Electro Harmonix

Electro Harmonix

Electro Harmonix Tube Zipper Pedal - Product Review

Electro Harmonix has been producing incredible effects units practically since the dawn of rock music. By relentlessly upping the bar for originality and quality, they continue to bring their company to the highest realms of respect in zipper pedals, tones, and manipulation.

Perhaps the most amazing thing that EH has been doing as of late is creating these outstanding pedals that actually power themselves by tubes. The Electro Harmonix Tube Zipper is an Envelope Filter and a Distortion. This pedal will give you an undeniable shove into a world of warm tube crunch that you could only find in an 80s Marshall, or something comparable.

I was floored when turning this pedal on for the first time. You could plug this in to a cheap PA head for guitar and make it sound the quality of an ENGL or Soldano head. I knew this thing would be good, but I was unprepared for the extent of its capability. With two 12AX7 EH tubes inside, it really is no wonder that the tonal quality is so impressive. By drawing all of its output power from actual tubes, you would have to expect that its going to resonate with the clarity and purpose of real tube powered heads.

This pedal has a lot of features. In addition to its naturally blissful tone, it is an envelope filter and a distortion. The top three knobs control the envelope filter. These knobs are for changing Resonance, Frequency, Sensitivity. As you can see, you will have all you need to make the proper adjustments for the perfect, funky envelope filtering sound. You will be able to add a lot dynamic to your sound by letting this effect bring a wide range of harmonic plushness to your tone.

Below these, you will find three knobs dedicated for allowing the distortion to shine through with maximum preference and accuracy. You will find knobs for Master Volume, Drive, and Input Gain. Funny, because so many amps have the same exact knobs. When plugged in and adjusting these three, it sounds like you are adjusting the knobs on a classic tube amp. There are also two switches that allow for further enhancement.

The first is Envelope, which can be set to Up or Down. This will allow which part of the frequency will pick up the most accent. The high point in the wave or the low point. The other switch is Mode and switches from Trill or Tron. Each of these provide their own unique perspective on the push of the pedal.

I like this pedal mostly for the tube drive it has. If you do not feel like spending the cash on a $1K+ tube amplifier, find one that is less qualified and put this in front of it. You will not miss a beat. MusiciansFriend.com lists these sharks for only $200.

A zipper (British English: zip or (rarely) zip fastener) is a popular device for temporarily joining two edges of fabric. It is used in clothing (e.g., jackets and jeans), luggage and other bags, sporting goods, camping gear (e.g., tents and sleeping bags), and other daily use items.

The bulk of a zipper consists of two strips of fabric tape, each affixed to one of the two pieces to be joined, carrying from tens to hundreds of specially shaped metal or plastic teeth. These teeth can be either individual or shaped from a continuous coil, and are also referred to as elements.[2] The slider, operated by hand, moves along the rows of teeth. Inside the slider is a Y-shaped channel that meshes together or separates the opposing rows of teeth, depending on the direction of the slider's movement.

Some zippers have two slides, allowing variation in the opening's size and position. In most jackets and similar garments, the opening is closed entirely when one slide is at each end. In most baggage, the opening is closed entirely when the two slides are next to each other at any point along the zipper.

A zipper costs relatively little, but if it fails, the garment may be unusable until the zipper is repaired or replaced—which can be quite difficult and expensive. Problems often lie with the zipper slider; when it becomes worn it does not properly align and join the alternating teeth. If a zipper fails, it can either jam (i.e. get stuck) or partially break off.

What are some suggestions for the setup of my bass pedal board?

Any ideas? I have:

-Dunlop Crybaby Wah
-Boss Tuner
-Electro-Harmonix Metaphors
-Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi
-Boss Phase Shifter
-Boss Bass Synthesizer
-Boss Super Shifter
-Boss Noise Suppressor
-Line 6 Echo Park Delay

Thanks!

Pretty much how you have it listed. Generally the signal chain will go as follows:

Wah/Envelope Filter
Overdrive/Distortion
Compressor
Noise Suppressor
Phaser/Flanger/Chorus
Reverb/Delay

I would probably put the tuner in front of the wah, the Suppressor after the Big Muff, and the Delay last. I'm not sure what the Metaphors or the Synthesizer does, so I would experiment with those to see where they sound best. Hope this helps!