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NEW Steel Leather from EHX


dudewheresmybass
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  • 2 weeks later...

By the sound of the 'percussive/attack effect' description on the EHX site, it sounds like an expander - which acts kind of like the opposite of a compresser. The old Gibson RD artists had one of these built in, so maybe if anyone here has ever tried one they'd like to chip in.

It'd be interesting to hear how EHX have implemented this. Given how popular compressers are with bassists, I can't really imagine a huge market for this.

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I have a Gibson RD Artist. There is a toggle switch which can either put turn on the compressor or the expander. The compressor turns it into a rock monster but, I have to be honest, I can't tell what the expander really does to the sound (except makes it a sort of clicky/treble sound) so I don't use it..... :)

Edited by jimbartlett
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  • 2 weeks later...

ok, so i've left it a few days since i got the pedal to give it a proper run-through and also to use it at a band practise.

firstly - a quick description.

standard ehx nano-sized box with two controls: effect level and response. the effect level controls the level of the effected signal in the output and the response controls the severity of the effect.

ok - so..what does it sound like ? difficult to describe to be honest ! the simple answer is that it adds a variable degree of 'clank' (when playing with a pick) or ''bite' (fingerstyle) to the sound, the amount of which is controlled by the response control. at very high levels of response the sound is almost unmanageably trebly.

when i first started using it at 'bedroom' volumes and through headphones i was a bit disappointed...it sounded too extreme, and at low levels of response you could hear the sound of the gate opening and closing. it sounded good, but a wee bit too processed.

one thing it was good for was to add some presence when playing along with songs.

but here's where it shines...playing with a full band. i took it along to practise today and used it with very mild settings (effect level at 9 o'clock, response at 10)...and it sounded great ! it just adds a bit of punch and bite to the sound without being over the top. placed before my modded rat it really added a lot of crunch to the overdrive. both guitarists mentioned that they could hear a difference, but couldn't say exactly what it was. they liked it though !!

so - i hope this makes sense...it's hard to describe exactly what it does, but it's gonna be in my pedalboard from now on !!

Edited by ahpook
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  • 2 weeks later...

update: i think my steel leather has developed a fault.

when daisy-chained with boss pedals it won't turn off, and i suspect it's taken out my double muff and damaged the dc power input on my micro q-tron.

i've mailed the people i got it off to see if they'll exchange it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

ok - just an update on the faulty steel leather.

the nice people at creative tools have tested my steel leather and have agreed to replace it as it [i]was[/i] passing current through to the output, so they're going to replace it.

i also spoke to them about my micro q-tron which the steel leather damaged and ehx have said they'll replace that as well.

BUT...here's the rub.

EHX say that that steel leather can't be run off the same power supply as other pedals...it needs its own psu or has to be run off batteries.

[i]WTF ?[/i]

nowhere in the instructions does it say this, and i'm going to be contacting ehx to tell them i think if that's the case then they should say so explicitly in the instructions.


so, if you're planning on getting a steel leather, bear this in mind.

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[quote name='ahpook' post='184287' date='Apr 24 2008, 08:26 AM']ok - just an update on the faulty steel leather.

the nice people at creative tools have tested my steel leather and have agreed to replace it as it [i]was[/i] passing current through to the output, so they're going to replace it.

i also spoke to them about my micro q-tron which the steel leather damaged and ehx have said they'll replace that as well.

BUT...here's the rub.

EHX say that that steel leather can't be run off the same power supply as other pedals...it needs its own psu or has to be run off batteries.

[i]WTF ?[/i]

nowhere in the instructions does it say this, and i'm going to be contacting ehx to tell them i think if that's the case then they should say so explicitly in the instructions.


so, if you're planning on getting a steel leather, bear this in mind.[/quote]

is it pnp or smts?

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  • 4 weeks later...

ok, just to close the story i received a [i]brand new[/i] micro q-tron and steel leather this week, along with instructions from ehx not to daisy chain the steel leather.

so good on the creative tools for sorting everything out :)


as it's new, the q-tron's about to go up for sale on the forum, and i might be letting the steel leather go...i'm using a different sound now tbh. can't say it hasn't been interesting though !!!

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