NPD: Fab Tone

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empyrean
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NPD: Fab Tone

Post by empyrean » Mon Jan 23, 2017 2:35 pm

So I listened to Mono everyday for like 2 weeks, became obsessed with the idea of Taka's Danelectro Fab Tone wall of sound, had a look locally and found one for $20.

I picked it up over lunch today, despite all the terrible reviews of it.

Anyone have any luck getting a useable tone out of it? Also, holy indestructible metal casing, but married with plastics for the jacks and control casings... weird choice there.

I won't get to play it for a few days so I'm interested if anyone else likes these.

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tremolo3
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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by tremolo3 » Mon Jan 23, 2017 4:58 pm

First pedal I've ever bought. Got it for the same reason as you, I was so into Mogwai and Mono back then but it never sounded like those guys haha.
It took me a few years to understand what I was doing wrong: shit tons of volume.

I remember I liked with the gain and bass set fairly low since it had a LOT of bass.

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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by StevenO » Mon Jan 23, 2017 6:25 pm

I owned one of those years go, also during a Mono obsession.

Literally the only good sound in it is the setting Taka has. I think it was treble at 9 o'clock and bass at 3 o'clock, I don't remember if the distortion knob or whatever they called it did any kind of real tonal change. Something like that. Whatever gets you roundest and least bloated and fizzy sound, really. It's only good for getting that SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sound that Taka does during dramatic climaxes.

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empyrean
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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by empyrean » Mon Jan 23, 2017 7:24 pm

I figured as much, oh well, we'll see what I can get out of if.

That latest Mono album has me drooling, I almost told the guy on Kijiji to forget it when he had to cancel the first time since I didn't hear any positives about it, then I listened to requiem for hell again, and I thought, for $20, I'll give it a whirl, even if it's a one trick pony.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HsB8BJrFlcs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by StevenO » Tue Jan 24, 2017 2:48 am

It's not particularly special, even for Mono-type stuff. It's just really saturated sounding, so has that static-sound, no matter what you play through it. It does what it does, but it's no Muff variant that can do a bit more.

Just have fun with it. :)

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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by Zork » Tue Jan 24, 2017 5:07 am

I :-* Fab Tone

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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by hobbes96 » Wed Jan 25, 2017 12:18 pm

I love mine. I point fab and volume at noon, and the bass and treble facing eachother. It's gnaaaaaarly as fukk

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empyrean
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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by empyrean » Fri Feb 10, 2017 4:58 pm

Have had the chance to play this a bit.

It may be a bit of a one trick pony, but it does that trick nicely. Really like it with single coils, not so much humbuckers. For $20 though, great little pedal, I'll hold on to it.

The setting you want for that Mono sound, is Vol 3 oclock, Bass 3 oclock, Treble 12 oclock, FAB doesnt really matter, I looked up Takas board and zoomed in, it seems to be around 9 oclock for FAB. Works for me.

I'd be curious about some of the other dano pedals at this price, not at all cheap sounding like some of the other pedals in its price range, just not super versatile.

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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by dezb1 » Mon Feb 13, 2017 9:03 pm

I have only ever sold 1 dirt pedal as I generally love all the idiosyncrasies... But the Fab tone was a hideous thing that I couldn't coax a useful sound from.

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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by burntumber » Wed Feb 15, 2017 1:06 am

use cheap batteries with the Fab tone and you get the glitchy 8 bit sound

I liked to stack it with the MXR blue box, totally beastly.

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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by soggy mittens » Wed Feb 15, 2017 1:23 am

one day in pedal design workshop:-

"omg that sounds god awful".

"yeah but im sure some noise kids would love it, but you're right it sounds utterly disgusting".

"what should we call it?".

"fab tone?".

"nailed it".
If OSG has tort me anything...

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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by DesmondWafers » Wed Feb 15, 2017 1:52 am

empyrean wrote: I'd be curious about some of the other dano pedals at this price
I picked up a daddy-o after hearing that doug martsch of built to spill used one. Seriously awesome pedal, it's kicked off more than one boutique dirt off my pedalboard.

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tremolo3
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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by tremolo3 » Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:26 am

DesmondWafers wrote:
empyrean wrote: I'd be curious about some of the other dano pedals at this price
I picked up a daddy-o after hearing that doug martsch of built to spill used one. Seriously awesome pedal, it's kicked off more than one boutique dirt off my pedalboard.

Marshall got that right, again.

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Re: NPD: Fab Tone

Post by sab2208 » Wed Apr 11, 2018 4:10 pm

Important to note that Taka plays his Fab Tone mostly through his JCM2000, which is set very dark.

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