ElectroHarmonix Big Muff with Wicker

136 Guitarist August 2009
QUICKTEST
MISCELLANEOUS
Quicktest
Welcome to Guitarist’s regular round-up of the best of the
rest of the gear that’s passed through our hands this issue
The Bottom Line
We like: The tone and
dynamics at any drive setting
We dislike: It eats batteries
for breakfast
Rotosound Nexus
bass strings
£29.95
Providence SOV-2
Stampede OD
from €215
New look, new feel, new sound…
A cool Robben Ford-endorsed distortion pedal
standard Type 52 wrap into
a brand new string that looks
and feels really good. At long
last it seems we have a viable
alternative to its popular
TruBass flatwounds. As you’d
expect, these sound a lot
brighter than the flats, but they
do have an extra element of
warmth and a fuller
bottom-end compared to
standard roundwounds, so
they effectively sit nicely in the
middle. They definitely offer a
smoother playability and, on
the practical side the
protective polycoat provides
greater resistance to wear and
sweat, increasing the life of
the strings.
Verdict
Here we have an exciting
alternative to standard
stainless steel- and nickel-
wound strings, with good
clarity and a powerful voice.
Although the price may seem
substantial, factor in the
extra lifespan and they could
end up saving you money
down the stretch. [RN]
Verdict
With Robben Ford
championing the SOV-2 you
may wonder if you can achieve
his tone. If you’ve got the
fingers, yes, but it’ll appeal as
much to rootsy bluesers as
shred rockers. With the
potential to ballpark Dumble,
Boogie and Fender-type amp
tones, it’s one of the most
impressive distortion pedals
we’ve ever tried. [JS]
CONTACT: Rotosound PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.rotosound.com
CONTACT: Providence Effects PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.providence-effects.fr
GUITARIST RATING
Japanese manufacturer
Providence offers both its
high-end ‘regular’ and
‘custom’ pedal ranges without
major compromises in quality.
Out of them all, the SOV-2
Stampede OD is of
considerable interest, not least
because of Robben Ford’s
endorsement. Our regular
version is cheaper than the
custom jobbie (¤395) and
doesn’t feature that unit’s
Switchcraft jack sockets.
Housed in a red metal case,
it has three controls (level,
tone and drive), boasts single-
contact true bypass, runs on
batteries or DC9V supply and
is very easy to operate.
Sounds
With a clean amp and all dials
set at 12 o’clock the SOV-2 has
a vibrant distortion with low
noise and a spong y, valve-type
warmth. If you prefer a
crunchy clean amp for rhythm
and a stompbox for solos, the
‘all at 12’ setting does the job
well. It also cleans up well from
the guitar’s volume with
excellent glassy bridge and
plummy neck pickup tones.
With full drive, the thick mids
and tight lows are perfect for
rock styles. Pleasingly,
dynamics are impressive, with
playing articulations well
served – machine g un picking
is aggressive, while slippery
legato is smoothly expressive.
Anything that extends the
working life of a bass string is
always welcome. But when it
comes in a sexy black polycoat
that offers a smoother feel and
a powerfully unique mid-range,
we figured it was about time for
us to re-string our bass.
Rotosound’s Nexus bass strings
are offered as standard four-
string sets in two popular
gauges – the NXB40 (.040-,
.060-, .080-, .100-inch) and the
NXB45 (.045-, .065-, .085-, .105-
inch) and there’s also a low B
available separately at £9.95,
should you need it.
In Use
The polycoat dressing
transforms Rotosound’s
The Bottom Line
We like: Smooth feel; sound;
longer life
We dislike: Different
coloured silks on each string
GUITARIST RATING
GIT318.rev_quick 136 18/6/09 5:22:37 pm