Click here to reply Distortion pedals come in sizes and shapes as varied as the driving tones they produce. From the seminal Big Muff Pi fuzz of the late 1960s to the ubiquitous Boss DS-1 and Pro Co RAT distortion (both created in 1978), many guitarists prefer to offload their tone shaping to a stompbox. Traditionally, distortion pedals are used to blast a clean or slightly overdriven tube amp or to introduce additional distortion beyond the limits of the amplifier. In non-master volume amplifiers they are often used to produce full-on distortion tones at lower volumes. Whatever the tone required for your project, it seems there is a well-suited distortion pedal for the task, and yet new products are continually released that push tonal boundaries. While the Japanese-based company Engineering Work Store (E.W.S.) does not attempt to turn the world of distortion stompboxes on its head, they have produced an attractive little pedal in the BD-1 Brute Drive, which has some handy features and an excellent distortion tone.
Distorted Image
Opening the back of the pedal reveals tightly packed circuitry that is both machine and man-made. Two wave-soldered circuit boards are wired to each other by hand, as are the pedal’s knobs, jacks, and footswitches. The carefully planned layout allows the BD-1 to fit its numerous components inside an ultra compact pedal. The case is made of shiny, bulletproof aluminum withclear rubber feet. The components include an On/Off footswitch, a Boost footswitch (and two associated red & blue LEDs), three knobs (Volume, Tone and Gain), two ¼” jacks (In/Out) and a 9VDC jack. The pedal can also run on a 9-volt battery. The components on the face of the pedal are oriented in “landscape” with the knobs in the center. All of the components are of excellent quality and the black knobs produce plenty of mechanical resistance. Topped off with red and white silk-screened lettering, the Brute Drive is an attractive pedal with a general appearance of quality.
Boost
Aside from the pedal’s tone, a particular feature that makes the BD-1 stand out is the Boost switch. When activated, it produces a low-mid boost that is excellent for soloing, or if you just want a tad more throaty drive. The amount of boost can be set by opening the case, lifting a circuit board, and (with the smallest flat-head screwdriver on Earth) rotating a tiny potentiometer. At its maximum, the Boost switch is able to produce 10 dB of low-mid gain. Depending on your usage, you’ll either love that this setting is internal, or you’ll hate it. Either way, the clean boost effect is only available when the On/Off switch is engaged, which leaves a bit to be desired.
Brute Strength
The Brute Drive is voiced for a smooth, classic distortion sound, and it is right on the mark. Plugging in a Fender Strat and running the BD-1 into a clean Budda V-40 combo I was quickly delighted with the Brute Drive’s creamy distortion. Like the Boost switch, the Tone knob elevates a specific frequency range, in this case the high mids, producing a more intense brightness and bite when turned up. When all the way down, the Tone knob produces an ultra-dark tone completely absent of high-mids. Even at its maximum, the pedal’s Gain is relatively low-noise with plenty of distortion for chugging power chords and searing solos. The pedal is definitely not voiced for metal but is well-suited for anything from the softest blues to a pretty blistering hard rock sound. Backing off the gain produces a gradual descent into a natural sounding overdrive at 12 o’clock to a slightly juiced clean tone at 10 o’clock, perfect for the blues and expressive enough to execute them tastefully. As expected, my Gibson SG’s humbuckers squeezed a bit more gain out of the BD-1. Even near its more extreme settings the BD-1 was never muddy or harsh.
The Verdict
Overall, I prefer the tone of the BD-1 to my unmodified Boss DS-1. To my ears, the distortion was a bit more natural and more closely resembled the preamp section of a driven tube amplifier. Its ability to tastefully span standard classic rock tones and hard rock tones is pretty impressive for a single compact stompbox. If you’re looking for a smooth-as-butter distortion pedal with plenty of dynamic range, and a tweakable low-mid boost switch for soloing, then I would definitely recommend giving the EWS Brute Drive a shot.
Buy if...
you’re looking for brute-but-not-brutal rock and blues tones in an ultra-compact stompbox.
Skip if...
only tubes are for tone.
Rating...
Street $152 - E.W.S. - ews-us.com |
| Tone Games 2010, Bonus Levels: 10 More Stompboxes Reviewed | Next up: GizmoAudio Sawmill Overdrive |
A mix of futuristic concepts and DeArmond single-coil pickups, the Musicraft Messenger’s neck was tuned to resonate at 440 Hz.
Until its untimely end, Musicraft made roughly 250 Messengers in various configurations: the mono-output Messenger and the flagship Messenger Stereophonic, both of which could come with the “Tone Messer” upgrade, a built-in distortion/fuzz circuit. The company’s first catalog also featured a Messenger Bass, a wireless transmitter/receiver, and various models of its Messenger Envoy amplifier, very few of which have survived, if many were ever made at all.
“To this day, even fans will sometimes call the decision to use DeArmonds the Messenger’s ‘Achilles’ heel.’”
Upon its release, the Messenger was a mix of futuristic concepts and DeArmond single-coil pickups that were more likely to be found on budget instruments than pricier guitars such as these. The Messengers often featured soapbar-style DeArmonds, though some sported a diamond grille. (To this day, even fans will sometimes call the decision to use DeArmonds the Messenger’s “Achilles’ heel.”) The Stereophonic model, like the one featured in this edition of Vintage Vault, could be plugged into a single amplifier as normal, or you could split the bridge and neck pickup outputs to two separate amps.
One of the beloved hallmarks of the guitars are their magnesium-aluminum alloy necks, which continue as a center block straight through the tailpiece, making the guitars relatively lightweight and virtually immune to neck warping, while enhancing their playability. Thanks to the strength of that metal-neck design, there’s no need for a thick heel where it meets the body, granting unprecedented access to the higher end of the fretboard.
This Stereophonic model could be plugged into a single amplifier as normal, or you could split the bridge and neck pickup outputs to two separate amps.
The neck was apparently also tuned to have a resonant frequency of 440 Hz, which, in all honesty, may be some of that 1967 “whoa, man” marketing continuing on through our modern-day guitar discourse, where this fact is still widely repeated on forums and in YouTube videos. (As one guitar aficionado to the next, what does this even mean in practice? Would an inaudible vibration at that frequency have any effect at all on the tone of the guitar?)
In any event, the combination of that metal center block—resonant frequency or not—the apple-shaped hollow wooden body of the guitar, and the cat’s-eye-style “f-holes” did make it prone to gnarly fits of feedback, especially if you engaged the Tone Messer fuzz and blasted it all through the high-gain amp stacks favored by the era’s hard rockers.
The most famous devotee of the Messenger was Grand Funk Railroad’s Mark Farner, who used the guitar—and its Tone Messer circuitry—extensively on the group’s string of best-selling records and in their defining live shows, like the Atlanta Pop Festival 1970 and their sold-out run at New York’s Shea Stadium in 1971. But even Farner had some misgivings.
The Messengers often featured soapbar-style DeArmonds, though some sported a diamond grille.
In a 2009 interview, he talked about his first test-run of the guitar: “After I stuffed it full of foam and put masking tape over the f-holes to stop that squeal, I said, ‘I like it.’” He bought it for $200, on a $25-per-pop installment plan, a steal even at the time. (He also made it over with a psychedelic paint job, befitting the era, and experimented with different pickups over the years.)
When these guitars were new in 1967, the Messenger Stereophonic in morning sunburst, midnight sunburst, or mojo red would have run you $340. By 1968, new stereo models started at $469.50. Recent years have seen prices for vintage models steadily increase, as the joy of this rarity continues to thrill players and collectors. Ten years ago, you could still get them for about $1,500, but now prices range from $3,000 to $6,000, depending on condition.
Our Vintage Vault pick today is listed on Reverb by Chicago’s own SS Vintage. Given that it’s the stereo model, in very good condition, and includes the Tone Messer upgrade, its asking price of $5,495 is near the top-end for these guitars today, but within the usual range. To those readers who appreciate the vintage vibe but don’t want the vintage price tag, Eastwood Guitars offers modern reissues, and eagle-eyed buyers can also find some very rare but less expensive vintage MIJ clones made in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
Sources: Reverb listing from SS Vintage, Reverb Price Guide sales data, Musicraft July 1, 1967 Price Schedule, 1968 Musicraft Catalog, Chicago Music Exchange’s “Uncovering The Secret Sounds of the 1967 Musicraft Messenger Guitar,” MusicPickups.com article on the Messenger.In continued support of their 3x GRAMMY-nominated album Dark Matter, Pearl Jam will be touring select U.S. cities in April and May 2025.
Pearl Jam’s live dates will start in Hollywood, FL on April 24 and 26 and wrap with performances in Pittsburgh, PA on May 16 and 18. Full tour dates are listed below.
Support acts for these dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for these concerts will be available two ways:
- A Ten Club members-only presale for all dates begins today. Only paid Ten Club members active as of 11:59 PM PT on December 4, 2024 are eligible to participate in this presale. More info at pearljam.com.
- Public tickets will be available through an Artist Presale hosted by Ticketmaster. Fans can sign up for presale access for up to five concert dates now through Tuesday, December 10 at 10 AM PT. The presale starts Friday, December 13 at 10 AM local time.
earl Jam strives to protect access to fairly priced tickets by providing the majority of tickets to Ten Club members, making tickets non-transferable as permitted, and selling approximately 10% of tickets through PJ Premium to offset increased costs. Pearl Jam continues to use all-in pricing and the ticket price shown includes service fees. Any applicable taxes will be added at checkout.
For fans unable to use their purchased tickets, Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster will offer a Fan-to-Fan Face Value Ticket Exchange for every city, starting at a later date. To sell tickets through this exchange, you must have a valid bank account or debit card in the United States. Tickets listed above face value on secondary marketplaces will be canceled. To help protect the Exchange, Pearl Jam has also chosen to make tickets for this tour mobile only and restricted from transfer. For more information about the policy issues in ticketing, visit fairticketing.com.
For more information, please visit pearljam.com.