BVClassic
Last weekend I rode in the first ever BVClassic, a benefit bike ride whose proceeds go to support the Broken Voices ministry. Overall it was an awesome experience, especially for my first ever pack ride. You can check out my full runkeeper stats here along with a map of the ride.
I was pretty happy with my performance. It took me 1:12:22 to go 19.11 miles with an average speed of 15.85 mph. I had to stop and fix a dropped chain twice, so my bike has a date with the bike shop for a tune up. The funny thing about rides like these--at least in my very limited experience--is that there are always opportunities for friendly competition. I spent 4 miles catching a dude twice my age riding an older all metal shifters-on-the-frame Cannondale. I finally caught him with 3 miles to go and managed to stay out in front for the remainder of the ride to finish first--not that we were racing. It was super fun and a pretty hardcore confidence boost for me.
I'm considering Tour de Pink or BikeMS for my next ride. I'm also considering organizing a benefit ride in my home town--so if anyone is interested in that please slip me an email. If I get enough interest in that then I'll see about what I need to do to make it work.
Quest Completed!
It's taken me quite a while to get here, but I have completed my search for what I consider to be the best Delay Pedal on the market based on the criteria set forth by this post. I have been through many, many options ranging from large preset style units to small, one trick pony boxes. In particular, I reviewed the Boss DD-7, the Line6 EchoPark, and the T-Rex Replica here on my website. Of those three units, I have since sold my EchoPark because the DD-7 and the Replica's are much better for my applications (despite it's higher ranking).
Before I crown the winner, of which I'm sure most of you can guess if you have read the other posts, I wanted to build some context. There are hundreds of delay pedals on the market--analog units, tape based units, digital units, bucket brigade units, units with analog chips controlled by digital microprocessors, digital modelers, and everything in between. I don't think anyone can perceivably argue that digital delay units sound as warm or magical as their analog counterparts--just as analog units are incapable of getting an exact sonic clone of the note you just played. Despite the advances in modeling technology, a keen ear can tell the difference between a DD-7 and a MXR Carbon Copy relatively easily, but how much this matters to the aurally blind masses is summed up as, well, not very much. Most of the American Idol corrupted population probably think autotune is a Good Thing. Guitar pundits like myself, however, may notice the slight nuances in each delay type and drool over a warm decaying analog repeat or a pristinely clear digital copy of a blazing riff.
Chasing the perfect delay tone is much like chasing an electron. Right when you think you know where it is Heisenburg throws you a curve ball and suddenly it's disappeared. For me and thousands of other guitarists with some extra cash to burn, the thrill is in the chase. I have discovered that it's not the end result, but the journey that's the fun part. As anyone can see while reading the three other posts in this series reviewing each of the delay pedals posed a unique problem to a musically analytical mind. Although I approached this scientifically, there really is no science here. It's all opinion. Sure I like the large chicken head knobs of the Replica better than the teensy knobs on the EchoPark--but if you are a set it and forget it guitarist you'll never change them anyway.
This post is a manifestation of experimentation and driven solely by opinion and what I believe to be the best delay unit for my buck by my own musical applications. The winner, as can be determined from reading the original three Echo Quest posts, is obviously the T-Rex Replica. These little guys sell for over $499 a piece new, so it's not for the weak of pocketbook, but my picky ear has never been unhappy with them since they were shipped back to me from Denmark with the input-gain mod. It sounds warm and natural even though it's a digital delay, it's very easy to use, and has an acceptably small form factor. I have a pair of them on my gigging board, which opens up plenty of options for my simple tone. Although presets are great for dialing in quick tone settings and BPM meters are great for the studio, in my gigging experience it's not really justified to have all these bells and whistles. Drummers drift and bassists lose the pocket, just as lead singers change the song and Axel Rose trashes microphone stands.
I have loads of respect for the guys over in Denmark. They build a wonderful product that I am very excited to endorse and record with. The feature set is solid, the construction bulletproof, and the tone matchless. The Replica is definitely the best delay unit out there as of 2008-2010.
Crowning the King of Chorus
Previously I spent a couple of posts reviewing two dynamite chorus units with the intention of deciding which one I wanted to put on my board. Each of the units was so wonderful that it dramatically increased my overall opinion of the chorus concept after being staunchly against it for much of my early music career. After spending plenty of face time with each unit, comparing recordings, placing them at different points in my pedal chain, and tweaking settings from maximum to minimum and everything in between I have finally come to a conclusion. So who is the king of chorus? Is it Analogman's wonderfully engineered Bi-Chorus or is it Retro-Sonic's classic chorus CE-1 throwback?
Well, it's both.
I love each of these stopboxes so much they are both making it on my board, each in a different position and with different settings. The versatility of the Bi-Chorus is unmatched while I like the vintage tone of the Retro-Sonic chorus slightly better for some applications. Every guitarist likes options, and these two units will cover every possible chorus tone you will ever want and need.
Given the price of the Bi-Chorus, I recommend that budget guitarists stick with the Retro-Sonic unit unless you need the large feature set that the Analogman unit brings to the table. You won't be disappointed with the tones you can evoke--from subtle crawl to leslie warble. However if you have some extra cash and you perform a diverse selection of music that requires chorus the Analogman unit is worth it's weight in gold sonically.
So, there you have it. We have a tie 
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