IndyGuitarist Pinnacle 1

Two circuits in one box, six knobs (drive, tone, volume x2), on/off w/leds for each circuit, true bypass. Had Brian install a switchable midboost on the distortion channel.

Getting a good sound took some time, more below, but it's in there if you have the right boxes in back.

OK, here goes.

I knew Brian was having trouble with these, hence the Pinnacle II, but he was giving a discount on the last two he made, and I wanted to try one anyway. The trouble seemed to be that he used a completely different type of circuit to clip the signal, damn if I know what it is, and while it worked with his rig, it didn't work with a lot of others. Well, I had Brian mod my Metal Zone (Mesa mod, absolutely fantastic) and had purchased his Blue Fuzz (beautiful, smooth fuzz) so I had no problem ordering another Indyguitarist pedal. I could always return it and get the new one, right?

So it came in the mail and I immediately ran it alone into the front of my Mesa MkIV head, using both a Tone Tools 1x12 cab with a Mesa EV12L, Mesa vertical 2x12 with Mesa EV12L and JBL, and full stack with one JBL and the rest Mesa EV12L (the JBL brings out the high end that the EV's lack, don't get too close or it'll rip skin - percussion with clarity!!!)

Well, it sucked. It was fizzy, dull, I thought something must have broken in shipment. Opened it up, nothing falling out. Well made, actually, very clean. So now I knew it had a non-fixable problem and I would just ship it back for the new version. E-mailed Brian and said I would be sending it back for something else. Pissed, of course, no one likes to get a pedal that doesn't work, but I took the chance, so I would have to take care of it.

So now I'm waiting for some time to package it up and send it back, and I think, well, there must be some redeeming feature about this thing. I like Brian's work, so I figure I'll play with it for a few days before I ship it. So I hook it up first with a few different pedals in back and forward, then finally my whole chain. It took awhile, but OH, MY G*D, I've been looking for this sound for years! The heavens opened and light poured forth! A pedal that gave me something close to the lead channel on my MkIV! No shit! And a crunch that gave my amp a "Marshallesque" yet clear crunch! Oh, was I happy.

Here's the deal, down and dirty. This pedal isn't a stand alone pedal. Well, with the knobs all up, each channel does the most perfect Rammstein wall of sound I've ever heard. But I'm more of a hard rocker, so you're going to need a good OD in back.

I have the signal coming from my wha into the Pinnacle I, then into a Keely modded Boss SD-1, then into the Blue Fuzz and into my amp. The Pinnacle doesn't play with the Blue Fuzz at all, but with the SD-1 in between and on, everything works fine. I am only using the Pinnacle as a dirty boost, so the gain is at O on both channels (the gain on the Crunch channel is bumped up oh so slightly for a little width), tone full CW, volume on Crunch at 12:00 and Distortion at 2:30.

On my clean channel, I have the SD-1 (gain at 0, volume at 2:30), going into the Blue Fuzz (see settings in my BF review). Absolutely beautiful, crunchy and crystal clear OD. Far better than the OD channel on my amp. Damn.

Then I add either of the channels on the Pinnacle for lead work, absolutely stunning. But again - another caveat - both channels don't work together. Mud. Be careful. They don't stack like you think they should, even at 0 gain.

On my OD and lead channels, I turn the Blue Fuzz off and just run with the SD-1, using the two channels on the Pinnacle to add another layer of texture and whoa, the sustain. The Crunch channel does a great job of "Marshalling" up my Mesa, great for some things, and the Distortion channel does a fantastic job of giving me more of what I like the MarkIV for.

I can't believe Vai and Satriani aren't using this behind a decent OD. My notes sing, scream, cry, sustain for days and have a completely natural decay, something I sure never got from my Keeley modded DS-1 Ultra. Listen to a note on that die out, you'll cringe.

Now the only thing I have to do is replace the SD-1. It's a good mod on a good pedal, Keeley did right by this one, but the tone suck when it's off is unpermissable, and no one can fix that problem. Strictly a Boss issue. True bypass with a buffer up front is the only way to go on pedals. With all the "boutique" pedals that're being built today at a very reasonable price, there's no reason to buy mass made imported non-true bypass pedals.

This pedal isn't a stand alone, it needs a good OD in back, but it will never leave my pedalboard, ever. I'm going to get the Pinnacle II, too, but it'll just be added to the chain, it won't replace anything.

And a word on the tone knobs. They're not really tone knobs, they're presence circuits, more/less. Since I'm running the gain down, I run the tone/presence full CW, which gives me more of the sound I get when I'm running my rack with a Joe Meek Enhancer on. It just makes the sound come alive, better and more subtle than the presence knobs on my amp. Don't need a BBE pedal now.

And last, about the midboost, it doesn't work with the mid hump already in the SD-1. It did sound gorgeous with a flatter EQ Behringer pedal I bought because it was $20 (won't do that again), better together than with the mid hump on the SD-1, so if you're playing with OD's that don't have a mid hump get Brian to install a mid boost on both channels. If you're using mid hump OD's, forget it.

I've never had a problem with Brian's stuff, and he's there to fix anything that goes wrong. Brian runs with the big boys, no need to worry about service. Or talent.

See above.

I play jazz, to blues, to shred. This box takes me to new heights, and would absolutely light up any tube amp with a good OD in back. I can't vouch for a ss amp, as I don't have one. And I play through HB guitars with the best pups. Life is too short to put up with crappy pups.

This thing is better than I could have ever imagined. If you're a high gain shredder, or pretend you're not but do it when your friends aren't around, this is the box for you. It is certainly worth a try, and Brian'll give you a refund if it doesn't work for you. Sez so right on his site.

I have compared it to some of the top shred boost boxes in the business, and nothing else is as musical, natural or clear. Pure voodoo.

And it will do Rammstein by itself. Go figure.