DanO Fab Distortion

[photoweborama]

I went into GC to buy something for work, but I ended up buying a Danelectro Fab Distortion pedal.

I was not going to buy it, I was checking out the chorus and the flanger.
But when I clicked on the distortion, it sounded so much like a Tubescreamer, I had to pick one up. they gave it to me for $12.00.

I have a broken TS9 that won't turn off plugged into my J-station, but I think this thing is going to take it's place. It really sound so much like the TS9.

Here are the sound samples, the TS9 is first, then the DanO Fab Distortion.

http://photoweborama.com/jams/fabtest.mp3

PS, the Fabtone, I just noticed is driven a bit higher than the TS9, When I back off the settings, it sounded even better, but I'm not going to redo the samples..

[Kap'n]

This is the mini FAB, and not the big red FABTONE pedal, right?

I've got one of those big red ones lying around from the 90's, for covering period tunes. The distortion control is more 'lack of definition' control, and active bass 'n treble that blew out one of my speakers. yecch.

I'm just waiting for that tone turd to become collectible.

[Don]

Why doesn't your TS-9 turn off?

[photoweborama]

yes, this is the mini FAB it does sound really good. I like it quite a bit.
I does have a slight back ground "fizz". Not very noticeable, but there.

I also bought the chorus, but I'm taking both of them back. The chorus sounds really decent, but there is a slight drop in volume when it is in bypass, and I'm too attuned to that kind of stuff now.

It was so slight that most would not even notice, but I'm obsessive compulsive... So I do...

The distortion pedal really does sound a lot like a Tubescreamer. On a scale of 1 to 10 of Tubescreamerness, I'd say it rates about an 8 or 9, but that little fizz sound, that nobody else can hear... well.. That's where the obsessive compulsive thing comes into play again.

I think normal people would really like them both quite a bit.

As far as why the TS9 won't turn off. I traded an Arion Tubulator for this thing. There is an inherent design flaw in the Tubescreamer line because they use a single screw to hold the circuit board in the case.

When using a 9V adapter, movement, or stepping on it, or whatever caused the board to break and then move free in the case.

When this happened, the circuit board rubbed against the case and wore off some of the traces and shorted some of the components in the on/off section.

For recording, when I don't want it on, I just pull it out of the J-station.

[Jonnda]

Are you talking about this thing?


I have one and I think it sucks. Maybe I'm just using it wrong, how do you like to set it up?

Well I've listened to your test, and there is just something I don't like about it that I can't put my finger on. Of course Photo, you made it sound better with your technique. But it just sounded cheap... like my fender mini-deluxe. But that has a useable fuzz-box sound.

This sounds like a pedal that can't make up it's mind what it wants to be... I don't know, I'll keep it around and maybe i'll change my mind. It does sound pretty good in conjunction with my Bad Monkey.

[chuckocaster]

This is the mini FAB, and not the big red FABTONE pedal, right?

I've got one of those big red ones lying around from the 90's, for covering period tunes. The distortion control is more 'lack of definition' control, and active bass 'n treble that blew out one of my speakers. yecch.

I'm just waiting for that tone turd to become collectible.

a lead singer we played with for awhile brought his guitar, one of those pedals, and a crappy amp to practice one day and decided we should have 3 guitars. i asked him about the pedal and he said it was "a hard distortion"...after listening to him play it the other guitar player looked at me and said "yeah, hard to listen to!"

sorry, off topic.

[photoweborama]

Are you talking about this thing?


I have one and I think it sucks. Maybe I'm just using it wrong, how do you like to set it up?

yep, that's the one.
I was running it into a DA5 at the store, but even there I could hear that signature Tubescreamer sound.

I had the old mini pedal Pastrami overdrive and wrote a review on it for the magazine (Pastrami).

That thing sounded like a distortion pedal. This thing sounds like a Tubescreamer overdrive pedal.

As far as controls the level is up 1/3, the tone is a bit more than 1/2 and the distortion is at 1/2.

I used it direct into my J-Station in the Blackface mode, which provides no distortion.

I put it into my Vox AD30VT in the blackface mode and used it in A/B mode with my TS9DX, the Bad Monkey, and the DS1 (TS9DX and DS1 courtesy of Chuckocaster) and it sounded really good, except that very faint fizz sound.

It's really not a bad sounding pedal at all... unless your neurotic... like me...

Oh, and it ain't no hard distortion... Unless you call a Tubescreamer hard distortion... Which it is not!

[Don]

As far as why the TS9 won't turn off. I traded an Arion Tubulator for this thing. There is an inherent design flaw in the Tubescreamer line because they use a single screw to hold the circuit board in the case.

When using a 9V adapter, movement, or stepping on it, or whatever caused the board to break and then move free in the case.

When this happened, the circuit board rubbed against the case and wore off some of the traces and shorted some of the components in the on/off section.

Wow! I thought you had the typical 9 series switching problem that's corrected by stretching or compressing the spring. I almost gave my Ibanez AD-9 away years ago because of it.

I used an original TS-9 for 20 years and never had a problem like yours. My PCB was cracked at the adapter jack (maybe by the previous owner?) but it never caused a problem.
Of course, I never plugged an adapter into it either which probably would've made the problem worse.

The AD-9 Delay that I've used for the past 23 years (I bought it new in 1983) is built the same way as a TS-9 but has no PCB damage at all. It has never had an adapter plugged into it.

[photoweborama]

You can fix them so they don't have the same problem.
If I remember, I glued in a block of plastic that buts against the back of the circuit board and the inside of the case. the board won't ever move again.

I need to do that to my TS9DX too...

[Jonnda]

Okay, so I gave it another shot. If I play it right, it sounds pretty good with the setting you have. I just have to roll off the highs on my guitar to get a sound I like.