SMG Review: gig-fx’s Peter Frampton Mega-Wah

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Check out the Peter Frampton Signature Series Mega-Wah by gig-fx!

A LITTLE INTRO

gig-fx was founded by CEO, Jeff Purchon. Jeff’s relationship with guitar started at age 11 and just two years later he was playing small venues all over northern England. He regularly played with school friend Mick Ronson (who went on to play with Bowie) and neighbor Robert Palmer. At 17 he was opening for bands including Black Sabbath, Free, Deep Purple, and Genesis and continues to play with some of the biggest names in music today.

Along the way, Jeff had a desire for pedal designs that were not readily available. Teaming up with an experienced core of analog electronic design engineers, he started his own pedal company in 2004: gig-fx. His initial product, the Chopper, became an instant classic, finding its way at the feet of guitarists including Mark Tremonti, Adam Jones, and Adrian Belew. In designing his initial wah pedal, Jeff sought to combine an auto-wah, envelope filter, and volume pedal into a single unit – such was the birth of the Mega-Wah. Peter Frampton called one day raving about the pedal and requesting specific design tweaks. This led to the signature Peter Frampton Mega-Wah.

WAH-T’S UP

The first thing catching my attention was the dogbone shaped foot pedal. This design allows for easily accessed controls on either side of the base. Intentional or not, it also serves as a carrying handle and sheds weight from what would otherwise make it bulkier and chunkier. That being said, the aircraft aluminum construction provides ruggedness in a lightweight package. The foot pedal offers plenty of surface area which is topped with soft, yet durable and grippy rubber tread. Controls include Mode (Cry, Mega, Trig, and Auto), Rate, Gain, Resonance, and Sensitivity. A blue LED indicates when the pedal is active and a red LED blinks in time to where Rate is set in Auto mode. Instrument IN and OUT jacks are found on either side in addition to a standard 9V DC input jack. A battery compartment, held in place by four Philips screws, houses a 9V battery underneath. No signature pedal would be complete without an actual signature and Peter Frampton’s appropriately graces the side of the medium navy blue chassis.

FOUR WAHS IN ONE

CRY: This is the classic wah mode. Gain controls the overall level of the effect, providing a thinner more subtle wah at minimum setting and a fatter more intense wah at max. Resonance adjusts frequency boost. This translates to more quacky wahs as sounds open up to a broader range. For you mixing fanatics, this can be thought of as adjusting the ‘Q’ – the width of a particular frequency.

MEGA: This mode is similar to CRY, but by boosting the low end it makes for a fatter, fuller sound. The high end is mostly unaffected and Gain and Resonance controls behave similarly.

TRIG: Pick dynamics replace the foot pedal in this mode. Softer attacks are similar to having the pedal down in the lower registers, while sharper, more aggressive picking brings out high end wah. This is a really fun mode as the feeling is very interactive and you can get downright punchy and FUNKY! Gain and Resonance perform similarly as the previous two modes, but Sensitivity adds an additional control. With this turned down, lower frequencies are prominent and it takes massive attacks (no reference to the band) to get the pedal to open up to the higher end, which is very brief. At the opposite end, higher frequencies are promoted as it takes the softest of touches to coax the low end.

AUTO: Lazy foot? No problem. Click over to this mode and the pedal will take over, rocking back and forth through the sweep as if you were tapping in time yourself [Author’s request: Can you actually get the pedal to physically rock back and forth? That would be wicked cool! Anyway…]. Again, Gain and Resonance works the same, with the added Rate control which sets the speed of the effect. Think of a vibrato or tremolo effect, though it’s not quite the same. My only complaint is I would have liked a way to set the width of the wah as it’s hard-wired to maximum sweep. Perhaps a future version could allow the position of the pedal to determine this.

THE FINAL WRAP

The Peter Frampton Mega-Wah is mega fun! Each mode is useful – no gratuitous effects. Performance and sound quality get high marks and physical operation is clean, making my Crybaby feel clunky in comparison. The pedal is activated optically by kicking into action when it senses the pedal is pushed forward about 1/4″ from fully back. This takes some getting used to as rocking all the way back disengages the effect after a period of time set by a control recessed in the bottom of the unit. I think it’s a slick feature that eases ON/OFF, but there’s something about that physical click you get from leaning on a switch that I missed. But who knows? Maybe after a bit more time spent with it, I wouldn’t miss it at all. Finally, gig-fx designs the wah with what they call “better-than-true-bypass” by using a circuit that optimizes the signal between the guitar and amp input. All in all, a very useful, fun wah that offers a lot of bang for the buck and has me considering replacing my beloved Crybaby, even if I have to give up the footswitch.

Street Price – $149

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Baroque. Contrasted: Staff picks 2

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Here are a few more staff choices from our Baroque. Contrasted. festival next week at Kings Place:

I’m really looking forward to next week’s events because there’s SO much variety. It’s hard to pick a favourite but starting my Sunday with cup of coffee and some beautiful baroque music sounds pretty appealing to me; I also like the idea of being one of the first to hear the future OAE players.

Isabelle Tawil, Development Manager

Anything with the words coffee and Handel is definitely up my ally. I like the idea of a Sunday morning coffee with the OAE at the Coffee Concert. I’m also excited to get my Purcell groove on in the Sing Baroque event, what a great excuse to sing in public without an out of tune rendition of Whitney Houston.

Georgina Cooksley, Intern

Baroque Strings because it has the theorbo in it and I want to see what all the fuss is about, or maybe Reflections on the Grand Tour to see and hear what sackbuts are like.

Dipu Yonjan, Finance Officer

During the next week we’ll be posting up some playlists so you can get acquainted with the music ahead of the concerts, as well as telling you a little more about some of the more unusual composers featured. You can find out more about the festival with our virtual brochure here.

Straight From the Heart: What Are Your Influences?

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Sensational guitarist and real life Guitar God – Steve Vai rockin’ out on his ‘Heart’ guitar!

WHAT INFLUENCES US?

Many of us have been influenced by our friends, a particular song on the radio, or a new song by our favorite group. Maybe a family member, or even a particular life experience impacted and shaped your influences. All kinds of things have led us to play this wonderful instrument….THE GUITAR!

We all have our reasons for playing guitar. On top of that, we have our reasons for what we play and how we play it. It’s easy for some to identify their influences. Others not so easy. Or maybe not what one would consider a standard answer. Some need to search for something much deeper than a song or artist. And influences can change with time, I can attest to this from personal experience.

YOUR DADDY CAN ROCK ‘N ROLL!

I originally wanted to play guitar because I thought it was cool. My dad played guitar, but he played country music and I wasn’t into it at all and had no appreciation for it at the time. I was just a dumb kid, although I loved to listen and watch him play. He was amazingly talented and I was extremely impressed by his level of skill on the old 6-string. But at the time, I was more influenced by the great ‘GUITAR GODS’ of the day. In those days it seemed like every good band had an amazing guitarist.

We had Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck,  Pete Townshend, Tommy Iommi, Billy Gibbons, Robin Trower, Ted Nugent, Gary Moore and this list could go on and on. In the early 80′s it was Rhoads, and the Metallica wave, ending with SRV and Healey in the late 80′s. But that’s about the time I hung up my guitar. Oh the things we do in life for others! But the music never stops. Once it’s in your heart, it’s always there. In my most recent return to playing guitar, I have discovered some new influences. My dad who passed away right before I got my guitar, is definitely a big influence on me now. I hope someday to be as good and as accomplished as he was. Not that he was some big star or anything, but he gigged for the better part of 20 years and did some recording too.

BACK IN BLACK – I’M A POWER PACK!

These days my biggest influence is…..my own heart! I have a new love for guitar that I never had before. And I have an incredible desire to get better. I am dedicating more and more time to practicing guitar….and the more I practice, the more I want to play!

I am still influenced to play certain songs because of a cool rhythm or riff, but my real influence to play these days comes straight from the heart. I just love it! It is the best fix for a bad or gloomy day. Stressed? Grab your guitar! Want to put a smile on your face or the face of someone else? You know what to do…..! Look deep….why do you play…what influenced you?

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Join the SMG Social Network!

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Join the Share My Guitar Social Network!

A Social Network for Guitarists!


Add pics, links, videos or your music right from your member homepage!

Share My Guitar is a social network for guitar enthusiasts. Create your own profile and you’ll be able to share your guitar collection with the world! Upload pics, songs, videos, chat with other guitarists, join guitar groups, post ads on the classified page, browse the SMG forums and much more!

This is a  free and cool way to promote yourself, your music, your band and connect with an exclusive group of like-minded people. Tons of other awesome features. What are you waiting for? Join now!

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David Zinman talks about his life, career and recordings

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Here’s the lastest podcast of our OAE Extras pre-concert events. In this one, from our From a Dream to revolution concert back in February, broadcaster Rob Cowan talks to conductor David Zinman about his career, life and recordings.



Pre-concert talk series: No.3 – Rob Cowan talks to David Zinman

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Before the ‘From a Dream to a Revolution’ concert on 08 Feb 2011 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, David Zinman talked to Radio 3 presenter Rob Cowan about his career, life and recordings and how musical interpretations have changed over the years.

listen to the whole talk below:

http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12530521 Pre-concert talk: David Zinman – 08 February 2011 by OAE

Netty’s tour diary. Part 2 (singing-bowls, lost keys and officious ladies)

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Viola player Annette Isserliss concludes her US tour diary:

Thurs 17th

Awoke wondering how on earth the OAE homeward travellers (the players who weren’t staying on for the Heiner Goebbel’s concert) had managed to rouse themselves to leave at 6.00 am! Took the subway (with viola in tow) to meet cousin Judy in Chelsea, and after a guided tour of some of the finer architectural sights, we climbed up onto the High Walk: converted from an old railway on an overpass to a garden walk with views of Chelsea Harbour with Hoboken,New Jersey beyond, on one side, and interesting city glimpses on the other. Although botanically at this time of year it was confined to almost-budding saplings and crocuses (crocii??) it was exceedingly pleasant in the mellow sunshine. As we approached a bench with a be-hatted native simultaneously basking and scribbling, it looked up, and turned out to be fello viola Nick Logie! He was staying in NY a bit longer, not only for the sponsors’ reception that evening, but because his eldest son Sascha is currently working in NY for the UN.

We persuaded him to join us for lunch, and he gallantly took turns in carrying the viola, which was becoming heavier by the minute!

After lunch with Judy’s husband, cousin Marty, Nick wanted to listen to some of the Goebbels rehearsal, so we made our way to the studio on W 25th.

Rehearsal v intense and detailed, but it was good to reacquaint with Heiner Goebbels’ Songs of Wars I have Seen: a collaboration with the London Sinfonietta, featuring the female members reading excerpts from the writings of Gertrude Stein on the subject of the privations of war. It is a highly effective piece of Music Theatre, but involves quite a lot of multi-tasking and equipment! Anu Tali, our conductor, is petite, perfectionist and persevering. It is complicated to have to speak in a different rhythm to the music you are playing at the same time! There were some giggly moments too, such as harpist Helen Tunstall’s attempts to read (in a funny story) that her dog had diabetes, turning involuntarily into another word beginning with “dia………” It was all very hard work indeed, and we were relieved when Heiner Goebbels agreed to finish the rehearsal by 7.30. It had been most helpful to have him there for the evening part of the rehearsal, as he was very clear about what effects he wanted.

So good to re-encounter our colleagues from London Sinfonietta again!
And to find that Roger Chase would be playing: I’d known him since RCM, when we had adjacent viola lessons with Bernard Shore.

Fri 18th
Final day. To Greenwich for solitary breakfast. Thought I was practising my muttered speaking part and rhythm-thumping discreetly until diner in far corner lowered his New York Times meaningfully and observed me over his glasses. Wandered around village admiring the graceful doorways of the older red brick houses.Thence into the bowels of the subway again to emerge in Upper West Side, re-exploring old haunts. Then reluctantly back to the Vampire to practise.

Arriving onstage at Alice Tully for rehearsal, taken aback at the amount of paraphernalia cluttering the stage, which made it hazardous even crossing to my place! Wires and cables everywhere: music-stand- lights; microphones by every musician; side-tables bearing little lamps and tibetan singing-bowls with their sticks (for the epilogue) ditto; pick-ups to be attached to the tail-gut strings on our instruments; etc. Tricky to arrange one’s mic close enough to one’s mouth but avoiding hitting it with the instrument or bow! Another somewhat tense rehearsal…..I’m always so impressed at Shelagh Sutherland, LS keyboard-player, reading a long monologue whilst playing a complicated harpsichord movement by Matthew Locke!

It really is a highly effective piece of Music Theatre, and I’ve come to really appreciate the musical effects too. It feels quite polarised to be interspersing Goebbels with Locke: the latter so redolent of the time of Shakespeare.

We OAE ladies hung out in the dressing-room as LS did the 1st half of the concert. Poor Lisa B (flute) arrived in a state, because she couldn’t find the key to lock up her friend’s amazing apartment where she’d been staying, and had had to leave it open. All ended happily however, as the friend had accidentally walked off with the key!

We got on stage at the end of the interval (in spite of the officious ladies) to prepare ourselves with mic positioning, instrument pick- ups etc. I needed to get into heightened focus mode, as this situation demanded living in the “now” of the moment as well as being prepared for what was to come immediately after.

The performance felt really special in the event, even if more than a few of the singing-bowls turned out to be duds. There was a tape to reinforce the intended overwhelming ringing, so I mentally tuned into that so that I feel a part of it.

A big hit with the audience, happily, and a great end to OAE’s mega-busy week! Much contented imbibing thereafter, and to hell with the projected 06.00 start looming….

Annette Isserlis, Viola

You might be interested to watch a video about the piece by Heiner Goebbels here.

SMG Poll: Who is the Best Rhythm Guitarist?

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Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

K.364: Mozart meets art

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This lunch-hour three of us from the office decided to do something a little different and take in some contemporary art. We headed down to the Gagosian gallery in Kings Cross to take a look at K.364, the latest exhibition by artist Douglas Gordon. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a film, shown on two huge screens in a pitch black and slightly unnervingly disorientating space. The film follows two Israeli musicians of Polish descent as they travel from Berlin to Poland and culminates with their performance (with the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra) of Mozart’s K.364 Sinfonia Concertante, which we have recently performed on tour and which comes to the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Saturday. While we were there the performance part of the film was playing and it was a fascinating experience, feeling as if you’re really inside the performance, with the sound surrounding and enveloping  you and the film being shown both on the huge screens as well as being reflected in full length mirrors. Definitely worth a visit, though the exhibition closes this Saturday.

You can view a trailer and find out more at the gallery’s website.

SMG Review: T-Rex Engineering’s Twister 2 Chorus/Flanger

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T-Rex Engineering is a Danish company that has been providing the guitar community with high quality effects, power supplies, switches, controllers, and more for over a decade. Their recognition as a significant industry player is validated by worldwide sales and a client list that includes Carlos Santana, John Mayer, Mark Tremonti, and Steve Lukather, to name a few. T-Rex originally released a combination stereo chorus and flanger in a single pedal called the Twister. The pedal was well received but rather than settling for ‘good enough’, T-Rex, with the help of user feedback, gave the unit a facelift, updated the hardware and software, and unveiled it as the Twister 2.

THE OUTER SHELL

The pedal’s tone-twisting technology is housed inside a lime green aluminum casing that measures a bit wider than standard stompboxes. A small but rugged switch toggles between Chorus and Flanger with five dials controlling behavior: Depth, Regen, Tone, Rate, and Level. The on/off footswitch is industrial-grade sturdy. A spring-released knob for setting Input Gain is inset into the right side of the pedal. The remaining features include a standard 1/4″ input jack, two 1/4” jacks for mono or stereo output, a 9V DC jack, and 9V battery compartment.

TWISTING TONE

In optimizing the level going into the pedal, I adjusted Input Gain to insure I was getting a rich signal, just shy of distortion. Starting with the pedal in Chorus mode, I set all controls mid way and gently strummed my EMG DG-20 equipped Strat, letting the effected notes ring out and wash over me. The sound was serenely lush, but begged for some good ol’ knob twisting. Adjusting Tone controls higher frequencies, but it felt more like an expansion knob as the sound opened up overall with a clockwise turn. Rate adjusts the speed of the sweep. At the minimum setting, it’s slow and dreamy with a quality that I felt more than noticed consciously. At its max setting, it gets very shimmery, but avoids going overboard and remains usable. Depth controls the intensity of modulation from nearly unaffected to rich and full. Regen is reserved for Flanger mode and as such, offers little in Chorus mode, though I thought I detected a touch of added sparkle when turned up. Switching to Flanger mode, my amp went cosmic with a more pronounced warbly effect. Tone, Rate, and Depth behaved similarly as in Chorus mode, but the result differed as I achieved everything from a more intense chorus-like effect, to a deep, harmonically intensified vibrato, to an eerie rubber band-like journey through space in which notes seemed to interact with each other sympathetically within the pedal itself – trippy! With Regen, I modeled the sound based on how the other controls were set. I was able to dial in a unique range of character from classic flange frequency sweeps to a wacky Slinky effect that responded sensitively to pick dynamics. As if that weren’t enough, the pedal has two outputs for twisting in stereo! Talk about a true sonic soundscape!

THE FINAL WRAP

The greatest quality of the Twister 2 is the way in which its effects are felt, more than heard. I required a little adjustment in my expectations as many chorus and flanger pedals are in your face as an effect, rather than melding into and becoming part of your sound. The pedal will twist your tone into something other than what you put into it – you give up transparency, and I had to turn the Level knob up higher than I would have liked to gain parity in volume between its on and off state, but aside from those exceptions, I was pleased with the fantasy of sounds produced.

STREET PRICE – $279

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Dan Coplan is senior staff writer at SMG. Dan is a Los Angeles based cinematographer and self-admitting guitar junkie. Email: dancoplan@sharemyguitar.com

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