Maxon has recently released three new overdrive pedals and a new take on an old favorite delay. What sets these pedals apart from traditional reissue pedals is the fact
Maxon has recently released three new overdrive pedals and a new take on an old favorite delay. What sets these pedals apart from traditional reissue pedals is the fact that Maxon has taken existing designs - notably the AD-9, OD880 and OD820 - and rather than rehash them into yet another vintage reissue, has instead used them as inspirations for new designs. All of the new effects feature Nine Series cases and mechanical, true bypass switching. The results of their efforts are the AD-9 Pro analog delay, the OOD-9 Organic Overdrive, the OSD-9 Overdrive Soft Distortion and the VOP-9 Vintage Overdrive Pro. Being fans of all things Maxon, we were anxious to plug these babies in.
AD-9 Pro
I have to admit to a love/hate relationship with the original Maxon-made Ibanez AD-9. Years ago, I would sort through several to find a "good" one in an attempt to replace a coveted but ailing RE-201 Space Echo. I would dig the AD-9 for a few months, then slowly begin to notice its shortcomings - most notably uninspiring, dull sounding delays - eventually casting it away and renewing my search for a replacement. After invariably tiring of the replacement, I would find another "good" one at a pawn shop and repeat the process.
Recent Ibanez AD-9 reissues not made by Maxon offered up little more than reasonable prices and lackluster delays, making me keen to see what Maxon had in store for the AD-9 Pro. First up is an increase in delay time to 450 milliseconds, achieved through the use of four proprietary MC4107D IC chips. An RMS level sensor, an 18dB dynamic range and a max input level of +12dB helps deliver analog delay goodness to all sorts of signals in a quiet-as-a-digital-church-mouse fashion. Another plus is the Single Head/Dual Head mode switch. Single Head mode allows the AD-9 Pro to deliver standard, bucket brigade-style delays. In Dual Head mode a midstream delay signal is added to simulate the sound of a multi-head tape delay, providing ping-pong and ambient delay capabilities. Mechanical true bypass switching further ices the cake.
The clarity and added delay time give the AD-9 Pro more flexibility than the original by a wide-margin, allowing it to work well for both Gilmour and Edge-type ambient delays, as well as crisp slap-back and Albert Lee-inspired, I''m-not-really-playing-this-fast double stops. To quote Tim and Eric, "Great job!"
OOD-9
Two of the new pedals - the OOD-9 and the OSD-9 - are based on Maxon''s OD880, which are currently fetching prices that make originals too valuable to Velcro. The OOD-9 Organic Overdrive features a JRC 4558 op-amp found in the Maxon-made Ibanez TS808 and TS-9, rather than the 741 op-amp found in the original Maxon OD880. This combination of circuitry and op-amp gives the OOD-9 a - you guessed it - more organic feel than the typical Tube Screamer variant. The characteristic midrange honk is still there, just not as pronounced as in a TS-9 reissue or even the VOP-9.
The OOD-9 passed the first acid test of providing convincing overdrive through a clean tube amp. Single coils provided great dirt, despite Maxon''s ad copy proclaiming that "the OOD-9 compliments humbucker-equipped guitars perfectly by offering a creamier, thicker overdrive than the OSD-9." In fact, I''ve usually found that overdrives based on the 808 circuit tend to get too thick with humbuckers; they seem singularly suited for giving single coils humbucker-like midrange compression and a bit more oomph, making me keen to release the Lester from the case and put their claims to the test.
What greeted me was some nice, UFO-like crunch with the Level knob set just past unity and the Drive knob set anywhere from noon to around three o''clock. There were lots of cocked-wah like mids tempered by plenty of warmth. At higher distortion settings the OOD-9 harkened back to the eighties, perfect for some Fastway or Motörhead covers. The OOD-9''s characteristically nasally but not un-appealing tone and gobs of gain on tap made coaxing feedback a breeze.
OSD-9
The second of Maxon''s new pedals based on their OD880 is the OSD-9, but this time around Maxon keeps the 741 op-amp firmly in place, giving the OSD-9 a tone as fat as a Christmas goose. It also gives the pedal an admittedly seventies vibe. I plugged a LP into the pedal and out to a tweed Deluxe style amp and was able to cop Marc Bolan''s crunch on "Ride a White Swan," which is never a bad thing. The OSD-9 can get really close to fuzz tone duties, and would be perfect for that good-time rock n'' roll band you''ve been dreaming of putting together. Molly Hatchet, here we come!
Of course, my Strat and Nocaster also sounded great through the little green box. The Overdrive Soft Distortion features the same two-knob layout as the OOD-9 with the same Drive and Level designations. The OSD-9 sounds good, but seems to be more of a one-trick pony than the ad copy on Maxon''s site would suggest, although that same ad copy also indicated that most people don''t get 741-equipped pedals. Maybe I''m one of "those people," and for those people, Maxon has the OOD-9, which features the nice, safe, familiar JRC 4558 chip. But anything that makes it this easy to rock convincing T-Rex tones has to be worth it for just that, right? Now if I can just remember where I left my dragon embroidered satin bell-bottoms and my size 11 Mary-Janes…
VOP-9
The VOP-9 is also an updated vintage reissue, but instead of basing another pedal on the OD880, the Vintage Overdrive Pro is based on the OD820, a pedal developed in the mid-nineties as an alternative to the glut of boutique, ''screamer-ish ODs being released at the time. In that respect, things haven''t changed much since rock stars all looked like lumber jacks.
Housed in the ubiquitous Nine Series chassis, the VOP-9 borrows the OD820''s JEC NJM4558D op-amp and negative feedback loop clipping diode. The original pedal operated at 18 volts for improved dynamic response, while the VOP offers selectable 9 or 18 volt operation for additional, surprisingly vast tone tailoring.
The VOP''s control layout will be familiar to Tube Screamer aficionados, sporting knobs for Drive, Tone and Level. What may not be familiar is that the Drive knob acts as a blend control between the clean and distorted sounds, meaning that when the Drive knob is set to zero, no clipping is present. With traditional ''Screamer-derived designs, clipping is always present. This allows a broad range of tones to emanate from the VOP-9, from clean boost to balls out raunch.
Rolling the Drive - or clean/dirty blend - to around one o''clock, Tone at noon and Level between noon and one o''clock delivered tons of gain and output. Just for giggles, I A/B''d the VOP with a particularly nice, modded TS-9 featuring a JRC4558D chip, and the VOP walloped it as far as gain and output at the same settings. As far as the corresponding tone, "wooly" seems like an appropriate word. This pedal seems well suited for folks who are convinced that traditional Tube Screamer circuits are much too polite.
The Final Mojo
If one of these three overdrives isn''t capable of satisfying your boost needs, chances are nothing off the rack can. They offer great tones and bulletproof construction in iconic, attractive packages. The lone holdout is the AD-9 Pro. While the increased headroom and clarity is appreciated, the AD-9 Pro is still a subtle analog delay, dutifully serving those with discerning ears, but it may be too refined, ultimately disappointing players who dig greasy tape and bucket-brigade delays. Maxon maxonfx.com
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Luthier Dave Helmer shows you how to cure buzzy strings, bad intonation, gnarly frets, high action, and other common troubles with off-the-shelf axes.
Guitars are the best. We love them. It’s fun to fall in love with a guitar at a store, buy it, and proudly bring it home. But we’ve all been there … where after a month that new guitar is just not playing as good as it was before. As guitar players, we know what feels good and what feels bad when it comes to playability. Maybe you have setup preferences that you like on all your guitars, or maybe you want to experiment with changes to your setup?
With a few tools, you can perform a handful of tasks that will make your new axe play better and stay in tune. This article is for folks who already know how to tighten loose parts, raise and lower string saddles or bridges, and adjust their truss rods—though I’ll share a tip on how to check it with even more accuracy.
Is that big bulky stock nut uncomfortable on your hand? Let’s trim it down and reshape it. If the action feels high and the neck looks straight, I’ll show you how to lower the action. And haven’t we all swapped out pickups and wondered, “Do they really sound better, or do I think that just because they’re new?” Before you swap your pickups, I’ll share some pickup-height measurements that might make you change your mind.
But wait! There’s more. With everything feeling and playing great, does moving into the upper register start to sound out of tune? Intonation is very easy to check and adjust. When you go to vibrato or hold a note, do the frets feel “sandy”? Are the fret ends rubbing against your hand while you play? Let’s flush and polish those up.
To be clear, we’re not swapping out anything on your new guitar: We’re simply refining the setup. Be sure to go online to see eight videos I made showing various processes covered in this story.
Begin the Beguine
There is an order of operations for best results. Neck relief is the first item to dial in, followed by getting the nut slots cut to the proper depth. After that, setting your string and pickup heights is in order. The final step is setting intonation.
Fret polishing is its own event and can happen anytime between string changes. Getting the frets feeling comfortable and well-polished will take some time and attention. You’ll also need some specialized tools as well as some that can be found in most households. Check the box for my list.
Tools You’ll Need
All of the specialized tools in this list are available through online suppliers, including StewMac and Amazon.
6" Ruler with measures in 64ths
String action gauge [Photo 1]
Miscellaneous screwdrivers
Allen wrenches
Radius blocks
Understring radius gauges (with the radius on the bottom and the top)
Fret-end dressing file
Micro-Mesh sticks [Photo 2]
Tape (low tack)
Cotton swabs
Paper towels (blue shop towels preferred)
Clean cotton rags
Nut files [Photo 3]
Stikit sandpaper
Tri-Flow lubricant
Capo
Feeler gauges
Simichrome polish
Polishing the Frets
Let’s start with the most Zen of these tasks: fret polishing.
Tape off the fretboard using low-tack tape, exposing only the frets. De-tack each piece of tape on your clothing or maybe a rag—I use my jeans or my sweatshirt. Making it less sticky helps prevent pulling finish off a maple fretboard or the neck. Taping the fretboard also prevents putting any cross-grain scratches into it while you file and polish. You can choose to tape off the entire fretboard or work your way down one fret at a time. Dealer’s choice.
One thing to note about tape, any tape: Even when you de-tack it, you do not want to leave it on overnight. If that happens, rub the tape with your finger, which will break the surface tension. Then carefully pull the tape off from a corner, making sure you’re pulling it off at an angle and not at a straight line with the fretboard edge.
Photo 4
Every fret end has a small burr on the corner from the initial fret job. The fret-end dressing file has a non-marring smooth side for rounding the fret end, and a safe square edge for getting into the corner of the fret end. So, take the fret-end dressing file, use the squared off-side, and file both corners of the fret end [Photo 4].
How to Polish Frets
Here’s how easy it is to polish and smooth frets.
Photo 5
One or two strokes is all you’ll need. Then, using the non-marring side of the file, slightly round off the fret ends. [Photo 5].
Photo 6
With the file positioned vertically, file downward to make the fret end flush with the edge of the fretboard [Photo 6].
Photo 7
For a nice, rounded-off look, polish the frets using the same rounding motion from the previous step, working through all three grits of the Micro-Mesh stick [Photo 7].
Photos 8 (top) & 9 (bottom)
Then, polish both the sides and the top of the frets [Photos 8 and 9]. Using a soft cloth and Simichrome, buff every fret. This will give you a great shine and help prevent oxidation. Now it’s time to remove the tape and condition the fingerboard if it needs it.
Note: Every fret has two fret ends to clean up and polish along with the fret itself. This is a fair amount of handwork. If you’ve never done it, you will get tired and need a break. Take that break. Take multiple breaks. Let the process take however long it requires without rushing. If you’re new, do all the fret polishing over a weekend or a few days. It should be fun, not painful. If it is difficult, call your local luthier and hire them to do it for you.
Adjusting Neck Relief
Neck relief refers to the slight amount of concave bowing intentionally created in the neck of a guitar or bass by adjusting the truss rod. For the safety of the guitar, be sure to slack the strings before doing any adjustments to the truss rod. Neither you nor your guitar needs to be tense during this process.
Photo 10
Before whipping out an Allen wrench for the truss rod, start by sight-checking the neck’s straightness. You can sight the neck with the guitar on its back, but I like to put it on edge and look at it that way. It’s easier to see how much curve there is when the guitar is on its side. I feel like gravity plays tricks on my eyes when I sight the neck with the guitar on its back. When I play the guitar, it’s on its side anyway, so looking at it from this vantage point is best [Photo 10].
Photo 11
Tune the guitar to pitch, put a capo on the first fret, and press fret 15 with your left hand. With your right hand, take a feeler gauge and check the gap at frets 7 through 9 (left-handed players, flip your hands around) [Photo 11].
From the top of the fret to the bottom of the string, the gap is usually anywhere from .003" to .012", depending on the feel you are going for. The feeler gauge should fit just between the top of the fret and the bottom of the string. The string shouldn’t move. This will tell you how much “relief” is in the neck. If you find this challenging, keep going—this will take some practice.
When dialing in the relief, I go back and forth between adjusting the truss rod and the string action. Getting the strings low and playing clean on a budget axe can be a challenge. Usually the fretwork isn’t that great, and in the upper register the frets can be unlevel, causing buzzes and clanks. If you need to raise the string action to get the notes to play clean, some fret leveling may be in order. (For more on fret leveling, go online to our article “About Fret Leveling,” from the December 2007 issue.) For good energy transfer, the neck should be as straight as possible. If the neck is straight and the frets are not level, the strings will buzz with low action.
In general, the flatter the radius on the fretboard, the straighter you can get the neck with the truss rod adjustment. On a fretboard with a 12" radius, you should be able to get .005" relief, and on a vintage 7.25" radius board you may need as much as .014" relief. The only way to get better at checking and setting relief is practice.
Refining the Nut
String buzzes, pinging noises when you tune, strings sticking in the slots, and too much string motion in the nut slots are all indicators of trouble. Before getting out the sandpaper and Micro-Mesh sticks, be sure you know if your guitar’s nut is TUSQ or bone. TUSQ is softer, so you should leave TUSQ nut slots a little higher. This leaves room for the TUSQ to wear without causing buzzing on the first fret. With bone, you can cut the slots lower, because it holds up to string wear.
How to Shape Your Guitar's Nut
Watch as Dave Helmer sands down the back half of a nut and creates a smooth finish.
The back side of the nut is usually very bulky and could often stand to lose some material to be more comfortable on your hand. So, let’s start there. Tape off the neck and headstock around the nut using a few layers of tape to protect the headstock face and fretboard. Then, slack the strings and pull them to either side of the nut.
Photo 12
Sand a bevel into the backside—the side closest to the headstock—of the nut using P320 and P400 grit Stikit sandpaper on a flat sanding stick. The bevel should start at the back of the nut and come forward about one-third to one-half the thickness of the nut [Photo 12]. Use P320 for most of the sanding and switch to P400 for the last 5 to 10 strokes.
Photo 13
Next, take a fresh Micro-Mesh stick and work through the various grits to buff/round over the bevel you’ve sanded into back of the nut [Photo 13], so it looks and feels good.
Photos 14 (left) & 15 (right)
TUSQ nuts are often tall, and the strings sit deep in the slots. Wound strings require 50 percent of the diameter of the string to sit in the nut slot, with the other 50 percent above the top of the nut surface. The plain strings should be flush with the top of the nut. Take a look at the wrong appearance [Photo 14] and the correct look [Photo 15] for properly seated strings.
How to Sand Your Guitar's Nut
Our luthier shows you how to use a radius block and sand down a nut.
Photo 16
Use a radius block that matches the radius of your fretboard. With P320 and P400 grit Stikit sandpapers, use mild pressure to sand down the top of the nut. Sand a bit and check your progress by setting the strings in the slots and putting a little tension on them. Tuning to pitch isn’t necessary. Use the P320 for most of the sanding, and switch to P400 when you are close to the 50/50 height for the wound strings. The radius block sanding will leave a flat, sharp edge on each side of the TUSQ nut [Photo 16]. To round over the sharp edge, use the sanding block and Micro-Mesh stick.
Use the coarse grit of a Micro-Mesh stick to round over and blend the bevel from the back into the top of the nut. Work through the grit gauges until it’s smooth. There is a fine balance between the bevel at the back of the nut and the top radius of the nut. Go back and forth between the two steps to get a nice, finished look and a nut that functions at optimal levels.
… And Refining the Nut Slots
Nut height is the distance from the top of the first fret to the bottom of the string. A good height on the wound strings is about .020", and for the plain strings about .015". Measuring this gap with a feeler gauge can be tricky because of the fretboard radius. Many repair folks do this by eye and feel, based on experience. It takes some practice. A good check: At pitch, fret the third fret and check for a small gap between the string and the top of the first fret.
How to Widen Your Guitar's Nut Slots
A diamond file can make quick work of deepening and widening nut slots.
Photo 17
The bottom of the string should be sitting on the bottom of the front half of the nut slot [Photo 17]. File down each nut slot to its proper depth using the corresponding nut file. There are diamond nut files on the market in multiple sizes to accommodate many string gauges. Make sure to keep your strokes straight. The standard-toothed files have less sizes and usually require rolling them from side to side to get a well-fit string.
Next, using a proper-sized file, round over the bottom back half of the nut slots down, toward the face of the headstock and away from the strings. This will allow the strings to move freely during tuning or bending, while still having support from the front half of the slot.
How to File D and G String Slots on Guitar
The D and G nut slots require special attention on 3x3-style headstock configurations.
Photo 18
On guitars with 3x3 headstock configurations, the D and G strings need the back half of the slots feathered out away from the center, so the string has a direct path to the tuner post. Using a file that is one size bigger than the string and rolling it side to side on the back of the nut slot will give the string a straight path to the tuner post. Photo 18 is my illustration showing which slots need feathering.
Additionally, use pencil lead to lubricate the slots. Just get in there with the point of a pencil and mark the slot with its graphite. You might also put a drop of Tri-Flow on the front of the string tree. Tri-Flow will run down the string, so take a cotton swab or cloth to clean up any excess. Tri-Flow has Teflon in it, so you don’t need much.
Adjusting String Action
First, find your string height by measuring the string action at the 17th fret on a Fender-style guitar and at the 15th fret on a Gibson-style instrument.On electric guitars, action can range from 3/64" to 3/32", depending on the player’s comfort. My preferences are 1/16" on the treble side and 5/64"on the bass side on both Fender- and Gibson-style guitars measured at the appropriate fret.
How to Adjust Guitar Action
Here’s a look at how our author adjusts the action.
Photo 19
Always loosen the string tension before making action adjustments. This will save wear and tear on the small bridge components. Take either a 6" ruler or a string action gauge and set it on the frets. Measure from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string [Photo 19].
If the action is high, you will lower that string’s saddle or that side of the bridge. If it is low, you will raise it. Make sure the individual saddles are sitting square and upright to the face of the bridge. You do not want them sitting at an angle or leaning over. This will cause buzzing.
Photo 20
The bottom of the strings should match the radius of the fretboard when measured with an understring radius gauge [Photo 20]. Start your adjustment with the outside strings, working toward the center. On Fender-style guitars, set the two outside strings to the height you want and have the middle four strings a bit higher than that. Bring the gauge up from underneath and just touch the two outside strings. Then, bring the strings down a little at a time until the radius matches.
On a Gibson-style Tune-o-matic, the saddles are not individually adjustable. So, if the radius doesn’t match, the saddles will need to be filed. To do this, I recommend using toothed nut files and a rolling side-to-side motion. Do a little work and check your progress. Remember to slack your strings when adjusting the saddle or bridge up or down.
Changing Pickup Height
Photo 21
Finally, let’s take a look at pickup-height adjustment. First, to check pickup height, use the two outside strings again. Press the top wound string on the last fret and measure the distance from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string [Photo 21]. This distance can range from 3/64" to 1/8". My preferences are 1/16" on the treble side and 5/64" on the bass side.
Adjusting Guitar Pickup Height
Dave Helmer walks you through the process of adjusting the height of your guitar’s pickups.
On most styles of pickups, there are height adjustment screws on either side of the pickup to raise or lower it. The closer the pickup gets to the strings, the more present string frequencies become. If you get too close, the magnetic pull can affect the string’s vibration and you may hear some strange sounds as you go into the upper register.
On Strats, the neck pickup is regularly set too close, and at the 12th fret and above, the low E and A can sound choked, honky, and not clear. Lowering the neck pickup with a screwdriver usually solves this issue.
Setting Intonation
Photo 22
If you can’t get your guitar accurately in tune, you might need to check its intonation. Adjust all saddles as far back as possible so every string will play flat at the 12th fret. You will adjust the saddles forward, gradually making the octave play sharper until it’s in tune with the open string [Photo 22].
Adjust Your Guitar's Intonation
With a tuner and a screwdriver, Dave Helmer shows you how to adjust your guitar’s intonation.
Depending on your vibrato style, experiment with intonating the plain strings slightly flat. Use your ear and do what sounds good. Sometimes, the plain strings can have perfect intonation, but playing with vibrato can make them sound sharp.
To fine-tune intonation, the individual bridge saddles must be adjustable. Once the intonation is set, recheck the string radius using the understring radius gauge and adjust as needed. The radius can change as the saddles come forward during intonation.
Tri-Flow is great for lubricating saddle parts. Put a small drop on the saddle-height adjustment screws and capillary action will suck it in. Adjust the saddle up and down a few times to coat the threads. Clean up any excess with a cotton swab or cloth. Put a drop or two onto a cotton swab and apply the Tri-Flow to the top of each saddle where the string rests. This will help strings move freely during tuning and after any bends or vibrato.
And that’s it! For a relatively small investment in tools and time, you’re now ready to supercharge your new guitar—and maybe your long-treasured axes, too.
Maxon has recently released three new overdrive pedals and a new take on an old favorite delay. What sets these pedals apart from traditional reissue pedals is the fact that Maxon has taken existing designs - notably the AD-9, OD880 and OD820 - and rather than rehash them into yet another vintage reissue, has instead used them as inspirations for new designs. All of the new effects feature Nine Series cases and mechanical, true bypass switching. The results of their efforts are the AD-9 Pro analog delay, the OOD-9 Organic Overdrive, the OSD-9 Overdrive Soft Distortion and the VOP-9 Vintage Overdrive Pro. Being fans of all things Maxon, we were anxious to plug these babies in. 
