Aluminum Tailpiece- anyone using one?

[lusn]

Anyone try an aluminum tailpiece? Curious on your findings...

[straightblues]

I have them on three guitars, what do you want to know?

[lusn]

What have you noticed regarding sustain or tonal changes? Also, does the finish match your bridge? Which tailpiece do you have?

[bobbymack]

I have Pigtails on a couple of my LPs, and I'd say the sustain is a bit better, but the desirability really depends on the guitar. I took one off an LP because it made the guitar too bright...

[straightblues]

I have both the Pigtail and the Gotoh. The sustain maybe is a bit better with them. They do brighten up the sound quite a bit. I would say the sound is different, not better or worst, just different. It really helped a couple of my guitars that were very dark. I put one on my Hamer Artist Mahogony and it was a big improvement to my ears. I am also running one on an SG I have and my import Hamer Echotone. With the Pigtail and the Gotoh, again, one is not better IMHO, they are just a little different. I bought the Gotohs at Stewmac and the Pigtail direct from Pigtail. Mine do match my guitars. I believe you can get them in a variety of different finishes to match the rest of your guitars hardware.

[BadgerDave]

I have them on several guitars. Lighter weight (every little bit helps) and I perceive a bit more "zing" added to the guitar's tone.

StewMac sells the Gotoh models in chrome, nickel and gold for about $75.00 less than you would pay for an identical tailpiece from Gibson.

StewMac Link

[Guest Mike Lee]

Damn you Badger! Now there's another $100 down the gear toilet. Thanks for the OCD Pedal though. Perfect name.

[Armitage]

Gotoh's gold plating sucks though...

[BadgerDave]

Damn you Badger! Now there's another $100 down the gear toilet. Thanks for the OCD Pedal though. Perfect name.

How 'bout a review of the OCD, Mike? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

[Guest Mike Lee]

I like the OCD. it's not perfect, but it's better than many other OD/Distortion boxes I've gone through. Most distortions are too compressed and have a somewhat sucked out midrange and fuzzy highs that clash with the midrange richness of my Dr. Z. The OCD has the mids, but they aren't humped up like a TS or TS-clone. With more gain on tap and a ruder, more Marshall-esque tone, it's better for the Allman Brothers type tone that I like.

When I listened to my tone on the MWJ recordings Chris posted (Z28 with Maxon OD820), I found it to be almost too smooth and round, while lacking in harmonic grit and grind. I think the OCD strikes a better tonal balance. But if you are using a Fender Blackface style amp with the characteristicly strong highs and lows and subdued mids, the mod hump of a TS might work better.

I was thinking about picking up a newer Full Drive with the 3-way switch so I could try the flat-mids setting. Combined with the OCD I'd have a three-channel NMV single channel amp!

[ArnieZ]

Count me as another OCD convert. Still honeymooning, but so far I like it a lot! Makes the switch between guitars better than my Sparkle Drive and Direct Drive SS (now gone) and sounds equally great with my Savage Glas 30 and Z 28. I really like the LP/HP option, which IMO are both quite useful. It also sounds great at lower volumes which has me reconsidering the need for a very low wattage amp. Has anyone tried one of these pedals at 18 volts yet? I would like to try that and also need to play it more with a little more volume, but i think this is one of those items that mostly lives up to the hype

ArnieZ

[BadgerDave]

That pretty much mirrors what I thought of the OCD. Top quality, very organic and pure and not much "pedal coloration".

I let it go because I like the character of the Fulldrive II just a bit better. The FDII trades some of the OCD's edginess for a slightly more compressed and smoother tone, especially in the highs and upper mids. So far, my FDII has survived all challenges, but the OCD came close. Mike Fuller is making some damn fine gear.