matamps. There aint nothing medium about this thing; its all saturated, all the time in my rig. It looks great, its tiny, and Im hoping musica23, roknfnrol, or cr*shd*mmy will explain it to me.
Rosie: HELL, YES!!! This is it: All the ginormous super saturated MKII fuzz you could want (or less if you use the toggle that cuts low end or, yknow, turn the fuzz down) but with way more output than any clone AND it will take an adapter. This is the biggest MKII Ive heard short of DAMs, and its the most balanced Ive ever hearddespite the enormous low end, this thing is incredibly articulate across all six strings and all over the fretboard: Play suspended 7ths and youll actually hear the chord. This is a must-have for me. The bias knob really helps you tweak the texture so you can dial that gated effect to taste, and, and Ive gotta get one of my own, dammit.
Questions? Flume is up next! (And his band, sansyou, knows TONE!) -E
Greg sent the Rosie fuzz, Zeta Drive OD, Electroman delay, and Zeta High Gain, a variant of the Zeta Drive (you figure it out). My thoughts are as follows:
The Electroman: Im over analog (i.e., Im ok with digital), but this reminds me what there is to love about analog delays: big, deep, and sits perfectly in the mix, and I mean PERFECTLY. Wish it had tapthat deficiency is almost overcome by the awesome warp function, which allows you to self-oscillate (and stop oscillating) at the stomp of a switch. I'm not big on modulation in delays, but I have to say I really liked the way the decays here modulated, and I have to assume that's part of what helps it maintain presence in the mix without killing the note and attack. This pedal has an effects loop so you can further affect the delayed signal, but given the nicely dialed in modulation, I'm not sure why you'd need to.
The Zeta Drive: Oh, manthe most responsive pedal Ive ever played (alongside the POT). Its only got three knobs, but theres a lot going on therehuge gain range, and a deceptively subtle-yet-broad range on the Tone control.
MUCH stringier and leaner than my beloved Superdrive (and with smaller but sharper teeth), theres a dip around ~110 hz (open low A) that subverts that which I love most about the original Superdrive: the Superdrive's massive low endlet jetagegreg figure out how to fit in the mix! (He loves the Superdrive, too.) Bringing the gain up does bring up saturation, which fattens the low end, and you cannot be afraid to dial that tone knob back to help balance top and bottom.
This pedal makes me think of Kings of Leon, who I have to admit I really like, or Drive-by-Truckers: Lean, muscular, toothy, DIRTY. The PGS demo really nails it, which is kinda surprising because their Superdrive demo sucked so bad. L Ive said that using the Superdrive is like adding a pushed stack of closed back cabs; the Zeta is like a pair of cooking Twins, or, turning it up, like Ron Wood (in The Faces) or Neil Young burning down their Deluxes. The Superdrive is very articulate, which is to say I always hear the chord I'm playing, but smacking an open A with the drive cranked to Townshend-like levels (which is where I live), I was shocked by how clearly each note stood out. This pedal doesn't speak to me the way the (now discontinued!!!!) Superdrive does, but I have to wonder if it's even more functional in a band context--sadly, my drummer cancelled out last two practices, so this didn't get a work out with the band. (Drummers ...)
The Zeta High Gain: OK, this one aint my cup of tea. The Zeta HG supposedly delivers crunchy, medium gain driveby which Greg must mean an exploding Matamps. There aint nothing medium about this thing; its all saturated, all the time in my rig. It looks great, its tiny, and Im hoping musica23, roknfnrol, or cr*shd*mmy will explain it to me.
Rosie: HELL, YES!!! This is it: All the ginormous super saturated MKII fuzz you could want (or less if you use the toggle that cuts low end or, yknow, turn the fuzz down) but with way more output than any clone AND it will take an adapter. This is the biggest MKII Ive heard short of DAMs, and its the most balanced Ive ever hearddespite the enormous low end, this thing is incredibly articulate across all six strings and all over the fretboard: Play suspended 7ths and youll actually hear the chord. This is a must-have for me. The bias knob really helps you tweak the texture so you can dial that gated effect to taste, and, and Ive gotta get one of my own, dammit.
Questions? Flume is up next! (And his band, sansyou, knows TONE!) -E
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-E
Thanks for keeping it moving, Flume! I just read that the Klon is supposed to sound like a cooking Twin, which is how I described the Zeta, and I know that hybridrnr has the modded Soul Food--I wonder what his findings will be ... -E
What is this--a book report or a subjective review of guitar effects pedals?! 
