Well, the tourbox is about to move on to its next stop. I've yet to comment on the Dyna RedHot or Beest, so...
The Redhot has a glorious sound - huge bottom end that I'd kind of expect to muddy out, but it doesn't; and nicely dynamic. I especially liked it with my '70 SR, which I brought in for contrast with the others - in other words, a sparkly, punchy clean amp seemed the perfect platform for it. The RedHot has too much gain for my normal use, and unlike the Model H, I didn't find it as compelling on lower gain settings with guitar volume rolled back. So it won't likely be moving to my pedalboard; just not suitable to the jazz/funk/rootsrock stuff I mostly play. But, wow, it truly was sweet to hear and play (not sure if my neighbors agree...); with the gain about halfway up, the sound is huge but still quite articulate. Very nice. Oh, and not at all just a pumped-up DRD (in case anyone is expecting it to be that).
The Beest I might well have to add to my BJF herd. It is a very different OD than the HB, yet retains the same basic character. I don't think I'd replace the HB with it but I'd love to have it on hand for its own sound and amazing range of tweakage (like I really need another OD pedal
). The expanded control parameters on the 4 knob Beest are, I think, really well-conceived and make it an amazingly versatile pedal.
Many thanks to Donner for the opportunity to try these out and compare/contrast with their antecedents. Good stuff, all of it. I'm pleased to find that the Beest and RedHot are not simply higher gain iterations of HB and DRD, but have undergone some genetic mutation as well.
Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:53 am
