I just came from listening to early ZZ records. While this pedal doesn’t make you an instant Billy, I can see it inspiring many to create their own tone and jams.
Best demo of this pedal, the El Hombre just became available at a time when I was looking for a Supro Drive which was out of stock everywhere, so I took a punt thinking I could always flip it when Supros were back in stock. Thing is, I like this so much I can’t see it coming off my board - ever. Great, responsive pedal, love my Teles with it, especially vintage output bridge pickups, loads of pinch harmonics on tap. Love it.
There is a Bogner pedal, La Grange, aiming at similar sounds, with more tweakability and versatility. Just to notify those interested. Your playing of La Grange made me reconsider my playing of it Kris - I realized it sucks - you make everything sound particularly good.
As a long time disciple of the Reverend Willie G, this pedal sounds sweet! I agree about wishing it had a bass control for the older ZZ Top tones. Think Brown Sugar or Neighbor Neighbor from their first album. Awesome demo and video as usual Kris!
Yeah, that's the kind of tone I was talking about when mentioning the bass control. To be honest though, it's an awesome sounding pedal the way it is so I'm fine with everything. :) Cheers!
Love the pedal, and the combinations of personalities: (Fender/Marshall/to almost Dumble at 7:20 ). Also love the fact that I'm not alone. I have 3 Fender-esque Stelly (Strat/Tele hybrid) guitars. I much prefer the Tele pickup in the bridge end of the guitar. I may not get the exact tone of the Strat in a 2nd position (Bridge+Middle), but close enough. Plus it has the inherent thin-ness of the Strat bridge pickup gives way to something with just a touch more authoritative...but still unmistakably...Fender twang. I have the .45 pedal, and now I'm bound to get this one as well. Oh yeah, and I usually play through a Fender 5G3 (Brown Deluxe) circuit. Lots of internet conjecture suggesting that was what Billy used on the first ZZ Top album. There used to be a vid of them in Germany (Rockpalast, the first time around) and it had Billy playing through, you guessed it -a Brown Deluxe. Sadly, that vid was taken down, even though there is a later performance at Rockpalast that is still viewable.
I love that saturated output stage tone! My favorite settings on amps with a master and a gain control is to keep the gain setting low and crank the master. If I can get that sound with this pedal and go easier on the output tubes in my amp, I'll be buying one! Thanks for the great demo!
Hey Shawn, what a nice surprise! Thanks buddy, it feels great playing this one. Btw I was watching you and Derek the other day. Really fun livestream! 😁
@@KrisBarocsi Thanks so much Kris! Yeah, that stream was a bit spur of the moment for sure as Derek just happened to be here in town and there was a snow storm going down in Canada.Thanks for watching it. It's truly beer and gear!
Best review so far for this pedal, but you should describe your sound chain in this kind of video…. Just to have a better idea what’s really coming from the pedal itself 👍🏼
I really appreciate that, thanks! I always put all the gear that I’m using in the description box under the video. And for the most part was this: guitar - El Hombre - Revv Dynamis head - OX Box with a 2x12 cab simulation. Cheers!
@@KrisBarocsi I'm not just blowing smoke. I think it boils down to Kris' phrasing and dynamics. I think Kris would do well as a session guy who was having to create fitting parts sometimes on the spot. Which is not a skill all musicians have.
Thanks for the nice video man! I bought this pedal and I really like it. It pairs awesomelly well with a Klon type before it, if you want to tighten the bass and play a Van Halen style sound. Really great and versatile. Sleeping on my board since I bought it, what is quite a feat 😂
@@The..Butterfly..Effect I have a video about my tele: ua-cam.com/video/zPRCNB8YC_U/v-deo.html The only things I don’t mention in that video are weight (3.2kg) and the action (high E: 1.5mm, low E: 1.8mm).
@@KrisBarocsi 51 nocaster pickups are underrated. The only thing I did not like was the nut... just because it's looks new... the nut is 42mm? The Dots are paint, plastic or clay ?
I noticed, no matter what piece of gear you present, there is always that upper mids "chirp". Something, I associate with classic Plexi Marshall sound (like Paul Kossoff style). Regardin power amp distortion, Im fan of amp, where you can get every stage properly working and sound is not too much "overproduced" along the way. Some power amp distortion brings that beautifull controlled feedback, where you can just turn towards your amp and let the guitar scream and then just turn away and let it calm down on its own. Makes me feel alive :D.
Thanks buddy! Those upper mids you’re talking about might come from the Revv and from me tweaking every piece of gear until it’s there. 😅 To me that’s an essential part of guitar tones.
@@KrisBarocsi you have that even on Thomans channel, when using different amp then Revv, haha. Thats your tonefinger sound, haha (in my brain, this is the frequency, that makes guitar audible in dense live mix). Other topic, carre to make "power amp distortion" episode?
Just ordered one…I have a decent collection of good guitars..I’m impressed with the bite on the tele…seems to take the bridge pickup to a perfect biting sound not ear piercing…but more treble Les Paul territory…very unique…I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one..through my tone king falcon grande…it does capture the Gibbons essence on most videos..great channel thanks🤙🏻🤙🏻
Very cool tone, sounds very distinctive. Hey, from a lower camera angle the action of your awesome Tele looks higher than I'd expect. Care to share the low E / high E action measurement? Just curious. 😅
I want one! I've been debating what kind of distortion pedal to get. I love an OD but they don't offer a bluesier tone, especially a "Texas blues" kind of thing, that I love; and Blues Drivers and the like take away some of the balls-out vibe of a straight OD. This pedal looks like it hits the mark!
You might do well with an MXR Super Bada$$ Distortion. It can totally do classic distortion, but does a SUPER good job of being a OD pedal. And the 3-band EQ allows you to crank the mids or whatever. Extremely versatile pedal.
This pedal sounds great and this is a superb demo. I really like how you played several guitars with it. For me, it is killer with your Tele. It’s great with the other guitars. But, Teles are king.
Hey, yeah it does sound very different depending on the pickups and (a pretty much always) I prefer the tone with singles. That being said the pedal does have a unique „cranked amp“ kind of tone with humbuckers which is pretty cool too.
The box sounds great though, as does the amp, as does those guitars, as do you :D overdrive pedals are fun but the amp does most of heavy lifting for those types of tones
If you wish more warmth, it’s on me. I had the bite up high with the Les Paul. If it’s around noon with a humbucker loaded guitar it’s super warm sounding actually.
I just came from listening to early ZZ records.
While this pedal doesn’t make you an instant Billy, I can see it inspiring many to create their own tone and jams.
Damn the Intro is absolute fire 🔥
Had it 10x on repeat that first minutes😅
Love your Kind of playstyle 😍🤙🏽
Thanks so much Raphael!
Best demo of this pedal, the El Hombre just became available at a time when I was looking for a Supro Drive which was out of stock everywhere, so I took a punt thinking I could always flip it when Supros were back in stock. Thing is, I like this so much I can’t see it coming off my board - ever. Great, responsive pedal, love my Teles with it, especially vintage output bridge pickups, loads of pinch harmonics on tap. Love it.
Thanks Kris, really well done. We appreciate it very much!
Chris, I’m a big fan of your work! Thanks I really appreciate that! 🙏
Awesome video. Awesome pedal.
Thank you very much! 🙏
There is a Bogner pedal, La Grange, aiming at similar sounds, with more tweakability and versatility. Just to notify those interested. Your playing of La Grange made me reconsider my playing of it Kris - I realized it sucks - you make everything sound particularly good.
Great demo as always Kris. That’s a great sounding Texas blues kinda pedal as you said, great Billy Gibbons sounds, who wouldn’t love that
Playing was so good! Nailed the parts and vibe.
Thanks a bunch Lewis! 😊
Sounds wonderful 🤘
Great overdrive!😊☝
Great playing sir!
As a long time disciple of the Reverend Willie G, this pedal sounds sweet! I agree about wishing it had a bass control for the older ZZ Top tones. Think Brown Sugar or Neighbor Neighbor from their first album. Awesome demo and video as usual Kris!
Yeah, that's the kind of tone I was talking about when mentioning the bass control. To be honest though, it's an awesome sounding pedal the way it is so I'm fine with everything. :) Cheers!
Turn gain down and bite up for earlier gibbons tones.
Man that is insanely close to the big Gs tone. Excellent demo you are a rock machine kris man 2thumbs up.
Aww man, thanks so much! James, you’re an absolute gentleman. Or should I say… djentleman? 😄
Great review and great playing!
Great video, thankfully I have a J. Rocket dealer near by.
Sick pedal. Your playing sounds great too.
🙏 Thank you!
Love the pedal, and the combinations of personalities: (Fender/Marshall/to almost Dumble at 7:20 ). Also love the fact that I'm not alone. I have 3 Fender-esque Stelly (Strat/Tele hybrid) guitars. I much prefer the Tele pickup in the bridge end of the guitar. I may not get the exact tone of the Strat in a 2nd position (Bridge+Middle), but close enough. Plus it has the inherent thin-ness of the Strat bridge pickup gives way to something with just a touch more authoritative...but still unmistakably...Fender twang. I have the .45 pedal, and now I'm bound to get this one as well. Oh yeah, and I usually play through a Fender 5G3 (Brown Deluxe) circuit. Lots of internet conjecture suggesting that was what Billy used on the first ZZ Top album. There used to be a vid of them in Germany (Rockpalast, the first time around) and it had Billy playing through, you guessed it -a Brown Deluxe. Sadly, that vid was taken down, even though there is a later performance at Rockpalast that is still viewable.
You mean 6g3? Amp in Germany was a prop - Dare say he did use one at some time though.Have one myself.
You sound good with it Kris! Like you do all the time! :)
Thanks so much! 🤩
What a cool pedal! Like a slightly fuzzy MIAB or absolutely cranked fender tweed. Wonder how it stacks
I love that saturated output stage tone! My favorite settings on amps with a master and a gain control is to keep the gain setting low and crank the master. If I can get that sound with this pedal and go easier on the output tubes in my amp, I'll be buying one! Thanks for the great demo!
Thanks Thomas! Yeah you should try it, it really gave me that vibe. You might like it too. 👍
very nice indeed !
I’m diggin’ it too. It sounds somehow fresh.
The tone on that last guitar reminded me of the Fool For Your Stockings opening
Nice demo Kris, that pedal sounds good!
Hey Shawn, what a nice surprise! Thanks buddy, it feels great playing this one. Btw I was watching you and Derek the other day. Really fun livestream! 😁
@@KrisBarocsi Thanks so much Kris! Yeah, that stream was a bit spur of the moment for sure as Derek just happened to be here in town and there was a snow storm going down in Canada.Thanks for watching it. It's truly beer and gear!
@@ShawnTubbs Yeah I loved the randomness of that stream and I hope everyone is doing fine in Winnipeg. 👍
Best review so far for this pedal, but you should describe your sound chain in this kind of video…. Just to have a better idea what’s really coming from the pedal itself 👍🏼
I really appreciate that, thanks! I always put all the gear that I’m using in the description box under the video. And for the most part was this: guitar - El Hombre - Revv Dynamis head - OX Box with a 2x12 cab simulation. Cheers!
I would love you to put it up beside the new Missing Link Audio ...The Eliminator which is doing a ZZ Top pedal as well.
Kris! that playing is fire man!
Man, out of the people I watch I think I'd put Kris right under maybe Chris Buck!
@@allenmitchell09 Aw man, that’s a huge compliment, thank you! Chris is insanely good and a lovely dude on top of that. 🤗
@@KrisBarocsi I'm not just blowing smoke. I think it boils down to Kris' phrasing and dynamics. I think Kris would do well as a session guy who was having to create fitting parts sometimes on the spot. Which is not a skill all musicians have.
Nice organic tone dig in it breaks up very sweet
HELLYEAH - AWESOME PLAYING !! Perfect for Lynyrd Skynyrd sound Too !
Thanks man! Exactly, it also does SRV surprisingly well.
You sound great!
Thanks for the nice video man!
I bought this pedal and I really like it. It pairs awesomelly well with a Klon type before it, if you want to tighten the bass and play a Van Halen style sound. Really great and versatile. Sleeping on my board since I bought it, what is quite a feat 😂
Thanks a lot! It is a really cool and unique drive and it stacks so well with other pedals. 💪 Enjoy it!
Like the sound how much are they
Digg'in that.
The run at 4:43 was smooth af bro 🔥🥴🔥
Thanks man! Smooth runs don’t happen very often around here so I’m extra glad. 😄
Gilly Bibbons ???! that thang gots some twang mang.
I also like how it pushes a Marshall 800 into creamy dreamy Texas grits (seent in other demos)
It’s all about the twang brother. 💪 Yeah the pedal seems to work really well with all kinds of guitar and amps. I gotta try it with a Marshall too.
Awesome sound! What about the dude overdrive?
I like it a lot. I think it sound amazing on the tele . if you want the Billy Gibbons sound, it's more P90 . I don't, I like the tele sound.
Thanks a lot! Yeah my favourite tone was with the tele too but that’s nothing new. I pretty much always like everything most with a tele, haha!
@@KrisBarocsi Can you make a video about your Tele all Measurements, Weights, Materials And of course electronics. - Guitar recipe : )
@@The..Butterfly..Effect I have a video about my tele: ua-cam.com/video/zPRCNB8YC_U/v-deo.html The only things I don’t mention in that video are weight (3.2kg) and the action (high E: 1.5mm, low E: 1.8mm).
@@KrisBarocsi 51 nocaster pickups are underrated.
The only thing I did not like was the nut... just because it's looks new...
the nut is 42mm?
The Dots are paint, plastic or clay ?
He also played a Legend amp, that come up missing on tour. He searched for it for a long time.
I noticed, no matter what piece of gear you present, there is always that upper mids "chirp".
Something, I associate with classic Plexi Marshall sound (like Paul Kossoff style).
Regardin power amp distortion, Im fan of amp, where you can get every stage properly working and sound is not too much "overproduced" along the way.
Some power amp distortion brings that beautifull controlled feedback, where you can just turn towards your amp and let the guitar scream and then just turn away and let it calm down on its own. Makes me feel alive :D.
Thanks buddy! Those upper mids you’re talking about might come from the Revv and from me tweaking every piece of gear until it’s there. 😅 To me that’s an essential part of guitar tones.
@@KrisBarocsi you have that even on Thomans channel, when using different amp then Revv, haha. Thats your tonefinger sound, haha (in my brain, this is the frequency, that makes guitar audible in dense live mix).
Other topic, carre to make "power amp distortion" episode?
Just ordered one…I have a decent collection of good guitars..I’m impressed with the bite on the tele…seems to take the bridge pickup to a perfect biting sound not ear piercing…but more treble Les Paul territory…very unique…I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one..through my tone king falcon grande…it does capture the Gibbons essence on most videos..great channel thanks🤙🏻🤙🏻
Thanks Glenn, enjoy the El Hombre! 🤘
Very cool tone, sounds very distinctive.
Hey, from a lower camera angle the action of your awesome Tele looks higher than I'd expect. Care to share the low E / high E action measurement? Just curious. 😅
I saw that too, it looks to be high but it really isn’t. 😅 High E 1.5mm, low E 1.8mm. That’s like a medium low action in my book.
Great pedal but sounds too close to my gearbox pedal I have a j rocket touch to but great playin and pedal is great nice presentation as well
I want one! I've been debating what kind of distortion pedal to get. I love an OD but they don't offer a bluesier tone, especially a "Texas blues" kind of thing, that I love; and Blues Drivers and the like take away some of the balls-out vibe of a straight OD. This pedal looks like it hits the mark!
The El Hombre has definitely way more mids than a Blues Driver and also has the rawness of cranked amps. I really dig it.
You might do well with an MXR Super Bada$$ Distortion. It can totally do classic distortion, but does a SUPER good job of being a OD pedal. And the 3-band EQ allows you to crank the mids or whatever. Extremely versatile pedal.
@@AndrewLewisHowe Nah
This pedal sounds great and this is a superb demo. I really like how you played several guitars with it. For me, it is killer with your Tele. It’s great with the other guitars. But, Teles are king.
Thanks so much! Yeah the El be Hombre - Tele combo was my favourite too. 😅 Teles just seem to work with most gear best. 🤷♂️
Sounds great-is that offset with the P90s new?
Thanks! Nope, I have it for about a year. Here’s a video about it: ua-cam.com/video/NGePwbE-NoM/v-deo.html Cheers!
Interesting mild overdrive....sounds quite Hendrix-y with the Strat.
What is the difference between the El Hombre and the Ibanez TS808, because I don't know which one to buy....😃
If you don’t know… I’d start with a 808, then, if you’re not happy down the road while saving, buy with more information in your quiver.
This pedal sounds awesome with a Tele.. I wasn’t impressed with PAFs honestly. It’s much better sounding here. Sweet jams!
Hey, yeah it does sound very different depending on the pickups and (a pretty much always) I prefer the tone with singles. That being said the pedal does have a unique „cranked amp“ kind of tone with humbuckers which is pretty cool too.
Tried it and thought it was not great.
Same.
Let the poor Billy out of the box!!
😂 Billy IS the box. He’s so cool, he’s like the Chuck Norris of guitarists.
The box sounds great though, as does the amp, as does those guitars, as do you :D overdrive pedals are fun but the amp does most of heavy lifting for those types of tones
That thing sounds great but can't put 2 Bill's into one pedal
It would be nice if this box had a bit more warmth. It sounds a bit brittle to me. Just sayin
If you wish more warmth, it’s on me. I had the bite up high with the Les Paul. If it’s around noon with a humbucker loaded guitar it’s super warm sounding actually.
Sorry sounds like every other distortion/OD pedal out there....
??? sounded nothing like gibbons