August 1999

GUYATONE STOMPBOXES

By E.D. Menasche

"Cute" isn't usually the first word you think of when the topic of stompboxes comes up, but in the case of Japanese-built Guyatone effects, it's unavoidable. Small, colorful and unique, these little guys are a refreshing visual alternative to standard floor effects.

But don't read "cute" to mean "wimpy." The effects we tested, which included the MD-2 Micro Digital Delay, the WR-2 Wah Rocker, HD-2 Harmonic Distortion, MC-3 Micro Chorus, and TZ-2 The Fuzz sounded, for the most part, excellent.

Operation is straightforward, and the controls, though somewhat limited, offer enough tweakability to cover most situations. The MD-2 delay offers control over delay time, feedback (repeats), and effect level. Delay time ranges from 30 ms to 800 ms, accessible through two switchable modes. It has a warm, round, pleasing sound - clearer than an analog delay, but with more of a vintage vibe than most modern digital units. The mix control gives you only a moderate mixture of delay to dry signal, but it's enough for most real-world situations. Beware, however, of the feedback control - pushing it too high causes some sonic ugliness.

Both The Fuzz and Harmonic Distortion offer only moderate boost and have a characteristically raspy tone. Neither is very dynamic - you can't really clean up the distortion with your guitar's volume control. These characteristics suit the Fuzz - which offers a saggy, nasty buzz - very well. Conversely, the Harmonic Distortion sounded a tad thin for my taste, and I found its lack of boost disappointing.

The two sleepers of the bunch are the Wah Rocker and the Micro Chorus. At low threshold and decay settings, the Wah Rocker can sound like a wah pedal set to the sweet spot, but with a hint of an envelope - a really interesting sound for Slash-like legato soloing. With threshold and decay set higher, you're getting into Techno-cum-Funkadelic territory.

The Micro Chorus sounds somewhat metallic with the depth and rate controls set low - a good choice for 80's-era new wave. It shimmers beautifully when you increase the depth, and at the maximum rate setting, you get a sweeter, Univibe-like sound suitable for a song like Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Cold Shot."

The pedals, which generate very little unwanted noise, work on either 9-volt battery or external power supply. The battery compartment, on the bottom of the pedals, is accessible without tools. Construction is adequate but not industrial strength. The controls and switches perform flawlessly - I was especially impressed with how silently the effects switched in and out. Overall, a cool and interesting alternative to the standard stompbox fare.