NPD - Strymon El Capistan

[bcdon***]

It is quite simply the best guitar effect I have ever heard.

That is great to hear. I am really close to buying one of these... especially since you like it with some dirt. Thanks again for your comments, and GAS!

[Ch0jin]

So you fancy the idea of some dirty guitar through some dirty echo?



Both guitars recorded using single head tape mode, but with different settings. Loads of wow and flutter dialled in

[guitartango]

Very nice pedal Ch0jin, well worth the money. I have a Nova repeater (cheaper version of theNova delay) and i really love the tape delays and echoes.

Here are a few links on the original echo units used by a lot of 1960's bands.

Watkins copycat




This is serious guitar effects porn !!!!

And a new version at £1250

[bcdon***]

So you fancy the idea of some dirty guitar through some dirty echo?



Both guitars recorded using single head tape mode, but with different settings. Loads of wow and flutter dialled in

Very nice! Great video editing too. I think that pretty much puts the nail in the credit card because I'm going order one.

BTW, love that car of yours!

[Ch0jin]

Thanks for the links GT, I'd seen the vintage Watkins clip earlier but that Copycat Gold is crazy! At that price I'm never going to own one, but it sure seems to do a lot of fun stuff!

Glad you liked it Don! The combination of a crunchy amp setting and the El Cap set as a very worn down and flakey old tape unit seems to make any chord sound really interesting. I'm playing both the chords and lead with my fingers there which adds considerably to the soft attack sound too.

Nice car huh! I bought the American Muscle Car version of Forza 4 the day it was released. That Dodge is actually intended to be a 1/4 mile car in the game, but I couldn't resist taking it for a bit of a powerslide. What good is a blown big block if you cant shred some tyres with it

[bcdon***]

Guess what the UPS dude brought me today? Cho, you are right, this is one killer pedal! I only had chance to play about an hour but it sounds so good. No dirt tonight, just cleans and, man, are they brilliant!

Strymon has great customer service. I ordered the pedal on Sunday morning, got loads of email updates, it shipped UPS 2nd day, and arrived today. I had it sent to Point Roberts, WA (to save on import duties) and drove the 14 miles at lunch time. The hardest part was not heading home right then.

Thanks again for turning me on to this pedal!

[Robert****]

Congrats! Perhaps I can try it when I see you in 1 week or so?

[bcdon***]

Congrats! Perhaps I can try it when I see you in 1 week or so?

Of course, that would be totally cool!

[Ch0jin]

Hey no worries Don, I'm just glad you liked it!

I think I forgot about the two overdriven channels of my amp for at least a week after plugging the El Cap in. It's just so amazing sounding. I know for sure if I'm ever looking for a reverb pedal, the -only- contender is the Strymon BlueSky. (and I might be, I found those $99 lap steels that Rondo have last night. I'm thinking I might get me one of those)

[Tig***]

Of course, that would be totally cool!

Video or it doesn't count!

[bcdon***]

This is one killer pedal! I find that I keep it on most of the time, just like reverb. Sounds really nice and with a low mix and repeat you can hear that it's there but it doesn't overpower anything.

Next time Robert is in town I hope we'll have enough time for him to stop by and I'll shoot that video.

[Ch0jin]

Yup me too man. One little thing that would have been nice would be to be able to map the secondary controls to the expression pedal jack. I'd love to be able to just twist a dial to adjust reverb rather than pressing down both buttons. It's a pretty minor gripe though.

I had a chance to try it out in a jam situation last week too. Whilst my poor 60W Peavey got completely drowned out by both the drummer and other guitarist (I'm thinking it might need new power tubes perhaps. Seems wrong that a 60W tube amp dimed can't be heard over a JMP-1 + 8008 into a 4x12 Sovtek cab running at less than half power. Even if I -was- too lazy to run it through my quad. They both had a good laugh at me lying on the floor with my head in front of the speaker so I could hear my lead playing though...

Anyway, the point was, even though my Boomerang (in the loop with the El Cap and a Flanger on this occasion) was complaining about clipping (like I said, every control maxed on the amp) the El Cap still worked perfectly!

Now I just need more louds for my amp (or a 100W Ceriatone Yeti perhaps.........)

[kidsmoke*]

What a great thread! I'm thoroughly stoked after reading this because I've got an El Cap in the mail as we speak.

So do tell, Ch0jin, 2 years down the line.....anything to add or recommend? And will you be available for consultations??

[Ch0jin]

2 years down the line. The El Cap and the boomerang looper definitely my "desert island" pedals. I have a Strymon Flint also, and it's great, but the El Capistan is just amazing..

[duhvoodooman***]

It is quite simply the best guitar effect I have ever heard.

I feel exactly the same way about the one Strymon effect I own, the Lex. Sounds so convincingly like a Leslie rotating speaker that it's scary. Those boys at Strymon are magicians....