CG-MayJun16-ISSUU

COLUMN
PEDAL SNAPSHOT Phil Traina
GoodMark
Chase Tone Secret Preamp
Street $178.00
I was recently turned on to Chase Tone by a
Sometimes simple is just better. I plugged my
MERCHANTS
OF TONE
few of my tone hound friends. I am glad they
Iconic Custom Guitars Strat style guitar into the
did. I reached out to Kyle (Owner/Builder)
Secret Preamp, and then into a Morgan CM50
and he said I had to check out the Vintage
(blackface tones). Right out of the gate you
Secret Preamp. What is the secret preamp
will notice how the Secret Preamp sweetens
you ask? In a nutshell it is possibly the most
your tone, adding complex harmonics and
faithful reproduction of the Echoplex preamp
touch sensitivity. Turn the knob clockwise and
circuit available in a pedal. Some of the
it gooses your signal nicely. It’s not over the top,
features of the secret preamp are NOS (New
but adds the perfect amount. My favorite way
Old Stock) components. All of the capacitors
to run it is how it was probably intended, at
and resistors are the same components as
the end of my effects chain. It took my already
the original Echoplexes. The Secret Preamp
good base tone and made it better. With the
jumps the voltage internally from 9v to 22v,
S-style guitar I preferred the darker setting, but
Key Features
just as the vintage units did, which adds to the
response and attack. My favorite feature is the
with humbuckers the switch made it an easy
transition. Chase Tone nailed this effect, and I
Reproduction of the
Echoplex preamp
New Old Stock Components
switch on the side of the box that can go from
brighter, earlier, EP tones to darker, later, EP
tones. The one knob adds to the ease of use.
am looking forward to trying more in the future.
ChaseTone.com
Tone Switch
Gurus Optivalve Tube Optical Compressor
Price $384.50
If you have been reading my column over the
squishy effected tones. Optical compressors
past couple of issues you will know that I am
even out your tone and help give you the
a huge Gurus fan. Chicco is building some of
polished studio sound. With simple controls:
the coolest pedals out there. They are a bit
input, output, tone, and ratio, you are able
larger than most of their contemporaries, but
to dial in the perfect amount of compression
well worth the extra space. I met with Chicco at
quickly. The tube adds nice warmth as well.
the Gurus booth at NAMM, and we went over
Placing the Optivalve before my drive pedals
the whole line of offerings. The newest pedal to
gave me a flavor that most might be familiar
the line is the Optivalve compressor. Being the
with, typically that’s where most players stick
Key Features
Simple Controls: Input, Output,
Tone + Ratio
Use as a Compressor or a
Limiter
Use the “See thru Magic EYE”
to view the Compression
reduction level
compressor junkie that I am, I was drawn to this
box. The tones I was getting out of the Optivalve
are very familiar. It hits on many of my favorite
famous outboard compressors, such as the
Teletronix LA2A. These styles of compressors
are not supposed to give you the super overly
the compressor. The Optivalve also excelled
when placing it after my drives, and even at the
end of my chain. I felt like my tone was super
tight and, like I said before, polished. This was
definitely a NAMM highlight for me.
www.GurusAmps.com
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38 May June 2016
CollectibleGuitar.com
Lonnie Good 509.422.1400 | Mark Coulter 360.661.6823 | goodmarkguitars@gmail.com