I think these started with Tech 21, which then produced signature models like the Richie Kotzen 'Flyrig'. These are based upon Tech 21's original amp-sim pedals, which won great praise. They just added effects.
In case my verbal description failed to conjure up wtf I'm talking about, here's the Kotzen version.
When I first saw them, I laughed. Like these things will replace my Marshall and Fenders? Ok, d00d, that's not what they're for. It took a brighter fellow than me to define it as 'the thing you carry with you to a gig and use if your rig blows up'. And let's face it... if these boxes are even halfway decent, they sound better than a broken amp, right?
In Richie's case, he calls it his Flyrig, meaning he uses it on Fly In gigs, which can be quickies or when it's cost-prohibitive to fly your regular rig in. You just plug them into the PA and/or some rented amps, and wheedle away.
While I'm laughing at equipment, I was incredulous that the cab simulator would produce something that sounded anything like a real amp. After all, I've heard these, and they're barely mediocre at best.
Well shut my mouth, Martha, damn if'n these fellers didn't nail it.
The original pedals came in 3 varieties: Brit, Cali, and OMG. No, wait, those are either condoms or a studio guitarist's trick bag. I'm pretty sure it was Brit (Marshall), Cali (Fender) and some sort of metal emulator (what a great name for a pedal - or a band). Each came with a few effects: Overdrive/Distortion, delay, reverb, cab sim. Other models featured overdrive and distortion, compressor, boost, and Other Secret Stuff<tm>. This is a demo (shootout) of the Brit, Cali, and Kotzen pedals.
I'm really pleasantly surprised at the cab sim to start. The demos were done straight to the board - no external amp. Sounds good. Something else about decent direct guitar pedals: some fit really nicely in a mix, especially at 2 am, when your family and your neighbors are asleep. But also when you're looking for a good fit for your song and it's too difficult to get what you're looking for with your amps. They also have pedals for bass (Geddy Lee signature!) and acoustic.
What do they get for these fun little emergency amplifiers? Sweetwater has em starting at $299 - more for the signature units. Amazon is in that same range. BUT WAIT!!!! Every great idea spawns mountains of cheap offshore copies, and Fly Rigs are no exception. They started to appear from a few different manufacturers, at significantly lower prices... I haven't seen any shootouts between the 2m so I can't speak for similarities, but they sound decent by themselves. Today I found what might be the 3rd generation - the SONICAKE pedals, which come in a few varieties. The Classic Rock is about $87. Listen to this and this. Their heavier tone units sound pretty good too, like this, which does 80's metal tones. I love the guy's reasoning for using his Very Expensive PRS... he says it's on topic because it's like a Strat. Ummmm.... why not use a Strat? His reviews are good, so I'm not slagging him off. Donner is another brand at the same price point, but they're more like several effects in one box and don't have the cab sim (be warned).
One of the tricks here is precisely opposite to a complaint concerning naked pictures on the net: "The closer your ass is to the camera, the bigger it looks." These pedals look awesome in ads and demos, but they're friggin tiny. Yes, the guy with the Marshall is having a size-ist fit. Well, no... the klutz with the Marshall is having a size fit. These things are around a foot wide (from memory). Imagine a 12" wide pedal with 4 or 5 buttons on it. How in the universe are you going to avoid hitting more than one at a time? And how are you going to see them on a dark stage? And heaven forbid you need to make a knob adjustment, because they're even tinier than the switches, albeit lit when selected. As funny as it may be to watch me trip over wires or even my wireless, this one would provide nonstop entertainment.
Conclusions
Let's say you're doing video reviews for YouTube on various pedals, perhaps the cheap versions. Your signal chain is a one-off Custom Shop Suhr guitar costing $5509, a couple of boutique pedals that cost $500 each, including the one Hendrix signed himself, and you're going into your Fender Custom Shop Clapton Tweed Deluxe amp. From there, you have a Neumann U67 tube microphone, into your commercial studio quality Pro Tools setup, with more effects than The Edge uses onstage.
This will not replace them.
Ok, let's say you're recording with a Fender Mustang or Line 6 or other $99 modeling amp and a Fender Affinity Strat, into your cell phone.
This might sound better.
Let's say your Marshall or modeler onstage experiences a hiccup and blows a fuse. Like most guitar players, you haven't brought spares, and the spike took out your speaker.
Whip this bad boy out, ask the sound guy for a direct feed (or warn him in advance), and you're back wheedly-ing away before the next song.
Might be a cool thing for practice too, although I haven't seen a headphone jack on them.
WTF is Pukeburst?
We all know the sunburst finish: the 2 or 3 color finish where a dark color fades into a lighter color. More rare is Fender's antigua. It's incredibly difficult to describe, so I dubbed it Pukeburst. It's one of the most disgusting finishes ever put on a guitar. If you lived through or know the 70s, you know that appliances came in 2 colors: harvest gold and avocado green. Picture a sunburst with avocado green on the outside, fading into harvest gold. It's so ugly, it's attractive. Fender produced it originally between 1977 and 1981. There have been reissues. The Fender Coronado (a semi-hollow) had antigua before 77.
This is pukeburst (antigua).
Well, it's my pukeburst. It's a 77, and my #1. As you see, it has weathered many years of abuse (most call my playing abuse). My phone came with a camera that was Best in Breed. If you consider adding a brown tinge Best, it fulfilled its mission. The finish is lighter in reality, and somewhat darker and more pronounced than others of its age.
Pukeburst is a very special color, as you see.
The reproductions have been total shit.
It was never a good time for Pukeburst past 1981, but I'm writing this because it's starting to be a good time for it. If you check ebay, you'll find a number of them, which really surprised me. There are 2 varieties - original and repro. The reissues come from Japan and, to be polite, don't look anything like the original - the green is partially gray. Take a look for yourself. If you're a Pukeburst Purist, you wouldn't touch them with someone else's pick. Looking for a term to describe them, I came up with 'uglier than pukeburst' but that wasn't sufficient. The colors are so muted, it's Pedestrian Pukeburst-like. We'll go with that.
Telecasters and J/P basses also came in antigua, but Teles are harder to find than honest people in D.C. They're pure unobtainium; moreso left handed.
As with anything older than 10/15/20 years, guitars are considered 'vintage', which naturally entitles the sellers to demand completely unreasonable prices for them. Don't even ask about lefties. So the originals, being vintage, are being sold for $3k and over. As to whether they are selling at that price, I have no idea. The Pedestrian Pukeburst-like Japanese Fenders are just under a grand. Given the choice, I'd pay a premium for an original.
The whole 'vintage' thing is off-putting to me. I grew up buying late 70s guitars used, and all of the sudden, mine are 'vintage'. That's enough to make a man feel old. Fortunately I'm a guitar player: we never get old, much to the dismay of everyone around us. When I took it in for neck work, the entire store gathered round, chanting the Vintage Guitar Chant, as if it were a special ancient guitar with a certain mojo. It was pretty funny to watch. I kept looking around for what they were talking about. Put a '58 in front of me and I'll do the chanting.
Having said that, there are caveats... late 70s Strats are considered real dogs. Many have the Micro-Tilt (micro-slip) neck, which literally moves around in the pocket when you play. Some weigh more than Les Pauls. The finish on another of mine is so thick, mosquitos avoid it because they could never get that far for blood. The neck size and shape varied by day, and the pickups almost universally sucked. However, some really great examples slipped by QC, perhaps after a liquid lunch, and are really a pleasure to play. Mine is like that: great neck shape and radius (7.25") and I replaced the pickups. It's still heavy and was converted before I got it to 4 bolt neck, but I love it to death. It weighs almost as much as my car, but I use a really wide strap. It weighs almost as much as my Les Paul (R8 plaintop historic reissue). It's not that the top is plain, it's just that I've seen cardboard with more grain. Great guitar, though. Buy one if you find one. The people who recommended it to me said they'd buy it from me if I didn't like it (if it wasn't a lefty... snort).
Let's return Pukeburst to its former glory!
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