Re: Swollen Pickle [was: My Y2KX recording]

[Mark Hamburg <mark@grubmah.com>]

On Oct 21, 2010, at 7:27 PM, Jeff Duke wrote:

> I will chime in here, kind of funny because I was just in a Facebook 
>thread about the Swollen Pickle. I got one the day before I played, 
>tested it in the motel and then used it for my set at Y2KX. I was very 
>happy with the result. This thing is very powerful. I think I had all the 
>knobs on 10 and the volume knob on 1. Very dark, powerful and still 
>allows definition even maxed out. As Steuart Liepeg just pointed out, 
>mine is a reissue though and perhaps the older ones sounded different 
>(better?) I will know more when I finally get my studio put back together 
>after the trip :)

I would concur with this review. I've really liked it as a fuzz. It's also 
fairly easy to go test them since Guitar Center is carrying them. It's 
basically in the Big Muff vein. It can be a little harsh or bright (though 
that may just be because I've got the tone knob up) without the overdrive 
after it.

What stunned me with the ICBM was Barry's ability -- which he credited at 
least partially to the ICBM -- to get long, liquid lines with barely any 
picking.

On the amp sim front, the Blonde + Liverpool approach was essentially Bill 
Walker's idea a while back. I'm running a couple of M13 effects upstream 
of the amp sims and a couple downstream, but I'm contemplating doing 
something like using a chorus or phaser to stereoize the signal upstream 
of the M13 (or M9) and running the amp sims before the Line6 box. 
Certainly dropping to a single simulator would be an option, but I like 
the double amp effect, particularly if I set one to be somewhat more 
overdriven than the other. 

Mark