30 Pedals in 30 Days 2015: ModKitsDIY The Aggressor

 

aggressor

Don’t forget to check the vid and enter the Randall Give-Away! 

This writer is not a handy person.  I know enough to be a little bit dangerous, particularly when it comes to musically associated electronics projects, but my skills are thoroughly amateur.

So when I was assigned to build the ModKits DIY Wahtz Wah pedal for 30 Pedals in 30 Days 2014, I was a little apprehensive.  But even my limited skills proved entirely sufficient to build what ended up being a great sounding, rugged wah pedal that I’m still using today.

So TTK upped the ante a bit for 30 Pedals in 30 Days 2015, and sent me the slightly more advanced ModKits DIY “The Aggressor” distortion pedal kit.  The Aggressor is a high-gain, modern voiced pedal with a very effective midrange shaping switch.  The switch toggles between a scooped mids setting, perfect for evoking now-classic Recto-style tones and a fat-yet-cutting mid boost perfect for punching both rhythm and lead tones through dense mixes.  This writer particular enjoyed The Aggressor with a seven string guitar; the tight, drive and excellent tone control range made it perfect for dialing in a firm, heavy sound without flub, and the mids switch made it easy to move between rhythm and lead sounds.

The skill level need for The Aggressor build is on the advanced side.  This may due to the number of components involved and the fact that there are some tight squeezes that have to be navigated in the design.  However, carefully following the directions and staying as organized as possible made these challenges easily negotiable for a hack like myself.  Even when I ran into problems (I accidentally skipped a step early in the build and a couple of time misread the values on some of the resistors), ModKits DIY’s build flow is logical and easy to grasp and was quickly able to recognize and correct my missteps.

After all was said and done, this writer’s efforts were rewarded with a professional-grade, great sounding distortion pedal.  The mid switch is really something special; the difference in between settings is strong but complementary and it’s very well-voiced.  I was also rewarded with a great understanding of the roles certain components play, and getting some excellent soldering practice.

ModKits DIY offers scads of great-sounding pedal and amp kits that cater to all skill levels and musical styles, making it easier for anyone to literally build a solid, professional rig from the ground up.  It’s also a great way to build the skills needed to develop one’s own design and modifications.  Most importantly, it’ll help you become intimately familiar with exactly how all of our tone comes to life.

 

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Additional Randall / Washburn Gear links :
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► Washburn Guitars
► PXL20B Demo and Review
► PXS20FR Demo and Review

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