Cliff Hanger Distortion review?

[Cobra]

I'd be most interested in how the Cliffhanger alone compares to the DRD & EGDM, & some of my favorite BJF "hi-gain" stacks.
Specifically:
LGW>DRD
LGW>EGDM
SBEQ>DRD
SBEQ>EGDM

You could also substitute the LGW & SBEQ with other clean or dirty boosts, or low to meduim gain overdrives.
I'm also curious what the Cliffhanger sounds like with a pre-driver in front of it?
This might be overkill; from what I've read so far, the CH might not need it...

Also, anyone try the CH at less than 9vdc, or at 12vdc?

Finally, do any CH owners feel it would benfit with having more range & taper on the volume pot,
and do you think it would be better with an added "body" or "nature" style tone control?

[Eskimo_Joe]

I'd be most interested in how the Cliffhanger alone compares to the DRD & EGDM

Finally, do any CH owners feel it would benefit with having more range & taper on the volume pot,
and do you think it would be better with an added "body" or "nature" style tone control?

I just compared it a bit to the EDGM and Dyna Red. If you are familar with both of those, I would say the Cliffhanger has some commonalities with the Dyna Red, but not so much with the EGDM. The Cliffhanger seems kind of like a custom Dyna Red tweaked to be a bit meaner and leaner. It's has more gain and crunch it seems like. It is ACDC / Guns N Roses right out of the box. Pure Marshall venom. It's not tweakable at all. The only option you have is whether you want more or less venom. My guess is if you put a nature/tone control on it, there would be a danger of too much overlap between it and the Dyna Red and/or the Mighty Red. It's probably too early to say for sure, but right now I wouldn't change anything about this pedal. It is what it is and that's the beauty of it. If anything, maybe an internal trimmer for treble like the EGDM so people can set it and forget it according to their rig.

[Donner]

Yeah good comparisons EJ... part of the CHs beauty is its slight rawness , some of that might be tamed if you start putting integrated tone controls ..... I think its best to pair it with the SBEQ or even LGW if you want to change it up a bit....... its just kind of wild raw terror..... kind of like hanging from a cliff

[analoghog]

Yeah good comparisons EJ... part of the CHs beauty is its slight rawness , some of that might be tamed if you start putting integrated tone controls ..... I think its best to pair it with the SBEQ or even LGW if you want to change it up a bit....... its just kind of wild raw terror..... kind of like hanging from a cliff

i paired it with the LGW and an EQ...i thought it sounded best with just the EQ...letting the CH do what it does, and be what it is!...

[Donner]

Yup I think its about as universal a distortion as Ive heard, andthe EQ can be t her if you want it or not.....


SO EJ does this one fill your 'appetite for destruction' ?

[Eskimo_Joe]

Yup I think its about as universal a distortion as Ive heard, andthe EQ can be t her if you want it or not.....


SO EJ does this one fill your 'appetite for destruction' ?

And then some!! My neighbors are going to be "Out Ta Get Me" because "It's so easy" with this "Sweet Child O'Mine (cliffhanger) to find "Paradise City". I mean, "Anything Goes" with this one.

[Eskimo_Joe]

Hey Donner, where does the name Cliffhanger come from?

[Donner]

Hey Donner, where does the name Cliffhanger come from?

I believe that was Evas contribution...

This is a circuit BJ has had for a while that sort of resurfaced, and I painted a batch of 10 boxes with a little different concept in mind, which still could happen at some time, but to get some field research going the 'Cliff Hanger' was born .....

[Eskimo_Joe]

I'll start by saying the wait was well worth it. It's too early to say this is my all-time favorite pedal, but I will say I have never enjoyed a pedal so much in the first week I've had it, except possibly the Supa Quack....it's neck and neck. It is the perfect distortion for me and where I'm at right now. Anyway, here goes....

I. Gear used

Guitar --- 1998 Thinline Fender Tele (USA made) with Fralin blues and a Torres 5 way switch
Amp --- Germino Club 40 with Celestion Greenbacks (G12h's)

I love the way this combo sounds so much I have not touched my Victoria or my Strat in days!!!

II. Circumstances

My neighbor was gone for the first 2 days I had it so it was band setting loud and since then it's just at moderate/reasonable levels.

III. General thoughts

For the first chord, the Cliffhanger gave me a grin a mile wide. It is SICK! It is literally AC/DC and Guns 'N Roses right out of the box. As I was playing it, I thought, "this is what a distortion is supposed to sound like".

IV. Evaluation of functionality & Comparison to other distortions

Just two knobs on this bad boy....Volume and Distortion. It is pure Marshall venom and the only choice is how much you want. As expected, the full range of each dial is useable. I cranked the Vol and Distortion and it sounded phenominal....no hiss, no feedback, no craziness. In addition, it retained it's character...it was still tight and edgy. No matter where the distortion level is, it sounds great. Using the combination of volume, distortion and the guitar's volume knob, there is a pretty good range of distortion, but the range is not what I'd call "versatile". In other words, if you've got the Cliffhanger on, I'd expect you are rocking out. I think it would be fair to call this a one trick pony, but the one trick is just amazingly good. This was by design I'm guessing. To give the pedal more versatility would defeat the purpose it was created for I think.

In the BJF family of distortion, the Cliffhanger is the meanest. It has an edgy quality like no other BJF distortion possesses. It is most similar to the Dyna Red in my opinion....it is kind of like a custom shop version of the Dyna Red, which has been specially voiced "FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK."

V Stacking

So far I haven't had much desire to stack the Cliffhanger. It sounds great by itself and doesn't feel like it is lacking anything. I did try it with the PGC and as you would expect, the PGC adds the magic touch and makes it sound that much better. I've also ran it with my Supa Quack and they get along great. My next experiment will be to try to SBEQ with it.

VII What situations / kind of music can you see using the pedal for?

Straight ahead, earth shaking rock 'n roll. It is a timeless distortion that neither feels old or modern, it is just what rock sounds like (or should sound like).

VII Suggested improvements

The only thing I would say is that at times I wished I could roll off some of the treble. That said, I rediscovered the tone knob on my tele and all is well! If anything, I might suggest adding an internal "set it and forget it trimmer" to adjust treble according to your rig, but in all honesty, that's not necessary as long as your guitar has a tone knob. I wouldn't do anything that might alter the character of the distortion here.

VII I Bottom line --- is it a keeper? What does it knock off your board?

It may be my favorite BJF pedal of all-time. We'll see once the honeymoon is over, but so far, it is a KILLER and then some. It occupies it's own niche, so I'm not ready to say it replaces the Dyna Red or anything like that (Dyna is much more versatile and different in character). I'd say the pedal that stands the greatest risk of being banished to the emporium is the Fetto Deluxe....a great pedal in it's own right, but the Cliffhanger is something else.

Lastly, I would say, full speed ahead on this one Bjorn. This one could be the next BJF legend!

[Eskimo_Joe]

My next experiment will be to try to SBEQ with it.

In the words of Chris Farley, "Holy Shhh-nikies!" The SBEQ and the Cliff Hanger work really well together. Definitely adds a bit more versatlity without neutering the distortion. The honeymoon continues!