BJFe Stack #4

PGC>BBOD or DRD>HB is another stack mentioned by Bjorn (or BJFe pedals... and DRD stands for Dyna Red Distortion). I'll let him comment from the interview (link in previous post) ... "PGC (Pale Green Compressor) is used to keep approximate level and mainly restrict the peaks lightly and thus add more gas to the engine, while HB (Honey Bee) is used to put a limit so that the harder the system is hit, the more it distorts.. but it can clean up by a mere touch of striking force. HB is also used as an inverse boost, setting a limit to protrudeness of main overdrive distortion. This can set the sound from soft to protruding leads and thus place the guitar back and forth in the sound landscape. HB is also used by itself to give distortion at will, but softer than the clean sound used". I would listen to Bjorn... he probably knows more about pedal effects electronics than most in the business.

BJFe Stack #3

Directly from Bjorn....'BBOD > DRD > BPB
Using the Master Volume amp analogy - we can set the BBOD to a setting similar to preamp over drive (saturated drive at low level)
and the DRD at lower distortion but raised level so it has more punch and dynamics like a high headroom power amp....
and then use the BPB at the end to simply raise the level of either or both drive pedals......giving us the BBOD by itself , the DRD by itself and the combination of the two and then a straight level boost of any of these or the straight clean signal from the BPB' (I have a RRB... Red Rooster Booster in last position for now... updated photo soon).

BJFe Stacking #2

Here she is in bad photoshop for all to see (visually) ... what Mr BJFe (Bjorn Juhl) describes as one of his personal favourites... PGC>LGW>DRD. As he says...'PGC is mostly used for clean sounds and DRD provides moderate distortion that can be worked from the volume control while engaging LGW into DRD gives this very easily played "hero" sound. It is great fun, as it has very high gain but is still well defined enough that any chord sustains for the longest time. This sound combination is quite different from just turning up the distortion of DRD. Depending on the which amp is used... add Sea Blue EQ or HB (Honey Bee).... some salt, paprika and maybe a little other seasoning.

I Know You Wanted It....

Following the advice given by Bjorn himself, in the interview here, with Six String Soul, I am going to Photoshop (not meant to be picture perfect) the stacking setups of his pedals that he recommends. He says that "stacking" is a craze to some gearheads, and that the above combination (described in the interview as: PGC>MGMV>EGDM>LGW) is known as his "Green Sound". He says the PGC (Pale Green Compressor) is used to give a hint of sustain and keep control of peaks, so exact distortion levels can be set accurately. MGMV or MInt Green MIni Vibe (I quote) is used to give just a flickering of vibrato at the tail of phrases. LGW (Little Green Wonder) is there for just a tad of breakup as controlled by PGC. EGDM is finally set to give moderate distortion of it's own but in conjunction with the other pedals it adds just a protruding upper midrange to the LGW sound... just enough to make it standout. The 'Green Sound' allows several levels of distortion with or without compression as well as straight sound. I thought it would be nice to decode the descriptions for one and all (newbies) and lay them out visually as Bjorn describes it... so you can actually see what he puts together visually. Next up.. visual of: PGC>LGW>DRD. (Just for giggles and ....)

Bed Spins

So... are BJFe pedals worth all the hype and all the money? I just saw one of his compressor pedals that sold on EBay in September 2009, it came from the Doobie Brothers. Yes... I probably missed my chance to get a nice compressor pedal. Granted, the Doobie's can most likely afford the $$$, and they are going to buy a pedal for tone, not as pedalboard candy. I see lots of posts referring to money being better spent for rent, than on a BJFe pedal. Truth be told... BJFe's are some great pedals. They are also hand made and hand tuned (if you can find one) by Mr BJ himself. He is a fanatic and very talented. He is obviously driven (as is gearmanndude) to make a world contribution to tone. BJFe pedals are well constructed, and yes... also very attractive. They have a certain look about them... the boxes are very compact, and attractive. They currently sell used on EBay in the $400 to $500 range. That's 5 Fridays at the bar buying rounds of drinks for your friends... even for those making less than others, it is all about priorities. That's ok... and BJFe pedals don't lead to bed spins either... or chucking up in an alley somewhere... in addition, buy a set for your pedalboard, and maybe your guitar still cost you more.

Home Cookin' Good

I just purchased a BJFE Candy Apple Fuzz. It sounds truly home grown, home cookin' great. That said, I went out and also purchased a Harman Germanium Fuzz pedal too. I read a great review here... Karl (the author) points out that though he is crazy about the BJFe pedal line, he still opted to keep his Hartman Germanium Pedal(Steve Stevens is a lover of Hartman pedals too), and sell the BJFe. To quote Karl " I’m told that pedalboards are about tone, and that I should be keeping the pedals that sound the best. I’m seriously wondering right now if I shouldn’t just be picking the coolest-looking, rarest, and most handmade-looking-magic-mojo pedals. Would my rig be less toneful? Maybe. Would it be cooler? Absolutely". The BJFe is a boutique pedal, and so are Way Huge .. another great pedal (I like the originals from the 90's)... There is no doubt BJFe makes amazing pedals... they cost more than some other pedals... and yes, great eye appeal and that neat handwriting on the front by his wife and the great paint jobs is the first thing you see. I just spent $400+ on my BJFe Candy Apple Fuzz... and $187 on my Hartman Germanium Fuzz. I would say you could certainly put them in a boxing ring together and they can duke it out (like Gearmanndude does with his pedal collection). The BJFe sounds amazingly warm and original and might benefit from some stacking too (Bjorn recommends stacking). Many well-known artists stack BJFe's on their pedalboards and use them to come up with tones that define their playing. I will keep both ... and sell something else I own, not musically useful. Check them out for yourself though...Hartman Germanium.. and BJFe... and you decide. I still also love the smaller size of BJFe pedals too, as many other guitar pedals are bigger on your board... whilst Mr Bjorn's pedals are short and compact... and as I said, very well made. You can get them at CustomSounds (in Finland) who love to ship to the US.

Not Tone Sucking Vampire

Here she is... the Hilton Low Profile VP (Volume Pedal).
It can go on your pedalboard... or not. Usually the cons to a VP on your pedalboard is the space they can take up... at least this one takes up less, and is top of the line. You do not want a passive VP (without a buffer)... since it apparently sucks tone like a vampire. With an active VP this doesn't occur. (When a passive VP sucks the tone, it does it mainly on the high end). But hey... one guy says on-line that he has been playing without ANY VP for 15 years. I guess it all depends how good he is whether I should listen to that. A VP is a useful application... and place it last on your pedalboard. It's main plus is that you can adjust the volume with the VP to achieve good saturation with your pedals at lower volumes... I am still having trouble making room for one right now on my overcrowded little pedalboard... which is more crowded than the last lifeboat off the Titanic.

Newly Minted Pedal Geek

I just ordered
a Divided By 13 Dyna-Ranger Pedal.... go here on youtube to check out how this little number sounds (courtesy Wild West Guitars). Go here also for more info on Divided By's site. Apparently used by none other than Mr Clapton. What I especially liked (as a newly minted pedal geek) is the original glass Mullard OC44 transistor in this puppy. It is also used by David Gilmore, Tony Iommi and Brian May. Going from position 1 to 5, it goes all the way from traditional treble booster to lower Sabbath tones (this straight from their site). It is the perfect sounding boost/ drive pedal... and I am a convert from hearing what they can do.
If you really want to go crazy... you can add extra resistors to your order (SKT275, CV7003, Metal OC44's) since there is a socket for the transistor, allowing you to swap them around... wow.

Vox Clyde McCoy Wah

When you go to heaven and put together that legendary pedalboard... yes... the one you have always dreamed of, it will certainly include one of these... a 1967 Vox Clyde McCoy Wah .. made in Italy, with the script writing on the back.. Hendrix and countless other famous musicians have used them.

HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

I have just purchased another pedal on Ebay... as you can all see, on the Hierarchy of Needs Diagram, this is perfectly allowable. Pedals are more important than Food or Safety... hence the latest purchase of a Baby Blue Overdrive made by BJFe (with the little drawings by Mrs BJFe). It appears that Gearmanndude has not evaluated one yet from what I can tell, so have to send you here...In Bjorn's own words 'Baby Blue Overdrive, that is a pedal that would rather give overdriven sounds to a clean amplifier than further push an amp. Many blues, fusion, and country players like this one and it gives the necessary complexity of distortion at control of the fingertips to a clean amp. Its range of distortion also allows heavy sounds'. Meanwhile, my Wah-Wah Pedal and assorted connecting cables and Voodoo power box will have to wait.