A long time admirer of Joe Satriani, I salivated when he loaded one of his gorgeous Ibanez JS series guitars with an infinite sustain neck pickup. Wind the clock forward to the present day and Ibanez released the JS2480 which now includes the said Sustainiac pickup. Whilst this is a wonderful guitar I had a look out there to see if there is a cheaper way to add that impossible sustain to my plucking.
One way was to use the eBow. As cool as this is, it can be tricky to play certain parts whilst resting the eBow over the required string, It’s not right solution. Guitar pedal stars DigiTech had recently released a stomp box that appears to create the sustain I’m needing in my life. It’s called the FreqOut and comes in a solid shiny brushed metal casing and It looks the business. DigiTech explain…
The DigiTech FreqOut Natural Feedback Creator allows you to get sweet, natural feedback at any volume, with or without distortion. The FreqOut is perfect for situations where volume must be controlled like in the studio, with in ear monitors, or low-volume performance and practice. However, the FreqOut can also be used at gig volume to focus out-of-control feedback on a preferred harmonic at any stage position.
You have maybe seen Satriani play songs like Flying In A Blue Dream where he holds a note and plays musically with the feedback driven by his on stage cabs. If you haven’t you must, it’s a masterclass of control. FreqOut achieves something similar in that you hold a picked note and the frequency can evolve into a live cab like scenario. I love using the whammy bar whilst the frequency changes are in play and I delight in how long it goes on for! I’m suppressing a Spinal Tap quote at this time.
The only negative I’m working with is that occasionally you hear something like a subtle repeat pop sound as the pedal is in full feedback mode. It’s like a poorly constructed loop that ‘pops’ as it loops back on itself. This can be worked around though when you’re adding some expression into the playing using techniques like string bending for example.
£125 (UK) down and I’m really satisfied with this pedal, it’s added a live dimension to my recordings but is offering me great control, even at low volume. If you are after some raunchy live like sound where you’re pretending to drive your Marshall stack hard, this pedal will provide you with hours of fun and and should enhance your recordings too.
Cheers
Rob
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