Truetone added a clean blend
control. Unlike most of the
pedals in this list, the Route 66
clean blend is “wired in
reverse.” With the knob turned
all of the way to the left, you
get only clean sounds, and
turned all of the way to the
right, it’s all distorted tones.
The magic lies in the middle.
The distorted tone heard is one
you know well. The clean blend
simply adds articulation and
a little sonic complexity to
the mix.
T-REX CRUNCHY FROG
The Crunchy Frog were part of
a series of T-Rex pedals that
were made for and sold
exclusively by Guitar Center
and Musicians Friend. I say
“were,” because it appears the
pedals have been discontinued.
I haven’t looked at the circuit,
but based on sound alone, I’d
guess that the Crunchy Frog is
yet another TS-based
overdrive. The Crunchy Frog
has plenty of gain and
brightness on tap. With mine, I
almost always keep the Tone
knob below 10 o’clock. Edging
the tone beyond noon, things
get a little ice-picky. Likewise,
edging the gain beyond 1
o’clock is when things start to
lose definition. It should be
noted though: I’m not a highgain kind of guy. The Frog
12
TONE TALK //
excels for lead work and the
independent boost is a great
feature. The Boost function on
the Crunchy Frog comes after
the dirt and works with or
without the dirt engaged.
Rather than just adding gain
and thickening the tone, this
boost can increase your
volume and will even work
as a clean boost.
The Frog doesn’t respond
especially well to rolling off
your guitar’s volume knob, but
it lightens up a little if you back
off on your pick attack. The
clean blend is the real star on
this pedal. Blending your clean
signal into the overdrive makes
for great definition and
thickness. With just the
overdrive, the Crunchy Frog is
fine for lead but a little thin for
rhythm work. With the clean
added, you can dial in a great
rhythm tone with just enough
dirt and grit. If you are looking
for a TS-style pedal or a good
lead boost, the Crunchy Frog is
a great choice.
WAY HUGE SAUCY BOX
The Saucy Box is the second
entry (the first being the Pork
Loin) in this list from Jeorge
Tripps, the mad scientist and
mastermind at Way Huge. And
it sounds and behaves almost
like a streamlined and
Clean Blend Overdrives: The Unlikely Path to Tonal Nirvana