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clips for all of the pedals in this roundup.
FEATURE
or Thick settings, provides EQ shaping to the octave signal alone, boosting
the low-mid register (Thin) or the ultra-low sub register (Thick).
The octave signal itself sounds very natural and preserves the tonal characteristics of your instrument without any obvious digital artifacts. Though
I encountered a few pitch-tracking artifacts when playing polyphonically,
even subtle bends and vibrato were tracked instantly by the Black Rose.
The Verdict
With its excellent tracking capability and a versatile tone-shaping circuit,
the Black Rose is the kind of octave pedal that you can use in small, subtle doses or as an over-the-top sonic warp machine. Separate outputs
open up an additional world of options for users who run multiple amps.
Yet for all but the most radical octave-pedal users, the Black Rose and a
single amp is enough to significantly expand your tonal terrain.
RATING:
BUY IF…
you’re looking for an octave pedal with
tone-shaping options and independent
wet/dry outputs.
SKIP IF…
you’re content playing in just one octave
at a time.
GHS/Rocktron
Street $119
rocktron.com
SNAZZY FX
THE MINI-ARK
By Lyle Zaehringer
Snazzy FX’s amazing stompboxes, which all look as though they were
extracted from the control panel of some psychedelic spacecraft, are
built for the musically adventurous and for guitarists and bassists who
look beyond classic stompbox tones to color their creations. The Mini-Ark is no exception. If you’re willing to explore the pedal’s potential, a
new galaxy of 6-string possibilities await.
Into the Wild
While the Mini-Ark can look and sound intimidating to the uninitiated, it’s
simply a pitch-tracker. It reads your incoming pitch and uses it to control
the pitch of an analog square-wave voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO).
CLEAN STAGE • IMMACULATE TONE
VENUE DI ACOUSTIC EQ/DI/TUNER
“So, for us, it's bye-bye separate pedals and patch leads and hello to improved EQ, DI and superb
feedback-busting. If you're a gigging acoustic musician, just buy one – you'll thank us.” - Guitarist magazine
Learn more at www.lrbaggs.com/venue
www.premierguitar.com
PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2010 197
