Here are some customer comments. There are also reviews on the Harmony-Central web site. Hi there, Scott! I received the Crispy Cream Treble Booster pedal just in time to use it to cut a guitar track on a new album I'm producing. I placed it in front of my Marhsall Plexi (2X12 cab with Greenbacks) using a custom made Fender Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan humbucking pickups. Signal was processed using a Sure SM-7 mic > Neve 1073 mic pre/EQ > Empirical Lab Distressor ELX8s > Apogee A/D filter > Pro Tools HD running @ 48k. After making adjustments to the amp and outboard
gear, I was able to determine the true value of using the Crispy Cream
pedal with a good tube amp: The first thing I noticed was the clarity
and warmth of each articulated note. The sound was reminiscent of my
old Vox Treble Booster and Dallas Rangemaster pedals, however the Crispy
Cream was noise free and added a desirable crisp yet gluey and fluid
texture to notes and solos. Basically, it imparted a unique presence
and sonic richness to my guitar tone that could not be obtained by any
other pedals I own (and I own all the good ones). I checked out the
guts of the pedal and was impressed with the wiring, components, and
general build. Even guitarists with little recording experience will
love this pedal because of its simplicity and ease of use and the fact
that you cannot get a bad sound from it. I know that it is marketed
as a vintage sound pedal (May, Beck, Page, Clapton) that can help recreate
the guitar sounds of these legendary players, but it can be used to
create tones perfect for what's happening today as well. I have already
started using the pedal on contemporary punk-pop tracks with great success
with a new group I'm recording (White Girlz). This
pedal truly lives up to its name. Well done! I used the Crispy Cream in a session
I just did with a big producer, from NYC. The pedal really kicked butt!
I was very impressed and so was the producer. We needed to get more
out of amp I was using, Fender 1960 white toilex, for a lead guitar
sound. Just putting the amp on 10 wasn't enough. I said, "wait, I've
got this new pedal I just bought and I want to try it out". That was
it....we got the sound we were looking for in a matter of seconds.I'm
very impressed with this pedal. In fact, it doesn't go in my case anymore,
it stays out in the control room where I can get it quickly. Hey Scott. Got the pedal. I love it.
It has such a smooth sound that cuts at the right places without ripping
my head off. I will definitely be using it on the new record. I also
love the volume knob. I can add just the perfect amount of saturation.
Small, durable, perfect. Scott - After receiving
my pedal, I immediately put it to work with my Peavey Classic. All I
can say is "WOW!!" With the preamp maxed out, where there was once mushiness
and harshness there is now clarity and warmth. Full, complex chords
ring out with excellent note definition. When using the driver section
only a la a Class A amp, I got nice, round overdrive that sounds a lot
like Brian May. I also used it on my all-tube 15 watt practice amp.
Same result all around. Although the Crispy Cream isn't a distortion
pedal, it is, in my opinion, the ultimate "distortion pedal." Good
thing it's built like a tank because I simply will not be able to live
without it! Much thanks... I rec'd the booster last night...wow, quick service! I was immediately impressed with the workmanship. I love the volume knob on the side, its very easy to manipulate with my foot...nice touch! It sounds really good, it has a nice treble / upper mid presence that really cuts. It definitely brings out the best of my May replica guitar and sounds awesome with my Strat and PRS guitars. It lends a really cool tone to humbuckers. Major gain if I need it, which is cool for non-channel switching amps - i can use it as a "distortion" pedal. PS - a cool trick is to use the Crispy Cream at mid boost for the main tone, then i run it into my Vox Valve tone as a pseudo Vox preamp with the gain boosted (has a 4558 chip), then into my THD amp. Its a pretty convincing Vox / May tone! (e-mail #1) Hey, I just wanted to let you know that
I competed in The Guitar Centers Guitarmeggedon Contest last night and
I used your treble booster through a mid gained Mesa Rectifier. I came
in first and all the judges asked me about your pedal. They loved the
sound and were inquiring about it. This is one class pedal, I'm sure
it will go down in history along with all the other classic boosters.
Thanks for designing such a kick @$$ product.
(e-mail #2) The "Booster" is here at last !! Love
the Tone--reminds me of early Larry Carlton and/or Eric Clapton in the
early days (obviously). It`s just how I imagined it would be...the response
takes me back to the old days back in the `70`s when it was only these
kind of level boosters that were available to get the lift from your
old amp for a solo! The "crispy cream" has a very organic response through
my amps which is great for solos in the studio ( I`m using a Laney VC30
& Peavey Classic 50 ).I`m now thinking a getting a re-issue Vox AC30
TBX to go with it. Hey Scott, I think the pedal is great. I have two
Brian May Replicas, one custom made and the other one is a Burns. I
modified the Burns a little by changing the tone pots from 250K to 100K
to warm it up a little. The Burns was way too bright, a lot brighter
then the Guild I had, and a lot brighter then the custom made guitar
I have. Anyways, I was a bit worried considering I don't have an AC-30.
I have a Line 6 Flextone and after reading that you had a customer not
like the way the booster worked with his Line 6 product, I started to
panic. It took a lot of experimentation, but I finally got THE SOUND.
The following information is very important and might help you sell
your booster to a wider audience. Settings for Line 6 Flextone I or
II are as follows: Scott, Scott, "I love the Crispy Cream. It has
more of an overdriven sound than my other treble boosters and it has
a nice sound. It is remarkable that it is so quiet." "I absolutely love the Crispy Cream.
It provides warmth and edge...reacts well when you back off the guitar
volume. I own two Fryer pedals and a Dallas Rangemaster copy. They are
all great pedals in their own right. Scott's Crispy Cream is right up
there with all of them, and since I got it I haven't stopped using it." "... a smooth and cutting sound
that evokes the familiar Brian May tone ...I have found very satisfying
results by using it through my vintage, blackface, Fender Vibrolux Reverb.
This Fender amp is a clean sounding base that fits perfect with the
Crispy Cream Treble Booster. A match made in heaven! ... intricate
point-to-point wiring is top quality.... The graphics...evoke the late
60's and early 70's style of effects units. I would not leave for a
gig without Scott's Crispy Cream Treble Booster! Rock like Queen, or
find your own unique voice, this little device is a tone machine! " "I don't own a VOX AC30 or a Brian
May style guitar (but I am a big fan of the BHM sound), but I was looking
to squeeze more pure tube tone out of a low-watt amp without blowing
out my ears. I recently bought a 15-watt Class A amp that drives two
12" Celestion speakers. It sounds good with no pedals, but I wanted
to add some of that rich harmonic sound (and kick it up a notch) so
I bought the Crispy Cream. I am really happy with the booster. After
experimenting with the volume and gain controls on my amp I can now
get a broad spectrum of sounds: from growling overdriven distortion
to that clean "chimey" bell-like sound, just by adjusting the volume
control on my guitar, all at comfortable sound levels. I expected the
great overdrive, but I am really amazed at how good it sounds when you
cut the volume a bit. Also, I think you did a good job of keeping pedal
noise to minimum. I frankly can't really hear any noise above the background
of my equipment. Of course, I had to open the case and take a peak and
was impressed by the workmanship, it looks like it will last. I really
like the pedal." "I'm very satisfied with your pedal.
It operates as advertised and seems to be very solidly constructed.
The lack of knobs and switches only increases the usefulness of this
effect. If this pedal had too many settings I might never be able to
figure out what I was going to do with it; because it is a completely
different effect than I'm familiar with. I'm not interested in duplicating
Brian May's tone, but it I've found some interesting sounds with my
Marshall and Ampeg heads. The pedal changes the tone and normal settings
of everything used in the signal path. My initial thoughts are that
this effect gives your preamp a jolt and that you could really come
up with a unique "signature" sound with this pedal in conjunction with
other effects." "Sound: I am already quite satisfied
with my simple setting: series wired Kid's BM model + Crispy Cream TB
+ Vox Cambridge 30. Cambridge 30's pre-amp section with a 12AX7 tube
equipped, works fine with Crispy Cream particularly through Channel
2. I can control colourful/natural distortion sounds and level with
adjusting volume and tone control knobs on the guitar.... Even if I
play around high positions, it sounds smooth and comfortable to listen.
It is very difficult to find exact adjectives to describe the difference
from distortion sounds I could get from normal effectors in the past,
but there is a really really big pleasant difference. Highly recommendable
if you have old tone guitars with tube amplifiers." I have tested the Crispy Cream w/ the
adjustment knob for several days now. I love it! Makes everything in
my signal path sound better. You have definitely hit the right treble
frequency with the Crispy Cream. The adjustment knob is so crucial to
set the Crispy Cream so that my amp is just on the verge of feedback. Hi! I'd just let you know that I recieved
the booster yesterday, and I MUST say that it sounds fantastic! Personally
I think my guitar now sounds even better than the Red Special - it somehow
is more clear/clean (hard to imagine though). I also made my own guitar,
but it's not a red special copy, it's got three Seymour Duncan Quarter
Pounder for Jaguar pickups (the coils are thicker), and when you boost
them, it sounds fantastic. Thanks! I think sounds much like the old Eric
Clapton Bluesbreakers "Beano" tone with a real Les Paul. It
is so open and you really hear all the detail in an open G chord--very
complex. I have a Korina Explorer built by a guy named Mike Stephens
that is an exact replica of a 59 Explorer to the finest detail. You
should hear this combo. It is a tone, with my Watkins Dominator, that
will make you cry. The CC adds just the right amount before going over
the top and is so open. I think your's is a ... versatile pedal and
really adds to the character of an already amazing amp without coloring
it too much. I played that thing for about three hours straight and
was just astounded by the tone I had without any other pedals. I'm not
kidding or trying to build you up at all. It was just a tone that really
sounded like my JTM45, very very brown and rich with articulation. It
was more versatile a sound than I thought with the Mp3's I heard--much
more... I plugged in the CCTB
and...WOW!! After getting a good tone directly plugging the guitar in,
I patched in the CCTB. This is exactly the sound I've been looking for.
I ran it through a Marshall Plexi 50 and 4x12 cabinet with vintage Celestions
(with a Scholz Power Soak) and used both my Firebird VII and ES335...the
CCTB gives me that crunch and added presence through my present setup
with no worry at all. Bravo
for making such a fine device, it's worth every cent. I think your pedal will get a lot of playing time in my setup! It looks great,too.Very simple, cool and well built. I really love this pedal - you do great work. I was very pleased with delivery time, and your friendly e-mails as well. I have been playing with your pedal for a few hours today. I have my Keeley Ross compressor clone(THAT is a nice pedal,too!) in front of the Crispy Cream, and with my amp up full and the volume rolled back am getting a tone very much like Gary Moore on the "Blues for Greeny" CD. Crank it up and it's the "Still Got the Blues" sound! Awesome! My amp is a 1985, solid-state rectified
AC30TBR with Celestion Greenbacks.Greenbacks get me into the Gary Moore/Michael
Schenker type tones at full volume, while still having enough Brian
May in it to do that too, if I want. I dunno if you remember, but i purchased
a treble booster from you back a few months ago. I'm currently working
on a CD and I can't live without your pedal...I have to say I don't
know where I'd be without it! I'm using a Vox-AC-30 split with a Fender
Twin Reverb...and the treble booster makes it all the sweeter! It's
amazing how much more flexibility I can get out of my playing now...before
I was just stuck with the same old standards, but the pedal has driven
me creatively, especially when I'm writing bits and pieces impromptu
style. I must also say that the pedal sounds great with my Les Paul
3 pc custom. Nice and easy with the neck pickups...and heavy and hard
with the bridge pickups. Anyway, enough of my ranting.... A million
thanks for the pedal! Wanted to let you know I got the Crispy
Cream and have had a chance to play with it a little bit. I'm very impressed.
Very smooth, absolutely nails that Brian May violin-esque tonality when
played through a good mildly overdriven tube amp. Nice and quiet for
this type circuit. I'll probably check back with you in the near future
with a repeat order. Thanks. Hey Scott, your booster is working fine
for me especially with the Route 66 amp. It adds a little boost and
treble that is great. |
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