SFX Red Dragon Review

[Timmy-Watts]

@ Tim Could you post some clips?

Well... My recording and posting ability is limited to taking video straight from my iPod and putting it up on YouTube. I'll try to get something down in the next few days.

I can't explain it guys... Last night I played a jazz trio gig on upright with a really heavy guitarist from New York. It was on upright, and in a room that I still haven't quite figured out yet. The highs are ok, but the bass is heavy and boomy and woofy, and the mids are hollow sounding on bass. I got there plenty early to set up and work out the tone before anyone else got there.

The F-deck was essential. Going through that first, I then went through the MXR 10-band EQ. The best I could do was a small cut at 500 and 125. A slight boost at 1k and 2k brought in some clarity but added too much finger noise.

So I tried the Fishman. The best I could do there was a depth roll off with a significant mid cut. Then it just sounded hollow.

Straight into the amp with. Nothing out front I could get a decent tone by cutting lows, highs, and mids at around 800, but there was a loss of character without the impedance buffer.

...so I put it back through the fdeck and then through the red dragon. Once I figured out that in that room, the high pass filter set lower (about 1:00, maybe 80hz or so), did the trick cleaning up the lows better than any low EQ cut (but that did not work as well with the Fishman). And the issue with the mids was surprisingly addressed with the red dragon! Dialing in about 1:30 on the drive seemed to sweeten up the mids while making notes punch through and the tone was actually pleasing, not honky. The tone set around 12:30 and the volume compensated made it possible to keep tha amp flat.

It did not sound like overdrive. Just like clear; louder, warmer upright bass punching through the mix in a challenging room. No other gear I have has done it like that (I did not try my vt bass pedal this time). I WILL be ordering more gear from Max. Likt next week.

I used to believe that simple EQ adjustment would alter tone. But the right overdrive, simpler EQ and tone controls seem to enhance the character of the dynamics and attack and make it more 3-dimensional and the quality of the pieces I m using make a big difference. I am sold on this pedal. I was thinking about ordering a standard red dragon pedal. But I'd never turn it off! I never thought of all things that an overdrive pedal would be my tone solution for my acoustic instruments. Now remember, it was being driven by the buffer in the F-deck, which I consider the most important piece in my chain now, but it was a killer combo, and the amp EQ stayed flat!

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Something else I have been playing with lately...you know how most amps have a baked-in sound? Even when the EQ is flat, it still sounds like that amp. I have a Walter Woods that has served me well through a variety of styles and volumes for 17 years. Lately I have been gravitating towards a flat EQ, with tone shaping left to my outboard stuff. The woods makes each instrument sound like the true instrument, but like that instrument "being played through a Walter Woods." It is not crazy, and for a long time I thought it was actually flat, but not I am used to it an I have an idea in my head what the "flat" curve is really. It is not drastic, and is for another post. Long story short, I set up the other day with the upright-F-Deck-flat amp in the best sounding room in town and it was great. So for kicks and giggles I put the Deck into the effects return jack, bypassing the preamp altogether. WOW! Even tone, open, pure-sounding, PERFECT upright tone! It has never been better. No need for any EQ in that room. I rolled the F-Deck's HPF to around 45-50 for a little low end control.

Where am I going with this? I must admit, not having multi-band EQ in line to instantly take tonal control can be un-nerving for me. But last night I was going to try something similar in a room that is not reverb-y but very bass heavy and soaks up mids. I used the same setup and as I expected the bass was thick and I wanted more definition. Rolling back the HPF was more effective than rolling off bass on the amp. Rolling in mids on the amp was annoying and not what I wanted to hear. So I used my simple buffer-power amp setup with the RED DRAGON in line. With the drive about 1:00 the buffered upright had some pleasing mid definition and a nice chunky attack like Bobo Stenson's bassist. Not harsh nasal quack like most EQ mid boost would have done. The tone control turned to 2:00 gave a nice bass/treble shelving balance, adding to the pleasing definition.

So, the moral of the story: once again, the simple, quality, intuitive controls of this little SFX OVERDRIVE pedal musically and naturally tailored the sound in a difficult room. Here is a short clip. The iPod was sitting on a stand close to the amp, so the bass sounds up in the mix. But I'm telling you people, I am getting the tone in my head using this gear. My Micro EQ is on its way.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

Love the pedal enough that I am in the middle of ordering a custom based on this. All specs and features are decided and I'm told they are possible, just waiting on the official quote so I can happily transfer the money!

 

[shwashwa]

im still loving mine! today the led light stopped working... any ideas?