Hey Glenn Jim here in Austin again. Picked up one at Austin Guitar House around the corner yesterday (saw your note on el84's) and I plugged it into my old Mesa 5/25 Express (use a Swart 2X12 cab w/ Celestion Greenbacks) and it sounded unreal! This thing is built like a tank and is sweeter than Tupelo Honey! Now if I could only play as good as the guy who did this demo ...
Jim Dickey Swart is great. I've never heard just their cabs but the atomic space tone is on my want list. Love me some greenbacks! Thx for the compliment on the playing. I do Skype lessons if you're ever interested in beefing up your playing! I'll also be doing some chicken pickin etudes with transcriptions soon. There will be a playthrough video, transcription, and a walkthrough video. The transcription and walkthrough will be for sale on my website when it is finished(super cheap), but I'm going to do a few for free with the transcription and walkthrough.
In this particular video's audio, once the gain started getting cranked, the Rockaway was much better to me, with more clarity and balance across the freq's.
Andrew Bradford Thanks, this is a really old video so I hope the audio did it justice because I didn’t entirely know what I was doing here. You can definitely do more with the Rockaway, but the silver archer still kills it is the best clean boost for me. Rockaway has better OD though. I never cared for Klon style OD but the eq helps tweak it to something for favorable.
Karl Wilson I found starting with the gain at the bottom and rolling in very little, then boosting some of the midrange frequencies a tiny bit above the center range works really well for giving you a little more for leads and cutting through a live mix. That all depends on what other pedals you may or may not be running for gain. I've tried all the archer pedals and in my opinion the lower end of the gain gets a better sound to me. It's more wide open. I think it's more compressed at higher settings to me.
GlennWallaceMusic thanks for your reply. Do you think if you set the Rockaway for a slight crunch tone you would then be able to boost it using a clean boost pedal for leads?
Nice one, the Rockaway seems to have far better clarity and string definition, sounds awesome as a clean boost, it reminds me of the Thorpy Peacekeeper. It also sounds like the ultimate Klon. I always found the Klon treble nob a bit limited in range.
Yuval Legendtofski I have to check out that other pedal you named. I have stuck to the normal silver Archer just as a clean boost because it's way easier dial-in, however I see your point about the Rockaway. Perhaps it has to do with the unbuffered signal and the ability to bring back and boost lost frequencies. I'll be doing a compressor shootout next of bosses new compressor and the new J Rockett IQ compressor which is much like The Rockaway having a 6 band EQ. Thanks for the view and the comment!
It’s a dope pedal for sure. I ended up just using my regular one as a clean boost and hitting my Greer lightspeed for OD. Now I’m always playing a 335 so I don’t really need a clean boost any more. Been using the Way Huge Pork Loin. Vey underrated OD!
Have both and I like the Archer more, it's way easier to dial in and the tone is a lot better and louder. Maybe mine is an old model, some people say the older are better. Bought the Rockway cause I used an eq after the Archer and I thought it would save realstate but not quite the same. I'll stil keep it but I was kinda disappointed with it, to me it seems like another TS type used for solo/boosting mids, where the Archer is a better overall od, not just for boost.
Glauber Joe yeah man. Silver archer for life. They’re all good but that one is best. That and the xotic rc booster are the two absolute best clean boost pedals I’ve ever used. Rockaway is fun, but a little hard to dial in and it’s missing the umph! The silver archer has.
I have a early release silver Archer and have had the gold klon, silver klon, and the KTR along w many klones. I like the video and watched enough to know I want one. Only complaint, I wish you would had better matched the volume/gain on each pedal A/B comparison but mainly the EQ. Not interested in how they sound different unless first up all 3 knobs on both pedals are dialed in as close to each other by ear as humanly possible. Only then can one start to separate the minute "actual" differences in gain, dynamic, EQ, headroom, compression, and attack. Questions for you.. did it seem like the Rockaway was noisier than the silver? And last.. you didnt bypass the buffer of the Archer when the Rockaway was being played!! Man.. that buffer is a big part of the character of the K circuit even when off.. if you didnt allow for that then this video is half broken to someone who is looking for a definitive and helpful audio comparison. Cheers
yes this was an early video, I was still getting the hang of things. The rockaway was noisier when the eq was pushed. As far as the buffer goes, you're right it does play a role in the sound, I was trying to do a quick video, didn't have the hang of editing and cuts yet, so I chose to just roll with both pedals hooked up. In my honest opinion, I can hear the buffer even when the pedal is turned off, but I decided it didn't make that much of a difference for what I was trying to demonstrate. As you can see this video is from July, I do regret not showing the Rockaway not run through the Archer. If I'd had a loop switcher at the time, things would have been much easier. I get your point though, when it comes to K style pedals, some people can really hear that buffer when the pedal is switched off, some don't notice it. I am the latter, but that doesn't mean it's not altering the sound. Thanks for the feedback!
Thought I did all pickups equal comparisons. It's an old vid I actually cant remember. Pretty sure I put labels up top of which pickup. Maybe I missed one.
newbelowdc it's the new fender 68 deluxe reverb reissue. Very versatile amp and not uber expensive either. My only amp at the moment, I'd like to have something with el 84s as well for the demos, but for performing it's perfect. Over 120 shows on the road in the last year and no problems.
when you first turned the gain up a quarter way from zero to nine on the cockaway, I was astounded by the lack of gain it had compared to the Archie at a quarter of the way up. The archie is definitely more gritty imo, and a little less smooth than the cockaway. Both are excellent and kinda hard to choose which is really better for me at this time. I wish he would do a demo of these pushing popular drive, distortion and fuzz pedals, instead of only the OCD but this was a good video. Thanks.
Archer is such a beast. So easy to dial in and incredibly versatile for a 3 knob pedal. I’ve used it as clean boosts for country on tele, pushing amps over the top, adding a tad of grit, or just as a plain OD. The Rockaway is a great concept, but I think it’s a little more for the people who really know their frequencies. I mean sure, the number one rule is use your ear, but some gearheads like myself, if there’s too many knobs and switches and sliders, I’m gonna push them around. Probably too much! 😆 I will say I’ve always enjoyed using the archer better as a boost, or just something to fatten my clean tone. I’ve never really loved the actual overdrive from it, I found that I liked the rockaways gain a little bit better. Worked great for single note playing.
You had me at 14:12 thru 14:32.......the rest of the vid, not so much. That being said, because of this vid (14:12 thru 14:32) I am opting for the Rockaway.
slimturnpike I hear ya, would have except Rockett pedals states that a flat Rockaway is not the same as a flat archer so I did my best to find the same sound one both pedals to start with. Perhaps it's different with ikon archer, all I have is the regular archer. This video is old and flawed but it gets the job done. Perhaps I'll release an updated one someday.
The Rockaway is just so freaking versatile. Hard to beat. One of my favorites!
awesome comparison , great playing as usual Gear Lizard
Great playing ??? it's a joke !!!
Good stuff! Thanks for enlightening me!
thx dude, glad people are watching this. It's a great pedal and I was amazed that no one had done a comparison for the pedal its based off of.
Hey Glenn Jim here in Austin again. Picked up one at Austin Guitar House around the corner yesterday (saw your note on el84's) and I plugged it into my old Mesa 5/25 Express (use a Swart 2X12 cab w/ Celestion Greenbacks) and it sounded unreal! This thing is built like a tank and is sweeter than Tupelo Honey! Now if I could only play as good as the guy who did this demo ...
Jim Dickey Swart is great. I've never heard just their cabs but the atomic space tone is on my want list. Love me some greenbacks! Thx for the compliment on the playing. I do Skype lessons if you're ever interested in beefing up your playing! I'll also be doing some chicken pickin etudes with transcriptions soon. There will be a playthrough video, transcription, and a walkthrough video. The transcription and walkthrough will be for sale on my website when it is finished(super cheap), but I'm going to do a few for free with the transcription and walkthrough.
In this particular video's audio, once the gain started getting cranked, the Rockaway was much better to me, with more clarity and balance across the freq's.
Andrew Bradford Thanks, this is a really old video so I hope the audio did it justice because I didn’t entirely know what I was doing here. You can definitely do more with the Rockaway, but the silver archer still kills it is the best clean boost for me. Rockaway has better OD though. I never cared for Klon style OD but the eq helps tweak it to something for favorable.
Love the sound of the Rockaway. Any suggestions for boosting the Rockaway for leads?
Karl Wilson I found starting with the gain at the bottom and rolling in very little, then boosting some of the midrange frequencies a tiny bit above the center range works really well for giving you a little more for leads and cutting through a live mix. That all depends on what other pedals you may or may not be running for gain. I've tried all the archer pedals and in my opinion the lower end of the gain gets a better sound to me. It's more wide open. I think it's more compressed at higher settings to me.
GlennWallaceMusic thanks for your reply. Do you think if you set the Rockaway for a slight crunch tone you would then be able to boost it using a clean boost pedal for leads?
Nice one, the Rockaway seems to have far better clarity and string definition, sounds awesome as a clean boost, it reminds me of the Thorpy Peacekeeper. It also sounds like the ultimate Klon. I always found the Klon treble nob a bit limited in range.
Yuval Legendtofski I have to check out that other pedal you named. I have stuck to the normal silver Archer just as a clean boost because it's way easier dial-in, however I see your point about the Rockaway. Perhaps it has to do with the unbuffered signal and the ability to bring back and boost lost frequencies. I'll be doing a compressor shootout next of bosses new compressor and the new J Rockett IQ compressor which is much like The Rockaway having a 6 band EQ. Thanks for the view and the comment!
I think the Rockaway will be the last pedal I ever buy!!
I have the rock away it’s so sick
It’s a dope pedal for sure. I ended up just using my regular one as a clean boost and hitting my Greer lightspeed for OD. Now I’m always playing a 335 so I don’t really need a clean boost any more. Been using the Way Huge Pork Loin. Vey underrated OD!
Have both and I like the Archer more, it's way easier to dial in and the tone is a lot better and louder. Maybe mine is an old model, some people say the older are better. Bought the Rockway cause I used an eq after the Archer and I thought it would save realstate but not quite the same. I'll stil keep it but I was kinda disappointed with it, to me it seems like another TS type used for solo/boosting mids, where the Archer is a better overall od, not just for boost.
Glauber Joe yeah man. Silver archer for life. They’re all good but that one is best. That and the xotic rc booster are the two absolute best clean boost pedals I’ve ever used. Rockaway is fun, but a little hard to dial in and it’s missing the umph! The silver archer has.
Hi guys, what you would recomen to me? A rockaway or an 10 band equalizer after my Overdrive? (I'm having eq problems with my amp in accept pedals )
I have a early release silver Archer and have had the gold klon, silver klon, and the KTR along w many klones. I like the video and watched enough to know I want one. Only complaint, I wish you would had better matched the volume/gain on each pedal A/B comparison but mainly the EQ. Not interested in how they sound different unless first up all 3 knobs on both pedals are dialed in as close to each other by ear as humanly possible. Only then can one start to separate the minute "actual" differences in gain, dynamic, EQ, headroom, compression, and attack. Questions for you.. did it seem like the Rockaway was noisier than the silver? And last.. you didnt bypass the buffer of the Archer when the Rockaway was being played!! Man.. that buffer is a big part of the character of the K circuit even when off.. if you didnt allow for that then this video is half broken to someone who is looking for a definitive and helpful audio comparison. Cheers
yes this was an early video, I was still getting the hang of things. The rockaway was noisier when the eq was pushed. As far as the buffer goes, you're right it does play a role in the sound, I was trying to do a quick video, didn't have the hang of editing and cuts yet, so I chose to just roll with both pedals hooked up. In my honest opinion, I can hear the buffer even when the pedal is turned off, but I decided it didn't make that much of a difference for what I was trying to demonstrate. As you can see this video is from July, I do regret not showing the Rockaway not run through the Archer. If I'd had a loop switcher at the time, things would have been much easier. I get your point though, when it comes to K style pedals, some people can really hear that buffer when the pedal is switched off, some don't notice it. I am the latter, but that doesn't mean it's not altering the sound. Thanks for the feedback!
What are you doing? You're playing the Neck Pup on the Archer then the Bridge Pup on the Rockaway??? Did you ever do an A/B comp. demo????
Thought I did all pickups equal comparisons. It's an old vid I actually cant remember. Pretty sure I put labels up top of which pickup. Maybe I missed one.
awesome video..what amp are you running through?
newbelowdc it's the new fender 68 deluxe reverb reissue. Very versatile amp and not uber expensive either. My only amp at the moment, I'd like to have something with el 84s as well for the demos, but for performing it's perfect. Over 120 shows on the road in the last year and no problems.
when you first turned the gain up a quarter way from zero to nine on the cockaway, I was astounded by the lack of gain it had compared to the Archie at a quarter of the way up. The archie is definitely more gritty imo, and a little less smooth than the cockaway. Both are excellent and kinda hard to choose which is really better for me at this time. I wish he would do a demo of these pushing popular drive, distortion and fuzz pedals, instead of only the OCD but this was a good video. Thanks.
Archer is such a beast. So easy to dial in and incredibly versatile for a 3 knob pedal. I’ve used it as clean boosts for country on tele, pushing amps over the top, adding a tad of grit, or just as a plain OD. The Rockaway is a great concept, but I think it’s a little more for the people who really know their frequencies. I mean sure, the number one rule is use your ear, but some gearheads like myself, if there’s too many knobs and switches and sliders, I’m gonna push them around. Probably too much! 😆 I will say I’ve always enjoyed using the archer better as a boost, or just something to fatten my clean tone. I’ve never really loved the actual overdrive from it, I found that I liked the rockaways gain a little bit better. Worked great for single note playing.
You had me at 14:12 thru 14:32.......the rest of the vid, not so much. That being said, because of this vid (14:12 thru 14:32) I am opting for the Rockaway.
Thanks! I did this video very early on hadn't really gotten the hang of narrowing stuff down yet. The vid is way too long. It's a fun pedal!
You should have run the EQ flat at all times for the Rockaway to compare it to the Ikon.
slimturnpike I hear ya, would have except Rockett pedals states that a flat Rockaway is not the same as a flat archer so I did my best to find the same sound one both pedals to start with. Perhaps it's different with ikon archer, all I have is the regular archer. This video is old and flawed but it gets the job done. Perhaps I'll release an updated one someday.
GlennWallaceMusic ah OK fair enough