Stompbox Magic
If buying a new guitar or altering your old
one is not in the cards, there are also a
couple of stompboxes that can generate
convincing and effectively endless sustain.
The Boss FB-2 Feedbacker/Booster is the
most well known of these. All features
considered, this thing is a solo machine, with
a sweet boost, useful equalization functions,
and an instant feedback generator
all on board. One can dial
in how quickly the onset of
feedback happens, as well as
the sonic characteristics of the
boost, and from there it’s just a
matter of holding the pedal down
when you need to summon some
mellifluous, natural sounding sustain.
The FB-2 needs a small amount of
actual volume from the amp (though not
very much) to work properly, so it’s not the
best option for totally silent practice, or trying
to generate feedback while recording direct
and monitoring through headphones.
The newest feedback generator pedal on
the scene is the DigiTech FreqOut, and it
has worked up a substantial buzz in the
effects world in a very short period of time.
Given its functionality and affordability,
it’s probably going to be the best choice
available for players that need dynamic
sounding feedback at reasonable volume
and gain levels. Firstly, it creates natural,
infinite sustain under any circumstances,
with or without a live amp in the room.
It also works beautifully with both single
notes and chords, and the user can
select from seven different harmonic
enhancement frequencies to
focus on for rich, perfectly tuned
sustain. The switch can be set to
latch or momentary, and with
the Kill Dry toggle and careful
adjustment of the onset knob,
the FreqOut can easily transition from
smooth, organic feedback to ghostly synth
and EBow-like textures. It’s an absolutely
brilliant pedal, and at just under 180 bucks it
is well worth every penny for the true sustain
and feedback hound.
ToneReport.com
29