Burn unit vs Mosferatu

[jimmieb]

Tom or anyone else,

Is there a tonal difference between the Barber Burn Unit and the Mosferatu?
I'm considering going with the Barber pedal for it's distortion sounds but not sure if it's real close tonally to the Mosferatu.

Jimmie B

[jimmieb]

My pedal set up would be 1st, an Xotic RC, then ZenDrive, then Mosferatu, then Barber Burn Unit, then my Fulldrive 2.

Jimmie B

[tom]

just got my mosferatu yesterday, i'll give it a workout this wekend. my first impression is that it goes farther than the burn unit. the burn unit , to me, does a really good job of adding distortion without changing the tone. it just sounds like me but with more gain. it has been my go to sound for quite a while. remember i am using a clean amp, so i virtually never don't have a pedal on because i virtually never play pristene clean. in my rig i am also enjoying these other overdrives because they have a color. i'll know better after the weekend about the mos. i played it at the shop yesterday and i will say that it is very friendly, easy to get good sounds.

[tom]

got a chance to play with the mosferatu this weekend. i used it for a pretty high gain situation and it was really cool. it has a very aggressive character, or i should say that i dialed in a very aggressive character. i had the gain about half way up, and it was a bit more aggressive than the burn unit all the way up. it cleaned up pretty well with the guitar volume rolled down, and single notes had a nice bloom with the guitar volume cranked. it is a nice compliment to the zen drive. the burn unit and zendrive are in similar gain zones to me. this weekend was a real mix of stuff so i was able to use the burn unit, mosferatu, tube zone, and vstack at one time or another. remember i am never just using the amp for my gain because of my low stage volume situation.

[jimmieb]

Wow, that's a surprise that the Zen and Burn Unit have similar gain. The Zen must have a broad drive spectrum from clean to OD. I thought the Barber was more light to med gain. Does the Zen and Burn Unit have a substancially different tonal character? I thought by the blerb on the Hermida web site that the Zen was stictly a boost pedal. Where you able to get some cachunka recto tone from the Mosferatu?
I was able to use my Xotic RC for the first time. I used it as a boost and also left my FatBoost on in front of it, I dialed in the bass at 3 o'clock and it was pretty thick (good thick) especially into my LoneStar. I liked the bass response but as expected I had to drive more presence to cut through. I'm considering using two RC's with different tone setting. Then leave one or the other on all the time to drive the other pedals and to have a different tonal character. I like the clean tones slightly rolled off on the guitar volume with a boost on all the time. It seems to be easier to control the levels between rhythm and lead tones. It doesn't effect the dynamics to much and it seems to be a bigger tone. At low volume I feel like my clean tones were wimpy especially at low volume.

Jimmie B

[tom]

the zen goes down to cleanish boost, but not much boost when it is clean. i'd still call it a mid gain pedal when you are dealing with a clean amp. everything changes when you ae driving the amp. yes the mos did a very nice nasty amp. not as deep a scoop as a recto, but a full on nasty marshall. i have not gotten into more than one gain pedal on at a time, so i can't speak to that.

[mbrown3]

I was able to use my Xotic RC for the first time. I used it as a boost and also left my FatBoost on in front of it, I dialed in the bass at 3 o'clock and it was pretty thick (good thick) especially into my LoneStar. I liked the bass response but as expected I had to drive more presence to cut through. I'm considering using two RC's with different tone setting.

Keep in mind that, as with all Xotic pedals, the tone controls are really the key. They really do make a big difference on these pedals...they're not like the "on/off" type of controls on most pedals. They're really dynamic and will have a hug impact on the tone (and, in my opinion, they all sound pretty good). But don't be afraid to go high on the tone controls. They both have a pretty significant range. The RC is the best boost pedal around IMO.

[jimmieb]

Keep in mind that, as with all Xotic pedals, the tone controls are really the key. They really do make a big difference on these pedals...they're not like the "on/off" type of controls on most pedals. They're really dynamic and will have a hug impact on the tone (and, in my opinion, they all sound pretty good). But don't be afraid to go high on the tone controls. They both have a pretty significant range. The RC is the best boost pedal around IMO.

Boy, that's the truth. The slightest tone adjustment made a noticable difference. What do think about multiple RC pedals to change the basic character of the amp your using? Like one set for more bass, one for a thinner tone. While I'm asking what do you think about using a boost pedal on all the time and in tandum with OD pedals? Anyone pipe in...

Jimmie B

[mbrown3]

I think there are a number of folks out there that always leave the RC on. And from experience, I think it plays well with others, so you may want to try it with some OD pedals and see if you like the tone. I think it would be cool running 2. I've got one RC and one AC and love them both (and the Robotalk, actually, which is very cool).

[crash]

...this weekend was a real mix of stuff so i was able to use the burn unit, mosferatu, tube zone, and vstack at one time or another...
Tom - after using all those, which ones sat best with the Rambler? And what did you end up thinking of the MI?

[tom]

i must admit that i have gotten too many pedals too close together, and i have not been able to spend enough time with any of them to fully get a feel for each one. i'm not a sit at home and tweak for days guy. i tend to play with what stuff does at rehearsal, then just go for it on the gig. last week i used the Mi for a fat amp sound, the mos for a big grinding sound, the burn unit for a mid gain sound, and the vstack for both edgy clean and smooth solo tone. i need lots more time wit all of them. fortunately i get to play tonite and tomorrow so i'll get more time with them. i think it's real easy to pigeon hole a pedal if you don't give it enough time to see what it does. there are so many choices out there. fun stuff.

[fractal]

I think we need to start a netflix type of subscription service for pedals. I know that I am going to have a hard time filling the rest of my pedalboard with so many choices. I think Tom is right that you need some time with them to really know what works best for you.

-Garrett (not a netflix member, by the way, and not endorsing them specifically...)

[jimmieb]

Tom,

You know the same is true for me. I haven't really used the Full Drives red overdrive channel much or even the drive channel on my Lone Star. I've been only using the clean channel on the Lone Star. That's why I'm so interested in your pedal set up, knowing you are only using a clean channel too. I'm waiting for that Sunday afternoon when no one is around to tweak the amp and gear, but it never happens! So I'm forced to rush set up at the morning or afternoon services and grab lunch in between. Actually, I only use a clean boost, a light ,and medium OD in the course of a service. So I'd like to limit myself to 3 or 4 drive pedals. I can also use the drive channel on the amp too. That's 6 six sounds, if their great sounds who needs more, right? Still, I dream of a second guitar and second amp in the rig. Is this a sickness? Obsessive Guitar Syndrome is the psychological classification or OGS for short.

Jimmie B

[tom]

love the idea of a pedal subcription deal!