Soulful Strut

Yesterday, I recorded a version of an old tune called Soulful Strut,  also known as "Am I the Same Girl". Here is the YouTube link: 
http://bit.ly/sJ0lP4

Playing a Bongo 6 with Hunni and the Wasps

It was written by Eugene Record and Sonny Sanders. First recorded in 1968 by Barbara Acklin, it charted most successfully in the US as a 1992 release by Swing Out Sister. Also recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1969 and George Benson in 1979, the song was a 1968-69 instrumental hit single by Young-Holt Unlimited under the title "Soulful Strut". 
I recorded into Cubase 6. For bass I played my old 1987 Warwick Streamer 4 into an EBS 650 head which I DI'd into my little Mackie 1642 VLZ3 mixer. Guitar is a Campbell American Precix into a Boss GT10 processor into the Mackie. Dums are from BFD2 with a tambourine from Stylus RMX. All other parts are from Native Intruments Kontakt 4.
The track isn't quite finished, I am think about putting a short solo just after the key change but haven't decided whether to play it it on keys or guitar. I was hoping to persuade my band to play it  because it has a great feel and would go down well with the audiences we play to.

 

Rant 1 The cult of the tube screamer

Ibanez TS9

You know, there is nothing special about a pedal just because it is 25 years old. Its not like it was an antique. Most people have all sorts of crap lying around at home which is that old and not worth anything, even though it functions as well as it did the day it was made. A few electronic components in a metal box don't suddenly become magical so why do people spend so much money on old Ibanez TS808 and TS9s? TS-808s can sell easily for $450. It's commonly thought that the secret was in the JRC4558D chip. Analog Mike of analogman  is one of the leading pedal designers, builders and modifiers. As he points out, 'NOS' chips can be bought cheaply as can nearly all of the original components. There are hundreds of TS clones out there. Why not buy a new one like the Maxon OD9? - actually the Maxon is not a clone: after all, Maxon made the Ibanez original tube screamers - you can see their name on the circuit boards. OD9s sound great and if you want you can get them modded to the EXACT same spec as an original TS9 or 808 from the 70s or 80s. Analogman and Keeley and any number of others will do the mods for you at a reasonable price. Then you get the original sounds without the worry of having a rare pedal stolen.
Actually, the merits of many old guitars are doubtful too - they often look cool but prices have become ridiculously over-inflated.  Fenders were relatively simple, production line instruments. There are some dodgy old instruments out there amongst the nice ones. Perhaps sometimes magic happens as the wood dries, the finish cracks and the magnets weaken. It's hard to see why this would improve anything but I do accept that it could happen. However, I have never heard anything particularly different or special from an old pedal. They might crackle more. Some pedals were made with  parts that were substituted in later versions for cheaper or different parts that affect the sound but there are many pedal builders making TS clones with the best NOS parts which are every bit as good as the originals. I would prefer to spend my money for example on a new Maxon pedal which is hand made in Japan rather than take the risk of having an elderly pedal fail on stage.

Maxon OD9

For more info on tube screamers see an excellent article by Stinkfoot
http://stinkfoot.se/archives/713

I have 2 modded Maxon OD9s - One has the so called 'brown sound' mod along with a socket so I can swap chips - whilst this is interesting, the differences in sound between different chips is subtle. The other is an Analogman Silver mod pedal http://www.analogman.com/ts9silv.htm.

I also have a Maxon OD9 pro+ which is a modified and updated OD9 with a boost switch for more gain and the ability to run at 18 volts rather than  9 volts in the original, allowing more dynamic range and headroom along with higher output and less emphasis on the midrange. I like this pedal.

analogman pedals

Analogman Bi-Chorus

Analogman ARDX20 Dual analog delay

Analogman Bi-comprossor

Analogman King of Tone

I have acquired a handful of Analogman pedals over the last few years. I also have an Analogman Silver modified Maxon Tubescreamer OD9.

I do not know if these are the best pedals you can get, because everyone has their opinion of what sounds good but I think they are as good as you can get. They are beautifully made with the best components.  They are all very quiet and I think they sound great. The silk screened case designs look fantastic. Analog Mike is very helpful and responsive to questions

I was on waiting lists for the Bi-Comprossor and King of Tone for more than a year: the Bi-Comprossor arrived a few weeks ago.

The Bi-Chorus is my favourite of these pedals - I can switch from a slow subtle chorus effect to a fast leslie effect which is not easily done with a standard chorus. Many years ago I used a Boss CE2  almost all the time on clean tones. Eventually, I decided it altered the basic sound too much and I switched to using an uncoloured sound without any effect. The quality of this pedal has encouraged me to start using chorus again. I particularly like to use a fast setting as a special effect to emphasize certain lines rather than leaving it switched on all the time. On the slow setting you can get a John Scofield lead sound.

The King of Tone is essentially two independent distortion/OD pedals in one box. There are lots of options - you can adjust the overall gain settings with internal dipswitches on each side. Mine has the high gain mod on both sides.The way the two sides interact with each other gives a huge range of possibilities. You can set one side to mild boost and the other to a medium distortion, you can switch each side on independently and then together for a higher gain setting. Or maybe have a high gain setting on both sides together for humungous distortion and feedback! These are highly desirable pedals - they are great value for what they are and hold their value - often selling for more than the new price. 

Analogman have recently started shipping Prince of Tone pedals. These are one half of a King of Tone in a smaller box. They are made in China, unlike the KoTs but that shouldn't matter. The components are the same and they are checked in the US and there are some extra features over the KoT. Also, there is no waiting list for the Prince of Tone! You could always buy two.

For more info http://www.analogman.com/