The Mad Professor Sky Blue OverDrive...

[Cobra]

WooHoo!!! The mailman just dropped off a package with a SBOD prototype inside!! It's not mine, but it's gonna live at my house for a little while. Big tone test/fest and my impressions of the SBOD coming up soon.
Stay tuned...

[Donner]

WooHoo!!! The mailman just dropped off a package with a SBOD prototype inside!! It's not mine, but it's gonna live at my house for a little while. Big tone test/fest and my impressions of the SBOD coming up soon.
Stay tuned...

Any impressions ?!?!?!!

[Cobra]

Initial impressions:
I've played through the SBOD for a couple of hours, & I'm diggin' it big time! Messed around with the controls for a half hour to get a feel for how they work & the range of adjustment. Then I just rocked out for the rest of the time, which is a very good sign. The sweet tones were awesome & inspiring, so I just played my heart out & got all sweaty until my wife came home. I didn't do any comparison A/B testing or stacking, I just was drinking in the whole SBOD vibe on it's own. The SBOD really clear, even at higher gain settings, very natural, & sweet note decay. The "Z" control is very hip, but I still need more time to really nail it. All of my pickups are single coils, so I'm gonna borrow a LP & a Gretsch to suss out how the "Z" control responds to different hummers. I'll spend much more time with the SBOD this weekend, & get down on some serious tone testing, so a more comprehensive evaluation will be forthcoming.

[Donner]

Thanks Cobra, yeah thats a good sign when you'd rather play it than tweek it !

[JKoeth]

I swore I saw a comparison video of the SBOD, Zendrive and a few others. I can't seem to find it. Have I gone mad?!

[cabo]

I swore I saw a comparison video of the SBOD, Zendrive and a few others. I can't seem to find it. Have I gone mad?!

I think those were the 'Nunya' vids,,maybe they are gone??

[EyeFly]

Thanks Cobra, yeah thats a good sign when you'd rather play it than tweek it !

"There is nothing so frustrating as a pedal that requires more tweaking than playing! "

I think that is a quote from some great musician and, if its not, it should be!!

Thanks for the news on the Sky Blue....I was concerned that when BJ went to four knobs, I was simply going to have too many options!!

cork

[Cobra]

I've been busier than all get-out this week, & I thought I'd have more time for further tone testing the SBOD as well as stacking it with other BJF's.
I'm gonna have some time this weekend, so more to come...
Until then, here's a pic of a production SBOD:

[zion]

First, BIG thanks to Eskimo J. for the excellent review template which I'm borrowing without asking!
I will be updating as I settle down and start really tweaking. Its too good to get fussy with at the moment.
Gloating aside, I was very fortunate to win the chance to buy the BJFE built version of the MP Sky Blue Overdrive known as the Aqua Marine Wonder Machine. Here are some thoughts:

I. Gear used

Fender Strat
Fender Tele
Orville Les Paul
Swart AST through a Dr. Z Z-Best 2x12 with stock Celestions (Heritage & Vintage)


II. Circumstances

Rocking the neighborhood which by now is used to it, and I think they even miss me when I'm gone

III. General thoughts

It had me at "hello". Plugged it in and loved it. Right out of the gate, it was a keeper. Supa Quack did that, BJFE Mini-Vibe did that. Nothing else has.

IV. Evaluation of functionality & Comparison to other od's

Sky Blue has 4 knobs - Volume
- Texture
- Drive
- Z (Load)
I purposely didn't know what the knobs did on paper till I read some on this forum today. I wanted to see what my ears said. This is a cool experiment to try! You don't go for assumed settings right out of the gate, just what your ears say. There is a good explanation of controls on page 1 of this post.
The controls are unique. The pedal doesn't have the drive range common to pedals in this category. It doesn't get real low, nor does it get very high. The drive is dialed into a more narrow range. A very usable range. The combination of the controls and how they affect each other is pretty remarkable. Almost like the familiar "nature" control has been split up into 2 controls (Z and Texture). With a strat with very vintage pickups, I like the controls all around 12:00. With an LP, things change somewhat for optimal sound. The pedal is being hit harder and the Z and T like adjustment. Fun!


----- Comparison
I compared it to the Honey Bee, Emerald Green, King of Tone 4, and a Tim Pedal. I would put it closest to the Emerald Green in terms of feel and sounds. By no means are they the same, but relatives for sure. The EGDM being the British flavored cousin of the American flavored Sky Blue.

I have been searching for this pedal for awhile. Klon didn't have it nor did Tim. Think of the Sky Blue as taking off where the King of Tone stops. I simply love this pedal, and its the most usable overdrive I've ever used.


V Stacking

Stacked it with the Honey Bee - Great as expected. HBOD imparts it dark molasses-like spread when the SBOD is pushed through it. No surprises there. Found a killer, almost Texas style blues sound with this stack. Neck pickup heaven!
King of Tone - Excellent with the yellow channel expecially. Tasty!
Baby Pink Booster - I've been hitting this pedal's stride lately and running the SBOD into it and a on-the-brink-of-clipping amps is stellar. So many textures, the response of yours hands on the instrument is extremely musical.

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

Mid-tempo rock. I think this pedal is the perfect middle of the road dirt pedal

VII Suggested improvements

None that I can think of but I will be updating as I get more experience with it.

VIII Bottom line --- is it a keeper? What does it knock off your board?
I sold my LGW in anticipation of this pedal. This fills the middle ground for od's! KEEPER!

[DocRock]

For those who haven't seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgMZxDnh ... re=related