DigiTech Brian May Red Special Pedal

the features on the Brian May pedal are really great, its very easy to understand and use nice and stright forward, it even looks great.

I play in a praise/worship band that and I have been looking for a great tone thats not like anyone would expect and this thing delivers! I run mine through a Roland VGA-7 and I play a Brian Moore i2-13 and with all the tones I allready had I can bring up a huge array of sounds but I love what this pedal gives more than anything I've evr had, now it can be noisy if you really want that overdriven tone which I use a lot but I just keep it off until right on the first note and its no problem whatsoever, it does really get the Brian May sound but thats not all its way more than just a "fan toy". but if your a fan you''ll love it for sure! I cant think of anything I dont like about it.

the fit and finish are really everything you could ask for in an effects pedal. I kind of hate to put it on the floor and put my foot on it it looks so great.

I have had mine for about three months and its just like it was the day I bought it. I use it everytime I play which is several times a week.

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I've been playing since 1975 I own several top brand/custom guitars and Bass' and this is the only effects pedal I can not live without,if it were stolen I would buy another one the same day. most things out there sound just like everything else and most settings are junk like we all know but there's not much on this one to over look if you like that rich unique Queen tone then you've found it.

Okay, since no one else took the leap... I decided to. I picked it up last Wednesday and have spent a couple of nights fiddling around with it. I bought this pedal not because I'm a rabid Queen fan, but because the Artist Series Jimi Hendrix Pedal blew me away. Digitech and Eddie Krammer did a fantastic job. I have both a Tonelab SE and a PODXT and still was not able to get a decent Jimi Hendrix tone. This pedal, matched with my fender strat sounds bang on to me. Enough about that....

Physically
The new Brian May pedal looks identical to the Hendrix pedal save for the red/wood paint job, which I thought was a nice touch. The extras that came with it were a 6 pence (small coin the size of a dime) and a carrying bag.

Sounds
Brian May's tone is very unique and comes through as you go through the different patches. I really like the We will Rock You /We are the Champions patches. However I thought most of the patches were very very similar to each other. Indeed the first setting "Keep Yourself Alive", both the toe and heel position sound the same except one is slightly louder, to be used for the solo. Expect very subtle differences in tone only. Also people should note, there is no second heel position, just toe/heel for each patch. The acoustic simulator for A Crazy Little Thing I found very bright, although you can adjust this, it then impacts the solo sound when you hit the heel position. One tone I still haven't gotten used to is the Deacy Amp, used in 3 of the patches. This sounds like a cheap little practice amp, and I'm assuming is only meant to be used to punctuate something in a song, like a sound effect. Definitely not something you would use as your main tone, 5 minutes of this would have your audience running for cover.


What I liked
Just in case anyone was wondering, they fixed the problem with the big change in volume between toe and heel sounds. They are both appropriately balanced, except for where it makes sense for a boost, like in the first patch where the solo is slightly louder.

The guitar selector is a fantastic idea. I really got the feeling, the Hendrix pedal was designed for a strat and people who were using Les Pauls (or anything with a dual coil in it) were not getting the proper sound. This pedal has the ability to select your guitar type, which should allow a tone customized to your guitar. Great idea!


What I didn't like
Too many tones are only a very subtle changes of each other. I realize this isn't necessarily wrong, just if I'm paying $250 cdn I expect some useful variety. The Hendrix pedal was a better bang for your buck.

Also, I'd love to see midi included with these pedals. That would open it up to alot more control.

Summary
If your looking for a few very unique tones and cost isn't a problem, this will definitely satisfy you. If your a rabid Queen fan, why the heck haven't your picked one up yet? If your looking for a whole toolbox of cool tones, this may not be enough to justify the cost.

Hope you all find this helpful.
Good luck!

Haven't need it. The manual was clear enough.