This issue, we venture to the leafy outreaches of Buckinghamshire to discover more about an effects manufacturer whose pedals are turning up on the ’boards of top players all around the world
When guitarists as diverse as Joe Walsh, Josh Smith, Ed O’Brien, and David Gilmour start clearing space on their pedalboards for the effects output of a particular company, it’s time to sit up and take notice. Such is the case with Origin Effects. Its compressors – the Cali76 and SlideRIG – and the RevivalDRIVE have quite literally been getting under the feet of a whole host of players, the common denominator between them being superlative tone. So, what exactly is the lure? We thought the best way to find out was to pay the company a visit and talk to its designer-in-chief, Simon Keats.
Simon began his fascination with effects pedals in his teens, the intention being to attend music college and turn professional.
“I decided I was probably never going to get a job being a session player or whatever,” he tells us as we’d settled in a room lined with some jaw-droppingly awesome vintage amps and guitars. “So I ended up doing a degree in electronics.”
After leaving university, Simon began working in Vox’s R&D department, where he designed some of the Cooltron effects range and assisted with the company’s Brian May signature AC30. He went on to work for companies such as Nokia and Audio-Technica as an analog designer before deciding it was time to strike out on his own. As a fan of slide guitar – and Little Feat legend Lowell George, in particular – a plan began to form while he was maintaining some 1176 studio compressors.
“I’d read about how Lowell George, in the studio, chained two 1176s together,” he says. “I had two. I had my Strat and put the right strings on it – flat-wounds – and got the same slide that he used and I chained them together. I was just blown away by how good it sounded.
This story is from the May 2019 edition of Guitarist.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2019 edition of Guitarist.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Sonic Shaper
Electro-Harmonix revisits the effect that launched the company with the LPB-3 Linear Power Booster and EQ
Platinum Blonde
PRS has updated its Texas-voiced David Grissom signature amp with more features, lower wattage and a more approachable price tag
TAN LINES
Many of us regard straps as a bit of an afterthought, but to find one that matches the quality of a custom or vintage guitar, Rod Boyes of Pinegrove Leather can help
ELECTRIC STRINGS
Your tone starts with your strings - strike a balance between sound, tuning and durability with six of our favourites
DIFFERENT WINDS
While there's no end to repros of all the classic pickup styles, more and more pickup makers are mixing things up to move forward - Cream T is a good example
Long termers
A few months' gigging, recording and everything that goes with it - welcome to Guitarist's longterm test report
Top Guns
Chapman's new factory move coincides with a bit of a rethink. We track down the key players all around the world
the Wishlist
Dream gear to beg, borrow and steal for...
Reach For The Star
Earlier this year Guild reorganised its 70s-era Polara range. We spent some time with this mid-range 2024 model: a modern pawn-shop prize or a copy too far?
HIGH FLYER
Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX remembers the flight path - and turbulence behind Chris Buck's Electric Lightning overdrive/boost, named after a fighter jet and packing a bona fide valve