A flexible stomp that spans overdrive and fuzz modes, and sometimes seems to blend them in an inspiring way.
A very juicy, creamy, dynamic fuzz tone that’s well suited to many styles. Bonus slate of drive tones.
Crown-mounted knobs can be tricky to see.
$199
Beetronics Nectar
beetronicsfx.com
If you imagine a gain-pedal spectrum, fuzz is usually situated at one end and boost at the other. The Nectar, from California builder Beetronics, makes it possible to explore both extremes in a single pedal. It also beautifully blurs the lines between those extremes, generating fuzzy overdrive, and thicker, more OD-like fuzz within its wide range.
Beebadoobee Built
Ask Beetronics why they chose to explore the realm of fuzz and overdrive in a single pedal and the likely answer will be “because we could.” Indeed, Beetronics tends to march to its own drum. With just a single footswitch, there are limitations to Beetronics’ take on the concept. Most players that use fuzz and overdrive use two different pedals, or a larger pedal that uses two footswitches to access the two circuits together or independently. Here, you have to use a toggle on the pedal’s crown. But for players that love saving space, having one little pedal that can cover it all is an appealing proposition. Another is how the Nectar’s tones often seem to blend fuzz and overdrive, creating complex dirt sounds.
The Nectar doesn’t mark the first time Beetronics dabbled in fuzz/overdrive fusion. The Royal Jelly runs the two effects side by side, in a much larger three-footswitch, seven-knob pedal. Nectar takes a more economical approach. Apart from the fuzz/drive mode toggle, there are knobs for output volume, “honey,” which controls the gain, and “taste,” which is a dark-to-bright tone knob. All are mounted on the pedal’s crown, which can make it tricky to see your settings on the fly, but it’s easy to navigate the controls by feel after a little practice. The Nectar is a very what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of pedal, with no secret settings or hidden controls or sub menus.
Beetronics pedals are very nicely built. And they have made it a signature of sorts to creatively stretch the meaning of “printed” in printed circuit board—adorning it with a floral graphic similar to the one on the plastic plate on the pedal’s face. Checking out this nifty internal touch is, however, the only reason to remove the plate. There’s no battery connection inside and the pedal is run by an external 9V DC supply only.
Bouncing the Beebop
The core tone in the Nectar’s fuzz mode, which I’m guessing many players will use the most, is rich, creamy, dynamic, and full of sustain. It strikes me as voiced to appeal to a wide range of guitarists and playing approaches. And at the risk of over-egging the metaphor pudding, it is undeniably honey-like, rather than a reproduction of the harsh, edgy, Velcro-like tones you associate with early fuzz boxes. Such smoothness—some might hear a balanced, contemporary distortion— means the Nectar works across genres without sounding too vintage, which is a good thing, in my opinion.
That said, the Nectar’s fuzz mode can sting when the taste knob is up high. With some guitar/amp combinations, you might even hear traces of harshness. But it is mostly appealingly sweet and luscious at heart, and there is so much range in the gain control that you might be tempted to skip the drive mode. Right up to around 10 o’clock on the honey knob, the fuzz maintains a thick, clear, edge-of-breakup response that’s very dynamic and definitely well south of true fuzz in terms of gain. It’s an appealing overdrive alternative.
As rich as the fuzz mode’s low-gain sounds are, the drive side’s fat-boost and low-gain overdrive sounds offer a practical alternative to fuzz mode. Real breakup, predictably, happens much deeper in the honey control’s range. And when you max it, the drive mode gets aggressive, with a throaty bark reminiscent of, if not precisely like, the MXR Distortion+. It’s a gutsy sound and adds character and muscle to any guitar you put in front of it. In drive mode, the Nectar also stacks well with other overdrives. I love how it meshed with a Marshall-like JHS Angry Charlie and a Tsakalis Six (which approximates the Paul Cochrane Timmy, Marshall Bluesbreaker, and Analog Man King of Tone) without devolving into a muddled mess.
The Verdict
With a tonal range that bridges brawny boost and a particularly delectable fuzz, it’s hard to avoid wishing the compact Nectar’s two modes were footswitchable rather than toggle activated. Still, the sounds alone, which mostly manage to avoid glitchy, spitty fuzz and tend more toward the smooth, creamy side of drive, will appeal to a lot of players that like their gain devices more predictable than unruly.
Get out your DMM, and let's explore the simple ways to ground Strats, Teles, and Les Pauls. The good news is, there is no such thing as overgrounding.
We'll break this down into two sections. Today, we'll talk about grounding in general and different ways to do it. In part two, we'll focus on grounding legs on the casing of a pot, like on the Stratocaster's master volume pot. And we'll come back to all this in a future column about how to shield pickguards and compartments the right way, which is also an important part of the grounding system.
Before we start, let's remind ourselves: We're talking about grounding in passive guitars, so we're talking about your standard Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul, and the like. We're not talking about your amps, stompboxes, grandma's old steam radio, and other active devices.
In other words, it doesn't make a "better" grounding, but for showcase reasons, this is a cool option, anyway ... you hear with your eyes, too.
The good basic news is that it's not really hard to understand and you only need a simple digital multimeter, or DMM, set to continuity to analyze the grounding system in your guitar. I usually set it to audio or "beep mode," so you don't have to watch the display of your DMM. It's really simple: When it beeps, there is contact. If not, there is no connection.
More good news: There's no "over-grounding." But there are things you can do wrong and then you're in trouble. My favorite on the "Grounding Pet Peeves" list is closing the ground ring on Les Pauls, ES-335s, and similar guitars. As you can see in Image 1, the ground ring is not closed, but many people like to add another ground wire, which I've marked blue, to "enhance" and complete the wiring because they feel that there's something missing. What happens if you do this? You created a perfect antenna to pick up radio and CB signals, so you can play along with your favorite radio station.
So, please don't do this. Sometimes less is more. Rant over … for now.
Image 2
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
For today's guinea pig, I chose the Stratocaster, but will also elaborate on other guitars. Let's have a look at how to connect all casings together to ground them. The two basic rules of thumb are:
1. When your pickguard, control plate, or compartment is conductive, you don't need to add any ground wires to the individual components. They're already connected together because their metal parts are touching the conductive surface. This is the shield underneath a Stratocaster pickguard, the metal control plate on a Telecaster, or the metal "cage" you can find in some Les Paul models where the pots are installed through. But always try before you trust! Use your DMM set to continuity and do a test to see if the surface is really conductive. If it is, your DMM will show (or beep) continuity. This is especially important when you see black shielding paint anywhere in your guitar. It should be conductive, but in most cases, it's simply black paint to mimic shielding. On some models, like an ES-335 and similar, there is neither a shield nor any conductive paint underneath the top, so there is no way around using wires to ground all metal parts. If you're unsure, always run a wire from part to part to ground it. Even if the surface is conductive, it will do no harm to have double-grounding.
2. All this will only have an effect when you connect the system to the string grounding wire, by simply soldering it to the back of a pot, to the ground lug of your output jack, or to the copper foil underneath your pickguard, etc. Whatever you prefer. This wire usually comes from the tremolo claw in a Stratocaster, from underneath the bridge plate in a Telecaster, or from one of the studs on a Les Paul, ES-335, etc. If you are unsure which of the wires is the right one, the test is really simple: Use your DMM with one probe on the stripped wire you want to test and the other touching one of the metal strings. Continuity? Congratulations, this is the string grounding wire.
Image 2 shows the most minimalistic grounding version: Underneath your Stratocaster pickguard is a conductive shield (same for the Telecaster metal control plate). Install the pots and the switch and that's it. No additional wire connections are necessary, as the conductive shield will connect all parts. Use your DMM with one probe on the back of the pot and the other touching the shield, and then repeat this procedure with all three pots and the switch.
Image 3
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
This is a Fender Stratocaster from 1959, and you can see there are no additional ground wires from pot to pot. The shield underneath the pickguard makes the connection and this is the way all early Fender guitars were grounded. Leo Fender was an educated accountant, well known for not wasting anything, and his defined goal was to build guitars in large quantities but in a short and cost-effective time. So why waste a piece of wire when you don't need to, and why waste time for such an operation when it's not necessary?
The second grounding version involves simply running a wire from one metal part to the next. This can be an insulated wire or a bare solid wire—sometimes tubing is used with bare solid wire to insulate it. The diameter of the wire is not important: A heavy-gauged wire won't make a better ground, in this case.
Image 3 shows the grounding version with simply a bare solid wire running from part to part. Image 4 shows the grounding version with tubing over the wire running from part to part. Please note that both pickguards in Image 3 and Image 4 don't have a conductive shield. Also note that there is a wire running from the volume pot to the 5-way pickup selector switch to ground it as well.
Image 4
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
On some guitars, you can see that a ground strap is used to connect the parts, but this is the same principle and only a variation regarding materials. John "Dawk" Stillwell (may he rest in peace), the former guitar tech for Ritchie Blackmore, was well known for using this technique, and you can see what this looks like in Image 5.
Image 5
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
It looks pretty cool but has no advantage over using an insulated wire or bare wire. In other words, it doesn't make a "better" grounding, but for showcase reasons, this is a cool option, anyway ... you hear with your eyes, too. As you can see, this pickguard has a highly conductive copper shield, so any connection between the parts is obsolete anyway.
So, what version is the best, you might ask? For me, it's using a bare solid AWG 19 wire (also sometimes called "ground bus wire") that I only put sleeve on in certain guitars, such as a Les Paul. On all Fender guitars, and especially in any Stratocaster, I use it bare for some good reasons. With this technique, you can minimize the number of soldering spots and it offers some great advantages that you'll see in the second part of this series when we talk about grounding legs on pots.
Why is it important to minimize the number of soldering spots on the cases of the pots? It not only looks neat and tidy and saves time and material (Leo Fender would have chosen this technique for sure), but it also minimizes the risk of damage from overheating, which is the most important reason for me. The easiest way to damage a pot is to overheat it, especially when attaching a ground wire to the back casing. It usually takes 60 watts of power for this, and with a wrong soldering technique this can be a real disaster. I've discussed this topic before, but if you aren't familiar, read my column "How to Install and Maintain Your Guitar's Pots," from the May 2020 issue.
I'll share two advantages, shown on a Stratocaster, of why I prefer this technique. (I'll give more advantages in the sequel installment of this column).
Image 6
Image courtesy of singlecoil.com
In Image 6, you can clearly see on the casing of the pot that there is only one soldering spot to connect the wire. With an insulated wire running from pot to pot, you would have two soldering spots or you have to heat it up for a second time. Next, look at the leg of the tone capacitor that needs to be connected to ground. Instead of making an extra soldering spot for it on the case or heating up an existing soldering spot for a second time, I simply solder it to the ground wire and that's it. The still unpopulated soldering spot on the back of the case is for the string grounding wire.
That's it, for now. Next month we'll continue our relic'ing project, focusing on the pickup and its cover, so stay tuned.
Until then ... keep on modding!With funky-cool looks, a comfy short scale, and built-in fuzz, this 4-string is a whole lotta cool. The PG Serek Grand bass review.
Great feel and vibe. Big tone. Onboard fuzz circuit.
I'm like Janet Jackson. I need control … tone control.
$1,900
Recorded direct using PreSonus FireStudio and PreSonus Studio One 3.
Clip 1: Tone switch off
Clip 2: Tone switch on
Clip 3: Fuzz circuit engaged
You know what I would love to do? Tour the world in support of some heavyweight bands, then maybe intern at a respected bass builder's shop, and then, just maybe, design bass guitars that make a big impact among players in the know.
Or, I could just live vicariously through Jake Serek, who has done everything on my list, and then some. Jake has pulled from his experience on the road, his work at Lakland, and—through his own trial and error—made Serek Basses into a Cinderella story about an independent builder who hit the jackpot.
In a relatively short period, Serek's Chicago-based company has made a name for itself by designing unique, vintage-inspired basses. Even though Serek makes 34"-scale instruments, industry heavies such as Tim LeFebvre (David Bowie) and Brandon Boone (Tedeschi Trucks Band) lean toward its short-scale offerings. We recently got to look at Serek's latest 4-string shorty: the Grand.
The Grand Design
The Grand's appearance is just that. Opening Serek's very stylish gig bag, I giggled a little at what I saw. First, there's the body shape, which is vintage-inspired and sits like a race car. There's the gold racing stripe, the bowling ball scratch plate, and the offset TV Jones Thunder'Blade pickup. And finally, there's the simple control set that just begged me to say hello.
The Grand basses are made in small batches. A 30.5" scale is how manufacturers typically design short-scale basses. But Sereks play bigger, so there's no loss of bass integrity just because the instrument is shorter or lighter. (This Grand weighed in at just over 7 pounds.) The roasted-maple neck has the right amount of heft and feel, with an easy C-shape, and the bone nut measures at 1 5/8", so it's very Jazz-like in that regard. The nickel frets were perfect, with no edges or anomalies, and the action from the factory was set very comfy. The oversized headstock with Hipshot Ultralites balances the Grand quite well, and the 4-bolt design is solid, with a super-tight neck joint.
A Grand Vernacular
I plugged the bass into an Eden Terra Nova head pushing a ported 2x10 cabinet. The controls on the Grand are minimal, with just a volume dial and a 3-way toggle switch. Instead of a traditional tone control, the toggle essentially offers “tone open" or “tone off," plus a mystery third position to be revealed in a moment.
With the tone open (middle position), I rolled up my lonely volume pot and got to work. Thunder'Blade pickups are true supercharged engines on basses, and this one's no exception. The bass sounded big and authoritative with tons of low-end air movement and all the articulation you'd need. But to isolate the Grand's bass tone to one lane wouldn't be fair. This isn't a P- or a J-style setup, because it speaks a language all its own. The Grand is a touch throaty, which allows it to cut through the mix, for sure.
Flipping the toggle to the tone-off position, I wasn't quite as excited with the prospects. The tone-off vibe certainly has a place in the musical universe. (Earth-shaking reggae and dub bass players take note.) I'm not a designer or audio engineer, but maybe a “half-tone" option would have been cool on this bass, as opposed to the nothing-or-all approach.
The third position on the toggle is the activation point for the “Skuzz Serkit," a very clever passive-fuzz circuit. I am a fan of onboard effects. I know that some companies back in the day went a bit overboard at times, but being able to hit some fuzz on the fly is a wonderfully freeing feeling. And it adds to the nostalgia this bass evokes. Plus, the fuzz circuit sounds really good, so that certainly helps. It's beefy and impactful, without being overbearing.
While I appreciate the design of the controls, I do wish I could have a bit more, well, control over the tone. In my world, a tone control is my “situation adjustment," so I like being able to go higher or lower depending on the vibe of the session, the push of the effects, or even the genre of music. This option is not available here, but it's also not necessarily a bad thing. To many players, this won't be an issue at all, because the tone in the open position is a great one that will work in numerous situations. Those few times adjustments might be needed, players will just need to take a different route to their exact tone.
The Verdict
I really like this bass. For those of you thinking a short-scale isn't your bag, you'd be pleasantly surprised with this one, simply because it plays and sounds much bigger than it really is. Being an old soul with retro love, I like that the Grand has an onboard fuzz switch (and no battery required!) that gives plug-and-go purists an option to dive into some grit without a pedal.
The Grand is well-balanced, super comfy, and just looks cool. With the absence of a traditional tone control, I did, however, wish there was maybe a “half-tone" setting, or maybe an additional mini-toggle. Sure, the price might be hefty for some, but there is something to be said for a well-built, U.S.-made instrument that will mature with age—and with grand style.