Bill, there are all kinds of pedal makers. Some are quite professional, others not so much. Anyhow, some pedals seem to pass the test of time and it's because of some combination of pleasing sound and being playable. By playable I mean some of them respond dynamically to how an instrument is played, at least if the knobs aren't all turned up to 10. Same for a good guitar amp.
There are other things some players want, such as a characteristic sometimes referred to as "swish," which means, say in the case of a distortion pedal, that the distortion is not stationary, but changes with playing and with time in a way that is perceived as musical by the player.
Of course, just as with hi-fi some people focus on very small differences with a magnifier, it's important to them even if most people will never notice.
Bill, you have to understand that with the advent of of the electric Dobro (1930s), and the subsequent Electric Guitar, the amplifier becomes part of the instrument. Effects boxes are part of the instrument, so Fuzz boxes, tremolo effects, Reverb, phasers, etc are all open to individual interpretation.
They have nothing to do with accurate "REPRODUCTION" but are part of "PRODUCTION".
They have nothing to do with accurate "REPRODUCTION" but are part of "PRODUCTION".
Hi Bill,
I don't know about that. These folks can be given a sonic target and they (the good ones) can hit it every time. Same for designing the tone stack in an amp. There are folks who work wonders with how they (under) size the power supply do that the player can alter the dynamics by how he plays. I'd say they are craftsmen any day of the week. They know their craft, even down to selection of the loudspeaker(s) used. They understand components and circuits.
-Chris
I don't know about that. These folks can be given a sonic target and they (the good ones) can hit it every time. Same for designing the tone stack in an amp. There are folks who work wonders with how they (under) size the power supply do that the player can alter the dynamics by how he plays. I'd say they are craftsmen any day of the week. They know their craft, even down to selection of the loudspeaker(s) used. They understand components and circuits.
-Chris
I agree with anatech, they make tone generators, and they have to extract that tone from the customer's (musician's) mind then produce it. Alex Dumble builds two or three amps a year. each is built to the guitarists style and tone he hears in his mind. You know, when the guitar "disappears." These musicians are some of the best ever.
In the old days he got $20k each, These days I hear its more like $60-80K
Some of his customers. (I wonder if they have the Golden ears audio guys do?)
- Eric Clapton, Sonny Landreth, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, David Lindley, John Mayer, Lowell George, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Henry Kaiser, Joe Bonamassa, Keith Urban, Steve Kimock, Ry Cooder, Ben Harper, Eric Johnson, Kirk Hammett, Jason Isbell, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jackson Browne, Bob Rock, Don Felder
Yeah I had heard he retired to make guns, but have also heard he is back in a way. Mainly on Carlos' amps etc. He has also allowed companies like Welagen to make clones. BTW, just to hear the difference between a Mesa Boogie and a Dumble, compare Santana's Supernatural to earlier albums.
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I believe you, although the mischievous side of me will note that as described is close to a description of homeopathy
Email flier from TI today is a new bunch of op amps - opa83x series... OPA838 1-mA, 300-MHz Gain Bandwidth, Voltage-Feedback Op Amp | TI.com
The part is nice, however you would not need 300MHz GBW and 350V/us slew rate for audio. It might rather be a source of troubles. On the other hand, you might need more than 2 x 5V max. power supply as it limits output swing too much. 1mA quiescent current indicates to deep B mode.
This part is nice, but not good for audio.
Golden ears, I don't know, but golden fingers, for sure. Near all my favorite guitarists are here. Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ry Cooder...
Just one question. Did they use DBT to chose their amps ?
I agree that the parts aren't cut out for audio. On the output ofa DAC they would reliably reproduce the signal you want to filter out, that's for sure. And yes, all that bandwidth beyond what you need is just trouble waiting to come out and play.
They might make a nice FM IF amp.
-Chris
They might make a nice FM IF amp.
-Chris
Lot has been said about crossover distortion. For anyone who is self-assured to hear crossover distortion, you are cordially welcome in my new ABX test.
Only Foobar ABX protocol results are accepted, no impressions, please.
Test your ears in my new ABX test
Only Foobar ABX protocol results are accepted, no impressions, please.
Test your ears in my new ABX test
Remembering some 8 years ago in the tube forum asking a person why he would use Vithrom carbon composite with all its drawbacks, the answer was because a certain "guru" by name Alex (aka Howard) Dumble uses it so had to be trusted.
Some design amps for home use with a deliberate touch of ooey-gooey guitar amp sound, each to his own...
Some design amps for home use with a deliberate touch of ooey-gooey guitar amp sound, each to his own...
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