WRT the Scorpion,
This is how I typically use it.
High gain is "fine", but I have other pedals that do it better.
With the Scorpion,
I'm going for "sheen", not "Sheehan".
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My Dirt Bender - Another Jounal
- Thread starter el murdoque
- Start date
This is how I typically use it.
High gain is "fine", but I have other pedals that do it better.
With the Scorpion,
I'm going for "sheen", not "Sheehan".
I don’t know you well enough to say …. But really, no, just that if our overall evaluation of a pedal differs, it’s because we have different goals in mind. For example, I think I’m generally a bit more enthusiastic about the Hudson Broadcast than you are, even though your review of it is far from negative. Your descriptions of sounds I find to be very evocative (and frequently amusing) and those I gel with completely.
Keep it up, man. I think you’ve already collected several avid readers
Yeah, I understand that.
I also understand your excitement with the Broadcast. However - you already understood there's no pretense of any kind of objectivity and some pedals simply fall through the gaps because I'm super excited with something else at that moment and since I'm not made of money, I need to sell pedals to acquire more pedals, resulting in some pedals getting less time than they deserve. I already made a list of pedals that I would like to revisit at some point, and the Broadcast is on there. While copying, pasting and rewriting those reviews, I also realized that my understanding about dirt pedals grew with time and the early reviews were done with the wrong mindset. Sweet summer child that I was, I was under the impression that I'll try a few and then find the magic bullet and be done with it.
Your typical Fender tonestack pedal. Same as the Underground Accelerator ... it's a great pedal to add some glitter and some rumble along with a hint of dynamic drive.
I simplified the URL to
(Ramblings ahead)
So about a year ago, Earthquaker Devices (EQD for short on searches)
Released a pedal called the "zoar".
On the surface, it appears to be the same (as the Scorpion), albeit the top and bottom rows switched.
I have one on the way, and plan to A/B them.
The bass demos sound promising.
To quote the EQD website on this:
It seems like the tone stack is loosely based on the Fender, but the midrange is vastly different - also, all controls seem to be able of boosting and cutting.
Interesting pedal!
To me it just sounds like they are trying to ascribe active-like numbers to passive controls, which is misleading at best. The way a Fender stack works couldn’t reasonably be described in that terminology as the controls are so interactive.
Of course there is no such thing as “passive…boost” with EQ so it is just trying to describe the look of whatever contour curves come out on the other end. There are circuits that pair passive EQ with strong inherent midrange voicing - that is part of the Mesa Boogie heritage in amps like the Walkabout, which has a passive Midrange knob but still retains a strong midrange due to shaping elsewhere in the circuit
That was, what I was wondering about, too.
My (benevolent) interpretation of this would have been that they voiced the pedal in a way that with all controls at noon, the curve is flat, and can be modeled such that 'boosting' mids yields a curve that is stronger in the middle.
I've played the Sushi Box Underground Accelerator, one of the newer ones with the switch that allows you to defeat the EQ section, and the pedal has a solid bump in volume when you do so - so I do imagine that all passive EQs are subtractive.
What we understand of the laws describing the behaviour of our corner of the universe would be consistent with this statement
There is actually a frequency response graph of all the EQ set at noon on the EQD product page, showing a pretty typical wide mid-scoop and bright top-end of a Fender-type tonestack (in this case about 10db from the bass and treble peaks, not too different than scoping my Mesa TT800 preamp when I had it ):
Depending on the components in the stack there will likely be a flatter response when turning down the Bass and Treble and boosting the Bass, but unlikely to ever completely eliminate the scoop. Of course clipping creates midrange harmonics and the Weight control will cleave off some of the lows so the outcome post-clipping will look a lot different. That’s probably why variations on that tonestack work so well in a dirt pedal, as you are able to tame some of the harsher midrange clipping harmonics
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The Hotcake has arrived, a little later than expected due to some local courier service shenanigans. It turns out to be a newer model with the external switches for extended low frequency and “cream” modes (rather than internal dip switches), despite the website’s photograph.
It’s an interesting overdrive, using opamps instead of diodes, and has a flavour all its own. It does the clean boost Klon thing (about 20 years before the Klon and for a fraction of the price), and the drive goes from crunchy gravel driveway to fuzz. The “cream” switch seems to soften the crunch a bit, by providing a finer grade of gravel, if you will. There isn’t really a low-end loss, but as is typically the case with overdrives, the added upper harmonics can overpower the bass a bit. The XLF switch does help, but it’s a relatively subtle effect. The presence dial is an 800 Hz boost, which is surprisingly useful. Like our Teuton overlord, I am a player of flats, and this frequency does add some life back. It doesn’t need much.
I opened it up for fun. As noted, there are no longer any internal dip switches. Another thing the Hotcake shares with the Klon is the epoxy goop covering much of the handwired circuit, which is kind of quaint, especially given that the schematic is all over the internet. Attched to the goop, perhaps by way of an excuse, is a handwritten serial number card, signed by Mr Crowther.
The Hotcake plays really nicely stacked with the Prunes & Custard, the latter emphasizing more the low end, and dialling in a little of the filter gives the attack a nice point, as I mentioned in a previous post. For me, Hotcake into P&C is better. I’ll keep this pair (along witne Modele B) on my “travelling board” for now, and I’ve returned the Ground & Pound back to the main board with the Broadcast. It’s a completely different animal, apples to wheelbarrows, and changes the whole complexion of that board, but that’s what it’s all about, right?
It’s an interesting overdrive, using opamps instead of diodes, and has a flavour all its own. It does the clean boost Klon thing (about 20 years before the Klon and for a fraction of the price), and the drive goes from crunchy gravel driveway to fuzz. The “cream” switch seems to soften the crunch a bit, by providing a finer grade of gravel, if you will. There isn’t really a low-end loss, but as is typically the case with overdrives, the added upper harmonics can overpower the bass a bit. The XLF switch does help, but it’s a relatively subtle effect. The presence dial is an 800 Hz boost, which is surprisingly useful. Like our Teuton overlord, I am a player of flats, and this frequency does add some life back. It doesn’t need much.
I opened it up for fun. As noted, there are no longer any internal dip switches. Another thing the Hotcake shares with the Klon is the epoxy goop covering much of the handwired circuit, which is kind of quaint, especially given that the schematic is all over the internet. Attched to the goop, perhaps by way of an excuse, is a handwritten serial number card, signed by Mr Crowther.
The Hotcake plays really nicely stacked with the Prunes & Custard, the latter emphasizing more the low end, and dialling in a little of the filter gives the attack a nice point, as I mentioned in a previous post. For me, Hotcake into P&C is better. I’ll keep this pair (along witne Modele B) on my “travelling board” for now, and I’ve returned the Ground & Pound back to the main board with the Broadcast. It’s a completely different animal, apples to wheelbarrows, and changes the whole complexion of that board, but that’s what it’s all about, right?
I've been with the metal band tonight, and I did not manage to acquire a new dirt pedal since last time, so I nearly left the house without a pedal to run besides the pedalboard - but I decided against that. Looking around for inspiration, my glance came to rest on the Blueberry. "Should I take that one again?" I wanted to ask myself when I realized I've never used the Blueberry with that band. So I took it and I'm kinda pissed I did.
Hooking up that pedal before the board so that the signal chain was Blueberry - DCX - Chorus - Bassrig SV, I quickly realized that
1. The Blueberry does not have enough gain to replace the DCX. Not even close.
2. The sound with the Blueberry on was awesome in the mix. Like always-on-awesome.
3. Hitting the DCX with the Blueberry is NASTY, but in a very good way.
Now I am contemplating the purchase of a Nano+ board.
Hooking up that pedal before the board so that the signal chain was Blueberry - DCX - Chorus - Bassrig SV, I quickly realized that
1. The Blueberry does not have enough gain to replace the DCX. Not even close.
2. The sound with the Blueberry on was awesome in the mix. Like always-on-awesome.
3. Hitting the DCX with the Blueberry is NASTY, but in a very good way.
Now I am contemplating the purchase of a Nano+ board.
I think the Scorpion with the metal band would also be a slam dunk, assuming you haven't given it a go. The amount of gain on tap can be debated in terms of how appropriate it alone would be for metal, but the EQ/depth knob on that thing should be able to conjure up some nasty metal tones. Pair it with the OE offerings on your board, and I suspect it would be sufficiently evil for your needs 
Are you using the DCX in the flat position? I did on my last gig (P with flats) with slightly reduced H.F. and it just growled through the mix like crazy. I'm starting to like the "MED" position again as well (with bumped up H.F.), but I didn't get the chance to try it out at that gig. Gotta test it out next time.
I'm running it with both LF and HF slightly boosted, in OD mode and flat.
The Cali76 is set to brick wall limiting and I run the volume knob on the DCX (or any other drive pedal) slightly higher than unity. With the dirt off, I have light and medium playing fly under the comp, but as soon as I pluck hard, it engages, with the dirt on, it engages at medium playing. I get a consistent volume and can control the amount of drive with my fingers that way. Plus, when I try out pedals, I can see how they sit in the mix without having to balance the volume/gain knobs perfectly. The DCX usually gives me a slight bump forward and lets the bass sit right where I want it. I don't want to "Cut through". I want to sit smack middle, embedded in the other instruments, complementing and rounding off the band sound.
Sadly, it does not.I think the Scorpion with the metal band would also be a slam dunk, assuming you haven't given it a go. The amount of gain on tap can be debated in terms of how appropriate it alone would be for metal, but the EQ/depth knob on that thing should be able to conjure up some nasty metal tones. Pair it with the OE offerings on your board, and I suspect it would be sufficiently evil for your needs
I did not really like the interplay with the Bassrig SV (nothing wrong per se, but if you're me and tested three score of those boxes, good is not good enough), and the Fender tone stack lets the bass take a half step back in the mix.
On top of that, in my environment (and with me as the sole judge) the Scorpion excels at providing a slight grind with a very low gain sound, but does not really spark joy at higher gain sounds. It's too artificial to be called organic, but it's also a long way off from synth sounds.
However, the Bassrig Super Vintage is not only already on my board, it also kills in exactly that regard - IMHO a better choice for subtle drive - not only because it has actual control over the mids.
Weird. I remember seeing those Hot Cake pedals everywhere. Quite common, it seemed everyone and their mother has one to sell.
Now that I look with the eye of someone who might purchase one to see what all the fuzz is about, the cheap ones suddenly are $280 + $30 shipping (plus 19% tax upon arrival)
Interesting! I assumed the EQ points would work well with your flats for helping cut through in a mix. Not even necessarily at high gain levels; I find setting the Scorpion for moderate amounts of drive (maybe 10-11 o'clock), and then hitting the front of end of it with a dirty boost (in this case the Belle) creates a super aggressive, cutting tone. Especially since those two then slam into a London Underground set to edge of breakup; the combination works great for heavy rock/punk stuff that I sometimes have to play. Felt like a tone that could bring the metal, too. But yeah, everyone's gear ecosystem is so unique that it can be hard to extrapolate results onto someone else's rig! Fair enough that it doesn't do it for you.
And I also recall Hot Cakes being a thing seemingly everywhere at one time. Maybe 15 years ago or so? Now it's the same for me; getting to be as rare up here as a Broughton is for Mr. @GrowlerBox down in NZ. Maybe we just need to establish an Underground Pedal Railroad...
Yup, same here, my dirt pedals are always a bit over my unity gain. I tend to use them when I would dig in harder anyways so their volume is even with me playing aggressively. And same here, not looking for “cut through”, but to compliment the band mix with the dirt being audible in the mix. DCX does this great and Jive works wonderfully as a light drive/dirty boost. Jive into DCX turns it into a fabulous fat overdrive for those moments when all hell breaks loose.
Dear regulars of the Jounal
(and everyone else who wants to chime in),
I would like to go and test some pedals that are in a more affordable price range, not only to get more material on the website, but also because I'm kinda curious about how I feel playing stuff the cork sniffer sneers at.
Having lived the cork sniffer's life for quite some time now, I did get somewhat disconnected from those plebeian pedal companies that are popular with the peasants.
Any pointers for popular dirt pedals that retail under $100 ?
(and everyone else who wants to chime in),
I would like to go and test some pedals that are in a more affordable price range, not only to get more material on the website, but also because I'm kinda curious about how I feel playing stuff the cork sniffer sneers at.
Having lived the cork sniffer's life for quite some time now, I did get somewhat disconnected from those plebeian pedal companies that are popular with the peasants.
Any pointers for popular dirt pedals that retail under $100 ?
