WOW! Have you tried the Seymour Duncan SFX-03 twin tube classic? (mp3 inside)

[wampcat1]

Just bought one of these and played it at a gig last night.
I'm EXTREMELY impressed!! I brought along a Barber Direct Drive, Jacques tube blower (that I modified), a dano daddy-o turned guv'nor, a couple of my own builds, and a rat pedal...just in case the twin tube couldn't hang with the big dogs.

There is a night and day difference...I was expecting a 'decent' tone, probably tonebone/tube driver type sounds, but this one AIN'T that!! You guys gotta try this one! I just opened it up and discovered that it is indeed pumping some serious voltage through it (I'm not familiar with these little sub-mini tubes, but I measured 400+ volts off the caps!).

I just checked seymour duncan's webpage and listened to their clips- they don't do this pedal justice! I'll make a few clips through my blues jr. if you guys want to hear it. In the meantime, go to your GC or Samash and try one out, they are a touch 'fuzzy', but much much more responsive, smooth and creamy than anything I had with me, and I LOVE those pedals (except the daddy-o, still deciding whether to keep it or not).

Would it be worth it to build one? Maybe...an 18vAC adaptor makes its way to a transformer inside that steps up the voltage, good sized PCB, but probably quite do-able for someone who has some extra time.

bw

[markm]

GP gave it a good review but then again......
Well, Anyway I'd like to hear a clip.

[Bucksears]

Wow. I was just on the verge of ordering one, and you said 'fuzzy'......
Not to be cliche, but does it 'sound like a tube amp'? I've read almost 100% positive reviews of this thing, so I was getting an itch to pick one up.

- Buck

[Banjotaz]

It's very easy to fix fuzzy on any pedal with a capacitor accross the volume pot

[wampcat1]

It's very easy to fix fuzzy on any pedal with a capacitor accross the volume pot

It's a different kind of fuzzy tone. It sounds like the EQ tonestack lies before several clipping stages so as you turn up the bass you get that same sort of fuzz tonality that you would get some of the old Marshalls (JCM800's 2204?) when you turn the bass up. I have no doubt it can be fixed, I'm just talking about the stock pedal. The response into a 'cranked' amp is awesome. I played it today at church into a peavey rage amp on the clean channel (I run this little amp into a 2x12 closed cabinet  ). I just about crapped my pants.

GP gave it a good review but then again......
Well, Anyway I'd like to hear a clip.

I know what you mean! GP will give ANYONE a good review...especially if they are frequent adverstisers!

Wow. I was just on the verge of ordering one, and you said 'fuzzy'......
Not to be cliche, but does it 'sound like a tube amp'? I've read almost 100% positive reviews of this thing, so I was getting an itch to pick one up.

- Buck

It definately is a bit fuzzy, but not fuzzy like a fuzzface or anything like that. It sort of has that creamy feel that an old rat has, but much better. It isn't a smooth distortion like, say, an ada mp-1 or anything. The clipping is looser, but can be held together more by turning the bass knob down all the way and boosting it again after the pedal if a person would like.

Give me a few minutes and I'll upload a few quick mp3's.

bw

[wampcat1]

Here's a quick soundclip:
http://www.indyguitarist.com/soundclips2/506-SD_twintube-Indyguitarist-com.mp3

I also threw a soundclip of a few of my favorite pedal at the end for comparison ( modded Jacques tube blower, direct drive, daddy-o, rat).

On the soundclip, the twin tube sounds compressed with the gain up high. The hard thing to convey is that it really *reacts and responds* much different than other pedals. It is a bit fuzzy, but so are alot of tube amps! 

I'm not saying this pedal is the best I've ever had, just that for $200 it's a keeper.

bw

[Mark Hammer]

I know what you mean! GP will give ANYONE a good review...especially if they are frequent adverstisers!

Now, now.  I have great confidence that the reviews in GP are objective and uninfluenced by advertising revenue.  At the same time, they do tend to be a tad enthusiastic all the time, so it is easy to be suspicious of them.  They also don't just pull into a music store, grab stuff off the shelf and give it pop quiz tests.  They get sent stuff by manufacturers who have confidence in their products, whether that product is advertised in GP or not.  However, there have been times when I wonder about the standards used by GP reviewers, and whether they were able to appropriately judge things in terms of the factors that mattered.  As for their honesty, though, I have no doubts.

[wampcat1]

I know what you mean! GP will give ANYONE a good review...especially if they are frequent adverstisers!

Now, now.  I have great confidence that the reviews in GP are objective and uninfluenced by advertising revenue.  At the same time, they do tend to be a tad enthusiastic all the time, so it is easy to be suspicious of them.  They also don't just pull into a music store, grab stuff off the shelf and give it pop quiz tests.  They get sent stuff by manufacturers who have confidence in their products, whether that product is advertised in GP or not.  However, there have been times when I wonder about the standards used by GP reviewers, and whether they were able to appropriately judge things in terms of the factors that mattered.  As for their honesty, though, I have no doubts.

That's true...I probably went a bit overboard...however...I can't recall ever seeing a bad review?

bw

[Bucksears]

Thanks, Brian. I'm impressed with the overall sound of the Twin Tube, but the low-end sounds a little fuzzy to me. I'd still like to try one with my amp/guitars, so I might pull the trigger this week.
- Buck

[Nalo1022]

I work at a GC and im generally complaing about all the "new" pedals companies keep putting out, but this is the first one in a while that made me say wow. When i use it i tend to treat it like a do my tube amps (volume cranked, gain up just a lil) then I put a boost before it. i plan on getting one of these for myself soon. Ive brought some of my gear to work to test it out and i love the sounds i get. Im playing through a late 70s Bassman wich I love but not easy to get a good crunch out of. Ive been using theseymour duncan pickup booster to up my signal and that helps get my tubes cookin. With the PU Booster to about 16db, rythm on the Twin Tube having volumedimed and gain at about 8 o%^&*, the lead section having the volume dimed with gain at about 11-12 oclock and the treble and bass both at about3 o%^&* in to my bassman its freakin awesome sounding.