Lo-fi sound

[erogenousjones17]

I was wondering if anyone out there had any suggestions for a pedal to get a cool, lo-fi guitar tone. You know that thin, AM radio kinda tone? That's what I'm looking for. A real crappy distortion pedal might do the trick, but I don't think so. There has to be something out there that can get the sound I'm after. Thing is, I only really want it for the intro to one song I play with my band (there's a to in my hand that I can't quite find), so el cheapo is the way to go.  :laughing7:

Any thoughts?

 

[-CB-]

a capacitor in series will do that pretty well, either at the guitar, or in the effects chain.

Also.... you can play with filtration using a little equalizer, dialing out the real low stuff, keeping just a little high end for sparkle, and putting a huge narrow spike in the mids

 

[JaySwear]

i really liked this the few times that i tried it. i've got 2 of the ibanez tone-lok pedals, and love them both. not this one, but it's always intrigued me. don't remember it being quite this much when i saw it, but it could have been a guitar center sale or something when i played with it.

http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_LF7%20ToneLok%20LoFi%20Filter%20Pedal_-1_10052_10002_-49983925?cm_mmc=Froogle-_-EnvelopeSynth-_-LF7%20ToneLok%20LoFi%20Filter%20Pedal-_-ILF7XXXXX

 

[bassfrancesco]

For that mono/AM sound, try an equalizer pedal, with mids and bass totally cut.  Cut some highs, you'll get there.  Follow that with your normal compressor or distortion pedal set low.  That should to it.  Sounds cooler than you think live.    

 

[hannaugh]

In my guitar I have 4 push/pulls, and one of them goes out of phase when you pull it out.  It sounds really thin.  It's pretty cool with a little distortion. 

 

[imminentG]

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ZVEX has some of the most interesting effects I've seen in a while. See if this doesn't do the trick  :guitaristgif:

 

[Unwound G]

If you have a wah wah, run your guitar signal through a half open pedal and you will get that funky thin lo-fi sound.

 

[whyachi]

Use a Valnott.

 

[imminentG]

Yo, what's the real deal with that Valnott thing? I can't tell if it's done half jokingly, or if it's just a COMPLETE joke

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The Valnøtt is totally real.  The Ibanez Lo Fi pedal (LF-7) is a great way to get the lo fi sound you are looking for.  It has a crappy op amp overdrive and then a hi and lo pass filter that round file everything but the middle.  So you cut the highs and lows out and keep the mids on a crappy overdrive.  Just like the sound of a bull horn.  I have one and it works like a charm on drum machines, guitars, and vocals.  Makes everything sound like it is recorded through a pay phone.
Patrick

 

[dNA]

dude. don't pay good money to get something that makes your tone sound like shit. there are about a million do-it-yourself ways to get shitty tone that'll cost you less than 5 bux.

but if you really want to - buy a used boss metal zone pedal and leave the gain all the way off. That thing sounds so terrible you'll think you broke it

 

[Superlizard]

MXR Distortion+ has this capability.

 

[Dan025]

The Valnøtt is totally real.  The Ibanez Lo Fi pedal (LF-7) is a great way to get the lo fi sound you are looking for.  It has a crappy op amp overdrive and then a hi and lo pass filter that round file everything but the middle.  So you cut the highs and lows out and keep the mids on a crappy overdrive.  Just like the sound of a bull horn.  I have one and it works like a charm on drum machines, guitars, and vocals.  Makes everything sound like it is recorded through a pay phone.
Patrick

sounds a lot like a tube screamer to me!

i would build a pedal and use non audio quality components.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

After building a lot of the pedals mentioned and/or modding some of the other ones, the Lo Fi is really not the same.  Oddly enough, it is a rather charming pedal, and the bandpass filters are key in getting the old radio sound.  It is really fun to have for vocals.  It is not an everyday pedal, but there are times that it really does the job, and it is really fun to get a, "caller on a cell phone on AM Radio," sound.  Point being, if that is the sound you are going for, it nails it perfectly.  Why people want this tone, whatever, that is a personal response.  But, if Erogenous Jones is looking for that sound, that is the pedal to do it.
Patrick

 

[erogenousjones17]

I've been looking into it, and the Lo-Fi pedal does seem to be the way to go. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled on the 'bay to see if I can nab a used one for cheap. However, the other suggestions are interesting as well (and that ZVex pedal is just insane!). I'm also curious about a more DIY approach, like CB's comment about capacitors. What exactly do you mean by "a capacitor in series will do that pretty well, either at the guitar, or in the effects chain"?

 

[dNA]

the cap just acts as a filter. the right value cap will act as a high-pass filter which is already getting you more than 50% of the way to that lo-fi sound. Since electric guitar doesn't usually have above 5 or 6k anyway, there's not much need for high frequency rolloff.
What makes that kind of lo fi sound the way it does is usually a terrible amount of compression and a narrow bandwidth (i.e. alll mids, no real lows no real highs).

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The variable band pass filters on the lo fi pedal can be imitated with crossovers, which is more or less what CB was referring to.  There are a lot of resources out there to design crossovers and frequency response.  But they tend not to be as easily adjustable, or have the simple control that the band pass has. 

Now the Lo Fi Looper is a fun little pedal.  ZVex products are insanely expensive and that is the drawback.  The guy at General Guitar Gadgets has a version of it, using a slightly different chip that you can get here.  The trick there is the same as what has been spoken about, it is a low budget sample chip that was intended for the voice on alarm systems from a decade ago or more.  The mics and speakers were never much in those system, so the chip was not spec'ed to be all that quality as well.  But it makes a great lo fi looping pedal, so ya really can't complain.  Small Bear had that chip as well.

Oddly enough, I looked on eBay for the Lo Fi pedal a number of years ago, and people were trying to sell them at greater than new pedal prices.  So I bought a new one.
Patrick

 

[kdownes]

+1 to Hannaugh's suggestion about wiring in a phase switch, and maybe consider a series/parallel switch on a single pickup -- I have this set up with some Dimarzio humbuckers and both definitely thin things out in interesting ways.  I think the series/parallel thing only works if your pickup has four conductors.

Speaking of Zvex pedals, check out the Fuzz Factory as well.  These are available in a less expensive (though still not cheap -- about $170) version that's the same electronics as the spendier version.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf-Zck7YURs[/youtube]

This pedal is a real blast and you can get lots of different sounds with it.

 

[Schlieren]

Unrelated to the OP but I drool over the zvex "super-duper 2 in 1" and I am not a person who uses pedals, like, ever

 

[Superbeast520]

yes and still off topic, I too love the looks of that pedal....they are just so darn spendy but man I love them boutique products....unfortunantly I will have to settle for the Gt 10 for a while and work with that...Cant believe how small that pedal is....be nice if micro becomes the new thing.