Reverend Drivetrain

Before there was a Visual Sound there were two guys building a stompbox for a company called Reverend. Bob Weil and Joe Naylor set out to improve one of the most classic pedals favored by a guitar player from Texas name Stevie Ray Vaughn. His endorsement of the Japanese pedal soon sent stock in the pedal soaring to new heights. Most everyone agrees that this overdrive is the standard by which all others are judged. Bob and Joe decided they would design a pedal that retained all the characteristics of the original while improving on what it lacked. Most would agree the original Tubescreamer had a nasaly mid-range hump and lacked definition of the bottom end. The drivetrain still sported the same Japanese Radio Corporation 4558 IC omp amp under the hood but also alowed tweaking of the bass and treble controls. Although most guitarists swear by true-bypass switching these folks used a neutral-bypass which eliminated the popping associated with TB while maintaining good treble and signal power over long cables. The pedals were short lived and they set out to replace the original with a grean meanie that further made improvements to this design. All good things must come to an end however. For more information on the original black unit see.......http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend/archives.html

Hermida Audio Technology Zendrive

Like Carlos Santana, Robbin Ford, Larry Carlton, or Dumble Amps? Well.... you might like this tasty little treat too. Who is Alfonso Hermida? A great boutique pedal builder from Florida. Could I have ordered the Mosferatu pedal with more distortion on tap? Maybe....maybe I will based off his Zendrive. The name says it all.... everything Zen. It's all about the Ying ... or the Yang. Everything must be balanced in life. I have to admit... when plugging into this device... I found myself noodling on the guitar more than most pedals I test-drive. There was something I couldn't put my finger on but...... anyway.. it was just fun to lose yourself and enjoy the textures of the complex tonal options at your fingertips. This pedal has 4 controls as opposed to the usual simple 3 knobbers. As Nigel would say, "This amp goes to 11". You have Volume, Tone, Gain and Voice. It's a tweaking paradise to dial into whatever tone you desire. There is no longer a wait as opposed to the usual boutique frenzy with some builders. This guy is gracious and keeps up with demand and makes a terrific product. Cool graphics and great circuitry design covered in goop/scratched off IC... can't blame the guy... he knows his skills and delivers in spades. For more info just click on the link....http://www.hermidaaudio.com/

Blackstone Appliances 2SV3 Mosfet

You are probably asking yourself right now.... what the heck is a Mosfet? Well it actually stands for Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor. Your next question is probably what does that have to do with tone? Everything. I thought I might try to explain it but wait...just go here.......http://www.mindspring.com/~j.blackstone/MOSFET.htm

Jon Blackstone created the 2SV3 unit to produce more of the even harmonics present in tube amps which are mostly lacking in common NPN(negative-positive-negative) layers of silicon in transistors. This is the only device he makes and it's the only effect I know that has 2 flavors of overdrive in a small package. The Brown channel is more of a bluesy crunchy overdrive while the red channel sounds a little more....errrr uh red. It never gets new-metal or harsh but is significantly more aggressive than it's fraternal twin. It has an unassuming business-like graphic on a crinkle coated black housing. Another interesting feature is the pick/fingernail controls that, once set, won't deter the most inebriated guitar player in the dark. Once you find the setting of your choice you won't want to tweak unless you switch from a Strat to a Les Paul but the foot switchable variety of tones Red/Brown are a plus. He requires you to selfishly connect it unbuffered from your guitar but why mess with a good thing? It's a one-hit wonder. Nice. For more information click on the link... http://www.blackstoneappliances.com/