136 PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2009 www.premierguitar.com
Buy if … you want to unleash the fury with
high gain distortion.
Skip if … a massive amount of distortion
scares you.
Street $99
Barber Electronics
barberelectronics.com
RED WITCH FAMULUS
Red Witch understands that you can’t really
reinvent the wheel when it comes to distortion. Instead, they’ve conjured up a unique
way to take two different distortion tones and
blend them together into one pedal. The Red
Witch Famulus distortion/overdrive pedal features two distinct circuits that run parallel, and
each circuit is uniquely voiced. The two gain
channels can be used independently, or can
be blended together for an infinite number of
options and distorted tones. Gain A offers a
more biting distortion while Gain B has a fat
midrange punch. Although they both share
the same Volume and Tone control, each
gain can be controlled separately. The key
to blending the tones together is using the
Alchemy control. This knob enables you to
choose between Gain A and B if you turn it to
the extreme left or right. Turning the Alchemy
knob anywhere in between allows you to
seamlessly blend the two tones together.
I’d be content just with using Gain A of the
Famulus pedal. It had plenty of thick, creamy
distortion to rock out with. Having Gain B as
a whole other distortion option was an added
bonus. It was great to be able to blend both
gains together. My favorite tone was having
Gain A full up with Gain B in a cleaner sound,
and then blending the two. I was then able to
play more complex chords and have the notes
defined more clearly, instead of being lost in
distorted mush. It would be great to see a
version of this pedal with stereo outputs to
expand the concept even further. Having two
types of gain to two different amps controlled
by one knob would be an excellent distor-
tion combination. But I’m happy with the Red
Witch Famulus concept as it is. It uniquely
blends two different kinds of distortion for
endless combinations of tone. – GG
Buy if … you don’t mind blending different
types of distortion together.
Skip if … you’d rather have a simple distortion pedal that you can set and forget.
Street $299
Red Witch
redwitchanalogpedals.com
MXR: FULLBORE METAL
Being an owner of the famed Distortion+ and
a metalhead at heart, I was pretty excited to
give the Fullbore Metal pedal a try. For start-
ers, the Fullbore comes with a lot more bells
and whistles than your standard MXR pedals
of this size. In all, six small knobs and two
small switches adorn the front of the unfin-
ished metal chassis. Features include Volume,
Frequency, Gain, Low, Mid High, Gate and
Scoop. Frequency controls the midrange
frequency from 200hz to 5khz, which is then
adjusted further by the Mid control. Bass
controls the tight low end of this pedal, while
the High knob controls the sizzling harmonic
tones. The Noise Gate switch is a welcome
addition to the Fullbore and is a necessity at
high volume and gain settings. Other distor-
tion pedal makers would do well to take note
of this. The Noise Gate responded well, and
notes were not cut off short, which allowed
for plenty of sustain. The Scoop switch boosts
the Lows and Highs, which should make this
pedal desirable for metalcore players and
fans of the Dimebag Darrell sound.
Plugging in my Gibson SG-X, I first tried
the Fullbore Metal with the volume at 3,
Frequency at 2, Gain at 3, Bass at 4, Mid at
2, High at 3 o’clock, with Noise Gate on and
Scoop off. I was treated to the guitar tone
reminiscent of Metallica’s …And Justice for
All. Turning up the Bass knob made the bass
much punchier without the lows falling apart
and sounding broken up. The mids and highs
provided clear harmonic leads, especially for
pinch harmonics which became effortless.
At high volumes the Fullbore did not lose
its sound, which would make it great for live
use. I have also seen plenty of bands in my
day who would do well using a noise gate for
their setup, something that is left out of many
a metal guitarist’s setup ... surprisingly. – BB
Buy if … you’re looking for a metal distortion
or a good noise gate.
Skip if … blistering metal is not your thing.
Street $99
Dunlop/MXR
jimdunlop.com
PEDALWORX 5 O’CLOCK CHARLIE DISTORTION
Pedalworx’s newest distortion pedal, the 5
O’clock Charlie, takes its name from one of
the most famous episodes of M*A*S*H. “ 5
O’clock Charlie” is actually a North Korean
bomber pilot with a very punctual personality, who at precisely 5 o’clock each day tries
to hit the camp’s ammunition depot with a
bomb he throws by hand. (Un)fortunately, his
targeting skills aren’t as sharp as his sense of
time, and he misses the depot every time.
Pedalworx is attempting to hit the target
the first time with a finely-tuned Rat circuit
that utilizes an original Motorola LM308
chip, a prized component (they offer a very
amp-like response and tone) in some of the
most sought-after Rat pedals. Wielding a
2006 Gibson Flying V into a 1973 Marshall
Super Bass, I was surprised to hear more
Big Muff-like qualities from the 5 O’clock
Charlie. The raunchy distortion was very
present and powerful, but loose in the lows,
which isn’t something that I’ve come across
with too many Rat circuits. Even with the
Bass control on the amp turned down to 9
o’clock, the Charlie had an immense amount
of low-end response. Switching to a Fender
Deluxe Reverb helped tame the lows, but the
4.5Rating...
The Stomping Grounds
4.5Rating...
4.5Rating...
