| Update:
The Tubulator still remains one of the
best values in overdrive pedals.
It was discovered that they have original JRC 4558D
chips in them, just like the Tubescreamers have.
I
have also upgraded my opinion of them from sounding
good to sounding GREAT!
|
 Not
too long ago, one of the mail order companies that I buy from
had a special on an effect pedal that caught my attention.
It was a “budget-priced”
pedal called the Arion Tubulator.
The
name itself was enough to catch my attention and according
to the marketing hype you can “experience
the ultimate tube amp simulation. It captures it all…the
searing highs, the dirty sweet sustain, and the raw tube energy.”
I
figured that for 20 bucks, what did I have to lose and I added
it to my virtual shopping cart.
Checking
it out…
After receiving the unit, I enlisted Joe Najera, a talented
and young guitarist from Sacramento, and John Loring, originally
from Austin Texas to help give me a more non-biased opinion.
We
all concluded that the Tubulator is a “Tube
Screamer” clone and that with this particular
unit, the best way to use it is to dial in an acceptable level
of distortion in your amp and then kick in the Tubulator to
push the amp for more sustain, more overdrive…basically
more of everything! It is a pedal
best suited to supplement or to “contour” the
overdrive distortion of an amplifier’s built in distortion
rather than provide the distortion by itself.
With
a quick trial, the general consensus was that the Tubulator
sounded good. Not great…but good. It
sounded a lot rougher than a Tube Screamer, but for $20.00
we all agreed that it was a good value, especially for a budget-constrained
guitarist.
 Testing…
For a more thorough test, I plugged the Tubulator into my
little Vox Pathfinder 15R at home and dialed in a small amount
of distortion before hitting the pedal. It proceeded to push
my amp into a “sweet tone zone” that I had previously
not heard. Playing lead at about the 15th fret seemed to scream
and sustain forever.
I
love my little Vox amp, but it has a problem (for me, at least).
When I dial in a high amount of gain, the sound becomes very
raspy. This is great for some classic rock songs. However,
for blues and jazz, I don’t find this to be a desirable
sound.
Now…adding
the Tubulator pedal, I was able to crank the gain on the pedal
up which completely bypassed that raspy sound and got the
sustain and tone that I had always hoped for with this little
amp. I
also plugged it into my 65-Watt Kustom amp and received similar
positive results.
Observations…
Installing the battery is done using the easy-to-remove top
panel. However, I also decided to take the bottom off to get
a good look of how it was constructed.
First off, this is a budget unit. They are going to have to
skimp somewhere to keep the cost down and it appears the case
is where they started.
The
case is 100% plastic and even the control pot shafts seem
to be made of plastic. The bottom plate is foam-covered metal
that is supposed to add weight to the unit so it does not
slide around. While this does add weight, it is not quite
enough. Thicker metal and rubber would make it much more stable.
Conclusion…
I really like this pedal. It has found a place in my effects
chain and it would be a great choice for the budget-conscious
player.
It
has allowed me to achieve those screaming, long sustain notes
and those mean-sounding, growling sounds at lower octaves.
No…it’s not going to make your solid-state amplifier
sound like a tube amplifier. However, it will bring out the
best in any amp!
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