Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork

134 Guitaris t June 2015
QUICK TEST
MISCELLANEOUS
These new lightweight
Sledgehammers share a wide-
jawed plastic clip and fully
rotating tubular head. The
Sledgehammer has a recessed
flat screen with thumbwheel
controls at each end. The left
wheel, moved up, turns the
power on; turned down, you
select chromatic, guitar or bass
modes. The right wheel, moved
up, calibrates the tuning
reference from 436-445Hz;
moved down, you enter the flat
(down five semitones) or capo
(up seven semitones) modes.
On its rounded ‘3D’ display,
the all-black Pro has a choice
of read-outs (regular, strobe
and half strobe) but does away
with the specific guitar and
bass modes. It has improved
accuracy (+/- 0.1 as opposed to
+/- 1 cent) and increases battery
life from eight to 14 hours.
In Use
Accuracy and quick response
here are extremely good. The
standard Sledgehammer’s more
basic display is better for
students; yet it’s a little slower
and seems very slightly less
accurate. The Pro, however,
especially in strobe mode, is on
a par with a Peterson Virtual
Strobe – we achieved excellent
results with both a troublesome
nylon string and gigging a bass.
Verdict
Accurate and lightweight they
may be, but both are on the
steeper side, price-wise, of the
clip-on tuner market. The Pro,
however, is the most accurate
tuner of its type we’ve yet
encountered, and the most
visible, in terms of that
‘3D’ display. [DB]
Clip-on tuners are 10 a penny, but this pair
stand out from the crowd
CONTACT: Korg UK PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.korg.co.uk
Korg Sledgehammer
& Sledgehammer
Pro Clip-on Tuners
£23.99 & £35.99
Much loved by guitarists, Red
Witch has at last released an
effects pedal aimed at bass
players. Continuing the
company’s blend of art and
technology into its products,
this analogue unit is presented
in a bright chrome finish and,
as the name suggests, the
Factotum has the dual function
of introducing a sub-octave note
and distortion. Naturally, these
can be used individually or
together from independent
switches, but of the five
on-board rotary controls, four
are concerned with the drive
section and the other is used to
blend the sub-octave into your
regular note.
Sounds
Sonically, this is a joy from start
to finish, as both functions are
extremely effective in their own
right. Analogue sub-octave is
by no means an easy feat to
achieve, yet this does the job
with authority – and the single
control proves more than
enough to achieve a good ratio
of wet-to-dry signal.
The drive section is far more
sophisticated: whether used in
moderation or for full-on
Armageddon, there’s plenty of
control and a natural valve-like
warmth to the sound, that
makes you want to use it more
and more. With full blending
abilities available, the
combined sounds are high-
quality and never seem thin.
Verdict
The Factotum is an extremely
roadworthy unit with two
great sounds that will appeal to
most bass players. Red Witch
has chosen a great way to start
– let’s hope more bass pedals
are in the cauldron. [RN]
Guitarist ratinG
Guitarist says: If you want
to add distortion and/or sub-
octave effects, check this out
Analogue bliss from Red Witch’s first bass unit
CONTACT: Wunjo’s PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.redwitchpedals.com
Red Witch
Factotum Bass
Suboctave Drive
£249
Guitarist ratinG
Sledgehammer
Sledgehammer Pro
Guitarist says: Not the
cheapest, but in terms of
accuracy, the Pro is the way to go
GIT394.rev_quick.indd 134 4/17/15 4:25 PM