I know i started this thread already, but they re such a pain to find .. i says Ef it.
Anywayz ... I finally got my Joyo MuRkiN in the mail. Holy Shit this pedal is the Beez Knees Yall. Still a lil fuzzy on the "Voice" knob. It seems like The Drive is a high end Gain and The Voice is a Lowish/Mid end Gain. Does that Make sense MTG? Maybe you can fill in the blanks.
After playing with this pedal for about an hour ... im already contemplating selling my Harp Attack. This thing is dope. @ $30 Too?!? Wtf. This should be illegal.
All im saying is anyone looking to get into amped harp ... buy a Pyle Pro PDMIC 78, A Joyo American, A Cheapo Danelectro Reverb, Delay, Echo .. whatever .. and plug it into whatever amp you got and it ll be pretty good. (Oh yea ... might want a high Z Xfmr with that) But so what ... that's a grand total of what? ... $9mic, $30joyo, $20Xfmr, $20 Danelectro ($10 used a guitar center) Still under $100. Even plugged into a flea market amp this setup would sound pretty good.
I plugged this thing into my vox da5 and it killed. I'm just blown away by this pedal. To think i paid all this money for all these other ones. This $30 beauty was here all along.
Anyways ... i just wanted to tell someone how happy i was with this thing. ----------
I'm not sure how the voice and gain pots work together, but it could be something like you describe. With so much gain available it's easy to get a wild, distorted sound, but there are more sounds to be had.
You also have the mod that bypasses the speaker simulator to consider. I keep forgetting to borrow an unmodded one to compare.
In my current setup I have the Joyo + DM13 for the more distorted sound, or for a brittle, cleaner sound. Then I have the Harp Break + Bulletini for the more laid back, warm, refined sound - trying to be like David Barrett, at least in my own mind :)
So I wouldn't go selling your Harp Attack just yet!
Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 16, 2016 10:51 PM
Im not seeking the harp attack until i HAVE too. That pedal is great aswell. I was just saying it is that good.
Can you not get close to the same sound using the joyo and bulletini?
I remeber the mod. I may give that a go, but imma use a switch so i can reverse it. It would even be nice to have 2 of these pedals. Set at different sounds.
I played it with the DM13 aswell, but just because i play nearly everything with the dm 13 so i wanted easy comparison. I want to see what it sounds like, or more like what sounds i can get ... with the pyle pro.
Yes there are MANY different sounds to be had. With the 3band EQ ... and seeming to have an almost 2 band eq on the drive, i mean it will almost put out any sound you want. The only thing i did notice is that the bass knob is rather weak, so ..... a good bass boost of some kind would be good in tandem. If you wanted to use it to just color up a clean sound it would do that pretty well also.
I use my sonic stomp for a little bass boost action. Aswell as rolling the highs way down on the amp and all other pedals and using the process on the sonic stomp to bring in the highs, aswell as the reverb/delay which also brings out highs.
Well anyhow. I'm impressed. ----------
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on May 17, 2016 2:39 AM
The Harp Break has a bass boost feature that does indeed seem to be placed just right to give warmth to a harp signal, although you don't need a lot of it with a Bulletini. Whereas the Joyo seems to be all about mids.
So for that sort of warm crumbly sound, the HB is qualitatively different.
I find the signal from the PylePro is so strong when cupped that it tends to overwhelm the Joyo. I'll repeat the tip to leave out the IMT and use the xlr->1/4" cable. This simply reduces the signal voltage. I think your cable broke, or you threw it away in disgust or something? :) My Bulletini has the volume control, so I can use that with the joyo.
Glad you like it too though. I think you are doing a service to beginners by naming some inexpensive kit that can give good results.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 17, 2016 3:04 AM
Re Inexpensive kit. Yea that's what i thought. I mean i doubt most will listen, because i didn't. People often ask things like what tube amp and $300 bullet mic should i get. And they often get answers from the more experienced like ... "just stick to acoustic playing fire a while" or "just but some cheap stuff" ... and often they already have they're mind set on the goods.
But i really think this is pro level sounding stuff. This isn't a bunch of corner cutting crap gear. Maybe the danelectro pedal is ... ive never tried it, but ive heard good things.
So yea. Anybody listening, check this gear out before buying the Expensive stuff. Wish i did.
Re bass. Yes as i said i noticed the bass lacking, but i can pull bass from plenty of other places. I have a few options there.
Re Crappy Cable. Yea the cable that came wuth my pyle pro, the tip broke off in my Zoom Ms-50G multistomp. I was HOT. The end was cheap. So i cut the end of and put a new gold radioshack 1/4" plug on it.
But i also made a new one with mogami cable a Neutriks XLR and a Switchcraft 1/4". So i use that one now. I bought a bunch of bulk cable and ends so i can make my own good quality cables. I can make good ones cheaper than buying crap ones already made. So ... Im not afraid of a little soldering ... lol.
But yea. ...great pedal. Dig it.
And yes the harp break bass boost is awsome. I traded my harp break for a harp reverb though. I didn't need the harp break and the harp attack, so i made the tough call of getting rid of one. ----------
Can you guys tell me from your experience how pedals are superior to inbuilt effects on an amp? I'm sure they are else you wouldn't be so stoked on them.
I'm just thinking maybe I should try a couple of pedals before venturing beyond solid state amps?
My main amp is the fender mustang, so I have unlimited digital effects to work with but I'd like to find out what kind of a difference I'd likely experience with pedals... And, what basic combination I should consider?
I only have one amp with on board dsp and while I like it, it doesn't have the range of a pedal. Just a few presets. I can dial in the level of effect but not the speed/repeat of the delay for instance. That said, it's still ok, because at least one of the presets is close enough to what I'd choose anyway. But...I'm not big on effects. Sometimes I plug in but forget to switch on. Reverb or delay is about it for me. Sometimes I mess with other stuff but most of the time I think it sounds better without it.
The fender mustang and other modeling amps like my da5 have effects built in, but what your really buying is an amp wuth abonus.
Because it all comes down to the circuitry of the pedal. Thats why there are so many. Every little change you Mahe in a value of a discrete component or the way a circuit works ... it changes the sound.
For instance if i open up this pedal and change the 40 micro pharet cap. To a 250 micro pharet cap the whole sound will change. These numbers are just examples.
For instance ..... i have a zoom ms50g multistomp. It has tons of effects built in. The amp models are great. The time effects are fantastic (delay, reverb, echo, etc.)
It also has an octave effect, vibro, a leslie cabinet effect. I tried using them to imitate a POG, but they kinda suck because the tracking is no good. So the sound really blurred.
Thats why the zoom is $100 for all these effects and the POG is $250 for One effects. Because it does it SO well.
I have a site that ill post later that gives the circuits for effects pedals. Its a DIY pedal site. That may furthe explain the major differences in sound that a slightly different circuit can make.
Cool, so bottom line you think pedals have a more refined effect? It makes sense, if we are dealing with circuits rather than microchips.
OK so....
If you wanted to generate a bit of reverb... a bit of delay... and bit of bassy crunch what would be on your shopping list (let's ignore the need for good user generated tone etc for the moment). Bearing in mind that I'm not electrically minded... no mods for me!
I'm so basic...I have a LW delay version 1. I bought it 5 years ago and it did what I wanted and it's all the delay I ever use apart from that preset on the VibroChamp XD.
For reverb..I swapped Indigo my sm57 for his LW reverb pedal. I didn't use it for a long time because the amps I was using all had their own springs, but now I'm using some other small amps and I give it s whirl. It's a good pedal.
Lone wolf stuff is not really the cheapest option but it is reliable and they have good return policy and I like to think they are part of the scene and good to have around so I'm happy to support the business Bassy crunch I don't know.
Ian. Ah, sorry, I leaped in with my 'harp-tone-obsession' thing I have. Or had, as I'm now kicking that habit and consciously playing through anything as therapy.
Now I read the other answers I guess you meant something wider. To echo (ha) what the others said, the pedal-based effects are easier to dial in and tweak on the fly, tend to have more range and options and can be better quality. Also you can change the order of them.
But you're a guitarist no? So I guess you've experienced all that.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 20, 2016 8:32 AM
Ha... forgiven MTG. It's that desire to play with the possibilities of the sound that interests me. Yes guitar pedals are one thing but the way the harp responds to effects is weird... IMO changes it in to a totally different instrument. Thanks bee for your suggestions. The lone wolf gear is massively tempting,but also a bit pricey for me at the moment. Don't feel like I'm good enough to warrant it.
Edited to remove typos (new phone)
Last Edited by Ian on May 20, 2016 11:19 AM
Get your lugholes round this then...it's that Tijuana Taxi man again. I think I can just detect some effects in use here. If not, that's an outstanding acoustic technique.
On a more subtle note, have you heard any Andy J Forest? I was trying to find a vid of Levee En Rose - but he uses effects a fair bit on lots of songs and they sound great to my ears.
If I were looking at using effects, he'd be my primer. Wonderful songwriter too IMO.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 20, 2016 10:00 AM
That's cool man. Ill look up Mr forest later. I'm only really interested in the subtle effects tbh. Just enough to add depth and character but not so much as to detract from the core sound.
So, Killa, this joyo American is worth a try huh?
Last Edited by Ian on May 20, 2016 1:54 PM
Yes. Its definitely one that should be in ever harp players bag. Its cheap and you can get a wide variety of sounds.
With the joyo and some reverb and delay you should be pretty set. Danelectro makes tons of effects pedals in the $20 range. You can even find them used for even less. I have never tried the danelectro pedals, but people swear by them. ----------
