reminiscent of guitar tones
from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Especially when the pedal is
pushed hard, the distortion
takes on a semi-compressed
sound which really lends
itself to heavy power-chord
work. I’m thinking of Jimmy
Page, especially, but it also
sounded great when I did
my best Hendrix impression.
Because the overdrive
seems biased more toward
a darker tone, I found
myself playing in my usuallyneglected bridge pickup. I
thought this bridge pickup’s
trebly output fit perfectly
with the Valvecaster’s
darker sound. I even
adjusted what seemed to
be the pedal’s Tone knob
for a bit more high-end,
and was still pleased with
the chimey results. The Tone
knob seems to boost or
lower the high end without
really cutting the low end,
which I thought was nice.
Given the already darker
tones of the pedal, I felt
there was no need for a lowend boost, though maybe in
future models a little button
with a warning on it can do
just that.
Now, some people might
feel that an upright,
exposed vacuum tube—
the aforementioned
protuberance—is a liability.
I agree that it’s not always
ideal to expose your tubes
to the careless footsteps
of eager fans. I can even
imagine a gig during which
one too many beers leads a
person to stomp a little too
hard on their box, thereby
shattering the tube. But fear
not, for the pedal features
a handy metal shield which
can, when properly used,
protect the tube from the
rigors of live gigging.
WHAT WE LIKE
Excellent value for what
is probably my favorite
overdrive I’ve heard
this year. Simplicity of
construction and design.
CONCERNS
A wayward foot might
shatter the exposed vacuum
tube, but it’s a minor
concern.
Despite that minor
drawback, I believe that
this pedal’s merits, in
combination with its
unbelievably good price,
make the purchase of the
Valvecaster a no-brainer. I’ll
say it again: the Matsumin
Valvecaster might very
well be the best purchase
you’ll make for a true, tubedriven overdrive in the
near future—and that’s no
laughing matter.
ToneReport.com
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