Guitar

Boneshaker Pedals pt. 2: the review.

Rat-inspired and bass-optimized rock'n'roll machine.

When I first started playing in bands back in '89, it seemed that every rock'n'roll guitar player either used a Marshall 800 series amp or a RAT distortion box, or both. The RAT's were adept at conjuring up some of that crushed-glass Marshall tone, and had a really cool filtering section in lieu of the usual tone knob, which allowed your signal to really cut through a mix. One problem with RAT's (and indeed, with most distortion boxes) was the low-end shelving; you tend to lose a significant amount of bottom, something which doesn't bother me a whole lot (lots of room on the amp's bass knob), but for a distortion obsessed bass player, a source of great frustration.

Enter Lyle Cline of Boneshaker Pedals. Lyle's take on the classic RAT formula takes some detours: there's a germanium transistor and a LED providing the dirt, and he's also added a bass boost, controllable with the right-most knob.

Socketed LED and germanium transistor, easily swapped out.

Housed in a beautiful yellow powder-coated box (the photos are a bit saturated) and featuring two colour-changing LEDs in a banshee's eyes, visually speaking, the pedal is a stunner. The controls from left to right are volume, filter, gain and bass boost. It powers up with a 9volt adapter; there is no battery option as built. (Lyle's pedals are pretty-much all custom jobs, so I'm sure this is optional).

Plugging the guitar into it for the first time, I was immediately struck by it's toothy, aggressive attack; this is a rock MACHINE. I found myself wishing I'd had it along when I recorded with the East Vamps a couple of months back, as it's badass attitude would have fit in beautifully with their old-school punk rawk.

Banshee, indeed!

Plugging the bass in was another revelation. I like distorted bass (in appropriate places), but have had little luck recording any, as it always thins out too much to carry the track. I've actually recorded two bass tracks in the past, one clean and one distorted, to get past this problem. Not a problem here, folks! This bad-boy can dish out some serious low-end with it's bass-boost knob engaged. My favourite setting for bass was volume at 3 o'clock, filter at 8 o'clock, distortion at 1o'clock and the bass boost at 3 o'clock; this is what you will hear on the demo.

I couldn't help myself when it came to recording the demo; I managed to wake both my wife and son in the wee hours of the morning, gleefully bashing on my guitar and bass respectively. The tune is a work in progress, but jamming with this awesome pedal, I inspired to come up with the C part and the lead guitar counter-melody in no time at all. As usual, the recording and mixing was quick and dirty- as a husband and father in a tiny apartment, it's sometimes hard to find the time to work, so when I have the time, I'm motoring forward with my foot to the floor and a crazy look in my eye. Despite the manic pace, I had the most fun recording this than of any of the pedal demos I've done so far. Everything was done in one or two takes but the lead guitar track- it was take five, but is unedited or punched-in (with the requisite oops the second verse).

The instruments on the demo were all processed through the pedal. The tracks are as arranged in the stereo field thusly: distorted rhythm guitar, hard left. Medium-heavily distorted lead up the middle. Distorted bass just to the right of centre, and overdriven 2nd rhythm guitar hard right.

Overall, I was very impressed with the flexibility, tonality, build and component quality and appearance of this pedal. Also, with Boneshaker being a small, private outfit, you can have almost anything adjusted to your liking.

Learn more about Lyle and his products at: http://theboneshaker.blogspot.ca/.

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