Heavy Electronics?

jrmy · Post by **jrmy** » Sat May 30, 2009 3:33 pm

Anybody know about this guy's stuff?

http://www.heavyelectronics.com/prods.html

They're made in Minneapolis, but one of the dealers is right down the road from my house. I'm gonna try to stop by to try some of the pedals out today, but figured I'd check to see if anyone had heard about or played with these pedals.

Gunner Recall · Post by **Gunner Recall** » Sat May 30, 2009 5:33 pm

Radio havana looks like fun...I can't seem to find any clips though.

smile_man · Post by **smile_man** » Sat May 30, 2009 6:03 pm

morningstaru wrote:Radio havana looks like fun...I can't seem to find any clips though.

Ditto.

jrmy · Post by **jrmy** » Sat May 30, 2009 9:17 pm

I went by the dealer and played a couple of 'em. He commented on the lack of soundclips on the builder's site. I'm a little on the fence - I played the HIghway '77, which was all right, and the Radio Havana, which was definitively not as cool as he makes it sound in the description.

I could see the Highway 77 as a good alternative to the Tube Screamer, but I'm worried that it will be way too bright with my Jazz Bass (it made an old P Bass sound incredibly punchy & cutting, so my Jass would probably cut glass with it). Although he did say that there were trim pots inside the pedal that could affect the brightness.

The Radio Havana wasn't nearly as low-fi or grotty as I thought it would be. Maybe it would be cooler on guitar, though.

I might go back to try the Grind Fuzz... we'll see.

Heavier · Post by **Heavier** » Sun May 31, 2009 1:34 am

Hey everyone,

I thought I might dissolve some mystery regarding these pedals.

I have so far avoided sound-clips because I feel like they can't accurately represent "tone". While they may show you the results of a modulation effect like a delay or a trem, they are lack-luster at best in describing the tone profile of an overdrive pedal. I want people to try the pedals in person because I want them to have first hand knowledge and trust in the product before they buy (or on a approval period). More so, sound-clips take the pedals out of the context for the user. Unless your guitar is a Tele played by Andy Timmons, through a Mesa Boogie, through a 2X12 cabinet, through an SM57, through a Neve board, through the internet, through your computer speakers, a sound-clip recorded as such isn't telling you much. Just think about how many EQs lay between the pedal and your ears!

Too elitist, altruistic, old-fashioned you say??? You'll be pleased to know that I am soon releasing a series of videos on You Tube featuring the HE pedals in use. Moreover, I fully realize that there is a slew of pedals out there and sound-clips, while primitive, may provide an initial interest. In the meantime, to my knowledge all of the dealers will sell you a pedal under an approval period, and I have set my prices at a level that makes the fun to risk ratio pretty fantastic

JRMY,

Just wanted to mention for clarity sake that the HWY-77 is not a TS clone. (Not that you inferred that it was) Lord knows enough exist.
There is a voltage sag pot on the inside of that era pedal. I would describe it as decreasing presence and adding compression. BUT, Heavy Electronics offers free one-time voicing modification to make a pedal brighter or darker to fit the needs of the user. Sure, you've got to ship it to me, but $5 to and from is a small price to pay to get a pedal you love voiced in a way that shines through your rig.

With regard to your experience with the Radio Havana... If you read the HC reviews you'll see that some people love it for a cutting bass tone. However, bass doesn't have the right frequency band to "trigger" the Lo-Fi washiness of the pedal... By and large the lo-fi aspect of the pedal lies in the decay of the notes...
So, if your just chugging along with a bass you will only activate the filter portion of the effect. That said the Radio Havana can be made to degrade the audio to whatever level you can handle.

Hope this helps... I would be happy to alert any of you to the videos when they appear at your request.

I'll try to check back and answer any further questions.

Sayer Payne,
Heavy Electronics
Minneapolis, Mn 55405
info@heavyelectronics.com
ph. 612. 423. 9470

WaveForm3 · Post by **WaveForm3** » Sun May 31, 2009 2:37 am

Very Interesting I was actually just going to post on them!!!

Radio Havana looks sweet though.

Heavier, I completely understand you're position on having no soundclips, but it makes purchasing very difficult for me, because all the stores around me don't carry boutique (or even boutique-ish) pedals. It just sucks. But still, no flames, or anything, I understand your position, but it makes it difficult for me.

Heavier · Post by **Heavier** » Sun May 31, 2009 3:16 am

I hear you man. I grew up in a small town. I freaked the first time I saw a big muff at the pawn shop.

jrmy · Post by **jrmy** » Sun May 31, 2009 10:23 am

Hey Sayer -

Thanks for clearing that up. I liked the non-Tubescreamerness of the Highway '77 very much - it seemed like a great pedal for a guitar player looking for an alternative to the TS clones that clog the market. The fact that you offer customized / tweaked voicings to the player's taste is a really great service. I certainly haven't given up on the '77 - I'm going to go back with my Jazz and see how it sounds. I didn't try messing with the trim pots, so it might be worth seeing what they do to the sound. I'm also going to try the Grind Fuzz. I think that part of the problem is that I'm not a straight OD guy - I like my OD with a lot of "hair" (bordering on a tamer fuzz, I suppose), so I think that my "ideal" might not really be an OD after all.

And that's a great thing to know about the Radio Havana. I'll give it a listen again next time I'm at Empire - it might not fit into my current setup, but I certainly want to give it a proper chance.

Also, I'm looking forward to seeing the YouTube demos when they're out!

Thanks for replying, by the way - it's always good to hear from the builders themselves. Hopefully we'll see more of you around these parts.

take care,
jrmy

Heavier · Post by **Heavier** » Sun May 31, 2009 12:50 pm

Jrmy,

Thanks for your kind words. The Grind Fuzz definitely has more "hair" on it.

This is my favorite way of presenting sound-clips, if you want to hear what someone else did with bass and the Grind Fuzz...

http://www.myspace.com/naturenurtureband

check out track 002 at 1:20ish

S

hazelwould · Post by **hazelwould** » Sun May 31, 2009 4:43 pm

Heavier wrote:Jrmy,

Thanks for your kind words. The Grind Fuzz definitely has more "hair" on it.

This is my favorite way of presenting sound-clips, if you want to hear what someone else did with bass and the Grind Fuzz...

http://www.myspace.com/naturenurtureband

check out track 002 at 1:20ish

S

Do you have any online distro? I'd like to try one but there aren't any places in Dallas that carry them. I'd also like to know what the pricing is, as that wasn't listed on the site. Specifically the radio Havana. I've had my eye on the Ibanez lofi for a while.

WaveForm3 · Post by **WaveForm3** » Sun May 31, 2009 11:00 pm

I htink I saw them on PedalGeek.com

Heavier · Post by **Heavier** » Sun May 31, 2009 11:14 pm

Hazelwould

Pedal Geek is indeed a dealer.

The Radio Havana is $139.00

What's the cool store in Dallas? Is Charlie's there?

Maybe we can open a new dealer. If you would like to help out with that I would be keen to put some extra touches into your pedal.

Just email me @ info@heavyelectronics.com if you're interested and we'll get to work.

ilovefuzz.com

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