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TABLE OF CONTENTS ISSUE 76 MAY 22ND

8 TONE TALK
5​ MINI WAHS TO FREE UP
YOUR BOARD
16 TONE TALK
AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE TO THE
BEATBUDDY
24 TONE TALK
5 AMPS FOR VINTAGE TUBE 8
MOJO ON THE CHEAP
32 INTERVIEW
A CHAT WITH
CARL BROEMAL OF
MY MORNING JACKET
16 24 32

38 IBANEZ
TUBE SCREAMER MINI
42 TOMKAT PEDALS
KILLER FUZZ
46 MC SYSTEMS 
BWI DYNAMIC

FUZZ 42
50 SIXSTRING
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
APP FOR GUITARISTS

38 46 50
6 ToneReport.com
W
hen seeking to free up space on a crowded pedalboard, whether to
alleviate an uncontrolled population explosion, or (more likely) to
make room for a new pedal acquisition, it’s natural to look to the big-
gest, most egregious real estate hogs first. On many pedalboards, the
biggest hog in the pen is the wah pedal. For some reason, wah pedals have evolved
somewhat more slowly than the rest of the effects pedal world, where drastically shrink-
ing enclosures, enhanced ergonomics, true bypass switching and standardized pow-
er have been the order of the day for some time now. In contrast, the wah pedal re-
mained largely unchanged for decades, with the standard Vox and Cry Baby models
dominating the market for decades. Innovative designs popped up here and there
over the years, but few garnered much attention among serious guitarists, for a variety
of reasons.

Things are changing, however, and more stompbox designers have begun to pay atten-
tion to that big, black, foot-sized hunk of metal that’s been taking up more than its fair
share of pedalboard space for far too long. Recent years have seen an influx of miniature
sized wahs, some no bigger than a standard issue Boss pedal that not only do the classic
wah-wah tones, but have a bunch of other useful functions and features as well. I have
collected a handful of the best tiny wah-wahs, and I present them to you now. 

ToneReport.com 9
 It’s about time, Dunlop. The new Dunlop
CBM95 Cry Baby Mini wah looks just like
its iconic, full-sized predecessor, only mi-
raculously shrunk to half the size (which I
must admit, is disconcerting at first glance,
as if someone has played a practical joke
of some kind.) Once the Cry Baby Mini is
under foot, however, it feels totally natural.
None of the classic Cry Baby sweep or feel
is lost, which probably indicates that Dun-
lop put substantial effort into making sure
nothing would be compromised in the min-
iaturization process. The CBM95 has more
than compactness going for it, though. It
also features three distinct voicings, includ-
ing Low, Vintage, and GCB95, true bypass
switching, standard nine-volt power capa-
bilities, and a Fasel inductor, which gives it
a leg up over the original Cry Baby, as well
as many other old-school wah designs that
haven’t evolved since Hendrix’s day. I espe-
cially like its “Low” setting, which gets nice
and pukey with fuzz. And hey, the Cry Baby
Mini is only 99 bucks.  I predict that these
are going to sell like the hot cakes!
10 TONE TALK // 5 Mini Wahs to Free Up Your Board
AMT Electronics has a reputation for inno-
vative, feature-packed products, including
amplifiers, effects pedals, and a spectacu-
lar line of tube guitar preamps, so it’s no
surprise that its compact, purple wah pedal
ain’t no slouch either. Why is it called “Jap-
anese Girl?” I dare not speculate, but re-
gardless of the name, it’s a great wah that
should send your current squawking box
o’ potentiometers packing. As a matter of
fact, this Japanese Girl doesn’t even have a
potentiometer because the circuit is based
on an optical sensor design. This means
no scratchy pots, fewer moving parts, and
thus, less maintenance than a regular old
wah-wah. It sports  three selectable fre-
quency ranges, for a wide variety of tones
that range from classic to modern, true by-
pass switching, status LED’s, standard nine-
volt power, and an adjustable treadle. I like
that it will stay in place even if you take your
foot off of it, which is handy for those of us
that like to do the ol’ cocked-wah tone filter
maneuver. At around 130 dollars new, the
AMT WH-1 Japanese Girl is very reasonably
priced. 
The Chi-Wah-Wah might be the smallest
of the small wahs. It’s roughly the size of a
Boss pedal, and comes housed in a bomb-
proof rolled steel enclosure that should last
for eternity, maybe longer.   It’s an optical
actuation design, so there’s no switch, it just
start’s wah-wah-ing when you press down
on the treadle. This is a clever arrangement
which eliminates the inevitable switch-relat-
ed maintenance issues, but it might take a
bit of getting used to for some guitarists.
You press down with the toe of your shoe
to make the wah action, which will seem
quite unnatural to lifelong players of the
Cry Baby or Vox wahs. Once you get prop-
erly oriented, however, the Chi-Wah-Wah’s
many charms become obvious. Its action is
buttery, and its tones are splendid. There
are knobs right on top for Level, Contour,
and Gain, which allow for very musical tone
shaping, whether you’re looking for some-
thing thick and raunchy, bright and quacky,
or somewhere between the two. The only
real downside to the Plutoneium Chi-Wah-
Wah is that, because of its spring-loaded
treadle that returns to bypass mode when
you lift your foot off, it can’t be set for a
cocked-wah tone. This is a relatively minor
negative, though, and probably won’t out-
weigh the many positives of the Chi-Wah-
Wah for players in search of the ultimate
compact wah pedal. 
Hotone specializes in miniature guitar amps
and effects, and the company’s Soul Press
wah-volume-expression pedal is truly a tiny
powerhouse of functionality. With three
modes, it can perform a number of duties
admirably, all while taking up very little
space on a pedalboard. The wah mode is
voiced to sound like a classic Cry Baby, with
plenty of quack and the signature Cry Baby
frequency sweep, while the volume mode
uses an active circuit to eliminate the tone
dulling impedance issues that plague so
many passive volume pedals. The expres-
sion mode can be used without external
power or battery, and is widely compatible
with most pedals, as well as synths and oth-
er instruments that make use of expression
pedals. The Hotone Soul Press is a multi-
tasking master for the player that needs
one small pedal to do a lot of different jobs.
It’s equipped with true bypass switching,
comes in a fetching red enclosure, and sells
for around 100 bucks American. 
 
ToneReport.com 11
 This fine vintage piece from America’s own
DOD is one of the most dramatic early de-
partures from the norm in the wah pedal
world, and as far as I know, the first com-
pact wah ever made. Manufactured from
1987 to roughly 2000, the FX-17 used a curi-
ous variable capacitance circuit to make the
wah-wah sounds, as opposed to the more
common potentiometers and inductors.
It can function  as a wah, volume pedal, or
voltage control pedal for synthesizers, and
is engaged with a switch in the heel posi-
tion of the treadle, opposite of the standard
toe switch of a “Baby-style” unit. The sound
of the FX-17 is unique as well, with a mod-
ern, full-range sweep that was a world away
from a stock wah-wah. I have always liked it
for the deep, guttural burp in the lower end
of its range, which sounds remarkably cool
when paired with a thick fuzz tone. Down-
sides include a rather narrow travel of the
treadle, which can make it a little tricky to
control, and its enclosure, which is pretty
damned ugly. Upsides include awesome-
ness, ruggedness, and cheapness. The FX-
17 is common on the used market, often-
times for very miniature amounts of money.
I believe I paid about 30 bucks for mine.
Get one!

12 TONE TALK // 5 Mini Wahs to Free Up Your Board

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16
(Insert BeatBuddy-supplied rim-shot
here.) And yes, you can indeed pro-
gram one of the buttons on the external
footswitch to do just this. Drummer jokes
aside, the BeatBuddy is my new favorite
thing. In short, it’s the world’s first ped-
al-based drum machine. It’s designed
specifically for guitarists and bassists
and is simultaneously a powerful tool
and intuitive.
The story of the Singular Sound
BeatBuddy begins in late 2013
when founder and CEO David Packouz
launched an Indiegogo campaign to
build a pedal-based drum machine.
The initial campaign goal was $75,000
and it was raised within the first 24
hours! The campaign for the BeatBuddy
ultimately raised more than four times
that goal and ended at $249,057.Clearly,
a pedal-based drum machine was an
excellent (and popular) idea.
And while the BeatBuddy first came
into the public eye with the Indiegogo
campaign, the inspiration and engineer-
ing of the BeatBuddy began prior to
2013. Like so many great inventors
before him, David conceived of the
BeatBuddy to meet a real need in his
playing and performance requirements.
In short, he wanted a hands-free drum
machine that he could manipulate with
his feet. What he created may just be
the best practice, song-writing, and
performance tool of the 21st century.
At face value, the BeatBuddy is just
drum machine in pedal form. And quite
frankly, that alone would make it pretty
cool. But thanks to careful attention to
detail and innovative engineering, it’s
much more than that.
BUILD
It’s always refreshing when a new
company arrives on the scene with
a proprietary enclosure rather than
the usual “project box” housing we’re
so accustomed to in the effects world. It
suggests that they have grand plans of
being in this business for the long haul.
And it means that this pedal is built by
a real company, not some dude in his
parent’s basement. It’s not that dudes
ToneReport.com 17
 in basements haven’t built great pedals.
They have. They just don’t always last
long enough to support their product
for years to come.
But back to my point. The BeatBuddy
enclosure shows attention to detail.
Sure the shape of the pedal (and the
footswitch) pay homage to the clas-
sic Boss design, but the pedal is larger
and feels more substantial. The optional
two-button external footswitch feels just
as substantial and both units are painted
in an attractive, heavy-duty silver metal-
lic paint. The BeatBuddy straddles the
line with regard to size and offers a large
footswitch and user interface without
taking up a huge amount of space.
The optional footswitch will require
that you offer up more pedalboard
real estate, but the placement of the
two buttons makes it easy to hit the
one you are aiming for.
GETTING STARTED
The BeatBuddy comes from the
factory with an SD card loaded with
10 drum sets and 100 songs (grouped
within 21 genres). Examples of the drum
sounds available include rock, classic,
hand, dance, ethereal, and even human
voice. Yes, you read that correctly.
18 TONE TALK // An In-Depth Guide to the BeatBuddy
The BeatBuddy can kick it, human
beat box style. All you need to do is
plug the BeatBuddy into head phones,
a PA system, or other means of listening
and start jamming. You can plug the
BeatBuddy into your amp. It’s even set-
up to send a through signal of your gui-
tar. Ideally though, you should run the
BeatBuddy into a PA system or other
full-range system. It won’t sound its best
through your guitar amp and at extreme
volumes, it could damage your speakers.
For practicing at home, I used a set of
high-quality computer speakers with
a subwoofer and the BeatBuddy
sounded great.
Now, start scrolling through your
available drum sets. Next up, select
your genre of choice and find a drum
part you like. The exciting thing is that
you can choose any drum set to play any
pattern, so feel free to get crazy and use
the “Country Brushes” to play a “Drum
and Bass” pattern. Just promise to use
this technology for good rather than
evil—don’t use it to create the
next “Cotton Eye Joe!”
I fell in love with the Ethereal setting
(it reminded me of mixed up by the Cure
or other late-‘80s and early ‘90s
 electronic percussion). The
Rock and Classic sets are also
favorites of mine. All of the
drum sounds in the BeatBuddy
sound professional and I was
able to use it to make some very
convincing demo recordings.
You can set tempo with the scroll wheel
if you know what tempo you are looking
for. Or you can tap in the tempo with the
handy “Tap” button that works just like
the tap tempo switch on your delay ped-
al (the BeatBuddy comes out of the box
ready to sense your tapped-in rhythm as
quarter notes).
THE BEATBUDDY IS INSANELY EASY
TO USE, BUT HERE’S THE QUICK
AND DIRTY:
• Select a genre and drum set
• Dial in or tap in your tempo (if different
than default tempo). There is no reason
to do this if satisfied with default tempo.
• Tap the main foot switch once to start
the song with an intro fill. It will then go
to the first verse.
• Now any single tap triggers a “fill”.
It will be different each time, just like
a real drummer, and always in time,
regardless of when pressed.
• Hold down the foot switch to
transition into the “chorus,” the
BeatBuddy will play a fill
• Release the foot switch to end the
transition and start the “chorus”
• Hold down the foot switch to
transition back into the “verse”
• Double tap the foot switch to
end the song
When there is no song playing, you
can hold down the footswitch to enter
tap tempo mode. The optional two-
button foot switch can trigger accent
hits, pause the song, serve as a tap
tempo input, and more. The BeatBuddy
is highly functional without the optional
switch, but the added versatility is
awesome. It’s worth noting that the
BeatBuddy will work with any latching
or non-latching dual footswitches
as long as they utilize a single
TRS stereo output.
MULTIPLE USES
Incorporating the BeatBuddy into your
songwriting or practice regime is much
easier than you can imagine. With the
huge range genres, beats, and drum
sounds it’s sure to open up your creative
instincts and push your technique. You
can even import midi drum parts for any
songs you play. With the BeatBuddy soft-
ware, it’s extremely easy to do this. You
can even create set lists for multiple gigs
and then just scroll through song by song
ToneReport.com 19
 during your practice or live set. You can
even do this scrolling hands-free by using
the foot switch.
The ability to save songs adds even
more versatility to an already impressive
device. The fact that this is done via an
SD card is just plain awesome. If you are
managing multiple bands or projects, you
can easily manage each on its own SD
card. I’m not managing multiple projects,
but I do have a large stash of half-com-
pleted songs. To simply my life, I use one
SD card for completed songs (saved and
labeled by name) and a second one for
new ideas and uncompleted songs. If I’m
in the mood to work on new ideas, I pop
in one SD card. If it’s time to practice,
I slip in the other.
The Save feature of the BeatBuddy
is something I really fell in love with as
I was writing this review. The drummer
in my band frequently travels for work
and misses practice. The BeatBuddy is
now his stand-in. Sure, it’s not as simple
as saying “Kevin, try this with more of a
National feel,” but it’s pretty awesome.
GETTING BETTER
Speaking of practice, I found the
BeatBuddy to be an amazing rhythm
training tool. I’ve never been good
about sitting down and practicing with
a metronome. Intellectually, I know I
should—but it’s so boring. With the Beat-
Buddy, there’s a sea of drum sounds and
patterns to choose from. And unlike a
metronome you have multiple time sig-
natures and visual cues to work with. I
fell quickly in love with the visual metro-
20 TONE TALK // An In-Depth Guide to the BeatBuddy
nome. The simplest way to explain the
visual metronome is that there is a small
translucent block that moves across the
display as the beat plays. It’s especially
helpful when playing in 5/4 or 7/4 (time
signatures in which I do not shine) for
keeping track of the down beat. Who
knows, maybe someday I’ll be a prog
rock god. It’s doubtful, but the
BeatBuddy certainly has more patience
than any drummer I’ve practiced with.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
With the BeatBuddy, Singular Sound
did an amazing job with every detail.
From the custom-designed enclosure,
to the stellar drums sounds, to the easy
to use interface, I can’t find anything to
complain about. One of my favorite fea-
tures is the included headphone output
with volume control. Between the vol-
ume control for the drums and the head-
phone volume control it’s easy to strike
a perfect balance between drums and
guitar without blasting your eardrums.
And even better, when paired with a de-
cent speaker emulator (I paired the Beat
Buddy with both a Line 6 POD and an
Electro-Harmonix EHXTortion—both with
great results) you have a near-perfect
late-night or apartment practice rig.
To date, the BeatBuddy is the only prod-
uct designed and manufactured by Sin-
gular Sound. It’s clear that along with
that “singular sound,” they also have a
“singular vision.” It’s quite impressive
that they created such a great product
straight out of the gate. I can’t wait to
see what they come up with next.
 100% analog
signal path with
unprecedented
digital control.

This analog phaser pedal features an all-analog

signal path with smooth, vintage tones that harken
back to the 70’s while retaining the ability to get
plenty weird and psychadelic too. Since the control
of the effect is digital, it opens up unprecedented
effects and features that have never been heard
or offered in analog stompboxes. chaseblissaudio.com
24
Amplifiers are perhaps the most critical part of a
guitarist’s signal chain. Imagine a beautiful, finely crafted
guitar with choice tonewoods, handwound pickups and top-grade
electronics running through a nameless, solid-state practice amplifier
with a six-inch speaker. Now, unless that combination is a carefully
planned pairing to achieve a lo-fi guitar track for recording, the ears
of mankind should never hear it. There are endless amplifier options
for the modern guitarist, from budget tube combos to boutique, fur-
niture-grade works of art. And while present-day amps are packed
with features to accommodate every sound and scenario, there is
one class of amplifier that has that special swagger you just can’t get
from a new one. I’m talking, of course, about vintage amps. It’s pos-
sible you had one of two reactions when you read that last sentence.
One: You huffed, smirked, looked at your vintage amp collection and
muttered “I know” as if you were Dr. Steve Brule, or two: You rolled
your eyes, imagined a sky-high price tag and thought “not worth it.”
Fortunately, there are vintage amps that won’t require you to sell a
vital organ to obtain them. “Affordable” is a relative term, so for the
purpose of this article, I’ve chosen amplifiers that can be obtained for
$1,000 or less. Keep in mind that many variables—such as cosmet-
ic condition or the lack of original parts—cause the value of vintage
gear to fluctuate; the price ranges listed are based on the prices of a
particular item at the time of writing. Without further ado, here are
five vintage amplifiers you should consider adding to your collection.

ToneReport.com 25
 GIBSON FALCON GA-19RVT:
$450-900
It may be news to you that Gibson
made a combo amplifier with reverb
prior to Fender. The Falcon, introduced
in 1961, has onboard reverb and trem-
olo, hence the RVT in its name. Looking
somewhat similar to the tweed Fender
amps of the same era, it contains a 12–
inch Jensen speaker and puts out rough-
ly 14 watts using a pair of 6V6 tubes
and three 6EU7 preamp tubes, with a
7199 tube for reverb duty. Earlier mod-
els were covered in tweed, while later
models appear to emulate Fender’s
amp evolution, with later-‘60s models
looking similar to silverface combos. As
you might expect, the early years tend
to be more expensive, getting cheaper
into the later years. There is currently
a pristine late-‘60s model for sale at a
local shop in my area for $600. The re-
verb and tremolo are unique-sounding
and somewhat limited, respectively, but
this is a cool-looking and great sounding
amp with its Tweed Deluxe-meets black/
silverface-meets magic pixie dust vibe.
The cool cleans and gnarly grind will
most likely suffice for any player
not playing straight-forward jazz or
speed metal.
FENDER CHAMP (BLACKFACE/
SILVERFACE): $500-1,000
Volume, Treble, and Bass: It’s the con-
trol panel layout of the veritable Fend-
er Champ. What else do you need?
The small but mighty combo has been
on countless recordings and it’s small
enough to fit into any nook or cranny at

26 TONE TALK // 5 Amps for Vintage Tube Mojo on the Cheap

home, on stage or the studio. Featuring
a 6V6 power tube, 12AX7 preamp tube,
and a 5Y3 rectifier, the Champ produces
five watts through an eight-inch speak-
er. With the volume maxed, your guitar
volume control decides how clean or
dirty your signal gets. When mic’d up
at the club, this little monster will give
you all you need for bare bones jams,
and if you add your pedalboard to the
mix, the sky’s the limit. When I recorded
some tracks last summer at a local stu-
dio, there were a handful or amps avail-
able to use. One of them was an all-orig-
inal ‘70s silverface Champ. The sounds
I got with my Gibson SG were sweet
like candy, and I used that amp for the
majority of the session. I easily achieved
classic fuzzy grind sans-boost or over-
drive pedals. It remains a singular
experience in my guitar-playing life.
FENDER MUSICMASTER BASS:
$400-600
Speaking of silverface Fender amps, the can plug in the bass that you’ve got in
Musicmaster Bass is a unique creature. the corner collecting dust for the combi-
As the name implies, it was originally nation Fender originally intended.
designated for bassists—to be paired
KAY 703: $200-300
with the Musicmaster bass, specifical-
Many moons ago, a good friend
ly—but became popular with guitar
semi-permanently loaned me an amp
players due to its simple layout and por-
as only a good friend does. To my na-
tability. It one-ups the Champ in simplici-
ked and untrained eye, it looked like a
ty with just a volume and tone knob and
vintage lunchbox. I had no idea what
pumps out 12 watts through a 12-inch
crunchy rock and roll sounds lived in-
speaker. Early models use 6AQ5 tubes,
side this tiny monster. Using a 50L6 out-
while later models came with 6V6 tubes.
put tube, 12AU6 preamp and a 35Z5
It’s probably the most quirky amp on
rectifier, the Kay puts out roughly four
this list, and due to said quirkiness it can
watts through a six-inch speaker. I re-
be had fairly cheap. It’s great at smaller
member the sound, but most of all, the
gigs and rehearsals. And, of course, you
feeling, as I strummed open chords on
ToneReport.com 27
 my reissue ‘69 Thinline Telecaster. It was
an experience I’d never had before—
touch-sensitive, power tube grind that
cleaned up beautifully with light picking
or the volume rolled off. The Tele and
Kay made for a truly visceral combina-
tion. I don’t remember how many hours
I spent playing that combination, but
I do remember playing Neil Young’s
“Rockin’ in the Free World” until my
roommate informed me he needed to
get some rest and maybe I could turn
it off or down. Keith Richards allegedly
used one of these amps in the studio,
and while I can’t substantiate that, I can
tell you it will do a pretty convincing
“Jumping Jack Flash.” Considering you
can probably snag this for the price of
a pedal, it’s a no-brainer for your living
room or studio.
TRAYNOR YBA-1: $500-700
We’ll end this list with another bass-
turned-guitar amplifier. In its earliest
form, the YBA-1 was known as the Dy- The amps mentioned in this piece
nabass, introduced in 1963 as a rental probably won’t significantly appreciate
amp. With a circuit very similar to the in value over time, and they aren’t the
Fender Bassman, it became a popular main targets of “Holy Grail” collectors.
choice for guitarists because it achieved What they will do is provide classic
Marshall and Fender tones on the tones and help you on your journey
cheap. Traynor re-released the YBA-1 of artistic expression, all whilst looking
in 2013 as a tribute amplifier in limited cool and vintage behind you on stage.
numbers—100 heads and 60 cabs, to be The greatest benefit of all, however, is
exact—but you’ll be better off looking being able to tell other guitarists you
for a vintage original. If you’re after a have a vintage amplifier. Grab your
Bassman or Plexi sound, but don’t favorite axe and give these amps a
have deep pockets, the YBA-1 is spin if you can—it’s time to add some
worth your consideration. vintage mojo to your rig.
 
 
28 TONE TALK // 5 Amps for Vintage Tube Mojo on the Cheap
 UZZ

...IS ON YOUR BOARD?

MADE IN USA

UD IO DESIG
T A NS
ET
J . ROCK
Destroy time with the Obscura Altered Delay from
DigiTech. Its four delay modes can be darkened,
degraded, and distorted on the fly with the stacked
Tone and Degrade controls. Combine these controls
with Repeat/Hold and lose yourself in long trippy,
gurgling repeats or manipulated backwards sonic
mayhem. Obscura also has excellent sounding Analog,
Tape, Lo-Fi, and tap tempo modes with beat divisions,
stereo in/out, tails switch, and true bypass.

© HARMAN 2015
 IF YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH
MY MORNING JACKET,
a single song or even a single album can’t
serve as your introduction. At the heart of it,
My Morning Jacket is a rock and roll band—ringing
guitars, huge drums, and vocals that can run from
Neil Young to Roger Daltrey to Prince and beyond.
They have quiet and contemplative “folk” songs such
as “Wonderful” from 2011’s Circuital and “Golden”
from 2003’s It Still Moves. They have epic guitar jams
like “Mahgeeta,” also from It Still Moves and they
have songs like “Holdin On To Black Metal” from
Circuital—songs that can’t be classified by genre
but can be classified as awesome, complete with
killer fuzzed out guitar parts.
For their newly released album The Waterfall, My
Morning Jacket decamped to Stinson Beach, Califor-
nia with producer Tucker Martine (Decemberists,
Modest Mouse, and Neko Case among others).
I recently had the opportunity to chat with Carl Bro-
emel, My Morning Jacket’s guitarist, pedal steel play-
er and saxophonist. Carl joined the band in 2004 and
has played on every album since 2005’s Z. I asked
Carl about recording the new album, songwriting and
arranging, and of course, guitars, amps, and pedals.
What follows is a lightly edited transcript of our
exchange.
Tone Report: You guys recorded the new album
near Stinson Beach in CA. Why did you choose that
studio? Who produced this record?

32 INTERVIEW // Loaded Questions in an Automatic World: Carl Broemel

Carl Broemel:
Jim and Tucker Martine
produced The Waterfall.
Tucker sourced the studio
through a friend, who
had moved his studio from
Sacramento to Stinson
Beach. The studio is in a cra-
zy castle-like home of cob-
blestones and all reclaimed
materials built by a profes-
sor in the late ‘60s. The live
room is a pretty non-tradi-
tional studio space, which I
loved. A huge window over-
looks the Pacific Ocean and
every day the fog and sun-
sets were epic. The control
room is down in the base-
ment near the bomb shelter
tunnel which was set up and
used it as a reverb chamber!
TR: How would you
describe the sound
of the new album?
CB: It sounds like us, lost
out in Marin County, CA!
TR: Does Jim [James,
My Morning Jacket’s
lead singer and primary
songwriter] come in with
fully formed songs or do
you guys jam and create
new songs in a more
collaborative process?
CB: Jim usually comes
in with demos that he pur-
posely makes very quickly
so we can all sort it out to-
gether in the room. Some-
times there are key ele-
ments that he puts in there
that just need to be there,
and sometimes we fill in
the space as we go. We still
find the need to create new
approaches to songs in the
studio, even though we’ve
made many records togeth-
er, you always need to find
a new wide-open brain to
negotiate twists and turns
of what is needed for any
particular song.
TR: Did I hear correctly
that you recorded enough
songs for two albums?
CB: Yep, we do have anoth-
er batch of songs from our
time working on The Water-
fall which will become an-
other album. There is still a
bit of work to be done, but
the idea is to have another
record ready sooner than
we ever have in the past.
TR: Do you have any
favorite guitar moments
on The Waterfall?
ToneReport.com 33
 CB: “Thin Line” was a song that just came
together very fast, within a few hours we had
a take. Then Jim added the solo over the
outro bit and we were done! Also Jim’s fuzzy
solos on “Spring” and “Like a River,” I really
like. I love the guitar parts on “Like a River.”
They sound like romantic-era piano accom-
paniment to me, like tone painting.
TR: Did you use any new guitars, amps,
or effects that you are excited about?
CB: For amps, I mainly used my old (Fend-
er) Tweed Deluxe and Princeton Reverbs for
electric guitar, and a Fender Vibrosonic for
pedal steel. I did find a Maestro Reverb-Echo
amp at the Marin County Guitar show that
we used a lot. You use banana clips to con-
nect the Maestro to the speaker of your
main amp, and it sends 100 percent reverb
out of its own speaker. It also has a trem-
olo circuit that is after the reverb which is
the reverse of how I would have done it on
a pedalboard, but such a cool effect in this
order. I played my Duesenberg Starplayer, a
Gretsch Tennessean, my Black Les Paul and
GFI pedal steel.
TR: Your approach to pedal steel is very
innovative. It seems like you use it almost
like a string section. Are you still using the
Eventide effects [Modfactor and Pitchfac-
tor] for the steel? What is it that you like
about them?
CB: Thanks a lot. Though I am a pedal steel
novice by purist standards, I do love playing
it and not worrying too much about “how
it’s done” by those masters of the past and
present. For pedal steel effects I try to keep
it very simple, just the amp’s reverb, or add
a Moog or Fulltone tape delay. The Eventide

34 INTERVIEW // Loaded Questions in an Automatic World: Carl Broemel

Modfactor is also a go-to. The Eventide ped-
als are very versatile for steel, sax, keys, and
electric guitar. We used the Eventide Space
prominently on a song that will likely be on
the next record. I also used their mixing link
to add effects to some saxophone sounds.
I have two H9s on my guitar board for the
upcoming tour to cover all the strange things
I might need to do. Living in a time where we
get to merge the old touchy analoggear with
the new fancy computers is pretty exciting as
long as you are really listening to the sounds
and not just looking at waveforms.
TR: Is your Les Paul Standard still your
main guitar? What’s special about it?
CB: I use the Les Paul Standard ‘88 and the
Doozy about the same now, they are friends.
I’ve had the LP for a really long time, so if I
had to choose one guitar to take into space
to go to Mars and never come back, I’d take
him based purely on his tenure and ability to
comfort. When I go to a session and need a
guitar (that) can do it all, I take the Doozy.
TR: What are your other main live
guitars now?
CB: I have a few more Les Pauls, a gold one,
a Jr., an SG for downtuned songs, a Duesen-
burg 12-string…
TR: And what about amps?
CB: I have been using a Carr Slant 6v6 and
Rambler, I also recently purchased a 3 Mon-
keys Grease Monkey. I like to mix and match
heads every so often.
TR: Moving on to effects, I remember see-
ing a video or you using the EHX Ravish
Sitar pedal. Is that something you’re
still using?
CB: Yes! That thing is amazing. I’ve used it
for a soundtrack recording project with a
friend. It’s not on the live board, but always
in the toolbox.
TR: So what’s on your touring pedalboard
these days?
CB: A Fulltone Full Drive 2, Spaceman
Saturn, Hudson Electronics Stroll On, Elec-
tro-Harmonix POG, Eventide H9s, Fulltone
wah, Xotic SP, Empress Tape Delay, SIB Mr.
Echo, Boss Reverb, Fulltone Supa-Trem 2,
and a Disaster Area MIDI controller for
the H9s.
CONCLUSION

The thing that stuck with me most from the
interview was Carl’s comment about how
lucky we are to live in an age where we get
to mix old analog gear and modern digi-
tal gear. “Living in a time where we get to
merge the old touchy analog gear with the
new fancy computers is pretty exciting as
long as you are really listening to the sounds
and not just looking at waveforms.” 
We
really are in a golden age of guitar gear and
we are incredibly lucky to have the best of
everything so readily available. Like Carl said,
you just need to use your ears. It ultimately
doesn’t matter if you are getting your reverb
from an Eventide H9 or a crazy old Maestro
Reverb-Echo that connects to your amp’s
speaker via banana clips. As long as you are
getting tones that inspire you, that’s all that
really matters. Listening to The Waterfall, it’s
clear that Carl is inspired by the sounds
he’s creating.
ToneReport.com 35
36 INTERVIEW // Loaded Questions in an Automatic World: Carl Broemel
 100% analog
signal path with
unprecedented
digital control.

This “true pitch” analog vibrato/chorus pedal

features an all-analog signal path that can
be dialed in to create limitless palette of
vibrato and chorus. Since the control of the
effect is digital, it opens up unprecedented
effects and features that have never been
heard or offered in analog stompboxes. chaseblissaudio.com
 IBANEZ
TUBE SCREAMER
MINI
REVIEW BY IAN GARRETT
STREET PRICE $79.99
There’s been an explosion
in mini pedals over the last
couple of years—everything
from tuners, delays and
modulation pedals to
fuzz and overdrive is
represented. And now, the
list is expanding to include
the venerable green Ibanez
Tube Screamer, and it’s still
made in Japan.
The Mini preserves the
unique shape of its bigger
brother, just smaller. So,
what’s different on the
Mini than the bigger TS-
808? It lacks the square
footswitch, and that might
actually be a good thing.
The Mini instead uses a
standard size footswitch
38 GEAR REVIEW // Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini
and, as an added bonus,
it’s true bypass.
The knob configuration
is another benefit. Unlike
the TS-808 that has three
equal-sized knobs for
Level, Overdrive and Tone,
the Mini features two
smaller knobs for Tone and
Level, and a significantly
larger Overdrive knob in
the middle, great for toe
fiddlers such as myself.
It features a nine-volt
adapter in the back,
and given its small size,
no battery compartment
is possible. Perhaps more
importantly is what hasn’t
changed; the JRC4558 chip
used over the many years is
still inside. One other thing:
The TS-808 is $169, while
the new Mini is $79. I didn’t
have a reissue (or original)
TS-808 to compare the two,
but after years of owning
many different overdrives,
including some expensive
boutique versions of the
original Tube Screamer,
maybe I shouldn’t be
surprised, but I really
liked the Mini. A lot.
Many folks like the
Tube Screamer to push
an already-overdriven tube
amp. With Overdrive set
lower, and Level cranked
all the way, the Mini will
be sure to please in this
capacity. I thought perhaps
there would be more
WHAT WE LIKE CONCERNS
volume on tap, but it did
It’s that classic overdrive None, unless you need
surpass unity with the gain
crunch, and while it doesn’t a pedal that is battery
down low. I really liked the
have a signature tone powered.
gain structure on the Mini;
for the most part, that’s
with the Overdrive turned
never been its goal in life.
up to noon (or even all the
It’s meant to take your
way up), I always thought it
tube amp, and make it
sounded really good—the
scream, in a most pleasant
right amount of bite with
way possible. Mission
a little added compression.
accomplished.
The Tone and Level controls
are tweakable, but you’ll
find they’re basically set-
and-forget type controls.
If you want some added
gain and volume in your rig,
the Mini is a great way to
add it to your pedalboard,
at a great price, and a great
size. There’s not much else
to say about the Mini—you
either get it, or you don’t.
What’s not to love?

ToneReport.com 39
DIRTY
WORK
www.dod.com
 TOMKAT
PEDALS
KILLER FUZZ
REVIEW BY FLETCHER STEWART
STREET PRICE $150.00
SIGNAL
MASTICATION
IN NYC
Gazing into the white,
hungry eyes of the Killer
Fuzz primes one for a primal
aural onslaught. New-blood
Brooklyn pedal company
TomKat Pedals has used the
super-rare Sam Ash Fuzz-
Stainer as a development
platform for this beastly
versatile silicon fuzz circuit.
Like a hungry wolf in a
whiteout, the Killer Fuzz
can adapt to a wide range
of tonal conditions, digest
any level of signal source
and excrete blats of buttery
splutter, wooly warmth
or even gritty clean fuzz-
42 GEAR REVIEW // Tomkat Pedals Killer Fuzz
overdrive with the guitar reminded me of James
volume backed off. Williamson’s incendiary
tones on Iggy and the
The Killer Fuzz can shape
Stooges’ Raw Power. Going
shift from Tone Bender-
clockwise from noon on
ish clear kerrang, to thick
the Tone control does
Fuzz Face heft, and then
precisely the opposite—the
transform into Big Muff-like
midrange shifts, while the
sizzle with some clever tone
tone becomes pregnant
knob twisting. In fact, the
with lower-mid girth that
EQ shift of the tone knob
bottoms out to bludgeon
is very similar in operation
with each power chord
to my old tall font Russian
swing. This wrecking ball
Big Muff. At midnight,
of vintage fuzzy goodness
the EQ is fairly flat,
is like having a mongrel mix
revealing the guitar pickup
of vintage silicon lineage in
characteristics in the most
one Hammond enclosure.
accurate manor. Edging to
the left, the tone becomes
brighter and leaner until
a needlepoint piercing
fuzz-tone is achieved. This
LOOKS WHAT WE LIKE CONCERNS
THAT KILL The Tomkat Killer Fuzz Some may grumble at
is everything we want in the fact that there isn’t a
I don’t usually bang on
a boutique fuzz pedal. battery operation option,
about the looks of a pedal
Simple-yet-versatile tone particularly those that
unless it truly is a part of
dialing, touch and volume subscribe to the “batteries
the experience. The laser-
sensitivity, searing and sound better” fuzz
etched imagery on the
smearing lead tones, philosophy. I personally
Killer Fuzz is courtesy of
crunchy ragged out rhythms don’t (at least not with
Liam Sparkes. At times, his
and everything in-between. silicon-based fuzz circuits)
style reminds me a bit of
It wouldn’t be a proper so this is a non-issue for me.
Raymond Pettibon (who
ripper if it didn’t have Plus, from an environmental
is most famous for Black
some sort of “secret” NOS standpoint, the ol’ adapter
Flag imagery) though;
Ukrainian transistors, and is the more responsible
his perverse and often
that is exactly what lies way to go. The only other
irreverent depictions
under the hood, biased for concern I have now is
wouldn’t look out of place
a full-on fuzz assault. The whether I should buy this
in a Roald Dahl book. It’s
tone is rich raw and wholly awesome fuzz, or spend
no wonder I love Sparke’s
unneutered. If Tomkat my dough on a train ticket
images, because he cites
keeps strutting pedals out to London to get tatted
my three favorite artists
of the back alley that look up by Liam Sparkes.
(Albrecht Durer, Aubrey
and sound this good, they
Beardsley and Harry Clarke)
may just mark their territory
as influences. The way he
permanently in this crowded
and Tomkat pedal builder
boutique tone jungle.
Tom Kogut collaborate
with emblazoned eyes
throughout the pedal
range is ingenious. Oh,
and those creamy fluted
mirror capped knobs are
super styling as well.

ToneReport.com 43
FREEPEDALFRIDAY
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Jos h u a Go rdi s
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 MC SYSTEMS
BWI DYNAMIC
FUZZ
REVIEW BY IAN GARRETT
STREET PRICE $149.00

As pedal builders boldly activating footswitch. Those who don’t want

blaze their own paths to the to worry about how
To achieve its dynamic
future, some guitarists— hard they are (or aren’t)
response, the BWI uses
used to maybe three knobs, stomping can still get two
MC Systems’s “dynamic
tops—are initially bemused fuzz settings out of one
response V-SWITCH velocity
by their innovations. I pedal: turning the trimpot
sensitive true bypass
confess to being one fully-clockwise means the
switching system,” and I
of those guitarists, but V-SWITCH goes straight
admit to being daunted
I’ve learned that it’s to the secondary fuzz
by the idea of relying on
worth taking the time to setting, while a toggle on
precision stomping to
understand how new and the pedal’s surface enables
determine how much fuzz
unusual pedal designs work, the user to deactivate the
I want. Indeed, I initially
because choices that may velocity-based functionality,
couldn’t get the function
seem mystifying at first meaning the pedal defaults
to work with any kind of
blush often turn out to be to the first fuzz setting. So,
consistency, but tweaking
very useful. Such is the to sidestep the velocity-
the easy-to-access trimpot
case with the BWI Dynamic sensitive functionality,
that controls the switch’s
Fuzz by MC Systems, which users can max out the trim
sensitivity made a world of
allows the user to select the pot when they want the
difference, and soon I was
amount of fuzz applied to maximum amount of fuzz,
able to select the level of
his or her signal based on then set the V-SWITCH
fuzz with relative ease.
how hard he or she hits the Enable toggle to disable

46 GEAR REVIEW // MC Systems BWI Dynamic Fuzz

that function when they
want the lesser fuzz setting
(they can still leave the trim
pot at max).
Essentially, the velocity
function toggles between
two different settings on
two different “channels.”
The top channel is called
plain ol’ Fuzz and it has
its own separate volume
control. The top row of
the pedal also has a tone
control, which affects both
channels. The bottom row
of controls is home to the
V-Fuzz, which has its own
volume control. There’s also
a second footswitch that
allows the user to toggle
between the two Volume
controls whether in straight
Fuzz or V-Fuzz mode, handy
for switching between
rhythm and lead.
allowing the user to dial in
WHAT WE LIKE
much sweeter tones that
Cool fuzz tones that
will cut through a mix with
are slightly off the beaten
ease, without losing the
path, paired with a similarly
rich body of the fuzz. The
unusual feature set.
V-Fuzz channel offers a
lot more of the same—it’s
CONCERNS
thick, chewy and the gating
The pedal’s output could
effect crosses over to a
stand some goosing.
synthy, Tone Bender MKII-
type texture. I typically run
my ODs into fuzz, to ensure
the fuzz’s character isn’t
compromised by the OD;
this approach didn’t work
with the BWI-- the intensity
of the gating became
overwhelming, and the
pedal seemed to struggle to
get the notes. However, the
BWI worked well running
into my ODs and, between
the rich fuzz and the tone
control, I felt the pedal’s
effect wasn’t compromised.

I really liked the fuzz

character of both channels,
and I’d say the fuzz alone
is reason to consider the
BWI—the various gain and
volume options are just icing
on a very fuzzy cake. The
top channel is like a Fuzz
Face, but with more notable
gating. The tone control
is very well implemented,

ToneReport.com 47
 killer
for the fuzz hungry

tomkat
pedals and electronics

tomkatpedals.com
 SIX STRING
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
APP FOR GUITARISTS
REVIEW BY SAM HILL
STREET PRICE FREE

Since its inception around
the turn of the century,
social media has permeated
every facet of our lives.
Gone are the days of not
knowing what that kid you
went to high school with
had for lunch, and only
seeing one baby picture on
your fridge after someone
you know has a child. The
Internet is a gathering place,
and social media outlets are
places where we congregate
to share, celebrate, console,
laugh, and/or inundate
one another with cat and
celebrity memes. Facebook
has seemingly taken over
the world, and Twitter
and Instagram aren’t far
behind. Guitarists, no
doubt, have used these
modern resources to their
advantage, as it is now
easier than ever to share
music and let fans know
when the next show will be.
But—what if there was a
social network specifically
for guitarists? Behold:
SixString!
SixString can be described
as the lovechild of Facebook
and a guitar fanatic with
a gregarious personality.
It functions in a similar
manner to the social
network behemoth and is
completely guitar-centric—
no lunch menu updates
or baby pictures here.
The app – which can be
downloaded for free on an
iOS or Android device – is
straightforward and easy
to use. After setting up
my profile and posting a
picture of my favorite guitar,
I had a dozen fans almost
instantaneously (sure, the
first one had “creeper” in
their username, but I’ll
take what I can get).
You can browse your feed
and “applaud” (like) posts
and “fan” (friend) various
users. The coolest feature
about this app is the section
labeled Play, marked by a
red rock-hand icon. Tap the
hand, then select one of
four options: Picture, audio,
video or text. Got a new

50 GEAR REVIEW // Six String The Social Network App for Guitarists
riff you want to share with
your fellow axe slingers? It’s
as easy as hitting “record.”
Want to impress everyone
with your new git-fiddle?
Take a picture and wait for
the applause. I uploaded a
loop from one section of a
song I’m currently working
on and it was met with
virtual applause and positive
feedback. I could get used
to this.
However, this app can do
much more than stroke
strummers’ egos—it is an
incredibly practical way to
connect with other guitar
players. Remember the old
days when bands formed
from newspaper classified
ads? Think of this as the
21st century classified
section. It doesn’t matter
if you’re in Des Moines and
they’re in Boca Raton; if you
like each other’s jams, you
can connect and find a way
to make it happen. Even if
you’re not looking to put
an epic ensemble together,
the Play options are a great
way to record and save song
ideas you’ve been kicking
around.
The FanFeed is a guitar
WHAT WE LIKE
newsfeed of sorts that
Cool app dedicated to
comes directly from
guitarists and the gear
SixString. You know those
they love. It’s free!
guitar magazine and
manufacturer emails you CONCERNS
read all day at work? If Significant others will be
you’ve got SixString, much jealous. Steep decline in
of that info is consolidated workplace productivity is
into one space, making it a very real possibility.
easy for your seventh trip to
the bathroom in two hours
to be extremely enlightened
in the way of guitar news
and knowledge.
The bottom line is this:
there’s no reason not to
have this app on your
smartphone or tablet. It’s
about guitars and gear,
it’s cool, and it’s free. It’s
a pleasant alternative to
browsing through a guitar
forum and reading snarky
comments about this
pedal maker or that amp
guy. While I’m sure you
can find some attitude if
you dig deep enough, the
community on SixString
seems remarkably positive
and eager to connect with
fellow guitar lovers.
ToneReport.com 51
 TONE REPORT
EDITORIAL
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Luke Currano, Rebecca Dirks, Phillip Dodge,
David A. Evans, Sarah FitzGerald, Ian Garrett,
Brett Kingman, Nicholas Kula, Nick Rambo, Sam Hill
Eric Tischler, Fletcher Stewart, Jamie Wolfert, Matt Fisher

ART & DESIGN

SENIOR DESIGNER Richard E. Jones
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Adam Borden
COVER PHOTO Adam Borden

VIDEO
LEAD VIDEOGRAPHER Andy Martin
VIDEOGRAPHER Mike Hermans

SALES / MARKETING
MEDIA DIRECTOR Tom Keithly
tom@tonereport.com

CONTACT
SALES 503-747-3239
Gen. Inquiries info@tonereport.com
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Tigard, OR 97224

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