GuitArcher

I'm sure we all have certain pieces of gear that carry some value beyond practical use, but lack any sentimental attachment.  For me, that piece of gear is the Fulltone Fulldrive 2. My first recollection of the FD2, beyond magazine mentions, was it's appearance in a major guitar shop in Japan, listed for about 45,000 yen, which is about $400 USD.  You see, the FD2 was hot stateside, and getting anything that was hot in the States in Japan meant paying a serious premium... Aside: Cool versioning history of the FD2 here . A premium I had no interest in paying, what with the plethora of Japanese builders offering pedals I had never seen or heard about.  I remember picking up a Sobbat Drive Breaker 3 as an alternative, but also recall being disappointed to the point of seldom using it. I'd like it back just for the graphic. In any case, when I returned to Canada and got the opportunity to buy a Fulldrive 2, I jumped, especially since this was the 10th An...

I'm pretty content with my new board, but...

I'm really enjoying the Maz 8, although I'll admit to being frustrated for quite awhile as I searched for a great combination of pentode/triode, attenuator setting, volume/master, and cut settings. Despite the Maz seeming like a pretty simple amp, there's an awful lot going on in the interaction of these elements, and unlike other amps, there are definitely some bad sounds that can be coaxed if one isn't careful. What I'm not currently loving is how the Fulltone Fulldrive 2 or my Noah Sark "Green" react with the amp.  Instead of more of a good thing, there is a shrillness that I can't quite seem to get away from. Winding down the tone tames it, but also saps clarity. The obvious solution is more gear... Sigh. I'm considering two steps.  First, the OCD.  I've had a V1.4 in the past and loved it with every amp I've used it with. The problem is that they're virtually absent from the used market, which means buying new, which means ab...

Just a quick update: Having the Z has made me want to dust of my pedal board and get back into that end of things.  Last night I took some time to clean off the board a reassemble it with the pedals that have largely sat in my cabinet, unloved and unused. First off, I recognize the power bar and the Danelectro 9V adaptor are hardly the "pro-choice" setup, and yes - I'll eventually get around to buying a power supply from Amazon.  Understand that when I put together this board 10+ years ago, cheap power supplies were NOT a thing, so I feel like I should be getting credit for creativity. Secondly, I don't have enough small patch cables to hook everything up.  Amazon can solve this problem too. The board itself may eventually have to go.  No slats means there's only so much I can do to clean up the mess of cables, and while it's functional, seeing all sorts of super clean pedal boards has me envious.  With the right wiring I could easily double the current ...