jeffwhitfield
Well-known member
When AionFX announced their latest batch of Boss clones, I didn't pickup on them right away. But after contemplating them, I decided to get at least 4 out of the 6. Only ones I wasn't interested was the Sapphire (BD-2 Blues Driver) and Aurum (OD-2 Overdrive), both of which I already had representations of in either original Boss pedals or clones. That left the Heliodor (OD-3 Overdrive), Emerald (PH-1r Phaser), Azure (CE-2 Chorus), and Argent (FZ-3 Fuzz). Already did the Argent so that left me with the other three to build.
With the designs, I wanted to stick with the same aesthetic with my other Boss clones with typography that's very similar to what Boss uses (which I used for my Argent build). However, I wanted to update the direction of the design a bit. I liked what Steggo Studios did with a recent build so I went in that direction. Really pleased with the result. With the solid black background on the controls, labels are much easier to see regardless of the enclosure color.
In terms of sound, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Partly because many of these effects can be replicated with other stuff I already have. So I'm on the fence on whether I want to keep these or sell them on Reverb. Here's the skinny on each one...
The first one I built was the Heliodor (OD-3 Overdrive). I really like this one. Compared to the sound of an OD-2, this one sounds closer to what some consider as the "brown sound". I recently got a Boss OD-200, which has a shit ton of tones to the point where it can replicate virtually every Boss pedal out there...including the OD-3. I was able to nail down this pedal using the Brown Sound mode on the OD-200. Need to play with it more but it's likely I'll throw this one on Reverb.
The next one was the Emerald (PH-1r Phaser), which is quite distinct from other phasers I have. Because of the Resonance function, it's very rich and provides a really deep phaser effect. Dialing in the bias of the effect was pretty easy. While I tried to do it with a handheld oscilloscope, dialing it in by ear is actually pretty easy. I'll be comparing this one to others I have in my HX Stomp, SA Mercury Phaser, and a few other phasers I've built. If I can't replicate it, I'll keep it. If I can..well..why keep it?
The last one was the Azure (CE-2 Chorus). I'd say this is your classic 80's sounding chorus. Really great for dialing in those Andy Summers "Police" tones. Like the Emerald, setting the bias was very straightforward. On mine, I pretty much just set the bias all the way up. Like the Emerald, I'll be comparing it to other chorus effects I have. So far, I was able to get pretty close with one of the chorus effects in the Helix.
Overall, while I may (or may not) keep the pedals, it was a great exercise and quite educational.
With the designs, I wanted to stick with the same aesthetic with my other Boss clones with typography that's very similar to what Boss uses (which I used for my Argent build). However, I wanted to update the direction of the design a bit. I liked what Steggo Studios did with a recent build so I went in that direction. Really pleased with the result. With the solid black background on the controls, labels are much easier to see regardless of the enclosure color.
In terms of sound, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Partly because many of these effects can be replicated with other stuff I already have. So I'm on the fence on whether I want to keep these or sell them on Reverb. Here's the skinny on each one...
The first one I built was the Heliodor (OD-3 Overdrive). I really like this one. Compared to the sound of an OD-2, this one sounds closer to what some consider as the "brown sound". I recently got a Boss OD-200, which has a shit ton of tones to the point where it can replicate virtually every Boss pedal out there...including the OD-3. I was able to nail down this pedal using the Brown Sound mode on the OD-200. Need to play with it more but it's likely I'll throw this one on Reverb.
The next one was the Emerald (PH-1r Phaser), which is quite distinct from other phasers I have. Because of the Resonance function, it's very rich and provides a really deep phaser effect. Dialing in the bias of the effect was pretty easy. While I tried to do it with a handheld oscilloscope, dialing it in by ear is actually pretty easy. I'll be comparing this one to others I have in my HX Stomp, SA Mercury Phaser, and a few other phasers I've built. If I can't replicate it, I'll keep it. If I can..well..why keep it?
The last one was the Azure (CE-2 Chorus). I'd say this is your classic 80's sounding chorus. Really great for dialing in those Andy Summers "Police" tones. Like the Emerald, setting the bias was very straightforward. On mine, I pretty much just set the bias all the way up. Like the Emerald, I'll be comparing it to other chorus effects I have. So far, I was able to get pretty close with one of the chorus effects in the Helix.
Overall, while I may (or may not) keep the pedals, it was a great exercise and quite educational.
