Here’s the collection of my current gear on the pedal board as of July 2008.

Version 1.1

MaxxPlay Custom 373P+ :: Jun 2008

This not really an effects pedal. Its a custom input/output jack that can be used with or without an FX-loop on your amp. It was designed by me! Of course with more brilliant ideas from Ant (MaxxPlay), we came up with this version. The beauty is that there is no need to unplug anything from the board regardless if I want to go straight to the amp input with all pedals in pre-amp config or if I want my my dirtboxes in pre-amp and my modulation pedals to be in a post-amp config. I recommend it to everyone.

Here’s the link to Ant’s site: http://www.ElecTrick-GarAge.com

Version: 1.0

Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive :: March 2008

I must say that I really like the sound coming out from this little box. I bought it for CDN150, although you can get it cheaper on the net + shipping. Right now, it is first on my chain to provide very low overdrive. The magic of this is the ability to mix the original signal with the overdriven channel. Very versatile and this will stay in my rig for a while. A keeper!

Here’s the link to their site: http://www.voodoolab.com/

Ernie Ball VP Jr. :: March 2008

Its a passive volume pedal with a tuner out. I put it after my overdrives to control the overall level but not the amount of gain on my dirt boxes. That I will do with my guitar volume knob. Its smooth & quiet. We have to see how it will last after a bit of usage as I like doing volume swells with a volume pedal. I have the tuner out connected directly to my Boss TU2 so I don’t have to have that in front of my chain anymore.

Here’s the link to their site: http://www.ernieball.com/

Empress Tremolo :: October 2007

After 6 months, I am still amazed with the sound coming out of this tap-tempo tremolo pedal. Its very organic and warm. The tap-tempo makes this pedal worthy of playing live. There are tons of interesting thing you can do with this pedal and a whole slew of sounds. I stick with the tube emulation & rhythm 1. I also set the rate ratio to 2:1 so that when I tap, I could tap the half-note but get the quarter notes instead. This makes it easy to tap eight-notes & sixteenth-notes. Very very cool. There is also a ramp function that would take the tempo from the tempo knob and then switches from that to the tapped-tempo. Ramping is cool! It’s a little hard to do in live situations and you can’t really overdo it. But it is there. Another keeper! Beware, its a little pricey compare to other pedals out there.

Here’s the link to their site: http://www.empresseffects.com/

Analogman Bi-Chorus :: May 2007

What else can I say, it’s a Chorus with 2 distinct settings. I bought the option with the deep switch. I can go from a very light to a very lush sounding chorus. You can also simulate a Leslie type sound and it still sounds good. There is a rotary switch inside for the mix of original signal and processed, very cool. Did I say that you can have 2 settings? My only gripe is that when the effect is off, all the led lights are also off so there is no knowing which of the 2 settings you have used last! Very frustrating sometimes All in all, it is still a better pedal than most out there. I will keep it ’til it dies on me.

Here’s the link to their site: http://www.analogman.com/

Diamond Memory Lane Delay :: April 2007

Let me just warn you, this thing is expensive! Its a delay pedal with tap-tempo. It sounds great and very warm. I could have gotten a T-Rex Replica to get the sub-division function but I opted for this all-analog circuitry. Now they have the new version with the subdivision for dotted-eight notes. It sucks that I have to pay extra money to get that functionality into mine. I might get another type later on for this functionality, maybe the Replica and/or a Giga-delay. The sound is great and the versatility of having the tap-tempo is unmatched.

Here’s the link to their site: http://www.diamondpedals.com/

Seymour Duncan SFX-03 :: Summer 2006

Amazing 2-channel overdrive. The first channel is very versatile. It can range from a very subtle to a saturated sound. What I liked about it is the way it responds to the string attack. Very very responsive! The second channel is ok. You can get some nice chunky overdriven sound and some lead tones. I hardly use it but when I do, it does not disappoint. The only gripe is the power supply. Its AC but the issue is the voltage needed is not standard. I am finding it hard to find a power pedal that can supply the power to this baby. I guess it is out of necessity to get the tube in to saturation easier. I might get an FD2 later on or maybe one of the new thing that may come out. Although I will keep this with me. It’s an instant classic

Here’s the link to their site: http://www.seymourduncan.com/