Speaking of Pedals......

[django49]

The only pedal a person might ever need(?) But with FX loop, easy enough to add on......

The original Ethos Overdrive has been the basis for my sound for many years. Def NOT an easy plug and play gadget, but once I got it sorted out, I loved it. Paired with a good small tube combo (Mesa Blue Angel my preference) it has taken on a lot of bigger classic and "boutique" amps in live settings and never found wanting......I have lost track of how many people I have "encouraged" to pick one up. The new and improved version has been on the drawing board for at least 4 years. SIX footswitchable functions (with add on 2 button switch)...Bits and pieces of demos have popped up. A definitive demo is pending. Now a release of the manual. Hoping mine ships soon.

Whudathunk a $659 pedal, but this is actually cheaper than the original (if the original is tricked out with all available options) despite having more usable functions. Voiced as a Fender Deluxe and Dumble ODS, but each very tweakable on the fly, (Ya need that M sound? It is there too).

The manual:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pjz37mjt2r8xvu916u9zo/Ethos-Clean-Fusion-Deluxe-Rev-B.pdf?rlkey=ymq1z0lwd3rkfqgx9aa25mcng&dl=0

A teaser demo showing different combinations of functions with a remote 6 button controller.......ETA---I think that is Robbie Hall himself doing a quick run through with his Tele. Quite probably going direct, but no details on settings, etc. Still, gives a pretty good idea of what is possible on the fly.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y6u8bkr89yu1hlx/20221024_130234.mp4?dl=0&copy_to_dropbox=true

Not saying it will make me a better player, but I will have fun trying!

[django49]

Well, supposedly to be shipping "soon". Meanwhile, a few small demo clips, the first using a Les Paul directly into Garage Band. Uses the HRM (post gain EQ) for tone shaping. You might recognize it. 😉

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gc063k4wq5jwb5itmy3se/ECFD-Demo-Long-Beard-9_18_23-2.50-PM.mp3?rlkey=c3jp12ungmwyptwpbm8dwtehb&dl=0

Seems to work on clean styles too.....

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4hsx4rna7abl98v9s69dd/ECFD-Demo-Clean-Strat-9_18_23-12.39-PM.mp3?rlkey=rkgw3gxy12svcclbibuzqz8yb&dl=0

Or "jazzy":

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0lacj6b74pmvpqeehcnnu/ECFD-Demo-jazz-box-9_18_23-2.02-PM.mp3?rlkey=072zwjle86dqyrn7xpixzgpio&dl=0

Looking forward to getting my grubby paws on one.....Adding a delay/doubler through the FX loop into a small pedalboard mounted stereo power amp into one of my shop built stereo cabinets should make for a mighty but lightweight rig.

[Saul Goodman]

Kind of reminds me of Richie Kazakhstan's rig. Form factor anyway. Looks like this is a whole lot more. 

[django49]

At risk of boring anyone, finally a more comprehensive demo.....

 

[django49]

At risk of boring anyone, here are my review/comments that I forwarded to Robbie yesterday after about 2 weeks of experimenting. I know it is not the answer for everyone, but it sure does work for me. Even more so than the original that was at the heart of "my sound(s) for many years......

Thanks for the great new product. Mine is # 11. It is a really nice step forward. I would like to add some comments. I am sure they will be nothing new to you. Perhaps there may be something of value to others. If not, or too obvious, just ignore.

First, the OLD. I have used your products before, with the Ethos OD being the base for "my sound" for several years. So I looked forward to the CFD with high hopes. Which have been met. AND, I assume it will be even more useful on the fly when the remote footswitch is added....As best I can tell, that will allow me to select either the bright or mid options (OR BOTH!) on the fly. Great, as I like them both, though now available only by reaching down and manually selecting one or the other.

How the original worked (for me) and how the new one is different..... I set the original up in front of a great guitar tube amp. For me, the Mesa Blue Angel worked great (with the combined 6v6 and el84 power tubes). Sort of the best of a small Fender and Vox, on steroids. Set it for a nice " fat and bluesy" tone. Added the OD and OD plus boost to get the gained up tones. The trick is I used the clean channel of the pedal to get a cleaner and crisper sound than the underlying amp (when the Ethos was bypassed). So I could go from clean sounds and arpeggios to "blues tones" to rock (say Allman Bros) to really creamy (Santana). Add the HRM and Gary Moore was right there.

I am not sure how many of your pedals I have "sold" when people asked "How DO you get your tone?" But I know I have inspired multiples, even with my limited skills.

So.....the CFD.....First inclination was to do something similar based upon that experience. BUT.... So many good tones on the CFD clean side! Would be a shame to bury them and make it (Deluxe side) squeaky clean! (I love to use the CFD "clean side" with some gain and boost it with the HRM). And setting a combo amp for a good volume on its own meant sacrificing the power of both sides of the CFD to make volume levels more balanced. Meaning, turn down the volume level on the pedal. WAY down. Gotta be passing up a lot of goodness! So, what to do?

Lots of experimenting. Spread over many days. Esp since I was looking to use a small power amp on a pedal board to go with one of my shop built speakers. I love the D type matchup with a Forte 3D type cab......Small, but sounds HUGE. Best tones of open and closed back cabinets in one package. The 1 x 12 sounds like it is 3 feet tall and 5 feet wide. And an Alnico Cream is my pick for speaker. (My speaker cabinets are a discussion for another day).

So, I cobbled together a fairly small board. Bottom layer has the power supply and Ethos power amp. (The latter has all the power I would typically need). That allows me to place pedals on top of each and still stay within the confines of my tweed pedalboard.... I can carry in the board in one hand, speaker in the other, guitar over my shoulder. Now I have FOUR Ethos products on it.....I use the TWE for a very specific sound, the original Clean for that squeaky cleans and a mini "klone" to add a little sweetener IF needed to round it out. And each pedal has separate volume controls, so it is easy to match volume levels. Add the 2 other footswitchable CFD functions in the future and even better!

BTW, using a guitar with great HB pickups that split nicely and using the volume pedal allows me to get all the more sounds....I have become more adept at using the V and T knobs on the guitar too. (If I use a guitar in that mode with a nice and blendable piezo, even more versatile......I always seem to be able to find a place in the mix regardless of what anyone else is playing. Strat? Paul? 335? D-28? One of each? I can work it in.

Also, BTW, I have gigged with nothing more than a very mini board with Ethos OD AMP, power supply and Flint Rev/Trem into a lightweight 1 x 12 and done quite well......

I am not going to say this is necessarily where I will end up, esp after I get a chance to put it through its paces live. For example, I think a STEREO power amp coming off those two Strymon pedals would be superb. I have also built some stereo cabinets (tweed to match the board, no less) that are relatively small. A whole other story.....

Yes, I COULD (and may sometimes) reduce the size of the board to something much smaller. But for now, I am loving this configuration.

This is all my long winded way to express my appreciation and suggest that others start at ground zero and learn the ins and outs of this new thing rather than just clone their old settings and miss out on all the CFD has to offer.

And, I will confess, I have not even dived into the "go direct" option yet.....

Obviously, I am a fan boy.......And I will look forward to the future remote footswitch and, just maybe, a stereo power amp.


Thanks!

What else can I say? Highly recommended!