REVIEWS
ALEXANDER
La Calavera
By Joe Gore
In Spanish , calavera means “ skull .” The word also describes a stylized human skull representation , like the clay and sugar skull figurines that feature so prominently in Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations . Well , Alexander Pedals has your stylized skull right here : The eye-popping graphics on their La Calavera phase shifter capture the loud , lurid fun of Mexican folk art . And it sounds even more bitchin ’ than it looks .
Phase of the Dead La Calavera is a retro-sounding phaser with fun modern twists . A top-panel toggle selects between three modes : suave , dinámica , and loco . Suave provides lush , retro-sounding 10-stage phasing . Dinámica mode adds envelope-triggered modulation — the intensity of your touch controls the sweep rate . Loco mode adds mild ring modulation to the mix , yielding complex pulsations and surreal sweeps and burbles .
La Calavera is nicely built into a standard 125B-sized enclosure . The tidy circuit board features mostly small , surfacemount components , though there are a few larger throughhole parts . The footswitch is a silent relay . There ’ s no battery compartment , and the pedal runs on conventional 9V power . Of course , there are the standard rate and depth controls . There ’ s also a tweak knob . Its role changes according to the selected mode .
Rico Suave Suave mode offers rich and tactile 10-stage phasing . The tone isn ’ t far removed from such vintage 10-stage phasers as the Boss PH-2 , a go-to model during the 1980s . The effect is complex and immersive , but not too soft or diffuse , thanks to a nice edgy resonance that can cut through in a mix . It ’ s a deep , hypnotic sound you can really get lost in . That ’ s especially impressive given that it ’ s digital modulation , courtesy of the popular Spin FV-1 chip . The Spin is a smart and versatile processor , but I ’ ve found its modulation effects a bit stiff and clinical — at least as deployed in some recent pedals . That ’ s not the case here , though . The phasing is as warm and juicy as on any vintage phaser . And I must confess : Before inspecting the circuit board , I ’ d have sworn La Calavera was analog .
In suave mode , the tweak knob adjusts the amount of feedback — the resonant edge that increases the effect ’ s intensity and impact . There ’ s also a not-so-standard wet / dry mix control .
Set at noon , the pedal generates classic phase colors . Dialing it toward the dry side creates subtler effects , while wet-side settings favor the modulated signal . All-wet settings provide cool pitchshift vibrato flavors .
Dynamics for Days Dinámica mode lets you control the modulation intensity via your playing dynamics . Here , the rate knob determines the maximum speed , while the tweak knob sets the sensitivity . The big deal isn ’ t that La Calavera offers this envelope-controlled option , but that it ’ s so well realized . The values and tapers of the pots are just perfect , with cool and usable sounds throughout
Wet / dry mix knob
Multi-function tweak control
Three phasing modes : suave , dinámica , and loco
premierguitar . com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2016 149