Vox Satchurator

Very easy to use, very hard to get a usable tone.

Sweep of the tone control is VERY DS-1'ish.

THIS is a rebranded/rehoused Boss DS-1!

I already tried it with a lot of mid-range to high-end amps marshall, vox, peavey. I wind up selling this because:

It has all the headaches that the boss DS-1 has:
- lacking on volume
- fizzy treble
- bad sweep of tone control
- fuzzy when notes are picked hard
- doesn't retain the true voicing of guitar

Try a/b'ing with the boss ds-1 and you'll hear that's there's almost no difference. The only difference is that the satchurator cleans up better compared with boss'.

looks boutique so it probably would last.

Overall Rating ?

Did i forgot to mention? THIS is a rebranded/rehoused Boss DS-1!!

Try getting a tube distortion pedal, like damage control solid metal or ibanez tube-king instead.


A VERY DISAPPOINTING DISTORTION PEDAL.

Very simple and ultra user-friendly control layout. 3 chicken head knobs for Gain, Tone and Volume. A 'Pad' switch, on/off switch and the 'More' switch.

Gain, Tone and Volume are self explanatory.

The 'Pad' function is designed to be used if you have a 'hot' pedal before your Satchurator that may cause unwanted signal distortion. If you do, just switch the 'Pad' to the up position. If not, just leave it down.

The 'More' functions like a booster pedal. When engaged, it gives you a mid hump and a gain boost. It also gives you a very subtle volume boost. The lower your gain, the more audible the boost.

My 2 go to guitars are Ibanez Jem7VWHs. My main amp is a Carvin Legacy halfstack but I did not purchase the Satchurator for use with my Legacy. I bought it as part of my smaller gig pedalboard.

I play in cover bands and more often than not, the gigs are too small for me to use a blaring halfstack so I was in the market for a quality stand alone distortion unit that will sound good through most amps, tube or solid state. I was contemplating the MI Audio Crunch Box and the Fulltone OCD but after hearing numerous clips of all 3 pedals, I fell in love with the meaty yet clear tone of the Satchurator and with the 'More' function, I no longer had any need for an additional boost pedal.

The trick with this pedal is to go easy on the Tone knob. Anything past 10 o'clock and it's gonna get piercing IMO and even a very slight adjustment will yield drastic results. I know Satriani uses the gain full on but I find that backing it off slightly will make the tone just that much clearer. Not a true bypass pedal but it doesn't bother me cos' I have buffers in my wah and volume pedal.

Overall, the tone is great. Chunky with more than ample sustain even without the 'More' function engaged. Even with the gain on full, the inherent hiss is kept to a bare minimum so I don't think anyone will need a noise gate with this pedal.

I give the pedal a 9 cos' I feel that they could have smoothened out the taper for the Tone knob. It goes from just nice to shrill from just 9 o'clock to 10 o'clock. Too steep a taper.

Seems sturdy and rugged. Only time will tell with this one

Haven't had to deal with Vox yet

Overall, it's a solid, quality sounding pedal.

If you're looking for a no frills, stand alone distortion unit, the Satchurator is a definite contender but please don't expect to sound like Satriani just cos' you have this pedal.

This is very simple to use and get good sound out of it. The sweet spot for the tone is roughly 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock. Before and past that it just sounds bad unless you are going for a muffled passage or a kind of lo-fi sound. Battery compartment very easy to get to.

This sounds heavenly! I play through a Ibanez JS1200 (Satch's top line signature model). I can get almost his exact tone for songs like Satch Boogie and The Extremist. Close to Always With Me. The More switch doesn't color your tone at all! It just adds more of the same gain. Don't listen to those who say it doesn't clean up. They obviously didn't do much research into this pedal. The pedal was NOT designed to clean up when the gain is rolled off, it was designed to clean up when the guitar's volume pot was rolled off, and it does a great job at it. I went at full gain and can play the entirety of "State of Grace" by Liquid Tension without even touching the pedal! Overall the tone is beautiful! would not add anything more. However I do like to tinker and like being able to get quick different tones. If you have the money available buy a Boss GE-7 eq and run it afterwards. I can get Hendrix to Killswitch to Mettalica with this combo.

Can you depend on it? OH YEAH (nuff said)

Awesome buy it! Now! NOW! Grab your keys and go! Can't wait to the rest of his pedal's come out. The next ones to be released are a delay called "Time Machine" and a wah call "Big Bad Wah" If you know Satch you'll get the pun.

Vox Satchurator - Wow! says it all. Easy to use - three knobs and a pad switch to calm your wah wah pedal. Easy to dial in tones though somewhat lacking in the upper mids , no big deal 'cause there are plenty of other choices if you need upper mids to bust out , don't forget - your speakers and cab have the last word at defining your tone - lot of players don't consider that reality. for myself , the More switch is a nice feature but i don't see myself using it.

I have and use all of these - Strat , Tele , SG , McCarty , and JEM guitars. my amps are Vox AC15 Heritage head , '65 Super Reverb reissue , 8 space rack holding a JMP-1 and Mesa 20-20 as the pre and power section. my cabs are Lopo 2x12 holding a pair of Eminence GB12's (great speakers), Mesa 1x12 widebody holding a Celestion G12H30 , another Mesa 1x12 widebody holding a Jensen P12R. For my first run at using this pedal i used my JEM > VoxAC15 > Lopo cab. between the guitar and amp is my pedalboard holding a slew of effects. This Satchurator did fine and well by me and met my expectations. It's been said more than once and needs repeating here - this pedal is quiet and dynamic all at once! it has a very defining bass tone that stays firm at the lower tone range. i find the tone range one of the most sweeping in a pedal of this sort. i dig the distortion from this pedal - it's very controlled and somewhat glassy with a shimmer - it's a refined gritt like i've never heard before with a big open soundscape enveloping it - not insanely compressed at all. the gain range is just right for my taste. i use this pedal second in line on the pedalboard using it in a stand-a-lone app or as driving some other OD pedals which it does effortlessly - it's blending abilities into other pedals is a plus in my estimation. the one other pedal i have and use on my board that's a near cousin is the MI Audio Crunch Box. the Satch and Crunch combo make for good buddies. i was thinking of pulling the Crunch from the board 'cause it isn't near as open as the Satch.
but the Satch doesn't have the same gritty knarl the Crunch has - this makes a big difference in my needs depending upon which speaker cab i'm using - so the Crunch stays. the Satch to me is a worthwhile pedal and has to be one of the best offerings in its class for distortion tone.

No probs.

I play many a style and have a continual hunger for all things TONE when it comes to pedals and speakers. the Satchurator is a difinate worthy dirty tone investment. as with all pedals , some are going to sound better with your gear than others - that needs to be recognized. so, if someone doesn't like this pedal it's more than likely it didn't sound right with the gear being used or perhaps the pedal wasn't being used correctly. in my estimation there is a strong corellation between dirt pedals and the speaker/cab system their driving - some are going to make a better match overall. i point this out 'cause if you're looking to use only one dirt pedal this pedal can fit the need but your speaker/cab setup will have the final say at how well or not they will work together. so , get a Satchurator as your only dirt pedal if you will - knowing you can return it with no probs to the dealer if your speaker/cab is telling you to take it back.

Well, pretty simple, it's got a gain knob that controls the amount of distortion u want, a tone knob and a volume knob, pretty self explanatory.

Sounds great, you can get exact's joes kind of distortion and also roll back the gain knob for a more bluesy tone, the only style of music which i wouldn't use this pedal for is heavy and more distorted things (but for that i already got my engl 530 preamp). I love how it sounds, also i find it very versatile, since very small changes in the knobs make big differences in the sound

I can't tell about that, since i've had it for 15 days. Prolly in a gig i would bring also my boss ds-1, which is similar, but inferior in sound quality. But it looks like a solid one, the only thing i'm "scared" about is the pad switch, seems very light and easy to break, but you don't use it a lot actually.

Never dealed with Vox costumer support, but know people that have dealed with amp's issues and people were great.

I mainly play rock, blues, and instrumental rock things (satriani, vai, etc..) Been playing for 2 years. If you want satriani's distortion (NOT HIS SOUND) and a very versatile pedal that goes from very smooth blues to hard rock sounding get this, but don't pretend to sound like satriani or to have a heavy distortion pedal. Since i like that distortion, and i love the tone it has, i give it a 10.

The pedal is about as straightforward as it gets...very easy to use-- but, i could have used a marker or 2 on the face for the knobs. Sometimes i can't remember exactly where the knows if they shift or get moved and they are sensitive to change.

As an earlier review points out - you have to fiddle with it a bit to find the tone you are looking for since it really is dynamic and can add a lot of texture. It's quiet and has a nice range - ala Satriani. Great for some nice rythm textures. The more pedal is great and a nice touch.. But what I really wanted from this pedal was the function of the "Pad" - to control sound from a Whah pedal blending into the distortion stream when turned off. It works! I have a BOSS multi effects Whah pedal that i've been wanting to use -create some subtel effects for some rock riffing. ith some of the univibe features etc I get some great sounds..the other night i spend ane evening mashing arounds chords for some R&B type sounds..it was fun and different.. the S'tor pedal create very nice tone and some new dimensions. As advertized! But i agree with some of the earlier comments re mids and levels - I plan to take my TD9 andd to the chain. Was hoping to go simpler but Ok - i can contineu to use my investments. And agree -- the delay add a great dimension - fattens everything up perfectly. Overall a very professional sounding system. Not tinny or thin.... but do test it with different volume levels on the amp .. ths red box adjusts to nuances in the setups. Again as advertized. I use marshall amps and EMGs on the guitar. The combo is great. Since Marshall amps liked to be played loud, the pedals output even widens as the amp volume goes up..

I think so. VOX is a good brand..first VOX pedal i own. We'll see. i don't gig .. but I would use it. Though i would worry about it being stolen.. it looks good and has brand name buzz..

Bottom line... having fun with it and it's expanding my sound range. It is doing what it is supposed to be doing - thus far. I like the pad and more features. The gain is fat (though this is not a heavy metal pedal! good for allround / everyday needs.

As soon as I plugged into the Satchurator I knew it was coming home with me. The controls are simple to use and the battery is easy to access. The lights are large and bright which makes it a lot easier to know when its on.

I've used the Satchurator through a few different amps like the Vox Valvetronix AD50VT and a JCM800 combo with a range of Yamaha hollow bogy guitars and a Schecter M33.

Its noiseless operation really suprised me especially with how much gain this unit can produce. Even with the 'More' switch activated theres no unwanted noise.

The different gain stages and clarity of this pedal are amazing so I wasn't suprised to hear that Joe uses it as his main distortion.

I've read a small amount of internet reviews claiming that you can only get Joes tone through this pedal and nothing else but those people are talking through their ass. The sound that this pedal gives at times reminded me of the 5150 II. At any gain level the sound that is produced is clean and clear. Even when you drop the volume of the guitar it still sounds amazing.

This pedal is a very solid unit. It's built like a tank and I will very suprised if I have any troubles with it. I won't be bringing a back up to a gig with this pedal.

Here in Australia, Yamaha is the Vox distributor so although I havn't had to deal with Vox on this one, the crew at Yamaha Aust have been very helpful with all enquiries that I've had on the pedal.

I play a lot different kinds of music, and with the sounds this pedal has to offer it will always remain in my rig wether I'm playing jazz, blues, rock, hard rock or metal.

I have been searching for a while now for a good distortion pedal and my search is now over. If it were stolen, I'd replace it in a heart beat.

In my opinion it is one the best pedals I have ever played.

Very easy to use but take your time and dial it in for your gear.

Setup
Ibanez Presitge/ John Petrucci Music Man > Satchurator > TS-9 (Monty Allum Modded) > DD3 Delay > PS5 Pitch Shifter > Boss CE3 Chorus> Mesa Dual Rectifier combo or Fender Deville

Okay now, how is everybody out in distortion land? COOL!! Well lets talk about the Joe Pedal. So, I purchased this pedal (Ochanimizu, Tokyo) because I was looking for a better solo tone. I wanted more gain and sustain (guitar players ugh!!) and a smoother tone. I needed Metal all the way to Skynyrd. So I slapped that puppy on the pedaltrain board and headed to rehearsal. My first impression with out the drums and the rest of the band was WOW!! The tone was thick PLENTY O GAIN AND SUSTAIN and very quiet. I was happy, so I thought. Well the first song up was Gimme Three Steps (lynyrd skynyrd) I thought well I need a medium distortion so I dialed in what I thought would work. The drummer (the bands leader) gives me the nod and counts off the tune. Well after about 1 verse he stops the band. His comment was "Dude your not kirk hammet playing skynyrd" where is that sound. So I turned red and and clicked of the saturator and turned on the TS-9. Needless to say we finished the song.

Next song up. Purple Haze yahoo this time I can impress the guys with my new tone I was excited I cranked the gain a little bit and turned the volume about 3/4 "I wanted to scream". So we kicked off the tune and AGAIN half way the band stops and the FREAKING bass player looks at me and says (unbelievably), "I cant hear you" WHAT R U SERIUS!!!! the pedal has the mids scooped out and when the band plays I DISAPPEARED uhg

So I reach down and turn the tone knob up but all that does is bring the high end up NO mids or mid tonal control. So thinking well why not just turn the gain down to half and add in my TS-9. I figured during break I was going to get screwed with anyway for the pedal. so I didnt have anything to loose SO I tried it (and if the sax player says anything I will piss on his reeds) I turned it on and BAMMM!!! wow what an awesome sound the TS-9 brought out the mids coupled with the gain from the satch and it was tonal heaven I was very happy with it. So to sum all this up. This pedal isnt a tool bag of tone its pretty much a one sound pony and thats fine its a SATRIANI pedal (what do you expect)

The only complaint I have about the pedal. One the output volume isnt enuff. It doesnt have the same output gain as my TS-9 or DS-1 (both modded) but this could be an issue of gain sturcture I honestly havent investigated it too much. But its def not as loud as those other pedals.

I think its built really well No complaints

No dealings with them

I play all styles in this traveling cover band. And I have been doing it for close to 15 years. I dont think I would buy this again. I will just stick to my Modded DS-1. Monty Allum Mod..
I love the color and the chicken knobs. The paint job is outstanding but I dont think its very durable..but I dont think its loud enuff it needs more output gain and some sort of mid control but thats not joes specs so it doesnt matter. Its a great pedal and I am glad I own it no buyers remorse.

Simple, three knobs, two buttons and a pad toggle. On, More, Pad... only word for it is simple.

It's a solid state overdrive / distortion. It's not going to replace a really nice lead channel. But for a pedal, it's pretty darn nice I think. Roll off the volume on the guitar and it cleans up. The tone control makes the pedal very flexible. No real noise. I mainly use it with a Carlsbro Fatboy and a Koch Multitone.

Will it make you Satch? No. It is a nice pedal though.

Haven't had it for long, just two weeks. Seems pretty good. I've gigged with it twice and it work perfectly so far.

Never spoke with them.

I play all kinds of stuff. Mostly rock, blues music and only with humbucker strats or a Parker Fly Deluxe. Been playing live since 1997. If it were stolen, I'd buy another. Best features are the "more" button for solos and the very active tone control. I'm not an OD pedal master. Usually I use the drive channels on my amps. The other OD pedals I have are a Fulltone Fulldrive and a Carl Martin Drive'N Boost MKII. The Satchulator is more flexible than the other two. It's much more of a distortion. I wish the "more" button worked without having the pedal "on".

Overall, great pedal for rock distortion. As long as you keep the tone knob under control, it's not thin sounding.

Should an effects pedal be difficult to use, of course not, so why are so many over complicated. THIS ONE IS NOT, it does exactly what the buttons say. I hav'nt even looked at the instructions.

Whooah, just right, one review said it sounds a bit like a tubescreamer at the mid position, if so its a cheap tubescreamer. All I can say is I love it. One of the quietest of pedal I have used (interference wise), The tone is very pure and dosen't mask the sound of your guitar, the sound sits on top of your guitar tone instead of swampint it. Great.

Well I'm going to. But I'll make sure I keep an eye on it, these are going to be collectable.

Have not had to contact them, alway a good sign I think.

If you only get one pedal, get this one. I got mine from an Ebay shop, after trawling the guitar shops online, they were all sold out! and awaiting the nest batch. That says it all I think. Looks great, sounds great and will become a classic. Probably not for metal, but for everything else you might need a distortion pedal for (or just improving your tone) its sweet and subtle but powerful. Thankyou VOX and Joe (I'm not mad about your music, but will be looking out for more of your pedals!)