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THE THORPYFX TOURBOX Commences - Team Medic & Warthog Thoughts & Reviews

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  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6627
    I'll have you know I'm a great editor :)
    My Trade Feedback Thread is here

    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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  • Great reviews @benmurray85 and @UnclePsychosis  - very excited to try these pedals now. I’m going through a slight post-honeymoon dip with the Mudhoney Danish so I’m dangerously vulnerable to GAS pangs right now...
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  • skayskay Frets: 391
    Ok, i've had these two pedals for a few days, and have spent some time swapping guitars and comparing pedals, so here's my two pence worth...

    Despite my Vox avatar, I am now the owner of only a single amp, so all of my testing was done solely through a Carr Rambler. The Rambler is well-known for being a great pedal platform, so I think this suffices as a fair test of what these pedals sound like and how they compare to others on the market.

    The guitars used were a Fender '51 Nocaster, Gibson '57 Les Paul Goldtop, and an Epiphone 1965 John Lennon Casino, so single coils, humbuckers and P90s tested respectively. 

    The Warthog:

    As i'm predominantly a low to medium gain player, firstly I dialled in the gain at about 10, with the calibre around 9, and the Warthog at these settings occupied that 'just-breaking-up' territory where I usually live, and added a little bit of grit to the clean signal. The low setting of the calibre knob seemed to scoop out a bit of midrange and cut a bit of bass, which resulted in my Tele sounding a bit thin and scratchy, so I used the tone to try and warm things up. There seemed to be a very small range between too trebly and muffled, so was difficult to dial this in to suit lightly strummed chords that needed the highs to remain, and more distorted chords that would have sounded better with the highs cut more. Too much tone cut just killed all of the dynamics, which I tried to bring back with increasing the calibre knob, but that also seemed to thin the sound out with my tele, so I honestly never found a setting I was entirely happy with. Increasing the calibre knob just took the sound further away from what I prefer, so with such a small range of preferred tones, this pedal is not really voiced for my tastes. 

    I tuned up the gain to make sure I was experiencing all this pedal had to offer, as some pedals really change character when you wind them open, but the Warthog didn't change in any positive way for me. I tried various combinations of gain up/calibre down and all the variations in-between, but the fundamental tone was not working for me, and I even changed power supply to make sure I wasn't starving the pedal of voltage, as I thought it had that slightly flat battery sound to the distortion.

     I tested it against my current drive pedal, the Bearfoot SYOD3, and the Bearfoot just sounded bigger, more dynamic, clearer, and more present. Even though I usually gravitate towards pedals with a relatively flat eq such as the Warthog (Timmy, Barber 1/2 Gainer, Greer Lightspeed etc), the midrange character of the SYOD fills out my sound and is very lively and present, where the Warthog sounded small and congested in comparison.  As the Warthog is technically a distortion pedal, a fairer comparison was to my ProCo Rat, and these two pedals sounded fairly similar, although I slightly preferred the edgy breakup sound of the Rat with its slightly more wider-frequency sound. Even with my Les Paul, the Warthog was too trebly and lacked body, or it quickly became congested and fuzzy, which is personally exactly the opposite I look for in a pedal. This was a genuine surprise, as from all of the other reviews I though I was going to love this pedal, but for what I am looking for in a drive pedal, this is quite a bit far off.

    The Team Medic:
     
    I like to use a clean boost pedal to push my amp into sounding more alive at lower volumes, and used an Xotic RC Booster for a few years, before that was replaced by a Bearfoot SBEQ3K. I usually just add a bit of low end, as I use my Nocaster 99% of the time, and push the front end of my amp to wake it up at home volumes. When using my Goldtop or Casino, dialing-in some extra treble helps to bring a little sparkle to the top end, so the 3-band EQ and extra boost made the Team Medic an exciting prospect. 

    The tone controls on the Ramber are very powerful, and if you want more/less treble/mid/bass, with just a twist of that particular control, you've got it. I know that sounds pretty obvious, but if I had been using a Vox, which doesn't have a dedicated separate Mid control, or a Tweed amp with just a single tone knob, I could see the Team Medic being more useful here. If I wanted more bass, I can simply turn up the bass on my amp, and if I want more treble, well you've guessed it, it's all there at the twist of a knob, so the 3-band EQ was pretty much redundant for me. Even swapping guitars, just a quick movement of the knobs on the amp solves any eq issues, so an EQ pedal with a Rambler is of limited use.

    So why do I use a Bearfoot SBEQ then? Well, the SBEQ does something to the midrange character that the regular treble/mid/bass controls on the amp simply cannot do. I don't think I can adequately describe what this pedal adds, but it's not just extra bass or treble, but there's a 'sheen' or 'presence' to the sound that the Team Medic doesn't posses. As a standalone EQ pedal, the Team Medic is more transparent and works better at doing that particular job, but in my case where i've got perfectly adequate tone shaping on my amp, the Team Medic is not required. The buffer was not fully tested, as I either have my Boss DM-2 in the chain, or the SBEQ is always on, so this extra feature was not properly utilised. I didn't quite get the extra boost function, as it's a massive increase in volume, so i'm guessing you would set the pedal up with this engaged already, as I can't imagine stepping on it mid-song as you'd instantly be twice as loud as the rest of the band! 

    The Team Medic was more useful for tone-shaping with my Casino and Les Paul, as these already sound full-bodied enough by themselves, and only required some additional top-end sparkle, but my Tele sounded much better with the SBEQ adding its own flavour along with the EQ adjustment. The option of combining gain with volume was interesting, although I was hoping for a bit more low-gain overdrive breakup here, and is therefore not an option I am going to miss. So I was once again surprised that the Team Medic didn't win out, and without wishing to come across as a fan boy, the Bearfoot won out here as well.


    Conclusion:

    I am very aware of being in the minority of not loving these pedals, but this is my honest conclusion after using them myself through my amps and with my style of playing. Not everyone is going to like everything, as not everything suits everyone and their rig, and I guess these pedals are just not for me. It's a shame that I didn't have these pedals 2 weeks ago, as i've just put my Vox AC30 and Tweed Deluxe into auction, and would have loved to have tested them through these as well, and I suspect would have come to some very different conclusions.

    I would like to thank @Wazmeister for organising this tour box, as i've loved having the opportunity to participate, and of course @ThorpyFX for supplying two of his pedals and putting them out there for judgement.

    The most positive thing to come out of this is that I don't have to spend £400+ replacing my pedals, but in fact I was so impressed by the build quality of these Thorpy pedals, that i've already gone and bought myself a Fat General V2! 


    With so many comparison web sites out there, how do I choose the best one?

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  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6627
    Thanks for the honest review. I've tried tons of pedals the rest of the world swears by that I simply haven't gelled with. On paper a Klon should be my dream pedal but I have hated every clone I have owned. It's not a dig at the pedal itself and certainly nobody will take it that way. 
    My Trade Feedback Thread is here

    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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  • prlgmnrprlgmnr Frets: 3964
    I'd get suspicious if everyone said they loved everything about them.
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9445
    @Skay - Steven, thanks mate for the honest and long review. As you said,

    "I am very aware of being in the minority of not loving these pedals, but this is my honest conclusion after using them myself through my amps and with my style of playing. Not everyone is going to like everything, as not everything suits everyone and their rig, and I guess these pedals are just not for me."

    And that's ok :) 

    We have all tried many pedals that didnt work at that particular time in our current rig. I appreciate the honesty, and at least it confirms that youre current set-up is as it should be for you !

    It also verifies that the EQ type of pedal, really can add something to your sound.
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  • noisepolluternoisepolluter Frets: 789
    edited July 2019
    I’m up next!
    I found @skay ‘s review really interesting as we’ve all been there when we have various expectations and anticipation about a pedal/amp/guitar based on clips and online buzz and the reality turns out differently.

    With that in mind, I’m going to start off before I even receive the pedals by talking about my preconceptions of what they will be like based on what I’ve read about it, the clips I’ve heard, etc as I think that’s a big part of the gear buying process these days. Once I’ve played the pedals I’ll update the post with my thoughts and whether my expectations turned out to be accurate.

    I currently have 3 pedals which I believe to be based on the Rat - namely the TC Electronic Vintage Distortion, T-Rex Mudhoney 2 and T-Rex Mudhoney Danish Collection. What I’m expecting from the Warthog is something in the ballpark but with an expanded range of sounds especially with regard to the balance of the mids- possibly a cross between the Mudhoney and the Liquid Sunshine MKiii. I should also say that the Warthog is a pedal I’ve had an interest in for a while as a potential Swiss army OD/distortion/fuzz for a small board.

    In terms of the Team Medic, I’m guessing the closest I’ve tried (briefly) is an Xotic RC Boost. I do have a TC Spark Mini on the board which I find very useful for pushing drive pedals. I’m not sure what to expect from the Team Medic, though I’m very interested to see how the dual footswitch design opens up the options. I’ve heard it described as an ‘always on’ pedal which generally improves the sound. The buffer I use currently is the one in my venerable Boss TU-2, so let’s see if the Team Medic gives everything a bit of a ‘widescreen’ effect as well as a boost, and whether it would be a good partner with the Warthog on a small board.

    Hope this is of interest - looking forward to trying the pedals this week!
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9445
    @noisepolluter ;

    Simon, that's a brilliant idea mate - matching up our expectations to reality !

    Looking forward to your thoughts :)
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  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6627
    edited July 2019
    In terms of expectation - Of the hundreds of pedals I have owned over the years I have never played a Rat. No idea why. 

    In my head I'm not expecting it to be 100% perfect fit for the more Blues-rock/Crowesy type stuff I play these days but want to put it through  an early 90s alt rock workout and see what I have been missing. 

    As for the Team Medic, I guess I want to know if is something I have a use for - maybe in place of a regular boost pedal with more tone shaping options. 

    I just took delivery of an Xotic Supersweet which has a bunch of dip switches for eq options so would like to contrast and compare. 
    My Trade Feedback Thread is here

    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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  • skunkwerxskunkwerx Frets: 6838
    @ThorpyFX with the warthog, can it be placed after buffers? 

    I never know what types of pedal are like fuzzfaces and thus don't work so well after buffers. 
    The only easy day, was yesterday...
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  • ThorpyFXThorpyFX Frets: 6090
    tFB Trader
    skunkwerx said:
    @ThorpyFX with the warthog, can it be placed after buffers? 

    I never know what types of pedal are like fuzzfaces and thus don't work so well after buffers. 
    absolutely mo issue in this regard. certain vintage germanium fuzz circuits don't play nice with buffers. on the whole,
    Adrian Thorpe MBE | Owner of ThorpyFx Ltd | Email: thorpy@thorpyfx.com | Twitter: @ThorpyFx | Facebook: ThorpyFx Ltd | Website: www.thorpyfx.com
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  • skunkwerxskunkwerx Frets: 6838
    ThorpyFX said:
    skunkwerx said:
    @ThorpyFX with the warthog, can it be placed after buffers? 

    I never know what types of pedal are like fuzzfaces and thus don't work so well after buffers. 
    absolutely mo issue in this regard. certain vintage germanium fuzz circuits don't play nice with buffers. on the whole,
    Wicked, cheers buddy! 
    The only easy day, was yesterday...
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  • FuengiFuengi Frets: 2849
    Cannot wait to get these. 

    Played my Peacekeeper with the FG driving it into my Mesa Maverick drive channel today, Mustang P90s. Surprisingly gritty.

    The FG makes a huge difference to both my clean and drive tone, don't think I've turned it off since I got it. 
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  • skayskay Frets: 391
    @Fuengi The Fat General is great, my low volume clean sounds are really rich, full and alive, and the pedal has brought my Rickenbacker to life!

    My clean tones have never sounded clearer, it's odd how everything has so much more clarity, I didn't know compressor pedals did this.

    Thread hijack, so apologies, but like yourself, I can't find a reason to ever turn this pedal off!

    With so many comparison web sites out there, how do I choose the best one?

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  • FuengiFuengi Frets: 2849
    skay said:
    @Fuengi The Fat General is great, my low volume clean sounds are really rich, full and alive, and the pedal has brought my Rickenbacker to life!

    My clean tones have never sounded clearer, it's odd how everything has so much more clarity, I didn't know compressor pedals did this.

    Thread hijack, so apologies, but like yourself, I can't find a reason to ever turn this pedal off!
    It's witchcraft. 
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  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6627
    The eagle has landed. 

    Just collected the pedals from @noisepolluter . Sadly our video recording plan went to pot after our local rehearsal space closed down. Will have a play and give thoughts on Weds when the family are out. 
    My Trade Feedback Thread is here

    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9445
    soma1975 said:
    The eagle has landed. 

    Just collected the pedals from @noisepolluter . Sadly our video recording plan went to pot after our local rehearsal space closed down. Will have a play and give thoughts on Weds when the family are out. 
    Looking forward to it mate ;)
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  • noisepolluternoisepolluter Frets: 789
    edited August 2019
    Ok, so it’s about time I put some thoughts down.

    Couple of brief notes on gear - I’ve been playing at home volumes (plan for high volume test sadly scuppered as mentioned above, RIP AScape), through the normal (or ‘pedal friendly’) channel of a Deluxe Reverb Reissue. I’ve mostly used a Classic Player 60’s Tele which is what I play most of the time these days.

    Regarding my expectations of the Warthog, from soundclips, reviews and general online buzz - it didn’t sound like I expected.

    I think the main difference was in terms of the breakup. The clipping sounded harder and fuzzier in real life, particularly with regard to the note decay, which to my ear put it further into ‘distortion/fuzz’ than ‘overdrive/distortion’. 

    When I tried to shoehorn the Warthog into cleaner more subtle sounds, I thought I was less successful than when I turned the drive and calibre controls up and let rip with Weld-style Neil fuzz out, which is when I think the pedal sounded most ‘at home’ and when I most enjoyed using it. I have to say I got quite a satisfying rendition of Cinnamon Girl with all pretence at subtlety abandoned. 

    With the gain and calibre set quite low, I found I was chasing quite a narrow band of settings to get a good balance of clarity with nearly-clean sounds - the controls are indeed very interactive and sensitive, and the calibre control really does seem to turbo charge everything, not just the gain and volume but also the responsiveness of the tone control. Oddly though, I found the pedal more forgiving at higher gain settings - just slather it on and the tone control gives you varying degrees of bristliness.

    I mentioned a couple of other pedals in the expectations post. Now I’ve tried the Warthog I’m not going to draw comparisons as I think it definitely has its own character. 

    I don’t think I really bonded with it at the end of the day (week) - I spend so much time at lower gain settings that I found the character of the breakup a bit hard and fuzzy for my tastes. 

    I don’t think there’s anything further to add on the construction of either of the pedals. They’re extremely striking and robust pieces of design, and the knobs are virtually knock-proof.

    Moving on to the Team Medic - I first tried it to hoof the front end of the Warthog and various other drive pedals. Having only used flat or nearly-flat boosts previously, it was a real eye (or ear-) opener to use more creative EQ settings for heavily mid and/or treble boosted lead sounds. 

    I tried it as a ‘fixer’ after other pedals to add sparkle or low end etc to compensate for EQ balance at lower volume levels  and it was also very effective, with subtle tweaks sounding very natural. The voicing seemed to be similar to a 3 band amp EQ and was very intuitive.

    There is a hefty amount of boost available, with extremely low noise levels. The only thing I struggled with was losing track of whether the ‘extra’ boost was switched on or not, due to the single LED but dual footswitches, so on a few occasions I startled myself with a much louder boost than I expected. I suspect this is something one would get used to working around.

    Unfortunately I wasn’t able to try driving the amp with the Team Medic as I’d have been tarred and feathered by the rest of the street! Shame as I suspect that would have sounded best of all.

    I didn’t have an opportunity to properly try out the buffer as I don’t have a large pedalboard or long cable runs.

    I could however see the Team Medic being a hugely useful pedal on the board, and it ended up being the one I found myself most taken with.

    Hope this was of interest - I’m extremely grateful to Thorpy for making these pedals available and to Waz for doing a great job of organising the tour. Thanks also to the other reviewers for providing food for thought!
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  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6627
    edited August 2019
    Right. Had a quick hour when the family and neighbours are out so initial thoughts now. Will add to them tomorrow after a more extensive play.  Everything below was with a Les Paul Standard with OX4 low wind A4 PAFs. 

    I think I probably sit not a million miles away from noisepolluter in terms of the usual tones and areas of gain I go after, which is on the classic and rootsier side of things. That said I'm also a huge huge fan of early 90s alt rock (will never say the G word) and while I don't play as much of that type of stuff these days that's where my brain and fingers went with the Warthog. So with that in mind I thought I'd review the pedals for what they are and not for what they aren't.

    My chain/setup and where I've stuck the Thorpys. Recently culled from 15-odd pedals:

    BMF Wah
    D'addario tuner
    MXR Phase 95
    Thorpy Team Medic
    Solidgold FX If 6 was 9 BC183 (fuzz face)
    Snouse Black Box 2 Pro Mod
    Thorpy Warthog
    Source Audio Nemesis delay
    Source Audio True Spring Reverb

    Custom handwired 5E3 Tweed Deluxe clone (for now)


    First off as everyone says both pedals built beautifully and built to last. 

    The Warthog clearly happier with the gain at 12 O' clock and above. Below that was certainly usable but it didn't immediately inspire like pedals dedicated to lower gain can be. At 12 O' Clock it really came to life. Imparts a tightness to the 5E3 that I didn't think could be there. I enjoyed bashing out Some Pearl Jam riffs with it. At higher gain settings it gets almost Big Muffy and was great for churning out some Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins.

    It plays nicely stacked with every gain and fuzz pedal I have to give different flavours. If you have a space for a high gain pedal but need a variety of tones it could definitely do that job very well. 

    Team Medic is a big surprise as I wasn't overly fussed about it.  Very musical. Very versatile and great tone shaping abilities. With the regular boost and the mids up it pushed the Snouse on a low gain setting into a fantastic full lead sound, and with the big boost it was absolute rawk. Stacks excellently into the fuzz face. Into the Snouse to make it sound like a roaring Marshall, and of course into the Warthog is a great match. 

    I echo the request above for a 2nd LED or dual colour LED to let you know when the big boost is on. 


    I don't think I'd buy either pedal simply because of what I am mostly playing these days and the fact I have been trying to reduce my board to the essentials. The Team Medic is my fave but is capable of a lot more than I would use it for but off the back of them I absolutely want to try the new dual boost, the Gunshot and a Thorpy style mini enclosure housing a germanium treble booster with selectable mid/treble/full range toggle (hint hint). 

    Will play more later and see if there's anything else to add. 

    UPDATE 1: Played more. Even with lots of gain the Warthog is surprisingly articulate and open strings ring out nicely. It's also great for chugging/driving rhythms. 

    @ThorpyFX Is new new dual boost the same size as the team medic? 

    My Trade Feedback Thread is here

    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6627
    Will be sending the pedals on tomorrow @mark_jwedge ;
    My Trade Feedback Thread is here

    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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