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Post by prowler on May 9, 2006 19:17:54 GMT -7
Just wondering if anyone has played one of these pedals & what you thought of it? I'm interested in a G-2 pedal & I'm hoping that someone here can tell me a little more about it.
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Post by taswegian on May 9, 2006 19:38:03 GMT -7
Janinedoubly is the one to talk too. I know he has three or four Cornish pedals and I'm pretty sure one is the duplex SS2-G2. I'd be interested to hear any responses as well.
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Post by janinedoubly on May 17, 2006 10:11:08 GMT -7
Hey guys! Sorry for the delayed response. Haven't visited the site in a while. Yeah, I've got the G-2, along with the SS-2 (as a duplex w/ the G-2) and the P-2. I also use Pete's NB-2 clean boost and his line driver to buffer my board. Regarding the G-2...
It's cool, I use it as my "British" overdrive sound. I set the level and tone @ 3:00 (which matches the pedal's tone and unity gain to my amp, an RXES head) and the sustain at 11:00 for a moderate crunch. If I need more gain, I just kick on the SS-2 with it for lead work. It's tone is very British, lots of 2nd order harmonics, tight bass and with a little bit of Germanium goodness thrown in for good measure. The thing about Pete's stuff is, it takes a bit of time and usage to get used to it. It won't "wow" you right off the bat. In fact, if not set at unity gain into your amp, it can sound kinda bland. And, when playing by yourself, there are some harmonics happening that sound kinda weird and pedal like. But at unity gain (which is usually louder than you think it needs to be at) and in a band context, it screams. I think Pete spent a lot of time voicing his pedals to sound good IN CONTEXT, not when playing by yourself. It seems to me, there are some harmonics that are necessary to cut and sit in a mix best, that sound a little out of place by themselves. Pete's pedals have this. This is where I think a few of the bad reviews have come from. Plus, he voices his stuff to work with...how can I say this without sounding arrogant...professional playing styles, i.e. harder than usual attacks, wider ranges of dynamic range, etc. You gotta dig in to get the rewards, but it responds very well to this. Plus, the better the amp, the better they sound...lots of clean headroom. It does not work well as a true overdrive, the amp needs to be clean, not on the edge of distortion. Z's amps with EF86's LOVE his pedals. My RXES works wonders and I've plugged Pete's stuff into Route 66's with stellar results. All of his pedals are VERY touch sensitive, so even though the voicing is a little unique, their dynamic response is very amp like, probably the most responsive I've ever used.
Another thing about them, they sound VERY different through different amps. A G-2 into a Z sounds nothing like it into a JCM800, Route 66, Fender Twin, Carr, etc. And they are all very good.
I've had my P-2 for three years and my duplex for 2 1/2 years. The honeymoon is long gone. I still get blown away by the tone of these pedals. As my style evolves, Pete's stuff goes along for the ride BECAUSE the sound of his pedals is largely dependant on me, not its own voice. I play every Sunday at my church in a standard rock combo setting (drums, bass, keys, acoustic gtr and electric guitar). But the musical style can range from pop to R&B to ambient stuff, and his pedals simply fall into place without tweaking and re-setting. Just when I think I am hearing something un-satisfactory (you know, that ellussive "perfect tone" chase we are all prone to), I will compare Pete's stuff to another pedal and his always wins out. So, I go back and find that my "tone fight" was probably in my head.
Lastly, its all bullet proof and the high quality buffering and RFI sheilding makes everything else on my board sound better. When I turn everything off (and I have A LOT of pedals) and just use the amp sound, its just as lively and responsive as if I was plugged straight in to the amp. This is due to about 4 stages of buffering down the chain, starting with the Line Driver and ending with the NB-2. I never have ground loop or white noise issues, and my levels when turning modulation effects on and off stay constant. So...there you have it, I can't say enough good things about his work, plus he's a very cool guy. I simply cannot see myself selling them. His pedals are as much a part of my sound as my guitar and amp, they are that critical. Hope this helps, sorry for the length!!!
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Post by taswegian on May 18, 2006 5:30:17 GMT -7
Great comments Chris, thank you. Although I wish you hadn't mentioned the stellar results into the Rt 66! ;D
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Post by prowler on May 18, 2006 5:32:04 GMT -7
Chris, thanks for the comments. I am seriously considering a G-2. I need to find someone close to me that has one that I can try.
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Post by Telemanic on May 19, 2006 11:39:59 GMT -7
Chris, i normaly use a short signal chain, maybe 3 or 4 pedals. In the past any pedals with a "full time" buffer, (ex. RM VooDoo Vibe ) Left me with this kind of persistant high end sheen or almost fizz that rides on top of the original tone. I found it unatural sounding, and was a contributing factor to me offing that Vibe. I also have and have never used for the same reason, a VHT Valvulator. ( i wanted to use the splitting and ground lift features). I have since always strayed away from any full time buffered pedals. BTW, i wasnt able to satifactorily dial out the unwanted freqs, by reducing the treble on my amp etc. it seems then i was getting out of its sweet spot. So,... I'd appreciate your input on how you find the buffer and its sonic signature, IF any, on the Cornish pedals. Perhaps he has a better circuit on his ? I'm very interested in the Radial Switchbone a/b/y, as it has a "drag" control to adjust the buffering. Not that this has anything to do with the Cornish line, but just referencing buffers in general. > Thanx, Lou
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Post by janinedoubly on May 20, 2006 10:13:40 GMT -7
For what its worth, here is my scenario for determining whether or not the buffering is adding or subtracting anything. I set up my pedalboard with everything off, plug in and play. I then, quick like a bunny, plug straight into the amp and listen to the difference. The only difference I hear through my amp is a slight increase in backgorund noise, which is to be expected. I do not hear any top end change. Now, I will say, if comparing my rig with a non-buffered rig, I would probably hear more top end on my set up, because there is no loading. When I first added one of Pete's buffers, I had to turn my treble down, because of the no-load issue. I also found some of my cables were not cutting it anymore, because they added a lot of extra top end. I found that Pete's buffering to be the best I've heard, but your experience may differ.
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