NPD - Wampler Velvet

monquixote

Only had a quick go with it, but it's pretty nuts. 

This is what it sounds like:

Intention seems to be a huge sounding Gilmour emulating pedal. 

Appears to be a fuzz stacked into a distortion meaning you get loads of sustain, but it's not too fizzy and shrill into a clean amp. 

I'm loving it so far, very impressed that it also seems to work really well when you pull back the distortion especially on the "Tight" mode where it becomes a nice beefy distortion as you roll it back. 

My only concerns are that perhaps it might be voiced a bit too dark. Nearly all of the demos I've seen have the brightness on nearly full. It's fine for me as I have a fairly bright amp, but I can imagine it causing some people issues. 

The problem I've had with Wamplers in the past is that they can be bedroom pedals in my experience. Amazing at home, OK at practice and lost at the gig so that will remain to be seen.

I'm interested to hear others experience who have invested in one and especially any comparisions with the Suhr Rufus.

I'll update with more info as I get more chance to play it.

spacecadet

First dibs when you sell it. ;-))

monquixote

spacecadet said:

First dibs when you sell it. ;-))

There is already one on the classifieds!

hubobulous

Through some disturbance in the force, we need to be able to get together to compare the VF with the Rufus. Congrats on the new pedal

monquixote

hubobulous said:

Through some disturbance in the force, we need to be able to get together to compare the VF with the Rufus. Congrats on the new pedal

Cheers dude

fretmeister

This was a very close second choice for me... but I ended up with a Guitarsystems Fuzztool.

Best fuzz I've owned (so far!)

monquixote

hubobulous said:

Through some disturbance in the force, we need to be able to get together to compare the VF with the Rufus. Congrats on the new pedal

Yeah that would be cool!

Hopefully we will get a GAS Fest sorted in the new year.

not_the_dj

Have you still got the Alter Ego Delay?.....if so get that after this and on the Echorec setting, that should be awesome.

monquixote

Indeed I still have the Alter Ego, but the Velvet has thus far been used in isolation. 

I'll give that a go as thus far the Echorec setting is my least favorite on the Alter Ego.

not_the_dj

monquixote said:

I'll give that a go as thus far the Echorec setting is my least favorite on the Alter Ego.

Weirdo ;-)

Seriously though, it can sound too over the top clean, but something magical happens with a fair dose of fuzz feading into it and some nice slow playing.

monquixote

not_the_dj said:

monquixote said:

I'll give that a go as thus far the Echorec setting is my least favorite on the Alter Ego.

Weirdo ;-)

Seriously though, it can sound too over the top clean, but something magical happens with a fair dose of fuzz feading into it and some nice slow playing.

Tried it today, still don't like it. 

It just sounds really murky and messy.

Much prefer the DMM, Tape, or Mod settings 

ThePrettyDamned

Oh my god, that demo sounds exactly like the "tone in my head" when it comes to distorted strats.

monquixote

The wife and daughter were out this evening so I got a chance to give it a thrashing. 

I proper love it.

I was playing it for ages and just kept finding more and more vast tones. 

That Brian Wampler is a proper clever bastard. Almost anything you do with it creates some new and huge sound. 

It sounds brilliant with a strat. At lower gains it really gets the single coil sound through which is really rare for a fuzz. 

I still think the Big mode is a bit overly massive so it's probably only going to get used for recording and playing ridiculous epic soundscape nonsense. I don't think it could be used live. 

The Tight mode starts with a really nice gritty distortion and then builds into masses of sweet infinite sustain. It's great for rhythm and lead. 

A few nice surprises: 

Most fuzzes hate neck humbuckers but this one goes into lovely Cream style woman tone in tight mode. 

Feeding a wah into it seems to really upset it and it goes completely bonkers. It makes it create a very strange gated sound which sounds brilliant and synthy.

It rather likes being hit with an overdrive which means you can go from the lower gain rhythm distortion sound to gilmour fuzz using the Badass OD already on my board. 

Best fuzz evahhhhh!

vaticancameos

I've had mine 2 months and never played it yet... haha, not had the chance! Glad to hear you like yours though.

If anyone is after one in the UK... I'd sell mine, particularly before I got into it!

Corvus

@monquixote congrats on the NPD. I'd be interested how you find it in the cleaning up dept, and if your Tenny has Filtertrons what you make of it with those. Sounds good though, seems like it has enough balls to be heard in the mix too.

monquixote

Just for you I've just given it a go through the Gretsch (which does indeed have Filtertrons). 

As expected it sounds rather cool. You can get some great Jack White tones at lower gains with the brightness pushed on the "Tight" side and then it gets into some big rock fuzz stuff with enough definition to work with the gain cranked up.

In the "Big" mode it's epic solo mayhem with a bit more obvious fizz to it. 

You can't get it to really go into nasty broken Neil Young territory, but then that's not really what it's for. 

Harry Maes demos the cleanup at about 5 minutes into this. 

It's pretty good

fretmeister

Damn you.

I want one now. I have no money.

Corvus

Cheers for that monquixote, that's good to hear. Temptation levels have risen accordingly...

ChrisMusic

That's a great demo from Harry Maes, and a fantastic bit of playing too.

I just love watching his facial inflections too.

I don't like fuzz, but I love this pedal, it's gonna have to be done.

(give me a PM when you allow the inveterate pedal flipper in you to consider parting with this, please Nick)

If you are wondering how classically fuzzy this pedal gets:

Duration 8:05

benmurray85

I had one and sold it earlier this year. its the one pedal i regret selling and probably always will but it was a money thing. 

If you're into fuzz in anyway there really isn't any base that this pedal can't cover

ThePrettyDamned

I think I need to save up for one of these.