December 2000

HONEY, I SHRUNK THE PEDALS

By Michael Ross

Post World War II Japanese industry carved out its place in the world market through the art of miniaturization - from transistor radios to Walkmen to personal CD players. The Guyatone Company, a division of Tokyo Sound Co., has been offering pint-size pedals housing a variety of guitar and bass effects for some time, but it is only recently that New Jersey's Godlyke Distributing, Inc. has made them readily available in the U.S. You still can't get my prized Guyatone Stevie Salas Distortion over here (if you have to ask "Who?" you already know "Why?"), but their Fuzz, Wah Rocker, Micro Chorus, and others have been showing up on pedalboards around the country in increasing numbers.

For their latest effects invasion, the Godlyke guys are making available the Guyatone Overdrive, Tremolo, Flanger, Compressor/Sustainer, and Slow Volume pedals. All Micro Effects share a common construction that includes a stamped steel chassis, two knobs, phone jack inputs and outputs, a standard AC adapter input (9-volt DC @ 200 mA negative center, adapter not included), FET silent switching, and LED on/off indicator light. Battery access to the 9-volt battery is through removal of a rubber ring around the base; the metal base then slides off to reveal the battery compartment. Though not as convenient as some sliding panel or finger screw systems, the rubber ring serves a dual purpose in preventing the tiny unit from sliding around on the floor - smart! Some effects also feature a two- or three-way sliding switch to control various settings.

AMBIENT ALLY

For those players seeking the sound of sensuous volume swells without being tied to a volume pedal, the Slow Volume (SV-2, $119.95) is just the thing. Similar to the old Boss Slow Gear pedal (but smaller, of course), the SV-2 brings up the volume of each picked note or chord at a rate you determine with the Speed knob, from relatively rapid in the low numbered, fully counterclockwise position to languorously slow as you approach 10. The Threshold knob allows you to set the level of the picking power required to engage the effect, from slight at the low numbers to an intense attack at the higher ones. The secret to using an effect like this one (and to some extent, any effect) is to tailor your ideas to the effect. Rapid-fire notes are not the point here - remember, it is called the Slow Volume! When you adjust your picking to the Speed setting, this unit provides cello-like single lines (see the musical example below) or ambient washes, and still allows you to stalk the stage. Played properly, the Slow Volume tracks like a dream.

SQUASH PARTNER

Almost every effects company offers a compressor pedal, so to successfully enter the market, a manufacturer better have something special. Fortunately for Guyatone, they do. The advertising for the ST-2 Compression Sustainer ($99.95) boasts that the pedal will "give your notes eternal life." Well, perhaps not eternal, but this honey certainly sustains like crazy. Cranking the Sustain knob causes single notes and chords to hang about like the party guest who won't go home. The Direct switch blends in direct signal with the effected signal to restore some of the attack squashed by the compressor. Turn off the Direct switch and you get that squeezed, chicken'-pickin', Dynacomp snap. urning the Sustain down and the Level up turns the ST-2 into a power booster. The unit retains much of the high that is lost with some pedal compressors.

FRIENDLY FLANGE

From jet plane whooshes to mild, almost chorus-style effects to Leslie-like warbles, flangers can offer a wide range of tonal coloration. The FL-3 ($119.95) has got them all in a package that is as simple as it is small. The knobs regulate the standard Rate (speed) and Depth functions, while a three-way slider switch takes the guesswork out of choosing the amount of regeneration (feedback). Position 1 is perfect for milder chorus-like applications, 2 is just the thing for the Texas organ tone, and 3 gets you the full-on airplane wash, as well as even more radical sounds in the extreme settings.

TREMOLO

Tremolo is back with a vengeance; there haven't been this many oscillating guitars since the surf era. From roots rock to industrial chop, guitarists are fiddling with the speed and intensity knobs on their amps and effects. The VT-3 Vintage Tremolo ($99.95) offers a wider speed range than you are ever likely to need, from so slow it sounds like your amp is malfunctioning to so fast it is more like a reverb sproing, and everything in between. Too bad the depth doesn't have equal range. At its maximum setting, it has a Ry Cooder-ish richness, but it never goes beyond that into any kind of chop, and below 12 o'clock it seems barely there.

DRIVING BUDDY

There are three main qualities that determine a good overdrive - as distinguished from a good distortion or fuzz pedal: 1) a natural amplifier-like tone; 2) clarity of notes when playing chords; and 3) maintaining tonal integrity when you use it to further boost an already distorted amp. The OD-2 Overdrive ($89.95) handles two out of three nicely. With no tone control (Level and Drive only), it is fortunate that the OD-2 offers a full, fat frequency response - just the right amount of bite and without any fuzzy high end. This enhances the effect when using it to add solo sustain to an amp's rhythm crunch tone. With even singer/songwriter types using distorted chords these days, the Guyatone's retention of harmonic separation is especially important. If the effect is not that of an actual tube amp, it gets at least as close as a Rat or Tube Screamer, but with a tone of its own.

MIGHTY MINIS

Pedal effects are currently running rampantly over multi-effects units in the rig wars. Their advantages are instant accessibility, brand mixability, and often, analog warmth. The disadvantages are the lack of programmability and the need for extra space.

Programmable loops, (which bring multiple floor pedals into and out of the signal path) and rack drawers are solving the first problem. With their miniaturized pedals, companies like Guyatone are solving the second one. This latest series of tiny tone modifiers will help you fit more colors on your pedalboard palette.