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HyperPak Dirty Channel
No, the name isn’t reference to Cinemax’s after hours programming
– the HyperPak was envisioned as the perfect pedal in front of your
favorite single channel amplifier after repeated dinner-time viewings of the Who’s Live at Leeds DVD. I didn’t have a mid to late ‘60s
SG Special kicking around, so I busted out my trusty Hamer Korina
Special and played the G to G/F riff from “My Generation.” I have to
say, “Mission accomplished!”, and hope this proclamation isn’t as far
off base as the last time it was uttered.
Buy If...
you need some dirt for a resolutely
clean amp, like a Twin.
Skip If...
you like a few surprises with your dirt.
Another design objective was good clean up via the guitar’s volume
knob; it works well, although it boosts the high-end and low-end in
this capacity, sounding a tad thinner than simply bypassing the pedal.
Rating... 3. 5
84 PREMIER GUITAR OCTOBER 2009
The HyperPak Dirty Channel is nice, but I like the crazy girls, and
despite her name, she isn’t one. I have rarely found myself needing a
well-behaved distortion pedal, but if you are in need of a distortion
pedal for a single channel amp and overdrives aren’t cutting it, by all
means, give this one a go.
MSRP $129
Catalinbread
catalinbread.com
Ottava Magus Octave Ring Multiplier
Ottava is Latin for Octave, Magus is Italian for Magic, and Magic
Octave is a brilliantly descriptive name for this little guy. Featuring
Intensity and Volume knobs on its psychedelically silkscreened face,
the Ottava Magus is the cosmic make up gift for everyone who
bought a Boss OC- 2 mistakenly thinking they were going to rock the
solo to “Purple Haze” and instead had to be content playing “Fool in
the Rain.”
Buy If...
you dig retro-future, destructo-tones
The Ottava has all of the same caveats as the one-up octave pedals
that preceded it, working best on the neck pickup, with the tone
rolled back and staying around the twelfth fret E minor pentatonic
position; but even with these limitations, the Ottava is more fun than
joyriding in a ’ 64 GTO. Venturing down low on the neck offers up a
really cool sputter fuzz with just a hint of octave, with the octave becoming more and more pronounced as you move closer to the magical twelfth fret position, where it eventually replaces the fundamental
note. When in the sweet spot, the ring modulation also becomes
more pronounced.
Skip If...
Rating... 4. 5
your set list includes “Girl from Ipanema”
and the audience gets pissed when you skip it.
MSRP $129
Catalinbread
catalinbread.com
Honestly, this pedal is almost impossible to describe, so just check
one out ASAP, and maybe the following can tell you more about the
Ottava than more description: I would use something like this maybe
once or twice a night, tops, and that’s after making a special spot in
a song or solo for it. Regardless, from the first couple of notes, I was
earmarking both the funds and the space on my pedalboard for an
Ottava Magus of my very own.
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