December 2007 \ Features \ Product Spotlight \ The Best of '07

The Best of '07

 Premier Guitar December 2007
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Things on the average gearhead’s floor rarely garner much respect – dirty clothes, empty beer cans and the like. But when it comes to finding that tone, sometimes the things on the floor make all of the difference; whether it’s that interplanetary phaser or the germanium overdrive, they have the ability to add dimension to your guitar and amp. We’ve had the pleasure of stepping on a lot of pedals this year, and now present the best effects of 2007, just in time for you to compile those holiday wish lists.
SubDecay Liquid Sunshine Overdrive October 2007
SubDecay Liquid Sunshine Overdrive

SubDecay Studios has quickly turned into one of our favorite boutique companies, creating inventive effects that sound stellar while coming in at a decidedly non-boutique price. The Liquid Sunshine is no exception, featuring two Drive knobs – one controlling the guitar’s full frequency range while the other boosts your mids and high frequencies – allowing SubDecay to dispense with the dedicated tone control. Two internal dip switches allow users to finetune bass and treble response for their own tastes, but no matter where the knobs are set, your amp will still sound like, well, your amp. A sure addition to our desert-island gear list.

SubDecay Studios
MSRP $149
subdecay.com


August 2007
Lovepedal Church of Tone 50

When you need some nuance, grab Lovepedal’s COT50, which captures the response of a late ‘60s, 6550-loaded plexi. Boasting only one knob and a true bypass stomp switch, the COT50 moves from just a touch of grit to full-tilt thickness, all while retaining the sound of your guitar and amp. This pedal also sidesteps that annoyingly excessive boost in volume that many overdrive pedals generate, and like most churches, it’s is ominously quiet. Bow down.

Lovepedal
MSRP $229
lovepedal.com
 Lovepedal Church of Tone 50


BSM Treble Boosters September 2007
BSM Treble Boosters

Based on boosters used by Ritchie Blackmore and Tommy Bolin (among others), these primitive precusors to the overdrive pedal bring an old school vibe to any rig they’re paired with. The HS-C provides a real germanium sound, while the no-frills HS-S rocks with an American-flavored silicon circuit. The similarly stripped-down FireBall – basically a tuned version of the early germanium Hornby-Skews treble boosters – does the Blackmore thing for days, while the Spectrum (featuring two knobs) is relatively loaded and can move from a Stonesy-grind to incredible feedback.

BSM
Starting at $219
treblebooster.net
U.S. distribution by pedalgeek.com


July 2007
Guyatone Ultrem & Ultron Hybrid Optical Effects

Say goodbye to all those other trems and wahs cluttering up your board; these are unquestionably the deepest effects we have gotten our hands on, each providing six gorgeous, organic settings with enough knobs and options to keep you tweaking long into the night. Run the Ultrem in stereo for the thickest trem you’ve ever heard and relive those classic Mu-tron III sounds with the Ultron. Even cooler, these pedals provide digital control of the signal’s parameters while keeping the original analog signal intact, meaning your tone stays clean, even if your pants don’t.

Godlyke Distributing
Ultrem $375
Ultron $425
guyatone.com
 Guyatone Ultrem & Ultron Hybrid Optical Effects


IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix November 2007
IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix

We’ve gone nuts for digital modeling lately, because it offers endless possibilities. IK Multimedia has introduced their latest incarnation of their AmpliTube modeling line, giving users the ability to experience Hendrix’s gear without the vintage price tag. This app uses the power of computing to achieve previously unthinkable feats, like mixing and matching preamp and power amp models, and switching your rig routing at the click of a button. And with a raft of other features too extensive to list here, you’ll spend more time playing and less time trolling questionable websites.

IK Multimedia
MSRP $249
ikmultimedia.com


Accessories
Finding that special guitar and amp is a Sisyphean task on its own, but once that perfect rig is found, what excuse do you have for hanging around the local guitar shop instead of mowing the lawn on Saturday afternoons? Try this: offer up earnest sounding yet obscure gems to your significant other such as, “Honey, I need to find a new tuner. Mine is getting all glitchy.” Or, “I think my tuners are slipping. This could be a disaster at my jam tonight.” These should afford you the opportunity to sneak out of the house for at least a couple of hours without doing too much damage to either your relatio

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Comments

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Rebecca from PG
on 01/03/2008 		The Fender Classic Player 50s Stratocaster has an MSRP of $1142.84, but retails for more like $799, paired with the Orange Tiny Terror (MSRP $699) that retails for $550, you'll be set up very nicely for just over $1300. Hey, who doesn't like dreaming though?
Rory Bluesthug Connolly
on 12/14/2007 		Happy Holidaze,Ahhhh yes,to sleep is to dream.Especially when your a married man with 1 kid,2dogs,and all the bills that roll in every month!!!!was there nothing/guitars made for under $1,300.00 in the past year that we mere weekend hacks playing the open jam at the local------(icehouse,pizzia joint,you fill in the blank)could use?Come on ,say a prayer for the hard working people.Try again next year guys



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