The Sunface Crew (everything Analogman here)

[nickson]

Well, I looked and looked for a dedicated thread for Analogman Pedals here but no luck, so here goes... warn me if you find one.



I recently got myself an Analogman King of Tone V4, with the high gain red side. I got it used, but the price wasn't all that far from a brand new one. The condition is pristine, so that justifies the purchase a little. The only thing that needed the final justification was the tone it can deliver.

I have never spent much on overdrives. I was more on fuzz boxes back then but having read all the fuzz (pun), and watched numerous youtube demos/reviews and such, I decided to go Analogman instead of the Ethos OD (which was $75 more as posted on the ad over here).

I can say, after spending 3 hours of playing and tweaking at mid volume, (I just used it on a ZT Lunchbox Jr) I was surprised of the KoT's overdrive sound's transparency. The sound is comparable to a tubescreamer (808) that is cured of all the nasal (ngo-ngo) mid hump sound on a really good day. Both sides that is.. So I began thinking it was all worth it. The fact that I have two of these amazing sounding pedals in one box, it was worth it.

More babble:

Inside, we find two more knobs and dip switches for more tonal options. There's a trim pot for each channel for that extra treble control for fine tuning the amount of highs you like especially for dark sounding amps. The dip switches allow you to set each side to a clean boost or a normal overdrive or a distortion. So yeah.. I had the red channel set to normal overdrive then the yellow on clean boost. Interaction between the volume and drive knobs is very audible too. It loves to be set on high volumes (past 1 o'clock). The drive saturates well, but not to the extremes. I can always hear the notes from the lower 3 strings on a hard strum.

I am not that good of a guitarist to tell you guys what pedal is best for readers, but I know a good sounding pedal when I hear one, and this is one of them good ones.

There's a phrase silk-screened under the pedal that says "WE DO PEDALS RIGHT", I'd have to agree on that.

I see a hefty number of Analogman pedals (sadly some in the ads, i don't know why) on gear pictures here in GC so if you can, please share your experiences with them. After the KoT, I would like to explore other Analogman stuff like their bi-chorus and the sunface silicon fuzz!

Share some stuff too whether they be good or bad (rumors) like the KoT being just two Marshall Bluesbreakers (some say tubescreamers) in a box or the Analogman Chorus being useless lol.

Let us discuss!!! Newbies and metulz posts are welcome!!! (although i can't say you'll be treated well after senseless posts)

[rrmode1]

I'd like to get my hands on a KOT or even a POT. Pero sobrang overpriced yung iba pag lumabas sa classifieds. 

[nickson]

Haha. I agree, medyo overpriced din yung iba. Pero minsan, nakakita ako ng PoT dito worth $200. Fair priced? For the tone, yes. I think so. 

Gusto ko din ma-try yung mga mods nila sa boss pedals.

[Kulas]

i have a KoT high gain din. ended my hunt for the perfect OD pedal, hehe. but that's just me.

i run the red channel in full gain (since it's my only drive pedal). yung pinaka-high gain setting na eh pag cascaded yung 2 channels.

i love the crunch, the saturation, transparency, the articulation and dynamics of the pedal. sige, pati yung paint job gusto ko rin, hehe. very classy.

[musicjunkie]

I tried Kulad"s' KOT and became a believer too! Still hoping he would sell that to me! Haha

I like the youtube demos of the peppermint fuzz too. Someday maybe.

[vegetablejoe]

The most fun I had was with this chain: Sunface NKT275  >  Beano Boost  >  KoT v4.  Any two pedals combined make for a great lead tone. So much so that I am undecided which combination I prefer...

I also enjoyed using just the KoT for a classic rock set on a number of past rehearsals and a few gigs. Toneful and quick to set-up.

[Poundcake]

I've used and owned quite a few Analogman pedals. Great stuff. The King of Tone is the perfect overdrive pedal for small rigs. I just had to sell it to buy an Ethos pedal, but it was my favorite OD for a long time.

I also had a Bi-Chorus. Loved it. It's based on a vintage Small Clone circuit but it has two channels so you can dial in two different chorus tones.

I currently have a Comprossor and a Sunface BC 182/183 in my stash. I'm not really using them in gigs right now, but I might build a small pedalboard in the near future.

[Kulas]

I've used and owned quite a few Analogman pedals. Great stuff. The King of Tone is the perfect overdrive pedal for small rigs. I just had to sell it to buy an Ethos pedal, but it was my favorite OD for a long time.

KoT - sold to Kulas
Ethos - sold to Kulas


hahahaha!

[nickson]

KoT - sold to Kulas
Ethos - sold to Kulas


hahahaha!

Ikaw pala pumakyaw ng mga OD's ni Ian ha?? Hehe..

So, getting back.. anyone here has an Analogman mod'ed tubescreamer? Yun talaga ang gusto ko din matest...

[mawts_gwaps]

Never had any Analogman product except for the Normal Gain KoTv4 I have. But yeah, ended my OD pedal search as well. Works amazing with a strat. (DISCLAIMER: I haven't tried an ethos, although I'm not really chasing the dumble sound to begin with)

A few notes for those who are curious:
-What's been said in different forums about the KoT that I agree with: very dynamic/touch sensitive, rich harmonics, best string separation (very good for double stops/chords), compression also is very subtle, nothing too grainy and nothing too smooth (ie bastos pag kailangan, malambing pag kailangan)
-Not really for those singing/sustaining single note solo types of sounds, but then again, there are tons of high gain pedals out there for that.
-This pedal has some very slight coloration to it (in a very good way IMO), can't explain too well but it really adds "life"(sorry buzz word!) to the sound. The point is, it's not 100% transparent to my ears and if you want 100% transparency and a little more grain, go for something like the timmy.
-If you have a not so good basic guitar tone and a not so good amp, the KoT will NOT magically give you a killer tone. I think the first thing is to get a have a nice fundamental tone, then the KoT will give you it's magic (especially at high volumes!).
-Best tones i'm getting is via KoT in OD + boost setting both at 3:00 > a tube amp at the edge of breakup = MISMO TONES. For amps naman na "medyo alanganin", I just use OD+OD setting > clean amp. Gives me quite a decent sound also.

I'd like to get my hands on a KOT or even a POT. Pero sobrang overpriced yung iba pag lumabas sa classifieds. 

Jam, haha bilhin mo nalang yung sakin at acquisition cost pag nag-transition nako doon sa "all amp, no pedals" setup ko. Kaya lang aantayin mo pa mga 2-3 months more.

[nickson]

^Nice review on the KoT bro. Ngayon naman excited naman ako matest sa malaking amp, at a band setting na. July's fast approaching hihi.

Hey, hey, hey Jam, me time ka pa magpundar... KoT available in the near future oh! 

[rrmode1]

Jam, haha bilhin mo nalang yung sakin at acquisition cost pag nag-transition nako doon sa "all amp, no pedals" setup ko. Kaya lang aantayin mo pa mga 2-3 months more.

Sure! 

Para may time mag-ipon muehuehue

[giftmones]

Siguro kung papalitan ko fd 2 ko KOT. Ipapalit ko. Haha wala pa budget for this.

[IncX]

tried 2 analogman pedals ...

an analogman modded mt2. all i can say is MAN, its awesome!!!! i cant believe its a metal zone, its really beautiful and in normal circumstances, can even kick a toneczar openhaus' high gain butt. if i still played metal, i would definitely get it again.

second is an analogman mini chorus with a fixed depth switch and a mix knob. its expensive, and it doesnt do anything a boss chorus pedal cant do .... so IMO, decent but way overpriced.

[nickson]

tried 2 analogman pedals ...

an analogman modded mt2. all i can say is MAN, its awesome!!!! i cant believe its a metal zone, its really beautiful and in normal circumstances, can even kick a toneczar openhaus' high gain butt. if i still played metal, i would definitely get it again.

second is an analogman mini chorus with a fixed depth switch and a mix knob. its expensive, and it doesnt do anything a boss chorus pedal cant do .... so IMO, decent but way overpriced.

Now.. thanks for the insight on the Analogman mini chorus, it shaved off some of my GAS for it.

Well, if that is the case, then people pay for 44% tone and the rest which is 56% goes to the boutiqueness of pedal build (paintjob, graphics, premium components, etc.). That's based off an P8,000.00 Analogman mini chorus price and a P3,500.00 BOSS Chorus pedal.

[Poundcake]

tried 2 analogman pedals ...

an analogman modded mt2. all i can say is MAN, its awesome!!!! i cant believe its a metal zone, its really beautiful and in normal circumstances, can even kick a toneczar openhaus' high gain butt. if i still played metal, i would definitely get it again.

second is an analogman mini chorus with a fixed depth switch and a mix knob. its expensive, and it doesnt do anything a boss chorus pedal cant do .... so IMO, decent but way overpriced.

Hear it for yourself here:

I wouldn't say that it'll sound better than an Openhaus when both pedals are tweaked correctly, but it's right up there with the best metal pedals in the market.

[IncX]

Hear it for yourself here:

I wouldn't say that it'll sound better than an Openhaus when both pedals are tweaked correctly, but it's right up there with the best metal pedals in the market.

i did say "in normal circumstances" which translates to: using whatever amps the rehearsal place or venue has.

in my experience, the analogman mt2 sounded a lot more consistent than an openhaus. an openhaus is one choosy pedal; sometimes it makes me go "now! that's what i call a bad-a$$ tone worth 20k!!" while at times i am like "what?!? this is what a 20k pedal sounds like?!!"

[IncX]

Now.. thanks for the insight on the Analogman mini chorus, it shaved off some of my GAS for it.

Well, if that is the case, then people pay for 44% tone and the rest which is 56% goes to the boutiqueness of pedal build (paintjob, graphics, premium components, etc.). That's based off an P8,000.00 Analogman mini chorus price and a P3,500.00 BOSS Chorus pedal.

ok, i might have exaggerated a bit... it does sound a lot more full and organic than a boss chorus pedal, especially at higher settings where the boss reveals it's ice-pick, shrilly sound.

however, i am really more impressed with pedals like the red witch medusa ... or even the chorus options in the digital zoom g3.

i also remember loving the visual sound h20 a lot more than the analogman... its just, the analogman just makes people go "wow!" and brings them to the front of the stage more than the visual sound ever could lol

[nickson]

i also remember loving the visual sound h20 a lot more than the analogman... its just, the analogman just makes people go "wow!" and brings them to the front of the stage more than the visual sound ever could lol

 

I just watched some youtube demos of the silicon sunfaces. Loved itttt.. Next target. Pero baka next year na lang.

Any reviews on the beano and how it compares to other boosts?

[mawts_gwaps]

Sure! 

Para may time mag-ipon muehuehue

Lol sige lang jam, balitaan kita pag oks na tong project ko!

Siguro kung papalitan ko fd 2 ko KOT. Ipapalit ko. Haha wala pa budget for this.

I think maraming FD2 users (including me), na gumagraduate into KoT. Parang natural progression lang eh noh. Just like yung mga friends ko naman na naka-OCD and TS dati, mostly Eternity yung mga pinalit.

[giftmones]

Malayo ba tunog nung KOT sa FD2?

[Poundcake]

i did say "in normal circumstances" which translates to: using whatever amps the rehearsal place or venue has.

in my experience, the analogman mt2 sounded a lot more consistent than an openhaus. an openhaus is one choosy pedal; sometimes it makes me go "now! that's what i call a bad-a$$ tone worth 20k!!" while at times i am like "what?!? this is what a 20k pedal sounds like?!!"

Yup. The Openhaus is very choosy. Ed Rembold even screens those who wanted to be added to the Openhaus wait list because it's very application-specific. Try it on a 50W or higher tube amp with a great clean channel and lots of headroom and you'll hear the best sounding $400 metal distortion pedal in the world, but try it on a Bandit 112 or Valvetronix and it'll suck big time. The Analogman/BOSS MT-2 wasn't meant to be application-specific, so it'll naturally sound more consistent on different amps.

[AmericanSpecialStrat]

Gassing for THE Analogman KOT! 

[nickson]

I took the plunge on the AM Bi Comp. I wanted to try out using a compressor. Might as well get a compressor sought after by many, according to reviews.

The choice was between this and the Barber Tone Press. I think Barber stopped making the TP long ago making it rare, yes? Mas exciting lang siguro ito dahil 2 compressors in a box na to.

 

[MjIoLhLaEnR]

I'd like to own a King Of Tone V4 as well. but it is very expensive here, around 3000 RMB...  But for now I'm settling with ZW44B. FOr the mean time ...