size pedal with a lone gain knob ; this new one features Gain , Volume and a third control marked Heat .
Gain and Volume are fairly standard , though I personally found the Volume just a bit lacking as there wasn ’ t much room above unity . That said , the Gain control has a very pleasant range of snarl in it . Cranking both of these first two controls is a great place to start and yields a fairly balanced tone with plenty of bite and shades of Tweed-like sag .
Heat is where the real action happens though . Increasing this control adds saturation , sustain and harmonic complexity . Cranking all three knobs gets you into slightly fuzzy territory that , if you ’ re like me , might make you wonder if the name of the pedal actually refers to its lowest knob ( as it seems to kick things into high gear ).
My favorite tones were found with the Volume and Heat knobs nearly cranked and the Gain knob backed off a tad , closer to 2:00 on the dial . This allowed me to flex between a gritty boost and a searing lead tone — with many stopping points in between . ( Something that worked equally well with a fuzz placed in front of the Fifth Gear , a platform overdrive placed after it , or even both .)
Overall , the Fifth Gear is a delight to play . Pair it with a delay or reverb and your grab-and-go board is complete . Or , load it onto your bigger board for a wonderfully simple ( yet versatile ) drive experience .
For once , the marketing blurb actually pays off on its promise : an overdrive that ’ s fully capable of being the only drive pedal on your board . Of course , that mostly applies to players who prefer to ride the volume knob on their guitar , but even if that ’ s not you , the Fifth Gear is a joy to play .
As much as I like the Fifth Gear , I did miss having a traditional tone control . And while the Heat control brings something interesting to the mix , I can ’ t help but wonder if it wouldn ’ t be better implemented as a footswitchable option . But hey — maybe we ’ ll see both additions in a deluxe third version .
size pedal with a lone gain knob ; this new one features Gain , Volume and a third control marked Heat .
Gain and Volume are fairly standard , though I personally found the Volume just a bit lacking as there wasn ’ t much room above unity . That said , the Gain control has a very pleasant range of snarl in it . Cranking both of these first two controls is a great place to start and yields a fairly balanced tone with plenty of bite and shades of Tweed-like sag .
Heat is where the real action happens though . Increasing this control adds saturation , sustain and harmonic complexity . Cranking all three knobs gets you into slightly fuzzy territory that , if you ’ re like me , might make you wonder if the name of the pedal actually refers to its lowest knob ( as it seems to kick things into high gear ).
My favorite tones were found with the Volume and Heat knobs nearly cranked and the Gain knob backed off a tad , closer to 2:00 on the dial . This allowed me to flex between a gritty boost and a searing lead tone — with many stopping points in between . ( Something that worked equally well with a fuzz placed in front of the Fifth Gear , a platform overdrive placed after it , or even both .)
Overall , the Fifth Gear is a delight to play . Pair it with a delay or reverb and your grab-and-go board is complete . Or , load it onto your bigger board for a wonderfully simple ( yet versatile ) drive experience .
WHAT WE LIKE
For once , the marketing blurb actually pays off on its promise : an overdrive that ’ s fully capable of being the only drive pedal on your board . Of course , that mostly applies to players who prefer to ride the volume knob on their guitar , but even if that ’ s not you , the Fifth Gear is a joy to play .
CONCERNS
As much as I like the Fifth Gear , I did miss having a traditional tone control . And while the Heat control brings something interesting to the mix , I can ’ t help but wonder if it wouldn ’ t be better implemented as a footswitchable option . But hey — maybe we ’ ll see both additions in a deluxe third version .
ToneReport . com 55
size pedal with a lone
gain knob; this new one
features Gain, Volume and
a third control marked
Heat.
Gain and Volume are
fairly standard, though
I personally found the
Volume just a bit lacking
as there wasn’t much
room above unity. That
said, the Gain control
has a very pleasant range
of snarl in it. Cranking
both of these first two
controls is a great place
to start and yields a fairly
balanced tone with plenty
of bite and shades of
Tweed-like sag.
Heat is where the real
action happens though.
Increasing this control
adds saturation, sustain
and harmonic complexity.
Cranking all three knobs
gets you into slightly
fuzzy territory that, if
you’re like me, might
make you wonder if the
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