Electro-Harmonix

April 2011 Guitarist 137
QUICKTEST
MISCELLANEOUS
Quicktest
Electro-Harmonix
Neo Clone
£65
Coopersonic
Tubecleaner
£109
Valve-powered buffer and booster
does it all with one knob
The legendary Small Clone chorus
gets even smaller…
CONTACT: Coopersonic PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.coopersonic.com
Thanks to Kurt Cobain, the
Small Clone chorus has long
been one of E-HX’s most
revered stompboxes. Unlike
the Nano Clone, which due to
its lack of a depth switch can
never quite get that classic
wobble, this Neo version aims
to provide the genuine effect in
the same Nano-sized housing.
It employs the same basic
circuitry as the Small Clone,
and E-HX states that the
electronics have also been
“massaged and tweaked to
improve accuracy and offer
superior sonic qualities”.
The screen-printed livery
here is its customary rough
and ready self and controls
comprise a single rate knob
plus a micro switch that
provides two intensities of
depth; heavy and light.
Sounds
Some E-HX units have a well-
earned reputation as being
over-the-top sound generators,
but it’s possible to obtain more
subtle tones. That’s certainly
the case here – if you set the rate
to 10 o’clock with a light depth,
any clean tone will reap the
benefit. The heavier depth
setting is more in Andy
Summers and vintage Alex
Lifeson territory, with plenty of
warm vintage shimmer on tap.
We authentically recreated
the classic Come As You Are
modulation with the rate set
around 12 o’clock and a heavy
depth – increasing the rate just
adds to the Soundgarden-style
movement without really
getting too far out of control.
Verdict
It’s as close to the original Small
Clone as makes no difference
and, best of all, should fit snugly
onto your existing pedalboard.
There’s an ever-increasing
choice of weird and wonderful
E-HX pedals available these
days, but make sure you check
this one out. [SB]
The Bottom Line
We like: The simplicity;
ability to drive amps harder
We dislike: Another PSU to
clutter up the pedalboard
The Bottom Line
We like: The authentic
sound; price; size
We dislike: No battery
compartment
GUITARIST RATING GUITARIST RATING
The Tubecleaner is designed for
two functions – it can be used
as both a booster and a buffer in
your signal path. The buffer
function, courtesy of a high
impedance input and a low
impedance output, is always on
and can combat tone-sucking
high frequency loss caused by
some longer cables and pedals
that don’t have true bypass, by
placing it in front of them.
Boost, and its associated red
LED, is implemented by the
footswitch and there’s 22dB of
gain available.
Sounds
Featuring a single valve, the
Tubecleaner comes with its
own nine-volt DC 500mA
power adaptor. Placed in front
of an old Crybaby at the start of
the signal chain it offers a
definite tonal improvement,
with more of the top end
clearly coming through. Unity
gain on the boost knob is at
about 10 o’clock, so you can cut
the signal as well as boost. But
the boosting is probably where
the Tubecleaner is going to
earn its keep, as it can really
push valve amps hard,
resulting in loads more gain,
dirt and sustain without
messing with the tone. This
provides a very natural route to
overdrive, whether in place of
an overdrive pedal or as an
add-on to get more out of one.
Verdict
If you want to improve the
sound of your signal chain
while having the facility
to kick the whole thing
up a notch at will, the
Tubecleaner will do
just that. [TC]
CONTACT: Various UK stores, including Macari’s PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.ehx.com
GIT340.rev_quick 137 2/25/11 2:44:20 PM