What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by zhivago » Thu May 24, 2018 9:57 pm

Awesome Lovetone collection, Justin!!! :-*
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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by marqueemoon » Thu May 24, 2018 11:46 pm

Not a specific pedal, but I think I'm becoming a clean boost cork sniffer. Ugh.

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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by fortytwo » Fri May 25, 2018 1:20 am

i love sharin foo wrote:
Thu May 24, 2018 6:12 pm
It took me 16 years to finally get ahold of a Lovetone ?.... and it was worth the wait!
Image
That is one fine collection.
I bought a Ring Stinger cheap some years back, but never used it, so I sold it, which I regret today.
I really want a Cheese though.

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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by MrShake » Fri May 25, 2018 5:25 pm

I wanted a Superfuzz.

I was probably 14-15 when I first heard the usual suspects: Mudhoney, The Cramps, shoegaze, doomy/stonery stuff like like Fu Manchu. That was, I guess, '94? It wasn't until later that I found out those were all Superfuzz.

Once the boutique market kicked up (what, 10 years ago now?), they became easier to get. But I still wasn't sure.

Eventually, I dropped for a pre-assembled BYOC, so I could guarantee it would work (the "it's weird and Japanese and complicated" scared me off building my own). It arrived and one of the two modes is basically everything I could want through a fuzz. Especially through a silverface Fender amp with a TON of clean headroom. It's heavenly. Easily my favorite fuzz, twice over.

I probably got mine in, what, 2010? So, that's a solid 16 years, at least. I've had other "wants" come and go, but nothing that took me 15 years to pick up. And few other pickups were as immediately "righteous" as that one. It's just... an almost perfect fuzz pedal. (For me.)

Would I get an original? Absolutely. Would I be too afraid to use it? Probably. So having a rugged, unmarked steel enclosure with blue chicken-head knobs is the perfect choice. Mysterious and brutal. Too ****ing perfect.

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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by Ursa Minor » Fri May 25, 2018 7:33 pm

I think mine would have to be an original Super Fuzz. I've never been very serious about chasing one down at today's prices but I still fantasize about having one from time to time. Such a a cool sounding thing.

This all started with a big orange and blue one I was loaned by an old boss. I was about 17. He had a ton of great gear from his days in bands, circa early 70s. He decided to let me mess around with his stuff for a while. Still regret not being able to convince him to sell it to me. My haggling skills were under par at such an age. When I gave it back, I remember it stung a little. Every so often I see one or hear one and think of that big orange and blue box. Who knows, maybe some day I'll get one.


Side note - he also loaned me and a friend a black, two pickup Les Paul Custom. It didn't hit me until long after how much that guitar could be worth. Likely it was one of the first reissues, so late 60s, early 70s - as would fit the era of his band days but there's also a chance it was much older. :derp: :wacko:
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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by zhivago » Fri May 25, 2018 11:05 pm

MrShake wrote:
Fri May 25, 2018 5:25 pm
I wanted a Superfuzz.

I was probably 14-15 when I first heard the usual suspects: Mudhoney, The Cramps, shoegaze, doomy/stonery stuff like like Fu Manchu. That was, I guess, '94? It wasn't until later that I found out those were all Superfuzz.

Once the boutique market kicked up (what, 10 years ago now?), they became easier to get. But I still wasn't sure.

Eventually, I dropped for a pre-assembled BYOC, so I could guarantee it would work (the "it's weird and Japanese and complicated" scared me off building my own). It arrived and one of the two modes is basically everything I could want through a fuzz. Especially through a silverface Fender amp with a TON of clean headroom. It's heavenly. Easily my favorite fuzz, twice over.

I probably got mine in, what, 2010? So, that's a solid 16 years, at least. I've had other "wants" come and go, but nothing that took me 15 years to pick up. And few other pickups were as immediately "righteous" as that one. It's just... an almost perfect fuzz pedal. (For me.)

Would I get an original? Absolutely. Would I be too afraid to use it? Probably. So having a rugged, unmarked steel enclosure with blue chicken-head knobs is the perfect choice. Mysterious and brutal. Too ****ing perfect.
I love the Superfuzz circuit...I had one custom made by MJM years ago...I stupidly sold it at some point, but every now and then I go through ebay to see if it will pop up again.

This is the only photo of the unit that I still have...I sold it to a Harmony Central guy in Germany over 10 years ago...god knows where it is now...

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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by zhivago » Fri May 25, 2018 11:08 pm

kosmonautmayhem wrote:
Fri May 25, 2018 7:33 pm
Side note - he also loaned me and a friend a black, two pickup Les Paul Custom. It didn't hit me until long after how much that guitar could be worth. Likely it was one of the first reissues, so late 60s, early 70s - as would fit the era of his band days but there's also a chance it was much older. :derp: :wacko:
If it was a late 50s one, it would be worth tens of thousands upon tens of thousands...they were stupidly rare...I've only ever seen photos of two different ones on the Les Paul Forum vintage section. It's always possible that it was real 50s! :o
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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by UlricvonCatalyst » Sat May 26, 2018 12:46 am

zhivago wrote:
Fri May 25, 2018 11:05 pm
I sold it to a Harmony Central guy in Germany over 10 years ago...god knows where it is now...
You'll probably see it again as a NPD from Pat one of these days. ;)

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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by zhivago » Sat May 26, 2018 1:01 am

UlricvonCatalyst wrote:
Sat May 26, 2018 12:46 am
zhivago wrote:
Fri May 25, 2018 11:05 pm
I sold it to a Harmony Central guy in Germany over 10 years ago...god knows where it is now...
You'll probably see it again as a NPD from Pat one of these days. ;)
:D :D :D :D :D

Hahaha! At least it will go to a good OSG home! :)
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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by i love sharin foo » Sat May 26, 2018 1:21 pm

zhivago wrote:
Thu May 24, 2018 9:57 pm
Awesome Lovetone collection, Justin!!! :-*
Thanks Yannis!

I actually parted with the Doppelganger a while back, unfortunately. It was an early version and I would like to grab a later one at some point. I'd also like to get a Brown Source and a second version Wobulator.

The Flange With No Name is an awesome beast. Yeah, it does a decent standard flange, but its strength (like all the Lovetones I've owned) lies in it's ability to push it outside the realm of what you expect from a more "normal" pedal. To use Boss as an example, it seems as though they spend a lot of time refining the range of each control so that the pedal is useable and musical in almost every setting. Lovetone went the other way; each control has so much range that there are a lot of terrible sounds and even settings with NO sound at all in these pedals.

The Big Cheese was one it took me a second try, about 12 years later to really "get it". I've had so many awesome fuzz boxes by great builders, but once I got past having to have a certain circuit or transistor inside, I was able to realize that with careful tweaking, that one box could really do almost everything that I need. I spent a lot of years trying to trick myself into believing that either this or that circuit was the one that I really needed. I was never happy. Always spending more time comparing pedals than actually playing. Once I settled on the Big Cheese for the second time, it just plain worked. I :-* that thing!! With that and a green Soviet BMP circuit, I am all set! Well, maybe throw in the trusty Super Hard On too ;)
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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by i love sharin foo » Sat May 26, 2018 1:26 pm

fortytwo wrote:
Fri May 25, 2018 1:20 am
i love sharin foo wrote:
Thu May 24, 2018 6:12 pm
It took me 16 years to finally get ahold of a Lovetone ?.... and it was worth the wait!
Image
That is one fine collection.
I bought a Ring Stinger cheap some years back, but never used it, so I sold it, which I regret today.
I really want a Cheese though.
Thanks! I got my Ring Stinger in 2001 I think. I've never ever considered selling it. I've always had a thing for ring modulators. I remember at that point in time there was only the Ring Stinger, old Maestro, Moog MF-102, EHX Frequency Analyzer, and the Frostwave ones on the market. The Lovetone just seemed like "the one". It was the most I'd ever paid for a pedal up until that point... $500. It was more than any single amp that I had at the time too. I felt like I was crazy. But here it is. Still.

The Big Cheese is well worth the money! I love mine.
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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by fortytwo » Sun May 27, 2018 1:55 pm

kosmonautmayhem wrote:
Fri May 25, 2018 7:33 pm
I think mine would have to be an original Super Fuzz. I've never been very serious about chasing one down at today's prices but I still fantasize about having one from time to time. Such a a cool sounding thing.

This all started with a big orange and blue one I was loaned by an old boss. I was about 17. He had a ton of great gear from his days in bands, circa early 70s. He decided to let me mess around with his stuff for a while. Still regret not being able to convince him to sell it to me. My haggling skills were under par at such an age. When I gave it back, I remember it stung a little. Every so often I see one or hear one and think of that big orange and blue box. Who knows, maybe some day I'll get one.
I have one of those. Bought for less than half of what it was worth, because the guy selling it, broke a pot, and snapped a wire, so after 5 minutes of taking the pot apart and putting it back together, and 5 seconds of soldering, it was working like a charm. ;D

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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sun May 27, 2018 3:03 pm

I haven't really chased a specific pedal, but I've been chasing a sound for about 4/5 years: Binson Echorec. I don't have the money for a real one, and don't want something that needs that much maintenance, but I love that sound.

I had a Catalinbread Echorec and a Dawner Prince Boonar. The Boonar had easier controls, but I didn't like the sideways orientation. The Catalinbread sounded perfect to me, but I didn't like the rotary knob not having indents to know when it changed modes.

There's rumor that Howard might be doing an Echorec Deluxe like he did with the Belle Epoch. If he does, that'll be my final for that sound I think.
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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by Ursa Minor » Sun May 27, 2018 6:10 pm

fortytwo wrote:
Sun May 27, 2018 1:55 pm
kosmonautmayhem wrote:
Fri May 25, 2018 7:33 pm
I think mine would have to be an original Super Fuzz.
I have one of those. Bought for less than half of what it was worth, because the guy selling it, broke a pot, and snapped a wire, so after 5 minutes of taking the pot apart and putting it back together, and 5 seconds of soldering, it was working like a charm. ;D
That would be a total dream come true. ;D
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Re: What is the pedal you've chased the longest?

Post by Zeus » Mon May 28, 2018 12:35 am

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Sun May 27, 2018 3:03 pm
There's rumor that Howard might be doing an Echorec Deluxe like he did with the Belle Epoch. If he does, that'll be my final for that sound I think.
Since Howard, along with most of the rest of the old Catalinbread crew, has been shown the door, I doubt this is coming any time soon (unless he starts his own thing).

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