Tech 21: Leeds - To Amp Input (Strat and Les Paul)

www.tech21nyc.com

The new Character Series from Tech 21 (Oxford, Leeds and US Steel) can be used in three ways: to the amp's input, direct to a powered monitor, computer or house system; or to your amp's power amp via the Return jack in the effects loop. The older series can also be used this way but these latest three have the added advantage of a speaker defeat button which allows you to turn off the speaker emulation.

Here I demonstrate the Leeds as stompbox - running straight to my Laney's input. I'm running the clean channel with the tones flat and Leed's speaker defeat button OFF. Switching off the speaker defeat button defeats the speaker emulation so you can more easily use it with a regular amp, as I'm doing here. The results? Pretty damn good.

I know it's going to be compared to other HIWATT style pedals currently on the market so I'm interested to hear your opinions.

1, 2, 3, go...

A video showing the Leeds being used as a direct device, straight to the computer, can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU2kNwu3IZo

Cheers,

BK.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tech
• 21
• Leeds
• Laney
• L5T
• Brett
• Kingman

[loganbramhall1989]

l use this pedal with my Classic Vibe 50s Strat with a Seymour Duncan hot rails bridge and lt find lt too bright (ice picky) what do you suggest for a better sound with out muffling the thing

also love ur demos man, from a Canadian to a Aussie also l wish u were my dad PEACE

[Burgerman666]

@loganbramhall1989 Heheh. Thanks! No one's ever said THAT before. I'm flattered. Tell me, are you running this pedal to the front of the amp or using it as preamp into a full-range system? It's really better as a full-range device, I reckon. If you want a regular stompbox that does the HIWATT thing you might want to have a closer look at Catalinbread's WIIO. YMMV, of course.

[hiway52]

@Burgerman666

I love the way that C power chord GROWLS at 3:36!! Very nice-

How does this really compare, tone-wise, to the WIIO? I'd love to try this leeds pedal as a stomp box... I use humbuckers, and I'd LOVE to be able to get that aforementioned SNARL when I play rhythm guitar-- but you said it's better with a full-range system than as an OD pedal.

Any suggestions? I'm using a Marshall 1987 RI head at low volume as my base clean sound-

Thanks! Matt

[Burgerman666]

@hiway52 This and the WIIO are similar in the sense that they both shoot for similar ball parks. I reckon you'd get better results from the WIIO in front of a Marshall, though - although I haven't tried either with one - just a hunch.

[virtuosow]

Have you tried the US Steel as of late??

[Burgerman666]

@virtuosow Not extensively but I'm going to demo it next week. :)

[renzome1]

Very nice demo Mr. Burgerman666,

could you be so kind to inform me about the strato you are playing and mainly the bridge pickup? WHich amp are you using?

Bye from Italy.

Ciao

[BrownBrown90]

"Substitute". I get it. Clever choice for a Hiwatt in a pedal. I just got one of these myself. I love it. Really captures the sounds I've heard on some of my favorite records--"Live At Leeds" obviously, "Wish You Were Here", James Gang Live at Carnegie Hall. How did they fit a Hiwatt into a box? WHO cares, it sounds great!

Thank you, Burgerman666

[LIGHTintheHALLS]

Great review of the Leeds. I LOVE THIS BOX!! I run it into an amp, speaker emulation defeated and get some of the most exciting, responsive tones I have ever gotten. Had a Hiwatt stack before, love this. The Character knob takes me through everything from a Hiwatt DR504 to a CP103.

[tomtebass]

could you do a demo of thee leeds bass sound with a p bass? :)

[gwugluud]

Even the SansAmp products with no speaker defeat switch make great front-of-amp stompboxes. Between the EQs on the device and the amp, great sounds can still easily be dialed in.  Those hesitant to get one of these should know this about them!

[nmiguelsimoes]

@loganbramhall1989 You could back the tone knob a bit. Just enough to cut some of that treble.