At LegendaryTones we’ve always had a fascination with Tube Screamers and the variants simply because they work so well with so many guitar and amp configurations. Whether being used for boosting an amp into greater natural tube overdrive or as an overdrive in front of a clean amplifier, there’s many applications for this famous green box that carries such a lengthy pedigree and legend.
All posts by David Szabados
SOLD OUT for 2020 – Stay tuned for a new model! Hot Mod V2 Now Available for Marshall Studio Series Heads!
We’re excited to announce that we have engineered the Hot Mod V2 to now work within two of the newest Marshall Studio Series amps: the Studio Classic, a portable replica of the JCM 800 2203, and the Studio Vintage, Marshall’s mini version of the famed 1959SLP non-master volume amp.
Finding the Fuzzy Magic: Analog Man Mike Piera Mods and Demos our Fuzz Face
In the world of boutique fuzz pedal effects, Analog Man Mike Piera’s creations are among the most well-known and respected due to his attention to detail. His Sun Face fuzz is his most popular and based on the original Arbiter England Fuzz Face which was first introduced in 1966, but unlike the original which was built with a range of poorly matched components and haphazard quality control, Piera’s are built like finely tuned machines with every component being carefully measured and tested. Fuzz connoisseurs like Eric Johnson have reportedly gone through hundreds of Face Faces until finding just the right one. In any fuzz based around germanium transistors, proper matching, leakage testing, and biasing are all critical in order to get the most musical and harmonically rich fuzz.
LegendaryTones Hot Mod V2 and Lynch Mod/Mr. Scary Mod Customer Testimonials & Videos!
We are honored and humbled by the great feedback we’ve received from customers since releasing the LegendaryTones Hot Mod V2, Lynch Mod, and Mr. Scary Mod high-gain tube modules. Nothing is more satisfying than to create something that others can enjoy and be inspired by. Here are just a few testimonials below:
“My friend, I am absolutely blown away. I tried it in my 900 and it sounds amazing, I love how articulate the notes still are…Just ran my 900 with your HMV2 and the original (Soldano Hot Mod). I’m so liking yours way more. Just keeps more of your tone intact. I’m really enjoying it. Very responsive. Gets the same growl, but only if you really crank the preamp. The original is pretty much on 11 as soon as you turn your amp on. I’m pretty sure the Soldano Hot Mod is going to go on eBay. Yours is way more usable.”
-Chris B.
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Line6 Relay G10S Wireless Review
Wireless technology has come a long way over the past couple decades, and analog and digital units both are upping their game with improvements in sound quality, performance, and reduced latency. The Line6 G10S is the newest member of the Line6 Relay wireless family, which offers a broad range of wireless units for all applications and budgets.
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Boss Returns with Spatial Effects in Latest Waza Craft Dimension C Reborn!
In 1985, at the height of our world becoming ever more digital and complex, Boss bucked the trend and introduced its Dimension C DC-2 compact pedal, an analog spatial effect that was also surprisingly simple to use. With its four push-button modes, I remember at the time I scoffed at the simplicity and limited features being offered by Boss’ newest pedal.
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Ibanez Nutube Tube Screamer vs. original TS-808
In a market saturated with numerous different Tube Screamers in addition to various clones and modified units, Ibanez recently introduced a bold and unique entry with its latest Nutube Tube Screamer. The Nutube Tube Screamer most notably uses a Korg-designed Nutube module, which is said to work in a similar way to a traditional vacuum tube. However, as I’ll discuss later, this isn’t the feature that impressed me the most with the Nutube Tube Screamer, although the NuTube technology itself certainly will grab the most attention for prospective buyers.
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Stories of The British Amp Invasion Come to Life
Dave Hunter’s latest book is entitled, The British Amp Invasion: How Marshall, Hiwatt, Vox, and More Changed the Sound of Music, and covers a span of the influence of British amplification from the late 1950s onward. As an industry, the companies behind the amplifiers are a fascinating study, not only from a design and sonic perspective, but also because of the stories themselves that surround their business success and growth (or for some, their bad deals and decline).
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Fender’s Mod Shop Expands for Summer and Fall 2017: Enables Direct Online Creation of Custom Instruments
In between a Fender production instrument that one can purchase from a dealer and a Fender custom shop instrument, is the Fender Mod Shop. The Mod Shop opened its doors in June of 2016 and is Fender’s online digital design studio where users can directly create and customize their instrument from a variety of options otherwise not available on standard off-the-shelf models.
Fender recently expanded its palette of offerings for the Summer and Fall of 2017, with some options being offered for only a limited time. From new body and pickguard colors, neck shapes, and pickups, the online Mod Shop offers a variety of options to create an instrument that is truly unique.
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Analog Man Astro Tone Fuzz Review: The Fuzz to Win Over the Anti-Fuzz Player
Fuzz pedals are notoriously finicky. Not only can some fuzz boxes themselves sound different based on their own component variances and the environment or temperature they are used in, but they are always dependent on the gear that they are being used with as well. Case in point is the classic germanium Fuzz Face beloved by Hendrix. Sure, when it’s in front of a Marshall that is already overdriven, you’ll get some magic happening by adding those bits of germanium magic. But…
…stick that same Fuzz Face in front of a Fender blackface amp and you’ll hear a whole different, and very ugly, side to the Fuzz Face. And turn on the bright switch on your old blackface and you’ll be pummeled with an even more horrid and brittle sound.
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