Well I just PM'd AlanB about dropping off the Humper with him so I figured it's a good time to get my thoughts out on the pedal...
So I've had the humper for a few days now and I've spent a good amount of time testing it out. For reference, I've tested it with the following setup...
Anderson 3-Pickup Telecaster with trem bridge > Retro Channel RR1 > Mesa 2x12 cab with Vintage 30's
CleanNot surprising -- using the humper on clean tones wasn't terribly inspiring. It just gives a little more mids to your sound and a bit of boost in volume. Nothing you couldn't do using your amp EQ and volume knob couldn't get you. The only big plus using it for clean playing is the typical BJF sparkle and clarity (think SBEQ or MGMV) that you get, especially in the top end. However, due to the Humper's EQ focus it's not as apparent as in the SBEQ or the MGMV.
Post-Drive BoostI used it the least in this way. It kind of does what you would expect -- adds mids and helps things cut a bit but it can get somewhat "honky" in this position so I didn't really spend much time using it here...
Pre-Drive BoostThis is where the humper really shines and if I had to bet, it was designed for use in this application. I used it to push 3 basic types of pedals...
1) Muff-based fuzz
2) Marshall-style distortion
3) Fuzz-based OD
With and without the humper engaged, each pedal sounded pretty drastically different. The EQ and boost from the PH into the front end of each pedal resulted in a pretty significant change in tone. However, the humper's effect on each pedal was essentially the same. As best I can describe it, the PH
really emphasizes the low mids and lends a really aggressive grind to pedal. I'm not sure how to really describe the tones that it produced with the muff-based fuzz or the fuzz-based OD (other than awesome/huge/thick/rich) but what I heard when pushing the Marshall-style distortion was Billy Gibbons all the way. Tons of thick raunchy bluesy distortion. The PH killed in this stack.
The only "negative" to speak of when using it as a pre-boost is that it pretty much takes your pedal and turns the gain to 11... which could be good or bad depending on your outlook
So the real questions are...
-- Given the option, would I use it?
Absolutely. I loved the way it thickened up my drive pedals and was able to turn everything to 11. Totally rock n' f'n roll.
-- How would I use it?
If it's not obvious yet, I'd use it as a pre-drive boost. In an ideal world I'd have it hooked to an A/B switch for clean and dirty, running it on the dirty side only.
-- How would I like to see it introduced into the BJFe/Bearfoot line?
After hearing it's effect on marshall style distortion, this is the 4th knob I'd want on a DRD. A mid-focused pre-drive boost for the DRD would definitely make that pedal the ultimate distortion for me. Although in this application, I'd want the EQ to go further counter-clockwise for flatter mids.
Fantastic work BJ
Thank you to Donner for getting this one out there for us to test drive
PS -- I think this is my favorite color BJFe pedal. Just thought I'd add that
Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 11:09 pm