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Before the GigRig I have the PreDrive and an Effectrode Levelling Amp and after it I have the API and a GigRig Z Cable.
I haven’t tried loads of different dirt pedals because as soon as I got the Predrive I realised that good quality EQ was where it was at; the high and low pass filters on that can sort out any issues with most dirt pedals after. Most of the time when I haven’t like a drive/distortion/fuzz pedal it has had either too much low end or too much high end with whatever guitar/amp combo I was using. A quick tweak of the HPF and LPF sorts that out now.
And then with the API EQ at the end, anything else that needs a tweak can be taken care of easily.
And the Effectrode is in there because it is just so musical. Everything sounds bigger, again it can do super squishy or just barely kiss it so that you don’t even notice it is on until you turn it off.
I use a homemade squeezer into a very simple fet based boost I "borrowed" from runoffgroove. I use the volume on the compressor to push the barely distorted (fat) boost.
Although the boost works, with a battery, I might make a better version some time....
I've also got a rather cool (imo) fuzzfactory type circuit on a bread board. Need to get on to that....
Still kicking myself that I hesitated on snagging a bargain a while back, lovely subtle tone colouring up to serious oomph.
Just a bit pricey for an impulse buy
The one person I know who tried them wasn’t crazy about them, and he is from a studio background so he knew what he was doing
Of the two, the API and the petty john, which could you not eliminate? I wish the Pettyjohn had a compression circuit, or even the wet/dry compressor onboard the Drybell 67.
A good germanium fuzz with excellent clean-up; the fuzz factory
Pettyjohn Predrive
API Tranzformer GT
Drybell Unit 67
Durham Electronics Sexdrive
JLS Clover
Chase Bliss Condor
Effectrode Firebottle
Chase Tone Secret Preamp
Thorpy Peacemaker
Thorpy Team Medic and Fat General
Strymon deco
Cornish NB-3
Nothing kills the creative juices in the studio like trying to find power supplies and patch cables for some pedal that you want to use. Having them wired up and ready to go is sometimes the difference between them getting used and not getting used
Otherwise, between the Pettyjohn and the API, if I had to go with one, it would be the API. The API is expensive, but seeing as it is practically 2x 500 series modules in a pedal it is actually pretty good value. It can also probably replace a bunch of other pedals you own.
It makes a lot of sense to have the extra fx option not only as a loop but also have the correct power supply already present. As I dropped the loop combination element from my rig and went for a simple two loop switcher to avoid tone loss, I found that high quality cabling at every step meant that I kept tone loss to zero whether by capacitance or tone sucking pedals.
I was really hoping you would push for the pettyjohn. I’ve got a amp repair bill incoming that would cover the price of the api.
Anyway, thanks; you’ve been a big help in identifying my Juice question.
The original Predrive can take up to 32 v, I found a cordless vacuum cleaner charging unit that offers 30. Otherwise, I had been combining 3 isolated 9v supplies from GigRig. The later version takes 9-18v and operates on a dual rail to essentially it is 36 v, same with the API.
You might have to save up to get it, but it is totally worth it. Also, people talk about the build quality of this pedal or that pedal and they mean it’s a tidy soldering/wiring job. I can’t imagine there are many other pedal manufacturers doing the stress testing that API do on their products
https://youtu.be/bKWQCBdDXZQ
I love messing around and basically using it as an instrument. I don't mind if I can't remember exactly what I was doing. Give me a FF and a DMM and I'm happy for hours.