Alpha Drive II

[Idged]

Hi,
I was hoping someone here could tell me if there are any differences tonally between the Alpha Drive Thaddeus Hogarth and the Alpha II standard. I know that ******** Blues has their name on their PCBs now so I'm sure there are some differences. I really like the tones that people have gotten on youtube from the Alpha I and I was hoping I could get the same tones from the Alpha II. I emailed ******** Blues and I was told that the Alpha I was meant to replicate tones from the Two Rock Custom Reverb Signature 1 and that the new Alpha II is meant to get Robben Ford type tones. I only got sarcastic comments on the gear page.
I really like these Alpha Drive Demos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt_tj...feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KA50GJLyw8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQ4tjlp0gw

[Jalpow]

[Dr. Pants]

Seriously?

Just buy a Joyo Ultimate Overdrive
and have someone make the necessary
changes. I'll bet money it will sound
nothing like a dumble or Two Rock.

Youtube videos won't tell you what much
of anything actually sounds like.

[czech-one-2]

I think the reason you got nothing but sarcastic comments from the gear page is because this company ripped off LOTS of people. The fact that they are still doing buisiness proves that they either have no shame or remorse whatsoever or HUGE huevos!

[smoss469]

The FB Strategy:

1) Scam your customers
2) NEVER under any circumstances, admit wrong doing
3) Deny deny deny!
4) Promise to unleash the full story... later
5) Never release any details
6) Hope it blows over
7) Profit

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by smoss469

The FB Strategy:

1) Scam your customers
2) NEVER under any circumstances, admit wrong doing
3) Deny deny deny!
4) Promise to unleash the full story... later
5) Never release any details
6) Hope it blows over
7) Profit

But central to it all is the marketing angle of Dumble/Two Rock/Robben Ford-in a box capability.

In a sense, while the FB's have lowered the bar with how to conduct business, they raised the bar on a guitarist's fantasies about "putting magic in a stomp box."

If anything, knowing that it is a mildly tweaked OCD is really where you get a chance to finally board the *sanity train.* Anyone and everyone is familiar with the OCD, whether it be by Fulltone, Danelectro, Joyo, or whoever else makes one. Very simple design, and the tones come from the player, and not the box.

I've seen a zillion YT videos where guys take all sorts of "non-Dumble" pedals and get "that Dumble sound." It's the playing, and in many cases it is also the video/audio production. Lots of the demo guys who get paid to make the videos can make a Boss pedal sound like a Klon Centaur. When they are using a $3000 mic, $15000 worth of recording gear, pre and post processing, etc. - you can make a pedal sound like anything - Robben Ford, EJ, VH1 amp tones, early Zep...

[artdecade]

There is a reason that you are getting sarcastic comments both here and over at the Gear Page. Do a little web searching about the company and see if you are still interested afterward.

[milocj]

At least they lowered the price by $68 or so since the original Alpha Drive, and have now dropped the spin about it being handmade over here. It still seems like they're trying to play up the "handwired" part by looking at their comparison of the Alpha Drive II and the Joyo because almost every pedal has a few handwired parts on it.

Also, take a look at the two pictures. The original AD came out about the same time as the Joyo, yet their ADII shows a date of 4 years earlier. Then compare the components on both of the boards and take a guess at who makes the pedal for them. They may have made some tweaks to the design and had a new board made for them with an old date, but I would take .011 Gauge's advice and figure that it's a slightly modified Joyo (most likely made by Joyo) and either spend your money on the Ultimate Drive to save some cash or shell out an extra $35 over the price of the ADII to buy an OCD and let them earn back some of their original development cost before it got cloned.

After the stunt they pulled a couple of years ago I wouldn't give them a penny since they still have refused to come clean about things.

[ludashoeless]

Just get a joyo and some nutella

[Ringo]

I wouldn't even consider buying anything that company "makes" , mods or whatever it is that they do, after the first go round.

[boneyguy]

Forgive but I'm new to this whole mess. I just came across the Alpha Drive in the last week and really liked the sound clips. Then I quickly became aware of the allegations that are shrouding this pedal and the company that makes it.

Focusing on just one aspect of this mess, the allegation that the Alpha Drive is a ripoff of the Joyo UD, how is this quote below to be interpreted?

Originally Posted by 11 Gauge

If anything, knowing that it [the Alpha Drive] is a mildly tweaked OCD......

So if the Alpha Drive is just a copy of the Ultimate Drive doesn't it then follow that the Ultimate Drive must be a copy of the OCD circuit? Isn't that logical given the above quote?

Is this Joyo/******** Blues thing substantially different than the Timmy/Transparent Overdrive thing? If so how? If not why does there seem to be much more of a ruckus about the Alpha Drive thing? Is the issue more about how the company handled itself as opposed to whether they copied an existing circuit or not? It's my understanding that copying pedal circuits is just buisness as usual. What am I missing in my understanding of this issue?

I have no dog in this fight. I'm just trying to understand what's going on here.

[Ringo]

"Alpha Drive is just a copy of the Ultimate Drive"


NO it is / was an Ultimate Drive, slightly modded and relabeled and sold for about 4 times what it cost new, just try doing a Google Search about it, I'm sure you'll find more than you wanted to know.

[boneyguy]

Originally Posted by Ringo

"Alpha Drive is just a copy of the Ultimate Drive"


NO it is / was an Ultimate Drive, slightly modded and relabeled and sold for about 4 times what it cost new, just try doing a Google Search about it, I'm sure you'll find more than you wanted to know.

I see. I have done some reading on it but that part escaped my attention. So they actually bought UD's and tweaked and sold them. Okay, that's a whole different ballgame then.

[soulgeezer]

Originally Posted by boneyguy

I see. I have done some reading on it but that part escaped my attention. So they actually bought UD's and tweaked and sold them. Okay, that's a whole different ballgame then.

Yep, they bought a crate full of $27 Joyo Ultimate Drives, put some goop on the PC board, repainted them, and sold them for over $200.

Pretty much the scummiest scam I've seen come along in the last few years, pedal-wise. In fact, I'm hard pressed to come up with a sleezier one, because when the jerks got outed for being the con men that they are, they just kept right up with their lies. No confessions, no remorse. Just more, "Pay us a whole bunch of money for gooped-up, repainted Joyo and BBE pedals! Clearly, you must be stupid, so... Pay us!"

Anybody who would buy anything from these scam artists deserves what they get -- Ripped off. Period.

[smoss469]

They also did it with multiple BBE pedals too. Lots of scummy builders out there. From JHS ripping off Devi pedals and free public project fuzzes to Tone Monk lying their way into cheap Klon boards. I try to research the builder to make sure these bottom feeders don't get my business.

[artdecade]

... and this is why I usually stick with Boss and MXR. Ha.

[JesterR]

A tons of great pedal builders around. Do not spend your time on that guys. Barber pedals deserve to be bought more, than all that FB thing. Just do not get, why someone needs troubles, when he can avoid them.

[smoss469]

Barber makes great stuff. Dave's work is so damn neat and tidy too!

[Teles Dewey]

The ******** Blues Alpha Drive II Red Dot is an
Excellent vintage style Overdrive stomper. Despite the rumours, I can't imagine you can get a better LO/ Medium gain rock and blues preamp
OD unit for $60! I must point out that it is a totally
Different pedal than the JiJo Underwater Drive. The circuit board is clearly scripted "******** Blues" not Joyo (or Dumbledior for that matter!)

The unit is cool looking in its black and white
Box. Simple controls are "OD", VOL (V) & Tone (T). Also a midrange switch labeled rock (hi mids)
and blues (LO Mids). It will do Jimi SRV and Clapton -esque stuff but not metal. I demo-ed
It through a clean set Orange Crush 12L and
Am very impressed with the tones obtained.

I got this to play overdriven blues on my solid
state practice amplifier and this pedal gives me
All the tone I want or need. It is well made and
Perfect for rock and blues. It is considerably
Lower gain than Joyo. Different circuit. Does not
Sound like a clone at all! Similar tone to TS -9
but scooper midrange w/ fat switch!

Killer Rock N Blues tones & cool appearance,
all at a very reasonable $59.99!

Rock On !

[Teles Dewey]

Did you say something, sir spam a lot ?