MXR^® FOD^™ DRIVE

Overdrive pedals are designed to replicate the rich, gritty sound of a cranked tube amp while allowing you more freedom of output level. Nowadays, many overdrive pedals are designed with enough tweakability to also complement an already overdriven amplifier, adding to the effect’s versatility.

The MXR^® FOD^™ Drive is one such pedal. It’s a built-from-the-ground up recreation of two different custom amps that replicates the experience of running two separate amp stacks on stage. You get two separate channels, each with ts own Gain and Volume controls, and a Blend to mix them together. The Tone control adjusts EQ at the output, while the Scoop switch selects a flat, scooped, or boosted midrange. You might say the FOD Drive takes a very literal approach to the whole amp-overdrive-in-a-box thing.

So how do you use an overdrive pedal such as the FOD Drive with a tube amp? If you want your amp to handle your clean sound and then kick the pedal on when it’s time to get dirty, just set your amp’s EQ and volume to a good level for the space you’re in, and then do the same for your pedal. You can get some very smooth, mellow grit this way.

Set the gain low and the volume high on your pedal to push the amp itself into overdrive while giving it the pedal’s tonal flavoring. With an already overdriven amplifier, it’s all about finding the right balance as all those harmonics crash into each other. The result should be a thick, saturated sound that’s just on the verge of distortion while retaining the warmth of your tubes.

That’s just scratching the surface, of course. Your overdrive pedal’s interface will dictate all the various tonal iterations available to you, and how you use your overdrive pedal will probably depend on which role you’re playing in the mix. For solos, you might want the pedal set to bump you up a level above the rest of the band. On rhythms, you might want to double on pedal and amp grit for extra fat and crunchy riffs. And don’t be afraid to make judicious use of your volume control.

MXR^® Super Badass Distortion

Distortion is the middle ground between overdrive and fuzz. The goal of any good distortion pedal is to supply copious amounts of gain and a tight, controllable range of harmonic saturation. A clean amp is preferred in most cases—that way, you can maintain control of the effect right from the pedal itself. Which distortion pedal you use, and how you use it, will depend on whether or not you want to enhance the sound of your guitar and amp or kick over to something totally different.

The MXR^® Super Badass Distortion handles both tasks with ease. The Distortion control blends in a bit of your clean signal at the beginning of its sweep, and you can use the super responsive Bass, Mid, and Treble controls to match up the rest of the range to the overall voice of your guitar and amp.

Want to take your sound in a whole other direction? Roll the Distortion control up as high as you need, and then use the EQ controls to scoop out your midrange, fill out the bottom end, or electrify the highs. Volume-wise, try to find a level that doesn’t throw the amp itself into overdrive and add unwanted saturation.

Now, earlier we said that a clean amp is preferred to a dirty amp when using a distortion pedal, but you might find that a dirty amp is exactly what you want from your particular setup. With the Super Badass Distortion’s lower, clean signal-infused Distortion setting, the overdrive from your amp might just sound killer coming in alongside the mild distortion generated by the pedal level.

Silicon Fuzz Face^® Fuzz Face Mini Distortion

Fuzz is wild and unruly. It’s based on busted gear, after all. The first fuzz pedals were designed to sound like a faulty amp or perforated speaker. They made it so that players didn’t have to break their stuff and hope it would sound great. Fuzz pedals bring so much gain to the table that it doesn’t really matter how clean or dirty your amp is.

The main component of a fuzz circuit that’s of any concern to a musician is the transistors. Unlike the hi-fi op-amps that are common in overdrive and distortion pedals, lo-fi transistors add a bunch of their own harmonic content right out of the gate. Transistors are usually made from germanium or silicon. Germanium is relatively warm and smooth compared to the bright and aggressive silicon.

The Silicon Fuzz Face^® Fuzz Face Mini Distortion offers the quintessential fuzz sound, and with only two controls, the distance between plugging in and covering the world in shag is very short, indeed. There ain’t much finesse here, and it doesn’t matter too much what you’re doing—it’s all about dialing in the fuzz until you have a badass sound and then kicking the switch when you’re ready to let loose.

GO FORTH AND BE GRITTY

Overdrive, distortion, and fuzz are more than just different points on a spectrum. Each has specific specialties that allow you to create absolute musical magic, and any seasoned tonechaser will have at least one of each on hand. Which one will you add to your signal chain first?

His extensive sideman credits include supporting an array of artists from Patti LaBelle to Dr. John, Robert Palmer and Lee Dorsey. He’s still as clever as ever, and the latest trick from Mr. Bourbon Street’s bag is a real David Copperfield-like reveal. Nocentelli’s debut acoustic solo album—recorded fifty years ago, stashed in the vault at Allen Toussaint’s Sea-Saint Studios, and presumed lost in the flood of Hurricane Katrina—magically appeared at a swap meet in Los Angeles. Released in 2021 as Another Side (Light in the Attic), the record is attracting renewed attention to a bona fide legend.

Dunlop has been secretly working with Nocentelli on a bomb signature project for quite a while, as well, and it’s finally time for show and tell. The Leo Nocentelli Mardi Gras Wah is appropriately colored deep purple, green and sparkling gold with custom graphics including a golden fleur-de-lis on the tread, a custom Cry Baby logo at the front, and a classy bottom plate. Like it says on the side, Leo Nocentelli was established in 1946, and he carries a ton of history wherever he goes. We caught up with him at Christmas time feeling full appreciation for the present at home in the Crescent City.

What was the big bang in your wah-wah universe?

I first heard Jimi Hendrix use it on songs like “Machine Gun,” “Voodoo Child” and what he did live at Woodstock. I came to appreciate what some other players did as well, including Robin Trower, but I would pitch Hendrix as the real master of the wah, and I was influenced by him. I bought one that I actually used on the first Meters album for “Here Comes the Meter Man.” It’s a wah-wah solo. I wasn’t into how to use it properly when we recorded that, but as time went on, I started using it more. The song that really brought out the way I interpret the wah-wah was “Just Kissed My Baby.”

What’s the key?

Meshing it with the line. A lot of people just push it up and down. On “Just Kissed My Baby,” I used it in accordance with the way the line went, pressing forward for the high pitch on the high notes and rocking back for the low ones. It’s very meticulous and very methodical. I play the first part picking only two strings, the second and third. The high E string is never played. It’s in the key of G, and a lot of players just strum the whole chord, but you can’t get it like that.

What about the second part of the line that bounces off the low E string?

I pick on the bottom string while alternating with my middle finger plucking the G string. 

Was the wah a part of the riff from the beginning?

It all happened together. We were writing and rehearsing for Rejuvenation. Since I was the chief writer, I came up with the lick at rehearsal trying to get the song together. I played the whole song to Zig [drummer Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste], and Zig was such a clever lyricist that he immediately started singing, “I feel like a king, ‘cuz I just kissed my baby.” He and I worked the song out, and George [bassist George Porter Jr.] played what came naturally, joining the guitar for the notes on the big E string. The guitar riff without the wah-wah would sound plain. Hitting the right spot at the right time on the Cry Baby Wah makes it come alive.

What’s happening on the original recording of “Fire on the Bayou”?

That’s actually one of those big old Phaser II boxes [Musitronics Mu-tron], but some other Meters recordings with the wah-wah are “You’ve Got to Change, (You’ve Got to Reform),” “Getting Funkier All the Time,” and “Stay Away.” 

Can you explain what effect the wah has on you and your playing?

It’s a different concept when you play with a wah-wah as opposed to just rocking out. Different riffs automatically come into my head. When you hear me with a wah-wah, I’m still Leo, but it’s like another player within what I normally do. And it takes me to another place when I’m improvising on a solo.

You had been using an older Hendrix Signature Cry Baby, the JH-1, which has a deeper range than a standard Cry Baby. What do you dig most about your new Mardi Gras Wah?

I didn’t want to change the mechanics. I approached Jimmy Dunlop about doing the Mardi Gras Wah, and the significance was using Mardi Gras colors. The original colors were more pastel on the green and gold, and a more regular shade of purple. It took Jimmy a long time and a lot of passion to develop those colors to appear as special as they do now. I applaud him for that, and I’m very grateful and proud of the way they turned out. This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever been involved in.

Is the wah-wah the greatest effects pedal ever invented?

I think so. You can get away without a phaser, an octave divider, or a delay, but you cannot get away without a wah-wah, man.