This is an outstanding pedal.  I really think it’s a must have for any arsenal.  Why?  Well, it’s the subtleties of this pedal that can really give you an edge.  I used to think it was hard to justify spending money on something that just adds a little character, but after a while I realized that the subtleties are where the magic of tone lay.  Like an EQ pedal, or even a wah pedal envelope slightly being pushed, I like to use an octave pedal in that cool, Hendrix kind of way.

I used to have a Boss OC-2, but decided to upgrade to get the extra functionality of the OC-3. Not only does it give you independent control of your main pitch, but it can also cut it out. With that kind of control you can add a thickening layer to your tone (which is my favorite - very Zappa-esque), or you can crank that thickening layer for a unique CKY type sound. If you’re into Pantera solos and what Satriani does, you can even get some of the same quirks here. If you want to really go into Tom Morello territory, you can pull the Whammy pedal type sounds out too.

Different “outs” let you split the signal to different amps (which is really cool depending on your rig - it’s unnecessary if you’re only cranking out of one amp).  A couple different mode selectors give you good presets to tweak.  The pedal doesn’t break in chords very often, and is improved over many other octaves.  But for better quality there expect to pay $350 dollars.  This pedal at $120 is incredibly worth it.

Learn more about the Boss OC-3 Octave Pedal

I have a large rig. I am running two Fender 5150 III Heads and three cabs. One Cab has Greenback 30’s and the others are those Krank cabs with those Eminence Texas Heat speakers. I like to blend the two speakers since my signal is so dirty anyway. In my Rack I have 1 Korg SDD 1000 and I had an old Vintage Roland SDE 1000 and a 3000 digital delay. Those units in their day were the units to have. I have also owned a MXR 113 Digital delay but it made a little bit of noise and I didn’t have the other memory cards for needed memory. I not too long ago bought an Eventide Time factor stomp box. It was too complicated and it seemed to mess up my amps sound or it seemed to have a bunch of stuff I didn’t need or couldn’t access when I needed to. I even owned a Line 6 Delay modeler and it seemed to mess with my amps sound too.

I didn’t spend that kind of bread on amps to then go buy another item that would restrict it’s tone or energy. I tried this Time Machine by Joe Satriani, and I am just literally floored! I can’t believe the quality of sound and simplicity. For me honestly,the only thing better is a tape echoplex and from what I am hearing it is not too too much better. It is ok but not for the $$. Easy access here too with this green Time machine. I ran the other line out from the Time Machine’s Dry output and into my other Fender 5150III and Holy Cow Andy!! I really don’t need my other delays anymore. The action,the sound and tap tempo feature!! I love it! Im running a Deja Vibe 2 into my Clyde Delux Waw and then into the Vox Saturator and into my Green Time Machine and into both amps. I sold my Vintage rack delay to buy this with absolutely no regrets!! In fact I want to buy two more of these just to save new in their boxes.

Learn more about Satriani’s Time Machine Delay Pedal

So why is a voice box on a guitar review? Because, well, I like space guitar effects and anything bizarre. The art is figuring out how to get that into a song and have it be a value-add (and not insist upon itself, as Peter Griffin would say). So, being up to the challenge, and loving all things Electro Harmonix, I checked out the EH Voice Box Machine and Vocoder. So yeah, this thing works as expected on the voice with its own slight take. Some reviews I read were split on how this does for vocals. It’s good for thickening the sound.

But on the guitar, this thing is kind of cool, especially if you play very loose leads with a lot of bends. Gender bender is hilarious! And the vocoder is unique! Skank it up with something like a Big Muff pedal, and go for a screaming ride, or chill it out with a clean tone to squeeze out the harmonic tones.  Like all EH pedals, its an acquired taste for experts. It’ll take a little time poking around to find the right tone, but it really helps on the space rock sound.

Get more info on the EH Voice Box and Vocoder here.

The Ibanez TS-9 overdrive trumps every other dirtbox I’ve ever owned in every category–except maybe versatility, but more on that later.

I run the pedal between my Fender Telecaster and Vox AD100VT amp, which I normally leave on the “AC-30″ emulator setting. The amp’s many models have great overdrives sound on their own, but it’s difficult to program the 2 channels so that one is clean and one is distorted without having a serious volume imblance–not to mention the small dropout in sound that occurs when you stomp on the Vox’s footswitch.

The TS-9 neatly solves this problem by providing a nice, crisp overdrive sound that blends perfectly with every amp setting I can come up with. I won’t say that the signal is transparent, but it’s awfully close–the only addition to the sound (so far as I can tell) is a slight midrange increase. In my experience, this frequency bump actually makes my tone better at higher volumes anyway. I can see why someone might not like it, though.

I’ve heard stories about the TS-9’s footswitch giving out, but since I’m not the type to slam my jackbooted heel down on my pedals, it seems to be a nonissue thus far. The pedal seems at least as well-constructed as my Boss pedals, which means it’ll outlive me.

The only possible concern I can see with the pedal is that it kinda only does one thing. Don’t buy this pedal if you’re looking for a highly-tweakable unit with a variety of tones; DO buy this pedal if you’re looking for a badass crunch tone that responds really well to your playing without sounding overly muddy nor overly crisp.

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