
Killer pickups and slim, light, high-quality construction distinguish a very evolved Harmony.
Distinctive pickup tones. Biting trebles that still ring. High-quality build. Light weight. Slim profile. Super comfortable.
Some imbalance between high-end and low-end volume and energy. Prone to neck dive with some straps.
$1,499
Harmony Comet
harmony.co
Followers of current events might be astonished to learn that the internet isn't quite as effective at separating myth from fiction as its early advocates and creators promised. I was reminded of this state of affairs whilst sniffing out sentiments about vintage Harmony guitars and the complex, convoluted world of gold-foil pickups. Needless to say, there are a lot of strong opinions out there—from advocates that defend old Harmonys as underrated, to snobs who still consider them universally substandard, to the growing cult of gold-foil fanatics who sing their praises to the sky without even agreeing about what a gold-foil pickup is.
Why do I mention this in the context of reviewing a brand-new Harmony instrument? Because the modern Harmony—now a division of BandLab Technologies—is again defying myth and easy categorization in a fashion that's likely to divide opinion just like the old Harmony did.
Recorded with a black panel Fender Tremolux into a Universal Audio OX black panel Fender Deluxe cabinet emulation into a Universal Audio Apollo Twin and Universal Audio Luna.
The three passages are played on the bridge, combined, and neck pickups respectively.
The U.S.-made Comet reviewed here is perfectly emblematic of how tricky reviving a brand and navigating those old myths can be. It's a beautifully built guitar—on par, in quality terms, with many higher-mid-price and high-end electrics. It's a distinctive visual presence in a world of lookalikes. And it sounds freaking great, too, dishing inspiring, mold-breaking, humbucking tones that prompt new musical directions as you play. For some, the Harmony name will probably conjure pawn shop associations that could make the near-$1,500 price tag tough to swallow. For more open-minded players, the Comet could be a tantalizing path away from the same-old-electric rut. My guess is that for those who spend real time with the Comet, the latter scenario is much more likely.
Feathered Flight
The semi-hollow Comet design does not slavishly adhere to any chapter in Harmony history. In fact, to my knowledge, there has never been a Harmony quite like the Comet. Though some have likened it to Harmony's H72, 75, and 77 from the 1960s, the horns are a bit pointier and it's much smaller—evoking Gibson's downsized ES-339 and some of Vox's underrated semi-hollows from the early 2010s. There are many upsides to a semi-hollow guitar of this size. For starters, it's very light, at about six pounds, which significantly minimizes playing fatigue whether standing or sitting. The slim profile also helps make the guitar feel effortless to hold.
If there's a downside to the light weight, it's that there's not much mass to counteract the gravity working on the headstock. Throw the extra ounces from the locking tuners into that equation and you have a guitar that's a bit prone to neck dive, depending on the strap you use. (My usual Ace-style straps exacerbated the problem, but a wider leather strap did much to offset the tendency toward slippage.)
Soaring on Wings of Foil
The Comet's relatively compact dimensions and light weight accentuate the guitar's already impressive playability. Our review guitar showed up with the action almost too low, but once I'd made a couple quick bridge and intonation adjustments, the Comet felt fast and responsive under my fingers. The 12" radius, medium-jumbo frets and 25" scale conspire to lend an almost Gibson-like feel, even though the neck profile has more than a trace of Fender shape and slimness. For many players it will be a perfect blend of ingredients. And apart from the tight cutaway making access to the highest frets difficult, it tends to invite very exploratory playing.
The pickups certainly exhibit many of the most coveted attributes of classic gold-foils
The Comet is a quality instrument by any standard. Evidence of attention to detail is everywhere. The complex compound curves that occur at the point where the arched back and the set neck joint come together are especially pretty. The honey-and-amber-hued nitrocellulose finish is lovely, too, revealing much of the mahogany body's subtle, wavy grain. Some nods to Harmony history feel less at home here—particularly the inverted peanut butter cup tone and volume knobs. They look authentically vintage (apart from the bleached white appearance), but feel a little plasticky and inexpensive compared to the excellent materials used elsewhere. They are, however, brilliantly placed for volume swells and quick tone adjustments. The sturdy pickup switch is smartly situated, too—safely out of the way of aggressive strumming motions, but close at hand for the switches you intend to make.
The most individual aspects of the Comet's performance are manifested via the excellent pickups. Harmony calls these humbuckers gold-foils, a wide and largely misunderstood pickup category than can be a great many things. The company is coy about what lurks beneath the covers. But in purely sonic terms, the pickups certainly exhibit many of the most-coveted attributes of classic gold-foils.
The most striking tones come from the bridge pickup. Here you'll find biting sounds that would make a Telecaster blush. But while the most trebly tones are cutting and loud, there is still a little softness and compression at the peakiest edge of the transients and they retain a bell-like resonance that keeps these toppy tones thrilling and rich without singeing eardrums. They also do a wonderful job of exciting spring reverb and fuzz effects. The super-present and punchy top end and high-mids from these pickups mean they can seem to overpower the low end at times. Personally, I loved the balance between the two ends of the spectrum, and appreciated the fact that I could extract distinct and not-too-muddy bass counterpoint that sustained without sounding boomy in the way some PAF-style humbuckers can. But I'd guess that, ultimately, even dyed-in-the-wool adherents to Gibson- and Fender-style tone recipes could really warm to the unique balance between present high-end and more concise, subdued bottom that you get from these pickups. They are a very intriguing alternative to those very familiar sounds—especially when you add in the out-of-phase mode available via the push/pull volume knob.
The Verdict
I played the Comet alongside several electrics, and was always knocked out by how distinct and unique it can sound. Studio hounds could conceivably find it indispensable for its ability to dish super-sizzling and clear treble tones that still sing. They'll probably also love the mellow, balanced, and slightly compressed semi-hollow neck pickup tones that never seem to overpower with boomy resonances.
Harmony may have some image-building work to do to overcome biases from snoots and trolls that associate the brand with pawn shop bargains. And the $1,499 price may well be a touch on the high side of the high-mid-price spectrum for some. But given that we've seen a lot of good Asia- and Mexico-built instruments creep into this price range and higher, it's certainly not an exorbitant tag for a well-crafted, U.S.-built instrument with so many truly distinctive tones.
Fabulous neck with just-right fatness. Distinctive tone profile. Smooth, stable vibrato. Ice blue metallic and aluminum look delish together.
Higher output pickups could turn off Fender-geared traditionalists.
$939
Eastman FullerTone DC’62
An affordable version of Eastman’s U.S.-made solidbody rolls with unique, well-executed features—at a price and quality level that rivals very tough competition.
Eastman’s instruments regularly impress in terms ofquality and performance. A few left my PG colleagues downright smitten. But if Eastman isn’t a household name among guitarists, it might be a case of consumer psychology: Relative to most instruments built in China, Eastmans are expensive. So, if you spend your life longing for a Gibson 335 and a comparable (if superficially fancier) Eastman costs just 20 percent less than the least expensive version of the real deal, why not save up for a bit longer and get the guitar of your dreams?
For some players, though, such brand-devotional hang ups are obstacles to getting the best instrument for the best price. Some just like having an alternative to legacy brands and models that live as dreams in a zillion other heads. As Eastman evolved as a company, they’ve paid close attention to both of those market segments—creating refined original designs like the El Rey and Romeo while keeping quality, execution, and playability at an exceptional standard. With the introduction of the FullerTone instruments, a series of Beijing-built guitars modeled after Eastman’s California-built, Otto D’Ambrosio-designed solidbodies, Eastman’s price/performance goals reach a kind of apex. Because the FullerTone guitars aren’t archtops or thinlines and use bolt-on necks, they range from just $799 (for the simpler SC’52) to $899 (for the more full-featured DC’62 reviewed here). That’s a competitive market bracket, to say the least, but Fullertone delivers the goods in ways that count to players.
Somewhere in an Alternate O.C….
You don’t need to be a certified Mensa member to suss the FullerTone’s design benchmarks. The name’s likeness to that of an Orange County locale where historically important electric guitar design took place is a less-than-covert tip of the hat. More tangible evidence of the DC’62’s Stratocaster inspirations exist in the shape of a bolt-on, 25.5"-scale neck, six-on-a-side headstock, a curvaceous double-cut body, and vibrato. (The more Telecaster-like DC’52 uses a T-style bridge and comes sans vibrato).
Many of these design nods, however, are distinguished by Eastman’s refinements. The patented neck joint, for instance, mimics that of the upmarket, U.S.-built Eastman D’Ambrosio. It employs just two screws, bolted into steel anchors in the neck itself. It’s a robust, clever design. The joint, which works in part like a long tenon, provides extra neck-to-body contact, making the effortless access to all 24 medium-jumbo frets all the more remarkable. (The fretwork, by the way, is impeccable).
“The neck’s profile will pique the interest of anyone bored with the sameness of generic, modern C-profiles.”
The neck itself—roasted maple, satin-finished, and capped with a 12"-radius Indian rosewood fretboard—uses an angled headstock design that differs from Fender convention, but the break angle is much shallower than a Gibson, which aids tuning stability. The neck’s profile, though, will pique the interest of anyone bored with the sameness of generic, modern C-profiles. Eastman calls it a medium-round profile, but that doesn’t do justice to its substance, which calls to mind Fender’s chunkier 1960s necks. It’s not a shape for everyone, and shredders and players with really petite hands might be less enthused, but it’s exceptionally comfortable, fills the palm naturally, and, at least for me, induces less fatigue than slimmer necks.
The Strat-style vibrato is a smart, functional evolution of a classic form. The arm sits securely in a rubber sleeve that keeps it precisely where you want, and the bridge itself is fixed to a substantial brass block and features individually intonatable saddles. The vibrato is so smooth and tuning stable that you will want to use it often. Really aggressive, twitchy vibrato technique can produce knocking against the body as you pitch up—at least as it’s set up at the factory. Otherwise, it’s fun and forgiving to use.
I would be remiss, by the way, if I didn’t mention how good the black limba body looks in satin ice blue metallic with a brushed aluminum pickguard. Though the DC’62 is available in black and desert sand (the latter with gold anodized pickguard), this particular combination is beautiful, elegant, and tasteful in a way that accentuates D’Ambrosio’s timeless lines.
Substantially Yours
The DC’62’s pickups are produced by Tonerider, and they include two stacked noiseless alnico 5 single-coils in the center and neck positions (measuring 7.9 ohms) as well as an alnico 2 unit, also measuring 7.9 ohms, that Eastman calls a “soapbar humbucker with gold-foil cover.” That’s a curious mash up of nomenclature. Traditionally, “soapbar” pickups are P-90s, which are single-coils, and though the gold-foil-style cover looks cool, it doesn’t lend any gold-foil-ness in terms of construction. Tone-wise it inhabits a unique place. Some aspects of its response evoke a Stratocaster bridge pickup rendered large. There are also hints of a Telecaster bridge unit’s meatiness. But of all the pickups I compared it to (at one point there was an SG, Telecaster, Wide Range-equipped Telecaster Deluxe, Stratocaster, and J Mascis Jazzmaster strewn about the room), it sounds most like a Rickenbacker Hi-Gain in an ’80s 330. That’s cool. I think Hi-Gains are underrated and sound fabulous. But the Tonerider unit is definitely not an S-type pickup in any traditional sense. The stacked single-coils, too, deviate significantly from the Stratocaster’s sonic mold. They are noiseless, as advertised, but have heat and push that make a vintage S-style pickup sound glassy and comparatively thin.
The Verdict
With a fantastic neck, smooth playability, and tuning stability that keep you glued to the instrument, the top-quality DC’62 is flat-out fun to play, which is good, given that at $899 it’s in a price class with Fender’s excellent Mexico-made Player II guitars and PRS’s superlative SE series, to name a few. But the DC’62 offers a unique palette of tones that don’t fit neatly into any box, and with a shape that breaks from tradition, it’s a competitively priced way to take sonic and stylistic paths much less trodden
The Tone King Imperial Preamp Pedal delivers legendary vintage American tube tone with modern control. Featuring two channels mirroring '50s tweed and '60s blackface tones, built-in zero watt poweramp, stereo convolution spring reverb and tremolo, and low-latency impulse response technology. MIDI programmable with up to 128 presets for instant recall.
The Imperial All-Tube Preamp pedal delivers Tone King’s legendary MKII amplifier's '50s tweed, '60s blackface, and vintage British rock tones in a compact, pedalboard-friendly format. It features the exact preamp section and phase inverter circuitry of the Imperial MKII amp, as well as Reverb, Tremolo and Attenuation, resulting in a pedal that sings with harmonic richness and blooming touch response. Powered by three 12AX7 preamp tubes running at high voltage, this preamp delivers the amp's sound, responsiveness, and exquisite interaction with your pickups and effects. The onboard, low-latency impulse response (IR) loader (per channel), Headphones, easy integration and expansion with your existing gear, and MIDI capabilities, takes these iconic tones into the new era of guitar playing.
Legendary Vintage Tube Amp Tones
The Imperial Preamp Pedal features two distinct channels, each mirroring the '50s and '60s flavors of the Imperial MKII.
- The Rhythm Channel evokes the essence of a classic '60s blackface combo's pristine cleans with a touch-sensitive response that transitions smoothly into overdrive.
- The Lead Channel is inspired by the iconic tweed amps of the '50s’ with the ability to glide between warm articulate cleans and aggressive midrange bark. This channel's Mid-Bite control adds a further layer of tone shaping, focusing the low-end, while adding high-end presence and gain for a British-flavored rock crunch.
Built-In Zero Watt Poweramp - Phase Inverter
The Imperial Pre-Amp Pedal includes the exact phase inverter circuitry of the actual Imperial MKII amp, utilizing one of its three 12AX7 tubes. This built-in “0 watt poweramp” authentically provides the harmonic and dynamic content of the Tone King poweramp section. This revolutionary design is the cornerstone that delivers the ENTIRE Imperial MKII experience right on your pedal board.
Stereo Convolution Spring Reverb & Stereo Tremolo
Like its namesake amp, the Imperial Preamp boasts foot-switchable spring reverb and tremolo (digital on the preamp pedal) which are assignable to each channel. A signature of the Tone King Imperial MKII tube amplifier, these era-correct effects add dimension and movement while transporting you to a golden age of electric guitar tone.
Impulse Response (IR) Cabinet & Power Amp Sim
The Imperial Preamp pedal's low latency IR and power amp simulation technology delivers its tube tones directly to the front of house or your interface. That’s especially evident in the 15 included OwnHammer-made IRs. Each channel has three of our favorites, preloaded, and selectable via dual 3-way toggle switches.
OH 112 Imperial TK1660: Tone King 1660 speaker in a Tone King Imperial 1x12 combo. Captured using a Shure SM57, a Neumann U87, and a Royer 121 through '70s API 312 preamps.
OH 212 Class A Blue: Celestion Blues from 1963 in a Vox AC30 2x12 combo. Captured using a Shure SM57, a Neumann U87, and a Royer 121 through '70s API 312 preamps.
OH 412 Basketweave M25: Celestion G12M-25 speakers from 1971 in a basket-weave 1960B 4x12 cabinet. Captured using a Shure SM57, Telefunken MD421, and Royer 121.
There are 12 additional IRs to choose from in the included Tone King Editor software (powered by Synergy) which are easy to swap in and out of the pedal's six available slots. You can also disengage the onboard IR loader entirely to use the preamp with an external IR loader or powered cabinet.
Tone King Editor Software
You can assign the Reverb, Tremolo and IR to each of the channels right on the pedal itself, making it a powerful and easy-to-use sonic tool. Tone King offers an Editor software, powered by Synergy, which takes the Pre-Amp's capabilities to another level, allowing you to fine-tune all of the preamp's digitally controlled parameters and save them in up to 128 MIDI presets
- Control the independent power amp simulation HF Comp and Low-Pass filters
- Access all 15 included OwnHammer IRs• Easily load your own IRs and manage your IR library
- Assign any of your IRs to the pedal's six available slots (three per channel)• Control your reverb, reverb tails, tremolo and effects loop bypass settings• Save these settings to up to 128 presets for instant recall via MIDI
The Tone King Editor software also unlocks all of the Imperial Preamp's modern control. Fully MIDI-capable, you can save your presets and access them instantly with a MIDI pedalboard controller or the laptop running your entire show. It is the perfect marriage of modern control and classic tube tone.
Expanding Your Rig's Capabilities
The Imperial Preamp Pedal is the perfect DI recording and performing solution. But that's just scratching the surface.
Add Channels to Your Current Guitar Amplifier
A standout feature of the Imperial preamp pedal is its ability to easily integrate with your existing amplifiers (must have a series effects loop). A straightforward 3-cable connection is all it takes, and you can instantly alternate between the Imperial Preamp as your amp's front end or your amp's preamp channels.
Networking with Other Effects-Loop-Equipped Preamp Pedals
Create the ultimate pedalboard-based rig with other preamp pedals (with effects loops). Using the same 3-cable method, you get both Imperial channels, your other preamp’s tones, the Imperial's stereo effects loop, and its onboard IRs. Additionally, you can assign the Imperial's spring reverb and tremolo effects to your other preamp channels.
Classic American Tube Tone for Every Stage & Studio
Whether you're a gigging musician, a recording artist, or simply a tone enthusiast, the Tone King Imperial Preamp pedal offers endless possibilities. Use it as a standalone preamp for recording or for silent stages and practice, add its two channels to your existing amplifier, pair it with a power amp and cabinet to move some air, or combine it with other preamp pedals for an even wider range of pedalboard-based tones.
Tone King Imperial Preamp Pedal is the ultimate marriage of legendary, vintage American tube tone and modern control.
For more information, please visit toneking.com
Features
- Two Channel High-Voltage preamp – DI
- 3 x 12AX7 preamp tubes running at proper high voltages
- Built-In zero watt poweramp - phase inverter circuit
- Two channels with independent Volume and Attenuation controls
- Rhythm Channel (top)
- '60s-era American blackface combo tone
- Bass and Treble controls
- Lead Channel (Bottom)
- '50s-era American tweed combo and British rock tones
- Tone and Mid-Bite controls
- Spring Reverb (convolution)
- Reverb and Dwell controls
- Independently assignable to each channel
- Tremolo (digital)
- Depth and Speed controls
- Independently assignable to each channel
- Stereo, Series FX loop (bypassable)
- MIDI programmable
- Save up to 128 presets for instant recall via an external MIDI switcher
- Presets save:
- Channel selection
- Master bypass settingo IR selection
- IR bypass setting
- Effects loop bypass setting
- Reverb bypass and tails settings
- Tremolo bypass settings
- Onboard Impulse Response (IR) Technology
- Low-latency Impulse Response cabinet simulation (bypassable)
- 3-position CAB/IR select switch per channel (programmable via software)
- Included OwnHammer IRs
- Poweramp simulation with software editable HF Comp and Low-Pass filters (per channel)
- Connections:
- Dual stereo balanced XLR outputs with Ground Lift Switch
- ¼" Headphone output
- Effects Send and Stereo Return Jacks
- MIDI 5-pin standard connector
- USB-C connector for use with the included Tone King Editor software editor
- To Amp In, From Amp Send and From Amp Return Jacks – for adding Imperial channels to your amp or preamp
- Included
- 6’ USB Cable
- Universal 12V Power Supply
- Dimensions: 7.2” (W) x 5.7” (D) x 2.75” (H)
- Weight: 1.9 lbs.
With a bit of downtime back in Nashville, co-shredders-in-chief Megan and Rebecca Lovell joined Shred With Shifty to deconstruct their face-melting leads on “Summertime Sunset,” off of their 2022 record Blood Harmony.
The Georgia-born, Nashville-based roots-rock outfit Larkin Poe have had a busy year. Last summer, they toured across the U.S. supporting Slash, and released their seventh studio album, Bloom, on January 22. With a bit of downtime back in Nashville, co-shredders-in-chief Megan and Rebecca Lovell joined Shred With Shifty to deconstruct their face-melting leads on “Summertime Sunset,” off of their 2022 record Blood Harmony.
The Lovells grew up reading sheet music and learning violin via the Suzuki method—there was little room for going off the beaten path until they fell in love with Jerry Douglas’ dobro playing on Alison Krauss records. Rebecca took up the mandolin, while Megan went for the dobro and the slide side of things. It took a while for them to get comfortable turning up from their bluegrass roots, but eventually they built Larkin Poe’s amplified, blues-rock sound.
First up, Rebecca, playing a pristine ’60s SG, shows how she put together her stinging, fuzzy solo by “hunting and pecking out” melodies in her mind, building up the chops to follow her intuition. Then Megan, playing a Rickenbacker-inspired lap steel of her own design through a Rodenberg TB Drive, details her dizzyingly fast slide acrobatics, and her particular “rake” technique that she copped from Jerry Douglas and Derek Trucks.
Tune in to hear them talk about how to sustain family relationships while going professional, keeping music community-minded, and whether or not they’ll go back to bluegrass.
If you’re able to help, here are some charities aimed at assisting musicians affected by the fires in L.A:
https://guitarcenterfoundation.org
https://www.cciarts.org/relief.html
https://www.musiciansfoundation.org
https://fireaidla.org
https://www.musicares.org
https://www.sweetrelief.org
Credits
Producer: Jason Shadrick
Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis
Engineering Support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion
Video Editor: Addison Sauvan
Graphic Design: Megan Pralle
Special thanks to Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.
An ’80s legend returns in a modern stompbox that lives up to the hype.
A well-designed recreation of one of the most classic tone tools of the ’80s. Sounds exactly like the tones you know from the original. Looks very cool.
If you don’t like ’80s sounds, this isn’t for you.
$229
MXR Rockman X100
Was Tom Scholz’s Rockman the high-water mark of guitar-tone convenience? The very fact that this headphone amp, intended primarily as a consumer-grade practice tool, ended up on some of the biggest rock records of the ’80s definitely makes a case. And much like Sony’s Walkman revolutionized the personal listening experience, it’s easy to argue the Rockman line of headphone amps did the same for guitarists.
MXR Rockman X100 Recreates Tom Scholz's Iconic Boston Guitar Sound | First Look
But just as decades of advances in listening technology make the Walkman now seem clunky and dated, modern guitar tech makes the Rockman look like old news. Multi-effects units, modelers, and portable interfaces all surpass the convenience of the Rockman in form factor as well as in sheer number of sonic options. But while there are any number of ways to dial up an ’80s-style guitar tone these days, nothing’s better than the real thing. The Rockman’s analog tones are still as legit as it gets. Though Dunlop continues to produce the Guitar Ace, Metal Ace, and Bass Ace headphone amps (for a cool $99 street), a pedal version with the functionality of the original would be the ultimate modern package for ’80s fetishists, right? Enter the MXR Rockman X100.
With Tones Like These, Who Needs Options
After the release of the original Rockman, Scholz continued to develop the product, spawning a whole line. But for its pedal resurrection, the MXR team set their sights on the Rockman X100, which used hard-clipping LED diodes for its two distorted settings. The new stompbox version recreates all four modes from the original: cln2 is the default setting, cln1 in the second position is EQ’d with a mid-boost, edge delivers moderate clipping, and dist is high-gain. All are switchable via a small LED-lit mode button, and a control input allows for external mode switching. Another button activates an analog chorus circuit using MN3007 bucket brigade chips, as in the original.
To drive home the ’80s aesthetic, MXR used sliders for volume and input gain controls. Volume determines output, while input gain is tied to compression. Higher input gain means more compression, which is tuned for slower release on the two clean modes, and a fast release on both dirty modes. The X100 works in both mono and stereo, but to change between them, you have to pop off the back to access an internal switch. Just make sure a TRS cable is used for stereo mode, or else the output will be muted while the pedal is bypassed.
The only things I noticed that are missing from the original’s simple set of features is the headphone output and the echo settings. I don’t know how many players would find value in the headphone jack, and considering that would add circuitry, it’s probably best for cost and space savings that it was excluded. As for the echo, you can argue that it’s canon, but I find it to be the least essential feature and don’t miss it, personally.
(Much) More Than a Feeling
Since I do not have an original Scholz X100 sitting on my desk, I’m using YouTube videos and records—Def Leppard’s Hysteria, Huey Lewis and the News’ Sports, and Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien, for example—as my reference points. Those are high bars to clear, and the MXR gets there.
The default cln2 setting delivers instant gratification, with a full-bodied, sparkly tone, no matter what guitar I played through it. And though it provides loads of ’80s fun, it’s much more versatile than that, offering a great all-round clean tone that requires no additional processing. Though it might seem odd that cln2 is the default, switching to cln1’s thinner, more mid-focused sound makes the design decision clear. I can imagine situations where I’d need to cut through a mix and cln1 would be preferred, but I found myself sticking with the default mode for all my clean needs.
The distorted modes are differentiated mostly by how much gain they offer. Edge tones live just beyond the point of overdrive, and the input gain control adds a range of extra texture. The dist mode is full-on, pick-squeal-inducing high-gain saturation, with loads of everlasting sustain. These modes lean into the aesthetic much harder than the clean modes, making it a less versatile tool, but for ’80s rock excess, I can’t imagine a better option.
On a couple recording sessions, I plugged the X100 right into an interface and board to deliver spanky direct clean tones as well as tight, saturated distortion. In doing so, I discovered that direct recording is my preferred use for the X100. That’s not to say it doesn’t sound great through an amp—it does. But plugging into a front end of an amp yields less classic and authentic Rockman sounds, as the amplifier’s preamp colors the tone. Plugged through a few Fenders, I found that the treble needed taming, a problem I didn’t have when forgoing the amp. For live playing, I might explore plugging the X100 into the return input on an amp’s effects loop or right into a powered speaker to deliver an unadulterated Rockman sound more in line with the original.
The Verdict
MXR nailed it with the Rockman X100 pedal by focusing on the limited options of the original unit and getting them just right. For $229, you not only get a great ’80s rock tone, you get what is arguably the ’80s rock tone, with no other gear required, unless you want to add a little ’80s-vintage reverb too. As a performance tool, it’s probably best to think less like you’re using a pedal and more like you’re using the original in a different form, which is to say that plugging straight into an amp isn’t the only way to get the sound you want—and, in fact, it’s probably not even the best way. For recording, it’s a perfect tool. PG