Back by popular demand, this month’s edition of “Stomp School” is dedicated to answering questions sent to us by you, the readers of this column. If you have any questions for us, please feel free to send them to stompschool@formusiciansonly.com, and we’ll do our best to answer them. Okay, let’s get started.
Q: I have an A/DA Flanger that I got recently. It’s the model with the AC cord, as opposed to a wall wart. At some point, it was modified to have a dry output. I am trying to figure out the function of the Manual knob. It seems to have little effect on the sound when I turn it. Is this normal, or is it possible that the Manual knob is not working properly? Thanks for any help you can provide.
 Tom’s A/DA Flanger, “Steel Drum Setting.” Photo by Tom Hughes |
A: The best way to hear what the Manual knob does on the A/DA Flanger is to turn the Range knob (depth) all the way counterclockwise so it’s off. This will freeze the LFO, so the effect doesn’t sweep. Try turning the Enhance knob (feedback) all the way up to make the effect more dramatic. Now turn the Manual knob while you’re playing. It should manually sweep the range of the flanger. This has become a fairly common feature on many flangers, such as the MXR Flanger. One of the things that sets the A/DA apart is the addition of an expression pedal jack, which will allow you to do the manual sweep with a pedal. One of my favorite settings on the A/DA Flanger is the one described above, as it produces an excellent “steel drum” guitar sound. The Manual knob allows you to dial in a wide palate of metallic timbres. You can get a similar effect from most any flanger with this feature, but none of them nail the steel drum sound quite like the A/DA. If you’re not getting a sound similar to what’s been described, then it may be that something isn’t working properly, possibly due to the modification you mentioned.
Q: Hi, I need an adapter for my vintage Ibanez AD9 delay pedal. Regular aftermarket transformers made the ones I used to have buzz like crazy.
A: The buzz you’re hearing is most likely a 60Hz AC hum. Using a cheap, generic wall-wart can allow noise and hum in your signal. You need to use a good quality power supply made specifically for audio equipment that has noise filtering and voltage regulation. The Boss 9V PSA adapters are a good choice for the AD9 and most vintage effects. Dunlop, Danelectro, and Electro-Harmonix also make power adapters designed specifically for pedals. The Dunlop comes with a Boss-style barrel plug, or the 1/8" pin-type, like an old MXR or Electro-Harmonix effect.
If you have several pedals that you need to power, you should definitely consider something like the Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 Plus or T-Rex Fuel Tank, each of which will give you up to eight isolated power outlets. If budget is a concern, you can try a daisychain type power supply like the Godlyke Power-All or Visual Sound 1 Spot. Whatever you choose, nearly any music store you go to will have something available that’s designed for pedals.
Q: Last month, I purchased a Marshall Echohead delay pedal. Three days later it took a massive dump. The only other pedal I used in the chain was a DigiTech Death Metal distortion. This setup worked and sounded killer for two days. The third day, I put some Danelectro 9V batteries in the Echohead. The result was a horrible popping and squealing sound, and ultimately the death of the pedal. The guy at the local guitar shop said the pedal blew up simply because I ran a distortion into a delay pedal. I have been told conflicting information ever since this happened. I now run the DigiTech into a TC Electronic Nova Delay, and so far I’ve had no problems at all. Yes, I still run it this way despite what some people say, because it sounds astronomically better. What are your thoughts on this matter?
A: That’s really strange, on a lot of levels. A distortion pedal should not be able to actually damage a delay pedal unless something is wrong with one of the pedals. It would sound very bad when you played, for a long time, well before any damage could be done. This sounds like a fluke. We weren’t really sure how to answer this one, but we will say the info you got at the guitar shop is highly suspect. Try referring to our January column for tips on troubleshooting your pedal problems.
Well, that’s all for now. Check back with us again next month for more “Stomp School” Q & A. Until then, keep on stompin’!
Tom Hughes
(a.k.a. Analog Tom) is the owner and proprietor of For Musicians Only (formusiciansonly.com) and author of Analog Man’s Guide To Vintage Effects. Questions or comments about this article can be sent to: stompschool@formusiciansonly.com.
Analog Man
(analogman.com) is one of the largest boutique effects manufacturers and retailers in the business, established by “Analog” Mike Piera in 1993. Mike can be reached at AnalogMike@aol.com.
Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Billy Gibbons is an undisputable guitar force whose feel, tone, and all-around vibe make him the highest level of hero. But that’s not to say he hasn’t made some odd choices in his career, like when ZZ Top re-recorded parts of their classic albums for CD release. And fans will argue which era of the band’s career is best. Some of us love drum machines and synths and others don’t, but we all love Billy.
This episode is sponsored by Magnatone
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
