| Subject: Ethos Overdrive Pedal KILLS! |
| From: lonster@earthlink.net |
I have one of these pedals. I'll vote for it as "Gear of the Year" if there was such an award.
A landmark in pedal evolution. Buy one. And no, I'm not working for them and I paid for mine
with real money. I just like acknowledging genius when I find it.
-Scroll Down for More Reviews-
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
"This is a very fine pedal. Thank you very much." Jochen W. Mann, 11/17/08
"The Ethos is working great. I have used it in a number of situations, and it sounds incredible!"
Grant Geissman, 10/30/08
my search for the ultimate overdrive pedal is complete. This makes the fourth OD pedal I have and it blows them all away (I have ts9, Boutique SRB808 clone, Fulldrive 2, and a chandler tubedriver). This thing is incredible.
I played my PRS McCarty, John Mayer Artist Strat, and American Strat through my Bad Cat Black Cat 30R head with 4x12 Cabinet, and I can't make it sound bad. Thanks again, if you branch out into any other pedals, let me know because I'll buy them all. Clint L. Sanchez, 10/29/09
Just a short Hello from Finland! You have got yet another very satisfied customer regarding the Ethos! It's sounding beautifully with my other gear, so thanks a lot for an outstanding product!
All the best to you stateside! Rune Pettersson, 10/28/08
I received the TLE on Thursday which was great because I had a
chance to get into it a bit before my gig. Simply put… you’ve already heard all
the superlatives via your other reviews. All I can say is that those reviews
were spot on! If I were ‘Mr. D’ I might be a little upset that somebody
had figured out how to replicate his sound for $400! Calling this a “pedal”
doesn’t do it justice- it is an overall sound shaping tool as others have
described. I used it at home with my JVM and on the gig with my Bogner Shiva-
with identical great results. It will be the BEST $you have ever spent
on a piece of music gear! But you’d best get on this list!" Dick Bauerle,
I received my Ethos TLE two days ago and I'm still in Shock. This isn't a 'pedal' even though it looks like one. IMHO the Ethos TLE is one of the finest 'Musical Instruments' I've ever seen or heard.
The sonic purity, range of tone & lush voice make it impossible for me to call this a mere 'pedal'. It
is one of those rare instruments that can inspire you to new heights
and has given this 'old dog' a much needed kick in the backside.
Robbie...you're a genius in my book. A tone guru of the highest
order. I mean every word...Simply Amazing.
I tried the Ethos direct into my PA today (Good sized Mackie 4 way system) and again I was blown away how it sounded. I know now how it'll sound direct in a studio situation. Kudos again for a superior product.
Thank You!!
Jim Henry, 7/12/08
Just got the Ethos today. I must say the day sure dragged on when I kept looking at the box
sitting there on my desk calling my name!
What can I say but THANK YOU! My initial tests so far have been so great I don't know where to begin, but all I can tell you is my Fuchs ODS is going to be jealous!
I tried it into the front end as well as the power amp (effects return) of a few of my amps and both clean and OD are GREAT!
It reacts so much like the Fuchs I find it hard to believe but yes it is all there. I wouldn't even blink by using it with my Power Block as a power amp with a cab. My last test was direct and so far it has not disappointed me at all and this is only playing with it for a few minutes.
Once again thank you for building such an amazing instrument and the wait was definitely worth it!
Dan Lear, 3/24/08
Like most of us in this tone chase, I have spent my share of money over the last 37 years.
Missed some, lost some, sold some. We've all got the stories.
This is without hesitation the best tone money I have EVER spent.
Arguably the best $400 I have ever spent.
In the last week I have had 2 extended intimate sessions to really put it through
some paces and I have to say I am impressed, VERY impressed.
I have played both my '68 Les Paul Deluxe (P90) and my '62 Strat through it both
with flat wounds. Played straight into my desk and also through my 1974X combo
and it is glorious both ways.
I have achieved jaw dropping tone combinations that were totally unexpected.
Jazz when I would have sworn Rock would have been it. Modern over Vintage, etc.
And let me tell you, running the clean channel with the Optical Boost Circuit engaged
on the combo through Mullard and Mustard is, well THERE, spot on.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS THING MAN.
David <info@TheAudioDept.com> 1/9/08
|
The Ethos is pretty sick y'all. It took no time at all to dial in a voluptuous clean sound.
The Sabre's clean channel is pretty smokin' but with the Ethos I was definitely coaxing some tones reminiscent of Volker Strifler...just fat, pregnant single notes and chimey, sustaining Fender-y type tones. Sparkley and full...a very rich tone that I became addicted to immediately. I didn't buy the Ethos for the clean tone. In fact, I wanted to wait and get the single channel version.....glad I didn't wait because the clean tones are fab and come as a huge surprise. I didn't get the gain channel dialed in as easily...took a few songs and a little tweaking but...wow! What amazing tone this thing has. I didn't try to dial in any specific "D" tones. Rather, I just went hunting for something for me to use. The OD tones are very smooth and immensely playable...giving me a greasy, silky feel to work with that let me play with less effort....encouraging me to lighten my touch. Boost engaged was total rock n roll....if that's what you want. I was worried that the Ethos might be too polite to rawk....wrong! The controls are so damn deep there are tones all over the map. You might even find "bad" tones if you try, lol. Can't wait to try it for one of the main reasons I bought it...straight into a PA. It definitely passed the 1st test with flying colours, as they say. Mighty Guru, Senior Member www.thegearpage.net, 10-02-2007 |
Well, I got to try it for about an hour...
What a great pedal!!!
First...Yes, it's a very "D" sounding pedal...(going off what I know of clips
from a real one), probably the best one yet...
- Very amp-like...
and it just super magnifies your touch.
Meaning your sloppiness will show up but also great fingers will shine.
- Very greasy/wet and smooth liquidy sounding.
- Pretty much nail all the qualities of a great lead tone.
- Surprisingly great rhythm tones.
- Killer low and high gain tones!
- Has a decent amount gain there for tons of versatility and range.
- Guitar's voice comes through and responds well to it's electronics
- A ton of tone options, there are so many ways to get a great tone
- The Clean channel I found very cool to get access a nice lead tone fro cleans.
- My amp has a decent clean but I can use the Ethos to give me a boost plus a
- better
voicing for lead passages, especially
on a thin sounding bridge
pickup.
- Jazz and Blues guys will like it.
Gibson LP '57 Goldtop loaded w. Tom Holmes 450/455 through a 65Amps 65
London w/ 2x12 cab and Vox AC30HW ABY'ed:
I was pretty much running the pedal at flat pretty much all across the board
except that I started at 0 for the volume and gain controls for both channels.
I went up from there gradually to really get to know the range. I experimented
with different EQ settings and there are endless ways to dial EQ on this pedal.
I found that flat was my favorite, loads of juicy mids there! The clean channel,
I've settled on it to be felt as well because I already like me clean tone, so it
was more of a boost with a touch of thickness added with the mini toggels...
I put the GAC switch ON (UP) Guitar Amp Compensation. Up is recommended for
Guitar Amps and down is for "other". It just sounded better UP anyway.
The mini toggels: OD I ran Bright off, Classic mode, Rock mode. For Clean,
I ran Bright off, Modern mode, Rock mode.
Actually the most important control for me is the HC knob. Its the High-Cut control.
While I had my EQ's pretty much dialed flat, I found my key tweaker was the
HC knob. I dialed it at around 2:00 and it was just right for me.
Of course, my settings may change but for now I'm rocking it like that.
In my review, I stated that both the Zen and Howie have qualities that are
different and warrant enought to own both. They are both fine pedals and really
take you to relm of "D" tone no question... But, I have to say that after playing
the Ethos, I woudn't really need the others. The Ethos has a ton of versatility
and can pretty much cover all the range of those other pedals, well the Zen and
Howie anyway for me. Its very warm and amp-like, like the Howie. Has the cut,
clarity, and grease of the Zen. All that in one and way more! Has greater vocal
range and you can actually use it for rhythm. It has its own unique voice that
can be used for a wider range of genres. This is the "one" to get. In conclusion,
get on the list!
Its a killer pedal!!!
Sniper-V from thegearpage.net 10/7/07
I can tell it's great.
The low to medium gain sounds are the best I've ever heard from a pedal (and I've had a few too many).
The pick attack sensitivity is truly amazing. It really does go from sparkling clean to sustaining growl just from varying my picking. That is the most important aspect I was hoping for in the Ethos. I feel like I've only scratched the surface with such a short session. I've owned a lot of overdrive pedals and been disappointed with most, so I pretty much know what to listen for, and so far the Ethos has far exceeded my hopes. Robbie, I think you hit a home run with this one. I can't wait to spend some quality time with the Ethos. Thanks again. James Russell, 10/1/07
 |
|
|
|
After what I can only describe as ANTICIPATION I recieved my Ethos pedal from Robbie at Custom Tones.
First off the Pedal arrived packed meticulously with a handy "Getting Started Template" that is great to get you up and running. Nice Touch!  I tried the pedal with a Top Hat Super Deluxe. This amp crosses boundaries of Fender/Vox/Marshall but is all in all a fairly clean to low gain amp. It has an awesome rich tone on its own and was a good baseline amp to try the Ethos through. I have owned so many boutique pedals it is almost embarrasing. Most have come and gone. Pedals once owned include Zen, Klon, Keeley TS9, Matchless Dirt Box, BJF Baby Blue, Pink Fuzz, Model R, Original Fuzz Face, MJM Fuzz Face, Blues Devil, Pro analog, Jetter Blue, Retroman Fuzz and Boosters,,,etc etc. You get the drift. Pedals I still own, Cornish G2, SS3, Zendrive 2, Jetter Red, and BSM Spectrum and Majestic. So I have a fairly Good baseline to go from. The Ethos just floored me. I was starting to think the hype was not to be lived up to....Wrong. This pedal shames everything else I have tried. I will say the G2 is a different animal and still ranks as one of my favorites. The dynamic articulation and thick yet totally clear throaty growl of this pedal is astonishing. This pedal does indeed capture that essence of the what we all want....Ford, Carlton, Santana,, etc. It is there and done superbly. The added bonus is the Bosot feature which bypasses the mini toggles and yeilds a great rock tone with a bit of mid scoop for great cut. The versatility of the EQ and the mini switches is also superb and allows this to work with a huge array of different amps. The Cleans offer the same amazing versatility and sit pretty close in the Fender camp and have a great, dare I say more HiFi sparkle. This is a short review but great products usually do not need much more than that. My Recommendation...Get one, you will not regret it. Reverb (Rick L.) from thegearpage.net, 09/02/07 |
Rob's new Dumble-inspired pedal. It isn't meant to... and hopefully won't be.
I'm a 40+ years pro player, and have known Robbie for over 20 of them. In all that time, he has been 'refining his
diamond" of developing tube-distortion emulation circuit designs, and building various prototypes that he has
distributed to a small circle of pro player friends. I've been fortunate enough to have played (and purchased)
several of them. In many ways, this new one is the most highly evolved of 'em all... and it's CERTAINLY the one
that most mimics Dumble-style tone.
Earlier this afternoon, I spent an hour and a half playing and listening to Rob's new pedal, using various
non-boutique, run-o-the-mill Teles, Strats, and Rob's PRS Santana. The pedal was plugged into a standard,
non-modded Deluxe Reverb. Real simple, straightforward stuff.... not even reverb!
Simply stated, the pedal is fantastic, and definitely exceeds by a longshot any pedal I've personally tried
(please note- I've NOT tried the ZenDrive). For reference purposes, i own a Fuchs mod head, a Two Rock,
and several other amps that make Dumble-style noises. I'm reasonably familiar with the amp options out there,
and the pedals that theoretically mimic those amps. This pedal does what these amps do... at a level that you
can have a comfortable conversation over. In particular, the touch sensitivity and dynamics are amazing. Dial up
a gainy lead sound, dig into a single-note, and it screams. Hit a double-stop, and it gets enormously huge and fat,
without any icepick highs. But then... brush the strings lightly, and a beautiful, chimey, clear bell-like tone with
beautiful high harmonics breathes out of the thing... still on the same gainy lead setting!
I've never experienced a pedal do THAT before. I'm sure there are many folks who'd love the tone of this thing,
but couldn't care less about this touch-sensitivity aspect.... but to me, it's REALLY inspiring, and impossible to find
outside of the loud, power-amp distortion realm. If you're like me in this respect, then you've really got to hear
this pedal.
Just wanted to pipe in... hopefully to add another data point to the discussion.
test
drive a couple of his overdrives. He
showed me one of his earlier dual channel overdrives and the Ethos.
Rob started with the earlier unit, showing me
how versatile it was. I have to say, it was amazing. I had never
heard an overdrive with its
capabilities. I knew at that point, Rob “is the real deal”. He fired up his Ethos
through my Fender
Vibrolux (with no reverb). I was more
than impressed. Now over the years I’ve
acquired
many amp emulator / overdrive units, including the Zen drive. I will say, up to that day, my favorite was
the
Zen. It’s very simple and has a tone I like.
Robben Ford’s tone. Lets not take
anything away from his touch, but when I played the ETHOS I think I
learned some of Robben’s “magic”.
First off, when using the clean channel there is a very
natural presence, which makes the guitar sound as if it’s
jumping out of the amp. This is great for getting those rhythm guitar parts to move forward in a mix. Note:
The gain on this channel is volume only with no overdrive.
The overdrive is not like anything I’ve ever played
through. It is extremely touch
sensitive, meaning you can
crank the gain (drive) and dig in for great sustain, yet back off with your pick and get a clear bell like sound.
This is so foreign to me that it’s taking me a little time to dial in.
The boost has a preset amount of gain over the drive
channel. This is just right for those
times you need over
the top sustain. Note: There are only two adjustments for the boost. One is the tone knob on the side of the
Ethos and the other is the presence on the drive channel. I set the boost tone first, using those two
adjustments, then dial in the drive channel tone and finally adjust the clean channel to my liking.
This is not your “run of the mill” overdrive. It has lots of tone adjustments, which
translates to incredible
flexibility. Be prepared to spend a little time playing with it and you will be “blown away”.
I hope this gives folks an idea of what Rob and his Ethos
are about.
 |
|||
|
|||
|
Got
my box. It sounds great. Why? Great eq that works well with single
coils
(fender telecaster), mini humbuckers(les paul deluxe), humbuckers(trini lopez), touch and volume sensitive distortion that cleans up when you back off,the ablility to get nice tone at a reasonable volume level, and not much junk on your notes when doing double stops or chording with distortion. I haven't had a chance to record direct with it yet but I will soon. All in all a nice package(I think the boost channel lifts the tone stack and gives a more midrange sound, its not a huge volume jump, but that changes slightly with your distortion settings). One last thing, I like what you can do to the treble on this box, there are many options with the treble,pres,brite,and hi-cut knobs and switches. Multiecho posted on thegearpage.net, 08/15/07 |
