Dorval, Quebec (May 1, 2018) -- Japanese switcher and effect pedal company One Control, in collaboration with pedal designer Björn Juhl, has introduced two new pedals to their BJF collection of effects: Baby Blue OD and Super Apricot OD. Both pedals are now shipping to dealers.
Baby Blue OD: This original BJFe design dates back to 2000, when Björn first assembled the hand-made version in an attempt to capture a specific sound that was in his head but which he could not pinpoint to a specific amp. "It was the distorted guitar sound that I assumed the first Fender amp I ever saw would produce - though it turns out I was mistaken," says Juhl of the inspiration.
Baby Blue OD straddles the line between overdrive and fuzz. The gain is heavy enough to handle hard rock, but it can also create overdriven amp sounds with Drive control dialed back. "I think of the sound as more that of an overdriven amplifier versus that of a device designed to overdrive amplifiers," says Juhl.
A circuit that has seen several renditions over the years, Juhl considers the One Control version of Baby Blue his best yet. "It incorporates the best of all the various things I have tried over the 18 year history of the circuit. Also, we have ensured it can exist well into the future by using components that are readily available today."
MSRP: $249.00 USD
Super Apricot OD: The newest of Björn's "Amp-in- a-Box" circuits, Super Apricot OD is designed to produce the rustic, raw, gnarly tones of a classic Supro tube amp, with surprising amount of dynamic control.
In comparing Super Apricot OD to another of his well-known circuits, the Honey Bee OD, Bjorn says, "Super Apricot is more of a 'slightly after' amp sound than Honey Bee OD. Though they share a point of inspiration, the circuits are entirely unique. Honey Bee OD is a true overdrive effect. Super Apricot OD delivers more of a natural amp sound. The tone is saturated, without feeling overly compressed."
Gain is easily controlled via the drive control, and the guitar's volume control and picking intensity can be used to clean up the tone. There is an underlying feeling of saturation even in cleaner tones; it becomes more of a "hot clean." Tone can also be strongly distorted by increasing the drive and picking strongly. However, even at heavier distortion, it maintains a resolution more like a clean tone.
MSRP: $180.00 USD
For more information:
One Control
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
