Hey I realise this video is over 2 years old at this point. The grading is a code is used for our calibration process. We hand measure key components and give them a colour and number based on the measurements we read from them. These are fed into our test setup when calibrating the units. This ensures tighter and more accurate tolerences.
Well thank you for the information... and that is a great addition to the video especially from yourselves. I had to 'guess' a lot at the time :) but it seemed a vey well made unit of very high quality and I hope that my little review showed that. Thanks for visiting...
Love the 'inside out' videos :-). Very nice construction on this one. Pots look to be excellent quality, and I love the little ribbon connectors between the two boards... most wouldn't have bothered with spending the money on that. Not surprising that it isn't cheap. Sounding great Tony. 👍👍
I basically created the 'inside and out' reviews some long time ago because I believe in seeing what we actually buy - and they sometimes show bad workmanship or thrown together products. But the advantage is, when there's a really great well made product (like this pedal) then the review puts the device on a pedestal really. It deserves it. Yes its a very well made unit. No bodges or anything reworked from what I saw and impressive that its made here in the UK... its about time that we had some really good makers over here. Glad you liked it... and thanks for watching.
Note that when the Dragon 2002 appears that its made of rock :) and the gold guitar was the Dragon III. It's a much nicer (and shorter) intro I think too. The spirit review is complete but not yet posted. It is a pretty good amp for particular uses, but like everything it will suit some guys better than others. I won't spoil the review, but it's worth watching for sure. Up next is the Tech21 Fly Rig 5 V2 which is also interesting in its own way. Thanks JH.
You know what Dennis, that guitar was so easy to set up and the result was great. I put the setup down to that tremolo because the fulcrum for the saddle height can even go lower than the Fender stuff. Once locked afterwards it all just worked very well. One thing, I did have to lubricate the nut. Sounds obvious? But it's not... simply because of the material used on the nut, and the first guitar I have ever had to apply lubrication to the nut! Just watch for that... it shows as short 'pings' of the strings when you use the tremolo. It's not a fault, but the lobe solved it perfectly. Hey do let me know how the Babicz works for you - for me it seems a very good tremolo and certainly a unique design. Stay safe.
fantastic to see you are keeping up with the reviews Tony and keeping well. I got the fire by Montrose through that pedal and amp would just be awesome.
It is a great pedal and it really did surprise me how 'Plexi' it does sound. Yes still here and there are some more coming up presently... working on them now.
Hi Tony. I like the new intro, very nice 👍🏻. Good inside and out review as always Tony. Looking forward to your next video. Nice bit of Lizzy on the end demo too 👍🏻
Used the Dragon 2002 and the Dragon III for the intros :) They seem nice and modern. Its a cool pedal. Not really the 'right' sound for that track but it at least shows the tone in a musical context. Thanks for watching.
I probably put that one together last year. The Grade is the type of FETs that’s in it. It’s a truly amazing unit. Mine has not left my board since I got it. Simon is an engineering genius.
Hi Jeffrey, I trust you're doing OK... and yes check these out if you ever see one. Its worth checking whether you buy one or not really... all those older 'Plexi' tones are right there on tap. Thanks for watching Jeff.
How does this pedal compare to the Ethos overdrive, is it really worth it? I don't know, I like it, but it's not worth spending so much money on a pedal. I am undecided whether to buy the Revival, the Ethos, the JHS Bonsai or the King of tone. The Revival Drive it’s analog or digital?
Is it worth it. That is a very good question. I liked this pedal for the quality and it's build. I don't know the Ethos pedal sorry. The KOT is different than this and I don't really think this pedal is similar to the KOT. Waiting for the KOT is a long time! I rented this pedal which is (they say) like a plexi amp. Many will tell you that also. However, I have at least TWO plexi amps and they sound different to this pedal in my opinion. I did get the 'sort of' tone from the pedal, but to be honest I have yet to find any pedal that could make me throw away my plexi amps. Having said that, if you spend time on this pedal I would relate to it being as good as any of the others really and maybe better in the build quality than some. Hope that helps a little. Stay safe... and thanks for watching.
That was an awesome review, Tony. I was wondering if that unit can recreate the super splashy reverb sound of the 60's surf music, especially the way the Ventures used it. Cheers, Rich
Hi Rich... I can guess that there's no doubt with that pedal that you could. I can't play that style, but honestly this one is an impressive device. Setting it to your amp is important but once you do that it's all good. Try and check one out... it looks hard to use, but is actually easy. Thanks.
Great new Intro Tony. You are correct..the SS to Tubes ( to me) are slowly going to SS. It took long enough. $500.00 for a Pedal is way too much for me. But that has its place.
As you know I don't really use pedals that much unless under review. This one did capture that 'Plexi' tone in the room for me and I was surprised how good it actually was. It is pretty expensive, but I rented it so all good here. The slow change over to SS or emulated tones of tube amps is actually VERY slow. As you will see over the coming reviews, while the gear might be great for one particular use, usually its less great for other uses. I also delved a little in to the company itself because buying a pedal and then the company is no longer there would not be good. I might do some investigation to other companies on some reviews which can give an insight to how they operate and whether they actually do what they say they do. In this case the company was very good. The intro was actually created from my Dragon 2002 and the 'gold' guitar was created from the Dragon III before I sold it. It's a little shorter and what I like is how the 2002 ends up being made of rock :) go watch again any you will notice that! :) More soon....
tonymckenziecom SS is up there with me now. I’m Bringing the “meister” to a sit in tonight. I was at an really good amp repair company today. Had a great conversation with the owners. They too agree how well done the H&K stuff is. But that’s a different topic. My favorite part of this video was the propriety glow of goo to prevent someone altering or trying to open up the PCB. Hey Dumble did a lot too. It’s always good when our own countries actually make the gear too.
@@Thomasdgolden The meister is a pretty cool amp and it can do a lot for sure. I still have mine. The new Black Shadow 200 remains interesting and the review will be up here presently - showing the amp as others really do not. Yes it stopped me from going forward, but to be honest the pedal was very well made. If I had a real use for it I would have bought one. Making gear in the west is absolutely a good idea, but more and more these days I see claims of made in the west, but in reality they are from China. Nothing really wrong with that, especially if the price is commensurate with a surface mounted production line with cheap (and sometimes illegal) labour, but unfortunately that's not always the case. I'm working on one right now that is shipped from China (proven with docs) and made there, but the price is so over the top that they should be ashamed of themselves. Unfortunately they are not and they probably don't care.
:) Hey its a good pedal though. One that woke me up as soon as I played through it... and a piece of cake to use. On the Hendrix stuff I'm sure they called some of his tones 'wolf' tones. You'll hear them on Hendrix in the west on the red house track where its all dimed. Memorable forever... as indeed Jimi was... oh and Gary Moore too. Thanks Mal.
Hi my friend, I think ghost tones is probably better name, my wife and her mother are pro violinists and the refer to wolf tones on the violin as a negative on the fret board not a positive tone. Great work bro.
Hey I realise this video is over 2 years old at this point.
The grading is a code is used for our calibration process. We hand measure key components and give them a colour and number based on the measurements we read from them. These are fed into our test setup when calibrating the units. This ensures tighter and more accurate tolerences.
Well thank you for the information... and that is a great addition to the video especially from yourselves. I had to 'guess' a lot at the time :) but it seemed a vey well made unit of very high quality and I hope that my little review showed that. Thanks for visiting...
Always enjoy your videos on the "insides" of these devices we sometimes do not get to see! Great commentary too!
I missed this comment Andrew... my apologies for that and appreciate your kind words.
some videos Tony gets a bit testy like us about this stuff just likke we do.
And he shows us:)
Ha I'm not perfect... never have been... :) but at least I try... stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial No worries at all sir!! Thank you again!
Love the 'inside out' videos :-). Very nice construction on this one. Pots look to be excellent quality, and I love the little ribbon connectors between the two boards... most wouldn't have bothered with spending the money on that. Not surprising that it isn't cheap. Sounding great Tony. 👍👍
I basically created the 'inside and out' reviews some long time ago because I believe in seeing what we actually buy - and they sometimes show bad workmanship or thrown together products. But the advantage is, when there's a really great well made product (like this pedal) then the review puts the device on a pedestal really. It deserves it. Yes its a very well made unit. No bodges or anything reworked from what I saw and impressive that its made here in the UK... its about time that we had some really good makers over here. Glad you liked it... and thanks for watching.
Love the new intro. REALLY looking forward to that Black Spirit amp review!
Note that when the Dragon 2002 appears that its made of rock :) and the gold guitar was the Dragon III. It's a much nicer (and shorter) intro I think too. The spirit review is complete but not yet posted. It is a pretty good amp for particular uses, but like everything it will suit some guys better than others. I won't spoil the review, but it's worth watching for sure. Up next is the Tech21 Fly Rig 5 V2 which is also interesting in its own way. Thanks JH.
Your last guitar build convinced me to buy the Babicz tremolo. Order it today ,thanks Tony .
You know what Dennis, that guitar was so easy to set up and the result was great. I put the setup down to that tremolo because the fulcrum for the saddle height can even go lower than the Fender stuff. Once locked afterwards it all just worked very well. One thing, I did have to lubricate the nut. Sounds obvious? But it's not... simply because of the material used on the nut, and the first guitar I have ever had to apply lubrication to the nut! Just watch for that... it shows as short 'pings' of the strings when you use the tremolo. It's not a fault, but the lobe solved it perfectly. Hey do let me know how the Babicz works for you - for me it seems a very good tremolo and certainly a unique design. Stay safe.
fantastic to see you are keeping up with the reviews Tony and keeping well. I got the fire by Montrose through that pedal and amp would just be awesome.
It is a great pedal and it really did surprise me how 'Plexi' it does sound. Yes still here and there are some more coming up presently... working on them now.
Hi Tony. I like the new intro, very nice 👍🏻.
Good inside and out review as always Tony.
Looking forward to your next video. Nice bit of Lizzy on the end demo too 👍🏻
Used the Dragon 2002 and the Dragon III for the intros :) They seem nice and modern. Its a cool pedal. Not really the 'right' sound for that track but it at least shows the tone in a musical context. Thanks for watching.
I probably put that one together last year. The Grade is the type of FETs that’s in it. It’s a truly amazing unit. Mine has not left my board since I got it. Simon is an engineering genius.
Well it certainly does sound good and I liked the build quality which on some pedals is horrible - but this one is great. Thanks.
Love the new intro Tony! Very slick!
Used my own guitars to make them :)
Ok Tony I want one! LOL! Great in depth review. Keep up the good work sir.
Hi Jeffrey, I trust you're doing OK... and yes check these out if you ever see one. Its worth checking whether you buy one or not really... all those older 'Plexi' tones are right there on tap. Thanks for watching Jeff.
Well you have proved it works Tony. Thanks Ray.
Regardless of the tones on RUclips it really DID sound like a plexi… Thanks.
Great great videos Mr.
Well thank you... and thanks for watching... appreciated. Stay safe.
How does this pedal compare to the Ethos overdrive, is it really worth it? I don't know, I like it, but it's not worth spending so much money on a pedal. I am undecided whether to buy the Revival, the Ethos, the JHS Bonsai or the King of tone. The Revival Drive it’s analog or digital?
Is it worth it. That is a very good question. I liked this pedal for the quality and it's build. I don't know the Ethos pedal sorry. The KOT is different than this and I don't really think this pedal is similar to the KOT. Waiting for the KOT is a long time! I rented this pedal which is (they say) like a plexi amp. Many will tell you that also. However, I have at least TWO plexi amps and they sound different to this pedal in my opinion. I did get the 'sort of' tone from the pedal, but to be honest I have yet to find any pedal that could make me throw away my plexi amps. Having said that, if you spend time on this pedal I would relate to it being as good as any of the others really and maybe better in the build quality than some. Hope that helps a little. Stay safe... and thanks for watching.
That was an awesome review, Tony. I was wondering if that unit can recreate the super splashy reverb sound of the 60's surf music, especially the way the Ventures used it.
Cheers,
Rich
Hi Rich... I can guess that there's no doubt with that pedal that you could. I can't play that style, but honestly this one is an impressive device. Setting it to your amp is important but once you do that it's all good. Try and check one out... it looks hard to use, but is actually easy. Thanks.
Enjoyed this revue! I know Simon at origin effects, really good guy!
Great new Intro Tony. You are correct..the SS to Tubes ( to me) are slowly going to SS. It took long enough. $500.00 for a Pedal is way too much for me. But that has its place.
As you know I don't really use pedals that much unless under review. This one did capture that 'Plexi' tone in the room for me and I was surprised how good it actually was. It is pretty expensive, but I rented it so all good here. The slow change over to SS or emulated tones of tube amps is actually VERY slow. As you will see over the coming reviews, while the gear might be great for one particular use, usually its less great for other uses. I also delved a little in to the company itself because buying a pedal and then the company is no longer there would not be good. I might do some investigation to other companies on some reviews which can give an insight to how they operate and whether they actually do what they say they do. In this case the company was very good.
The intro was actually created from my Dragon 2002 and the 'gold' guitar was created from the Dragon III before I sold it. It's a little shorter and what I like is how the 2002 ends up being made of rock :) go watch again any you will notice that! :)
More soon....
tonymckenziecom SS is up there with me now. I’m Bringing the “meister” to a sit in tonight. I was at an really good amp repair company today. Had a great conversation with the owners. They too agree how well done the H&K stuff is. But that’s a different topic. My favorite part of this video was the propriety glow of goo to prevent someone altering or trying to open up the PCB. Hey Dumble did a lot too. It’s always good when our own countries actually make the gear too.
@@Thomasdgolden The meister is a pretty cool amp and it can do a lot for sure. I still have mine. The new Black Shadow 200 remains interesting and the review will be up here presently - showing the amp as others really do not. Yes it stopped me from going forward, but to be honest the pedal was very well made. If I had a real use for it I would have bought one. Making gear in the west is absolutely a good idea, but more and more these days I see claims of made in the west, but in reality they are from China. Nothing really wrong with that, especially if the price is commensurate with a surface mounted production line with cheap (and sometimes illegal) labour, but unfortunately that's not always the case. I'm working on one right now that is shipped from China (proven with docs) and made there, but the price is so over the top that they should be ashamed of themselves. Unfortunately they are not and they probably don't care.
Nice intro!
Yes others have commented.... both the guitars in the intros are PRS... one Dragon 2002 and one Dragon III. Glad you liked it.
I,m waiting for byoc to clone it!!
They might... but it's not a simple pedal...
Yeah sounds like a plan 😂😂😂 wonder what the A grade one sounds like😂😂😂🕊❤️🏴. Ps yeah I love Hendrixy ghost tones.
:) Hey its a good pedal though. One that woke me up as soon as I played through it... and a piece of cake to use. On the Hendrix stuff I'm sure they called some of his tones 'wolf' tones. You'll hear them on Hendrix in the west on the red house track where its all dimed. Memorable forever... as indeed Jimi was... oh and Gary Moore too. Thanks Mal.
Hi my friend, I think ghost tones is probably better name, my wife and her mother are pro violinists and the refer to wolf tones on the violin as a negative on the fret board not a positive tone. Great work bro.
@@mallong7532 You could be right, it's a little hard for me to describe exactly what I meant on the Hendrix stuff.