- Z.Vex Effects
Z. Vex Effects is a
boutique effects pedal company based inMinneapolis, Minnesota . Their name derives from the name of founderZachary Vex . The company's most famous product is theFuzz Factory . All of their pedals (except the budget-line Vexter series) are hand painted at their factory inMinnesota . All Vexter subassemblies are made inTaiwan , but the final assembly is completed in the United States. Their products tend to be high end and thus are rather expensive because they are all hand made. Z. Vex effects pedals are known for the extreme amount of control that they give to the user. According to Zach Vex, all handpainted pedals are "warranted to be free from manufacturing defects for as long as I am on the planet." [http://www.zvex.com/website/repairs.htm]Products
*
Fuzz Factory (fuzzbox )
* Box of Rock (preamp-booster/overdrive)
* Box of Metal (high gain distortion)
* Woolly Mammoth (bass/guitarfuzzbox )
* Super Hard-On (preamp-booster/overdrive)
* Super Duper 2-in-1 (preamp/overdrive)
* Machine (fuzzbox )
* Ooh Wah II (step-sequenced filter)
* Ringtone (step-sequencedring modulator )
* Lo-Fi Loop Junky (analog delay/loop recorder)
* Seek Wah II (step-sequenced filter)
* Octane III (octave-generatingfuzzbox )
* Seek Trem (step-sequenced tremolo)
* Tremorama (step-sequenced tremolo)
* Johnny Octave (octave)
* The Nano head (tube amplifier)
* Drip Guitar (discontinued)Users
*
Malcolm Young ofAC/DC uses the Nano Head at home [ [http://zvex.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=670 zvex.com :: View topic - AC-DC ] ]
*Alan Sparhawk , Singer and Guitarist for Low
*Matt Bellamy , Guitar/vocals forMuse , owns guitar(s) with aFuzz Factory built in
*Stephen Carpenter , Guitarist forDeftones
*J. Mascis , Guitar/vocals forDinosaur Jr
*Billy Gibbons , Guitar/vocals forZZ Top
*John Frusciante , Guitar forRed Hot Chili Peppers owns a Z. Vex Fuzz Factory
*Eric Erlandson , Guitar forHole
*Billy Corgan , Guitar/vocals forSmashing Pumpkins owns several Z. Vex pedals
*Jack White ofThe White Stripes
*Nels Cline ofNels Cline Singers andWilco owns many Z.Vex pedals
*Kevin Shields ofMy Bloody Valentine owns numerous Z.Vex pedals
*Efrim Menuck ofA Silver Mt. Zion Other Products
The company also manufactures a Probe line of effects (the Fuzz Probe, Wah Probe and Tremolo Probe) that are modified versions of other pedals the company makes. What makes this series of pedals unique is the copper plate, which has an antenna underneath it that senses how close your foot (or something else) is to the pedal, giving you the ability to manipulate an aspect of the pedal's sound. From the company's website:
"The probe circuit generates a small (one or two inches high) 'bubble' of RF energy at about a million cycles per second above the copper plate. As your foot or hand (or any wet or metallic object, for that matter) approaches the copper plate, the RF field is disturbed and the circuit reacts by increasing the brightness of an LED, which drives a photoresistive cell and controls the circuit." [http://www.zvex.com/wahprobe.html]
Links
* [http://www.zvex.com Z.Vex homepage]
* [http://www.allzvex.com Z.Vex fansite]References
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