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Archive for October 3rd, 2008

Jacques Overtube Vintage Pro Overdrive Effects Pedal

Jacques Overtube Vintage Pro Overdrive

The Dawg likes to sniff around for new and interesting gear all the time. Unfortunately, I don’t always have time to write or test stuff out. But I do love it when I come across some potentially awesome gear, and I take the time to share it here. The Jacques Overtube Vintage Pro Overdrive most definitely fits the bill in that department. By the way, think “Jacques Cousteau” when pronouncing the name… 🙂

The Overtube is supposedly a faithful reproduction of the original TS-808 Tube Screamer circuit. Now you might be thinking, as did I, that that is nothing special. But what is special about this pedal is that little toggle labeled “CASC” between the Tone and Drive knobs. “CASC” stands for “cascade” and it’s meant to simulate running two TS-808 pedals simultaneously ala SRV!

Check out this video on Guitar Player TV. I’ll be damned if that pedal doesn’t do a Tube Screamer exceptionally well! And with the cascade on, this pedal sounds sweet as can be with lots of thick mid-range wail!

As many of my readers know, I’m a big fan of the mid-rangy kind of drive distortion, so I’m gonna be hard-pressed not to give this pedal a whirl.

It’s a steal at $139!!! Check it out!

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Sorry, but sometimes I just have to vent. I know lots of dudes who call themselves guitar players who are just wankers in disguise. They’re wankers because they have some kickass and expensive gear, which they don’t hesitate to let you know how much they spent, but they couldn’t play it if their life depended on it! Sorry, but it kind of grates on my nerves because when I run across a wanker, I find myself thinking, “Damn! If I had that guitar, I could make that bad-boy SING!” Maybe I’m crossing the line here of being the supportive web site host, into a petulant and honory SOB, but even though I realize that I’m not the greatest guitar player in the world, at least I can play my friggin’ axes and make some decent sounding music!

To me, a great guitar or amp will just help inspire me to explore tonal landscapes I haven’t been to before; and help me express my music to an even greater degree. And a great piece of gear is like having an expensive screwdriver from Mac or Snap-on Tools. Functionally, it’s no different from the cheap one you can buy for a buck ninety-nine at the corner drugstore’s hardware department. But that good screwdriver makes work so much easier because so much care and consideration were put into making that tool work so much better for the job, with high-grade materials, and ergonomic design. But wankers really don’t know the difference. They just think that expensive must be better. But so many great players have proven you don’t need the expensive gear to create a good tone (think Eddie Van Halen, Willie Nelson, etc). With a wanker, it doesn’t matter what they play: They still sound bad!

I know, I’m being really harsh and probably incredibly arrogant, but I get sick and tired of wankers who insist on playing the “my dick is bigger than yours” game with their bankrolls. Show me you can play that thing, and maybe I’ll show you some respect. In the meantime, keep your mouth shut, and learn how to use your gear!

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