The new Merlo harmonic tremolo pedal comes to us from Korora Audio, a small company in Seattle, Washington, that builds creative stomps like the Spira modulating filter (which won a Premier Gear Award in 2019). The Merlo isnāt inspired by brown-panel Fender or Magnatone tremolo, specifically. But it captures the spirit of the delicious tremolo on those amps while adding versatility, bountiful control, and textures spanning vintage classics and more radical modulations.
Like most harmonic tremolos, Merlo splits the guitar signal and uses LFOs to generate modulation. But in typical Korora style, thatās just the beginning. The EQ control is powerful, and the high- and low-pass filters modulate broader-than-usual frequency bands, emphasizing formant peaks that move with the modulation and create particularly rich, weird, and fine-tuned tremolo effects.
Shape Shifter
Two 3-way toggle switches are key to fine-tuning the Merloās voice. The upper toggle is a tone mode switch offering three settings: flat/transparent, mid peak, and warm, high-end roll off. Beneath that, an LFO selector switches between sine, triangle, and square waves. The LFO can be blended between wave shapes by using the, duh, shape knob. The EQ emphasis in a given wave peak can be enhanced with use of the color knob. It shifts the formant peaks, highlighting warmer or brighter tremolo tones and adding phase-like effects depending on the frequency shifts. Itās a powerful tool for shaping precise modulations, and can help achieve interesting blends of soft and hard-pulse textures. The rate and depth controls function as they do on a traditional tremolo, though, as weāll see, the rate control is pretty range-y.
Dual status LEDs are a nifty visual touch. They pulse alternately in time with the split strands of the signal. If it gets a bit busy for your eyes, there are internal DIP switches to select whether you want the pulsing LEDs on or off. Thereās also a DIP switch that determines whether the unit defaults to effect-on or -off on power-up.
Even in extra-choppy square and triangle wave modes, you can use the shape and color knobs to blunt the sharpest peaks.
Yet another, probably more useful, DIP switch activates a boost that can be set up to 3 dB in 1 dB increments. There are independent soft-relay footswitches for bypass and tap tempo. Input and output jacks are on the crown of the pedal, and Korora Audio recommends an external 9V DC power supply rated for at least 180 mA of currentāwhich they thoughtfully supply in the box.
Pulse by Numbers
Needless to say, the Merlo can make a lot of sounds and bridges the gap between familiar vintage modulations and wilder fare beautifully. But, for me, the most appealing facet of the Merlo is the watery softness of the pulses you can achieve at many settings. Even in extra-choppy square and triangle wave modes, you can use the shape and color knobs to blunt the sharpest peaks while retaining the undulating feel of the more extreme wave shapes. That capability makes the unit feel more musical and flexible. The Merlo is also very responsive. Unlike some trems, it can be tuned to diminish pick attack lessāeven at extreme settingsāand it feels incredibly dynamic at most settings.
The rate knobās most conventional sounds live almost entirely within the first half of its rotation. Beyond that it tends to accelerate into hyper-speed warble. Iād guess that most players wonāt use these speeds much, but the fast pulses are great for designing attention-grabbing passing phrases and solos. Personally, Iād prefer a pot with a more gradual taper and more precise control of traditional sounds. More experimental players might disagree. And, of course, the tap tempo is a very capable tool when youāre matching modulation rate to song tempo. At times, the extra color at many settings also seems to translate to a little extra noise from the pedal. (I used both the supplied adaptor and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power ISO with isolated outputs.) Here again, though, the less noise-floor-obsessed may consider a little hiss fair trade for a wider range of sounds and EQ options.
The Verdict
The Merlo is a very hip effect and, in my humble opinion, a must-try for tremolo addicts. The harmonic tremolo sounds are complex and easy to tailor in precise ways (though the rate control might be an exception for some). The Merlo also gets a lot of great sounds out of a relatively simple control set. All that flexibility and modulation massaging potential will set you back a fair bit, at almost $250. But Merloās impressive performance often justifies the price.
A faithful recreation of the Germanium Mosrite Fuzzrite with a modern twist.
From the years of 1966 to 1968, Mosrite produced two distinct fuzz circuits---one outfitted with silicon transistors, the other with germanium parts. Of the two, the germanium version is by far the most rare, with original designer and Mosrite employee Ed Sanner estimating that around 250 ever made it out the door. In that final year of production, Mosrite shifted exclusively to silicon parts, making germanium components a thing of the past. However, by 1968 the public was hungry for fuzz, having heard it on a handful of recordings, most notably "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly and "Incense and Peppermints" by Strawberry Alarm Clock. These two buzzy, sinewy fuzz tones were part of a wave of psychedelic rock gaining traction in the mainstream, and both were recorded prior to the introduction of the silicon Fuzzrite.
Other purported users of this early Fuzzrite circuit include Ron Asheton of the Stooges, Norman Greenbaum on "Spirit in the Sky", Henry Vestine of Canned Heat, and many others. Catalinbread have a germanium version at their disposal, and we've used it as a benchmark to create an extremely faithful version with a modern twist. Just like the original, the Catalinbread Fuzzrite Germanium includes two NOS PNP germanium semiconductors with a polarity inverter IC so it plays nice with all forms of power. Unlike the original, Catalinbread added a toggle switch to shift into modern mode, significantly beefing up the low-end content to suit more contemporary rigs.
Playing The Fuzzrite Circuit For The First Time!! | Feat. Catalinbread Fuzzrite Germanium
The Fuzzrite Germanium is out now and available for $179.99 at participating retailers and catalinbread.com.
Kenny Greenberg with his main axe, a vintage Gretsch 6118 Double Anniversary that he found at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville for a mere $600. āIt had the original pickups, but the finish had been taken off and the headstock had been repaired. So, itās a great example of a āplayerās vintage instrument,āā he says.
On his solo debut, the Nashville session wizard discovers his own musical personality in a soundtrack for a movie that wasnāt, with stops in Africa and Mississippi hill country.
Kenny Greenberg has been Nashvilleās secret weapon for decades. Heās the guitarist many insiders credit with giving the Nashville sound the rock ānā roll edge thatās become de rigueur for big country records since the ā90s. Itās the sound that, in many ways, delivered country music from its roots to sporting events.
Greenbergās list of album credits as a session guitarist, producer, and songwriter is as diverse as it is prolific and includes everything from working on Etta James, Willie Nelson, and Sheryl Crow records to shaping hits for mega-selling contemporary country artists Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Brooks & Dunn, and Kenny Chesney (who Greenberg also tours with on lead guitar). Greenbergās even been kicked in the leg by Jeff Beck! (More on that later.) So, while you might not necessarily know Kenny Greenberg by name, itās safe to say youāve heard his guitar playing.
Since moving to Nashville in his teens, Greenbergās kept his dance card remarkably full working on records for other artists. However, with the release of his debut solo album Blues For Arash, the decorated session veteran has finally made a statement all his ownāeven if he didnāt necessarily intend to.
Blues For Arash is a collection of songs that were intended for the soundtrack of a movie written and directed by Welsh-Iranian filmmaker Arash Amel. The film tells the tale of a West African musician who becomes enamored with the blues and finds himself on an odyssey through the Southern U.S. Unfortunately, the movie never quite got its production together and remains in a state of funding limbo, but Greenberg found an unexpectedly happy space within the project to create music that he feels represents his truest self as a player, and he quickly realized that these songs had the makings of a solo album.
Blues for Arash
TIDBIT: Kenny Greenberg recorded Blues For Arash at his own pace in his Nashville home studio, originally intending to make a soundtrack for a film by Emmy-winner Arash Amel.
Greenberg explains: āAll my guitar player friends said, āThis isnāt what we were expecting!ā To me, itās really the kind of guitar music I would make for myself. Iām not really a shredder, anyway. I do a different thing.ā
Blues For Arash is a remarkably musical affair that shirks the fretboard histrionics that often characterize instrumental guitar albums by players with similar resumes. The album fuses African influences, exotic percussion loops, and field recordings with Greenbergās unique take on blues guitar in a way thatās genuinely refreshing and as cinematic as one might expect of songs written to accompany a movie. The track āNairobi, Mississippiā acts as the albumās thesis statement and is a one-chord blues that features Greenbergās Mississippi-hill-country-blues-informed bottleneck guitar dancing with West African musician Juldeh Camaraās brilliant nyanyero (a single-stringed fiddle) over an energetic African percussion loop.
From the ultra-lyrical slide playing on the opening track, āThe Citadel,ā to the fiery, fuzzed-out lead work on āStar Ngoni,ā all of Greenbergās guitar on the album is rooted in the blues. The guitarist and songwriter confesses that despite the diversity of his credits, the blues has always been his home base: āEverything I do comes out of a weird way of playing the blues. So, we had the idea to fuse African music with the blues and I started researching cool beats and stuff that I could play blues guitar over, and I would come down to my studio with samples or loops, or Iād loop actual field recordings, and I would just play over them.ā
āWe had the idea to fuse African music with the blues and I started researching cool beats and stuff that I could play blues guitar over.ā
Greenberg played most of the instruments on the album and edited many of its loops and percussion beds, but he did have some important collaborators, including multi-instrumentalist Justin Adams, who plays in Robert Plantās band the Sensational Space Shifters and has produced Tuareg/desert-blues greats like Tinariwen. Adams provided some of the raw material that Greenberg would throw his blues playing on top of, and the two would share ideas through email. āJustin was a good guy to call for an opinion on that African/blues fusion thing,ā says Greenberg, āand heās a very cool and knowledgeable guy about world music in general. I look forward to doing more with him.ā
Greenbergās key collaborator on the record is Wally Wilson, who he describes as a mentor and who he met while co-producing the live-performance TV show Skyville Live for CMT. āI met Arash through Wally, and we came up with this idea of the soundtrack being blues guitar, but with an African influence,ā Greenberg says. āWally was very important in this process and co-produced the record.ā Wilson, who has never fancied himself a singer, even ended up providing the narrative-style vocals on āMemphis Styleā and āAināt No Way.ā
āWally and I both love Howlinā Wolf and all the hill country blues. I had a cheap handheld mic in my room, and I was like, āPut the vocal down so we have the general concept, and then weāll get a killer soul singer to come in and re-do these,ā but it just had such a character to it! It has this lo-fi, non-professional vibe that just sounded right. It took Wally a long time to get on board with us using his vocals, but Iām glad he did!ā
Kenny Greenbergās Gear
This Gibson Custom Shop ES-335 is a favorite for Greenberg, who, after nearly 30 years in Nashville, is as comfortable onstage in stadiums and arenas as he is in clubs and studios.
Guitars
Vintage Gretsch 6118 Double Anniversary
1962 Gibson SG Special with mini-humbuckers
Russ Pahl S-style
DiPinto Galaxie
Harmony Sovereign
Dobro-made National wood-bodied resonator
1952 Les Paul goldtop
Gibson Custom Shop ES-335
Jerry Jones Baritone
Jerry Jones 12-string
Fender Telecaster with Glaser B-Bender
Fender Jazzmaster
Novo Serus J
PRS Silver Sky
PRS DGT
GFI Pedal Steel
Amps
Fender Pro Junior
1958 Fender tweed Deluxe
Hime Amplification The Rockford
Vox AC30
Matchless HC-30
Magnatone Varsity
Marshall 20-watt
ā50s wide-panel, low-power tweed Twin
Effects
Mythos High Road Fuzz
J. Rockett The Dude
Karma Pedal MTN-10
J. Rockett Archer
Universal Audio Ox Box
Boss DD-200 delay
Walrus Audio D1 High Fidelity Delay
Walrus Audio Slƶ reverb
Boss GE-7 Equalizer modded by XAct Tone Solutions (XTS)
Line 6 M9
JHS Colour Box
JHS 3 Series OD
Keeley Dark Side Workstation
Pedalboard by XTS
Strings, Picks & Slide
DāAddario NYXL (.010ā.046 for standard electrics, and .013ā.068 for slide)
Ceramic and glass DāAddario slides
Dunlop Tortex Teardrop .88 mm for electrics
Fender Mediums for acoustics
Beyond rolling with a scratch vocal for the final cuts, Blues For Arash has a wonderfully playful quality that Greenberg says was ātotally differentā from what he typically does in the session world. āI was like, āI donāt give a shit! I can play anything I want to play. Iām going to make myself happy with this!ā The thing about the pandemic in Nashville is so many artists live here, and they were all off tour, obviously, and wanted to record. They wanted to put masks on and go in the studio and be careful because they couldnāt go on the road. I actually worked my way through the pandemicāand Iām grateful for thatābut when I had a day off, Iād come down to my home studio and work on these songs. Itās what I really wanted to do with my own time.ā
Despite the massive arsenal of guitars, amps, and effects Greenberg has at his disposal as a top-tier session player (who PG once covered with a truly comprehensive Rig Rundown), he kept it to a few choice instruments and amps to craft the fabulously organic tones on Blues For Arash. The main guitars included his trusty vintage, stripped-down āplayers-styleā Gretsch 6118 Double Anniversary and a custom S-style build by famed Nashville steel guitarist Russ Pahl. For the albumās killer electric slide playing, Greenberg used a 1962 Gibson SG that he literally found in a garbage can and loaded with vintage mini-humbuckers, and a DiPinto Galaxie. A vintage Harmony Sovereign and a wood-bodied Dobro resonator guitar handled the acoustic slide work.
āRichard [Bennett] was the first guy that I saw use a Gretsch and it sounded like Duane Eddy, but modern. It had a real bell-like-but-not-bright sound. I immediately thought, āI got to get in on some of that!āā
While Gretsch guitars have become a popular choice for pros in Nashville these days, that wasnāt always the case. Greenberg caught the Gretsch bug from session guitarist Richard Bennettāanother unbelievably prolific and important player/producer that you may know as Mark Knopflerās longtime right-hand man, who has influenced Greenbergās path tremendously.
āRichard Bennett played on my wifeās [singer-songwriter Ashley Cleveland] first record and brought me in because I played live with her. Richard would hire me, and Iād be the second guitar player on sessions with him a lot, and watching him was like, āMotherfucker, that is the way you do it!ā Richardās Gretsch playing and acoustic playing were huge, huge influences on me. Richard was the first guy that I saw use a Gretsch, and it sounded like Duane Eddy but modern. It had a real bell-like-but-not-bright sound. I immediately thought, āI got to get in on some of that!ā Gretsches do a unique thing and I also really like them for distorted solos. Mine is not that bright of a guitar and it has this great upper midrange kind of twang thatās somehow not a twang. Iāve got a couple of different ones, but that old Double Anniversary I use a lot. It was the first Gretsch I bought, and itās really good. I went down to Gruhnās and they had it on the wall for $600. It had the original pickups, but the finish had been taken off and the headstock had been repaired. So, itās a great example of a āplayerās vintage instrument,ā where itās got the old wood and the sound, but itās not $5,000. I just fell in love with playing it. Also, the Bigsby bar is huge for me.ā
Rig Rundown - Kenny Greenberg
For amps, Greenberg looked exclusively to the Fender realm to conjure Blues For Arashās lush tones. A ā90s Pro Junior mated to a 4x12 cab, a black-panel Deluxe Reverb-style amp made by Jeff Hime called the Rockford, and a ā58 tweed Deluxe all made important appearances. The tweed was even used to amplify and layer some of the acoustic tracksāa trick Greenberg picked up as a Neil Young fan. āNeil Youngās playing is right up there at the very tip-top for me, and his acoustic sounds are, too. Thereās a record he made called Le Noise with Daniel Lanois, and I think those are some of the best acoustic guitar sounds ever. Iām never going to sound as raw as Neil sounds because when Iām playing on someoneās record, itās a service for their music, so I donāt get to go completely crazy. But Iāve always been the guy that gets called when they want it a little rough around the edges. I aspire to play as raw as Neil plays and intend to have it be as emotional as that. I always feel like, when Iām in the room with all these other amazing guitar players, that my playing is a little craggier and looser. That used to really bother me, but now I really like it. I never really spent that much time trying to be what Iām not. I used to try to pull off some super-clean Brent Mason kind of things and they would go āNo, no, weāll call Brent when we want that. You do the thing that you do!āā
Among Greenbergās numerous credits is his ongoing gig playing lead guitar for country star Kenny Chesney.
Photo by Jill Trunnell
If you sift through Greenbergās album creditsāwhich is a full dayāit becomes apparent that many of the records heās played on over the years telegraphed the rock-oriented direction popular country music ultimately took. However, Greenberg makes it clear that being āNashvilleās rock guyā was never intentional.
āI grew up playing in rock bands and I moved here because I loved things like Hank Williams Jr.ās āFeelinā Better.ā I think itās Reggie Young, Hank, and Waylon Jennings all playing on that record. Itās very homemade sounding and when I heardĀ thatĀ kind of country guitar playing, I said, āI want to do that!ā But Iām really just playing the blues still, and I just fell into playing on some records. I wasnāt trying to. And I never felt like Iād be a session player because Iām too imperfect, and I donāt have versatile chops like some of those guys do. I just brought some good ideas to the table with my playing.ā
YouTube It
In a 2019 Skyville Live performance, Kenny Greenberg flexes his blues and rock chops on a Gibson ES-335 in a rendition of āWhipping Postā with guest Chris Stapleton.
That said, Greenbergās still elated to be doing session and production work and proud of where heās landed. With the release of his first bona fide solo record, one might expect him to be looking back, taking stock of the journey, and ruminating on his many, many years in the business of making hits. However, when asked what songs and contributions heās proudest of, Greenberg stays in the present. āThatās a hard thing for me because the last thing I did is always my favorite thing. Iām so excited that I got to just do something. The great thing about recording is you play with all these great different people!ā
When pressed again, Greenberg points to his work on Hayes Carllās recent album, You Get It All. āMy playing on that record feels like thatās who I am. Thereās a blues solo on a song called āDifferent Boatsā thatās really where Iām at. And the song from my record āStar Ngoniā is who I am as a player. If Iām going to open up and really play, thatās the way I play. And I would mention one other moment Iām really proud of: On my birthday one year, I did a version of Bob Dylanās āGotta Serve Somebodyā with Willie Nelson. We played our parts live and Willie was in there with Trigger [Nelsonās famous Martin acoustic] and that Baldwin amp he uses, and you could hear the radio station through the amp, and we sat there and played it together. That was huge. It was the best birthday a guy could haveāplaying a Dylan song, looking through the glass at Willie Nelson. Iām very, very aware of how fortunate I am to be doing this. I think about that a lot.ā
Playing with Jeff Beck is a kick!
Greenberg and El Becko: On a gig with vocalist and harmonica player Jimmy Hall, Hallās occasional boss Jeff Beck sat in, leaving Greenberg with an indelible memory.
There are quite a few parts on Blues For Arash that recall Jeff Beckās lyrical, fluid playing at its best, particularly Kenny Greenbergās vocal slide phrasing. It turns out Greenberg isnāt just a massive Jeff Beck fan. Heās had a remarkable run-in with the man himself.
āIāve got a guitar that Jeff Beck carved his name into! Jeff came and sat in at a gig I was playing with Jimmy Hall, and he broke a string and played my guitar. Afterwards, he got a knife and ornately carved his name in the back of my Tele. How can you not be a fan? Heās the most vocal guitar player there is! My other little Jeff Beck story is from that same nightāitās the only time Iāve ever played with himāand we did āRock My Plimsoul.ā We were playing that song, and he takes the solo. And, of course, itās the way he plays nowāimprov where you just canāt fucking believe what heās doing. Then he looks at me to take a solo, and thatās one of my favorite early Jeff Beck songs, and I actually know that solo note-for-note. So, I played his solo from the original and he looked at me, and he kicked me when I finished the solo! He reached out his leg and he kicked me, and Iām like, āAlright! Jeff Beck just kicked me! This is a watershed moment Iām having!ā
āI remember standing right next to him, and, of course, Iām nervous. Heās like the greatest guitar player alive. Heās a savant and just looks down at the guitar and fingers and taps on it, and then heāll use his thumb or his middle finger. Itās just like a kid screwing around. I just watched him, and I didnāt even know what he was doing, but itās a beautiful, wonderful thing to watch.ā