Gotta get this...

Well, after another maniacal trip through Guitar Center to twist every knob on every amp and pedal within my reach I finally found something that I actually can't live without. Honestly. It's the new Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic Overdrive/Distortion pedal which sells for around $190. This stomp box has two channels each powered by a 6021 minature vacuum tube with separate volume and gain controls. The only other controls are a master bass and treble control. Very simple, but effective. My friends Brendon and Dan went to the NAMM (North American Music Merchants) convention in Anaheim, CA last weekend with me and we saw the demo of this pedal at the SD booth and were pretty amazed. But, until you actually play one for yourself you never know whether or not it's as cool as it seems. I can honestly say that this little gem is waaaay better than I had expected. I'm currently playing my guitar through a 1993 Fender Blues Deluxe amp which has the most amazing clean channel, but the dirty channel is really anemic. It's really only suited for adding a bit of growl to your sound, which is great for blues, but if you're looking for true overdrive crunch or a smooth sustaining lead sound the dirty channel leaves you disappointed. So, with this in mind I tried out the new Twin Tube to see if it would bridge the gap in my sonic palette. All I can say is, WOW! It's so smooth and warm sounding and has the most effective tone controls I've ever encountered. The bass knob actually affects the type of gain the pedal creates, for instance if you back the bass control to around 9 o'clock you get a smooth Marshall JCM 800 type overdrive, whereas at 12 0'clock it becomes more Tweed-like and full on it gives the characteristic Mesa-Boogie growl. Truly a versatile pedal. I have yet to compare it to the Radial Tonebone Trimode Classic and the Fulltone Fulldrive 2. I'm anxious to see how they all compare to each other. Stay tuned for the results of the shootout!