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Duncan Amp Tools

https://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/

Hi Gary,

Many thanks for the information, recommendation and video links. I shall take so time out and try to 'digest' it all. To be honest, on first look I was failed to be convinced by Ivan's sampler video.

I have a lot of respect for Paul Rossiter and all the work he carried out developing the unit; I have been very pleased with, and still very much enjoy using, the TVS3. It is still very much my 'go to' effects unit for Shadows' material.

However, given the wealth of alternative units that there are out there I was just curious about how well some of them compare to the TVS3 and what differences there are between them. From what I have read and heard so far I might just give the Strymon a try.

Thanks again,

Ian

Hi Ian,

Just in case it wasn't clear, it's the Strymon Volante all the way for me!

Regards

Gary

scouserjoe2 wrote:Dave, have you tried the Boonar, and how would you compare either of these alternative units with the sound and ease of use of the TVS3 ?
Ian

For this recording I used my Boonar: https://soundcloud.com/user-14574268/wonderful-land-1

On the subject of the Burns sound, this video by Paul Rossiter is illuminating. It is amazing how close Paul gets to Hank’s style and sound.

https://youtu.be/NuYc1r945Jk

I'm currently on travels and can't get to make a direct comparison, but here's a clip of me playing Wonderful Land with the Volante which I think nails it closer than the Boonar. Only my opinion but I won't be considering buying a Boonar.

https://youtu.be/D-huePyuD40

abstamaria wrote:On the subject of the Burns sound, this video by Paul Rossiter is illuminating. It is amazing how close Paul gets to Hank’s style and sound.

https://youtu.be/NuYc1r945Jk

Good video!

Thanks for the two sample recordings ..

Of the two Wonderful Land recordings offered in the previous posts, I would agree with Dave that I much preferred the Strymon over the Boonar. Having said that, I am making that judgement principally on the sound of the repeat pattern in the muted section for which Dave's version comes far closer to the original. The Boonar comes nowhere near it, but much would have depended on the settings used, and what effect was being sought when the recordings were created.

Ian

The reason for the muted part being correct on the Strymon is simple. It allows various types of head spacing, rather than the rigid Binson Pattern on some other models. I discovered this whilst owning the Catalinbread Echorec, as good as it is, it won't allow those patterns that were on the Meazzi Echomatic, nor the distortion in the decay. Neither will a real Binson Echorec, they are not designed go do so.
Paul Rossiter scored highly on the TVS3 because he recognised it and built in those artefacts from the beginning. The Volante does all these things handsomely. Owning both, it makes it easy to compare side by side and though each do differ from the other, they both sound great.

Thanks for that information, Dave. I took a look at a downloaded copy of the Strymon instruction manual and also some of the Youtube videos, and that was the conclusion that I came to.

On the discussion about the Burns v Stratocaster, I took yet another look at Paul Rossiter's video comparing the Burns with the Stratocaster and indeed that is what I found too when I tried to make the same comparisons - but that was using a Strat with the rosewood board fitted with the same Custom Shop '54 pickups as Paul. I never tried the experiment with a Maple necked Strat.

In the past when I had both the 56 NOS Strat (maple board) and the 60 NOS Strat (rosewood board) I was able to make a direct comparison between the two. To my ears, using exactly the same set-up and playing exactly the same way, the 60 NOS had noticeable differences at the top and bottom ends of the tonal spectrum but were much the same in between. These two guitars had different pickups, however - the 56 NOS had Custom '50s, the 60 NOS had Custom 60's. It is interesting to hear that Paul matched the sound of the Burns with the Strat with the Maple board. I think it proves what can be achieved with careful manipulation of the various tone and volume controls on guitar and amp.

Ian