What are your four ‘must-have’ pedals? That is what we ask our guests to share with you in our Four On the Floor podcast segment.
Johnny does some pretty fantastic modifications over at Alchemy Audio, so he knows pedals inside and out. Getting him to pick just four was real tough. If you are not familiar with Alchemy Audio do yourself a favor and check it out. He and his partner Victoria gave us a fantastic interview too! Actually he is a repeat offender here on The Guitar Knobs. You can hear the latest episode for yourself right here. The first interview Alchemy did with us can be found right here. Check out Johnny’s choices for his Four On The Floor.
1. Boss GE-7 – Graphic EQ Alchemy Audio Mod
“In just about any rig an eq pedal is a swiss army knife that can correct a lot of deficiencies with guitar and venue. I highly recommend everyone have one. You can cut out any troublesome frequencies in the amp or guitar, especially if you switch guitars a lot. These are great for boosting solos too. The Boss EQ’s are notoriously noisy in stock form. When you decrease frequencies, it adds noise and hiss into the signal. The Alchemy Audio mod helps correct that noise. I upgrade many circuit components to add warmth, clarity and fidelity to the tone – as well as making a noticeably quieter signal. Additionally, I add a bright high visibility LED. ” Check out the Boss GE-7 – Graphic EQ Alchemy Audio Mod
2. Xotic – EP Boost Alchemy Audio Mod
“Man, I love this thing. Its hard to explain what it does beyond the obvious boost but it’s a little seasoning on your tone. One of my favorite things to do is run my EP booster in front of an old Vibrochamp I have, and it’s just…WOW. It seems to give the high-end frequencies a little something special. I just find the tone especially pleasing. They are supposed to be modeled after the pre-amp section of the original Echoplex pedal. People used to plug into those even without using the echo effect so they would get the colored sound from the tube pre-amp. The Xotic EP has dipswitches inside that allow you to customize the volume and treble settings of the pedal. We replace the stock internal EQ dip switches with a pair of 2 way toggle switches on the outside of the enclosure. This is a very handy mod for live and studio use if you switch guitars/amps frequently. The mod does not alter the stock tone in any way. We also install an upgraded “vintage cupcake” knob – as well as a larger 5mm bright LED.” Check out the Xotic – EP Boost Alchemy Audio Mod
3. Empress – Tremolo
“I am a self-confessed tremolo junkie and own a lot of tremolo pedals, and this one is still at the top. There is something to be said for an effect that just has the settings you need. You can dial in all the tremolo flavors, but it’s not overkill. It just sounds amazing.” Check out the Empress – Tremolo
4.Durham Electronics – Sex Drive
“Silly name aside, this has been a mainstay on my board for a long time. It’s a transparent boost/overdrive that has some compression that gives you added sustain. I first heard of this pedal from learning that Doyle Bramhall uses one. It is a go-to always-on pedal that you really have to try. It is great in front of Fender style amps. I have the old one in the larger enclosure, and I love it.” Check out the Durham Electronics – Sex Drive
Huge thanks to Johnny (and Vicoria!) for being a guest on our show and please check out Alchemy Audio. We wish them continued success!