Kernom Ridge did with this drive what needed to be done I think. Its a SUPER flexible unit that can cover a lot of sounds. Great job on the design. Thanks again to you John. Cheers.
Kernom Ridge into Tonex pedal into HXStomp with MC6 midi controller. All you need for any tone you want. I love it. I have many pedals, lots of drive pedals. The Kernom is the most flexible of the lot. The post tone is also the first tilt eq control I was aware of. Absolutely worth the money.
Am I the only one who is feeling more and more like there are really only 2-3 flavors of drive, everything that comes out is just an iteration of an already existing thing
It’s not that there only 2-3 flavours of drive, it’s just that companies all basically imitate 2-3 designs from four decades ago. 90% of overdrive pedals are mid boosted variations on the Tube Screamer circuit. 90% of Fuzzes are based on the Fuzzface/Tonebender circuit, or the Big Muff circuit. A ton of distortion pedals are based on the ProCo Rat. I find the best option is to look at preamp pedals. They usually have different base tones, often based on amplifier preamps, and they usually will have full bass,middle,treble tone stacks instead of just a single “tone” knob used by so many pedals. Just don’t mistake “amp-in-a-box” overdrive pedals with proper “preamp” pedals. Most AIAB pedals are just basically regular overdrive pedals that are supposedly voiced to sound like a Marshall or Vox or whatever, whereas preamp pedals are more like a full recreation of the preamp section of an amp.
Might be what you are chasing is that there are effectively hard clippers, soft clippers, asymmetrical clipping, and symmetrical clipping. How they get there (diodes versus transistor, etc.) might have some nuance, but at the end of the day, there are only so many ways to clip a signal. That’s why you can pick whatever overdrive and an eq pedal to rule the world…kind of what this pedal is doing…
John, you could get a good sound out of two Coke cans connected by a piece of fishing line. This Kernom thingummy gubbins sounds great, but then again so does everything you demo. Happy New Year.
I did in fact remove all but a drive or two off the board when I got the Ridge. I know a guy who has made some videos about that awesome pedal! Ha ha. Glad you got your hands on it.
Top marks for design and function, there was a really good overlay graphic of the Ridge which helps a lot. It is the best desktop midi controller i have for manipulating models in the HXStomp as well. I have yet to see many use it that way but for sure a versatile bit of kit.
I’m fascinated by the possibilities of this pedal, particularly with midi cc, and I hope to get to it, but for most people’s purposes… isn’t that about the same footprint as three boss compacts, with the expression pedal?
I know this pedal can get a lot of sounds by modifying the wave form in the clipping circuit, but I haven't found any videos of people using it to tweak high gain sounds though, the way a tube screamer typically gets used. It would be interesting to see if it's as versatile to tweak tones that are already high gain. I'm more on the high gain volume roll-down or "unboost" side of things rather than pedal into clean amp.
Clicked so fast! Got one paired with the HX Stomp and Tonex One and I must say that it’s a killer combo! Just purchased the Wannabee to compare it against the Ridge (as a dual OD), curious to know which one you prefer in that use case
I haven’t heard much of the Kernom Ridge since the initial flood of paid TH-cam reviews and demos. Kind of goes to show how many forget about a lot of these products after receiving that paycheck.
I like it. except for the idea of bending down to tweak but that is true with any pedal. I'd like to see what it does with a midi. does it only allow preset changes? or can it tweak the "knobs" remotely. I am beginning to think a lot of pedals would do well with a place to plug in remote pedal switches so the knobs can be at a reachable height.
You can use PC for presets but all CC for each of the knobs. You can also use the knobs to send CC to other devices and use the Ridge as a controller. Personalli map all my midi pedals to Loopy Pro on my ipad so i have fingertip control of everything without reaching down. (Not great for pub gigs but fine for my needs)
@@andybimson-sp2fx If you have a mic stand, there are lots of tablet holders around that mount to a mic stand. My thought is that many of these pedals become less useful than they could be unless the controls are above waist high. I am thinking of back in the 4x12 days when one could reach their amp controls and did so frequently.
@ Yeah, I was thinking that not everyone wants to take an iPad to a gig. (Even if their rig is worth 5 times as much as a decent iPad 😁) I just use a music stand
See, nobody needs THE ONE ultimate pedal, such a pedal would mean we cannot buy-sell-re-sell-re-buy-my-favorite-but-better-pedals, mount them to our pedal boards, knock them off, almost-sell-them-but-thank-God-didn't-because-it's-so-awesome... Happy new year and lots of new drive pedals in 2025
It's the psychology of tone and gear... to buy the Mooer Trelicopter and discover that this is beautiful sounding opto tremolo and maybe everything you ever need... for only about 60 Euros is hard to accept, and you go for a 200 Euro piece where you try to find, by tweaking the hell out of it, the justification for the purchase and convince yourself that this is really better and worth it. Not buying, to not have an opinion about something, not searching for the "better", not being up-to-date with what's going on makes you feel left outside, not be a part of active "community", less expert, less experienced musician. The solution is simple. Quit watching gear vids and forums, avoid the "show-me-your-prdalboard" galleries, make music with people and after a few months you cured.
Lol. Your video reminded me that I bought this pedal when it first came out... Played it for about an hour and it's been sitting on the shelf collecting dust ever since. It didn't inspire me at all. Not bad, just... Forgettable? Maybe I'll try it again but it seems like meh?
I’ve tried everything and I love most pedals but this pedal looks and sounds terrible wanted to love it tried it didn’t think you could make a bad sounding drive
Kernom Ridge did with this drive what needed to be done I think. Its a SUPER flexible unit that can cover a lot of sounds. Great job on the design. Thanks again to you John. Cheers.
Nice playing John, I chilled out listening. Happy New Year!
Kernom Ridge into Tonex pedal into HXStomp with MC6 midi controller. All you need for any tone you want. I love it. I have many pedals, lots of drive pedals. The Kernom is the most flexible of the lot. The post tone is also the first tilt eq control I was aware of. Absolutely worth the money.
Am I the only one who is feeling more and more like there are really only 2-3 flavors of drive, everything that comes out is just an iteration of an already existing thing
Ish. the great majority are based in apart off one or another.
It’s not that there only 2-3 flavours of drive, it’s just that companies all basically imitate 2-3 designs from four decades ago. 90% of overdrive pedals are mid boosted variations on the Tube Screamer circuit. 90% of Fuzzes are based on the Fuzzface/Tonebender circuit, or the Big Muff circuit. A ton of distortion pedals are based on the ProCo Rat. I find the best option is to look at preamp pedals. They usually have different base tones, often based on amplifier preamps, and they usually will have full bass,middle,treble tone stacks instead of just a single “tone” knob used by so many pedals. Just don’t mistake “amp-in-a-box” overdrive pedals with proper “preamp” pedals. Most AIAB pedals are just basically regular overdrive pedals that are supposedly voiced to sound like a Marshall or Vox or whatever, whereas preamp pedals are more like a full recreation of the preamp section of an amp.
Pretty much true, and it’s even less if it’s got a good eq, especially a mids control.
Might be what you are chasing is that there are effectively hard clippers, soft clippers, asymmetrical clipping, and symmetrical clipping. How they get there (diodes versus transistor, etc.) might have some nuance, but at the end of the day, there are only so many ways to clip a signal. That’s why you can pick whatever overdrive and an eq pedal to rule the world…kind of what this pedal is doing…
It’s beyond ridiculous.How many times can we redraw the circle
John, you could get a good sound out of two Coke cans connected by a piece of fishing line. This Kernom thingummy gubbins sounds great, but then again so does everything you demo. Happy New Year.
I'd be more than happy with that opening sound and tone
I did in fact remove all but a drive or two off the board when I got the Ridge. I know a guy who has made some videos about that awesome pedal! Ha ha. Glad you got your hands on it.
The problem with the kernom is each knob needs to be surrounded by coloured led so you know where things are set and midi will be easier to dial in
I think I’d like to make a board with a BOSS Tuner, this pedal, and an H90 that was all white just because it would look cool.
Me too.
its a great combo with the HX stomp exactly as you describe. They make a great pairing.
Top marks for design and function, there was a really good overlay graphic of the Ridge which helps a lot. It is the best desktop midi controller i have for manipulating models in the HXStomp as well. I have yet to see many use it that way but for sure a versatile bit of kit.
both kernom pedals are killer. PERIOD ! and stacking them is just pure bliss!
Or hell... 😉
The MIDI is really a great addition.....just wish more otherwise great pedals had this.
I’m fascinated by the possibilities of this pedal, particularly with midi cc, and I hope to get to it, but for most people’s purposes… isn’t that about the same footprint as three boss compacts, with the expression pedal?
Did you ever try the Ibanez Pentatone Pre Amp? Its a boost distortion and five band eq all in one. Would be good to see what sounds you get with it
Very nice playing to let the pedal breathe
I know this pedal can get a lot of sounds by modifying the wave form in the clipping circuit, but I haven't found any videos of people using it to tweak high gain sounds though, the way a tube screamer typically gets used. It would be interesting to see if it's as versatile to tweak tones that are already high gain. I'm more on the high gain volume roll-down or "unboost" side of things rather than pedal into clean amp.
Clicked so fast! Got one paired with the HX Stomp and Tonex One and I must say that it’s a killer combo! Just purchased the Wannabee to compare it against the Ridge (as a dual OD), curious to know which one you prefer in that use case
I haven’t heard much of the Kernom Ridge since the initial flood of paid TH-cam reviews and demos. Kind of goes to show how many forget about a lot of these products after receiving that paycheck.
I'm sure the same can be said for 99% of products out there...doesn't mean they are bad...
Hey John…you ought to check out Andy Fuchs Valve Job II pedals. Fairly hard to come by but awesome tone!
One thing worth mentioning is that i couldnt get the midi to work with the HX stomp. Is it just me?
That's the only tool you have on hand to open a box, Crocodile Dundee?
I like it. except for the idea of bending down to tweak but that is true with any pedal. I'd like to see what it does with a midi. does it only allow preset changes? or can it tweak the "knobs" remotely. I am beginning to think a lot of pedals would do well with a place to plug in remote pedal switches so the knobs can be at a reachable height.
You can use PC for presets but all CC for each of the knobs. You can also use the knobs to send CC to other devices and use the Ridge as a controller.
Personalli map all my midi pedals to Loopy Pro on my ipad so i have fingertip control of everything without reaching down. (Not great for pub gigs but fine for my needs)
@@andybimson-sp2fx If you have a mic stand, there are lots of tablet holders around that mount to a mic stand. My thought is that many of these pedals become less useful than they could be unless the controls are above waist high. I am thinking of back in the 4x12 days when one could reach their amp controls and did so frequently.
@ Yeah, I was thinking that not everyone wants to take an iPad to a gig. (Even if their rig is worth 5 times as much as a decent iPad 😁) I just use a music stand
Mostly you are using this Guitar. Would I know about your Guitar. Coz tone is amazing. Guitar Name is not recognisable in video.
Plz tell
Which collection is your ES335 Lead sound on? Cheers
Great pedal..
Don’t let Alec see this. He’ll try and get you using the knobs to send cc to other pedals. It’s also his fault I bought one and i couldn’t be happier.
Just seen Alec’s comment and sure enough I was right 😁
See, nobody needs THE ONE ultimate pedal, such a pedal would mean we cannot buy-sell-re-sell-re-buy-my-favorite-but-better-pedals, mount them to our pedal boards, knock them off, almost-sell-them-but-thank-God-didn't-because-it's-so-awesome... Happy new year and lots of new drive pedals in 2025
yup lol
It's the psychology of tone and gear... to buy the Mooer Trelicopter and discover that this is beautiful sounding opto tremolo and maybe everything you ever need... for only about 60 Euros is hard to accept, and you go for a 200 Euro piece where you try to find, by tweaking the hell out of it, the justification for the purchase and convince yourself that this is really better and worth it.
Not buying, to not have an opinion about something, not searching for the "better", not being up-to-date with what's going on makes you feel left outside, not be a part of active "community", less expert, less experienced musician.
The solution is simple. Quit watching gear vids and forums, avoid the "show-me-your-prdalboard" galleries, make music with people and after a few months you cured.
Nice touch with the machete.
The crack joke was a bit John-Nathan-Corny
I justify $500 AUSD for an overdrive tbh
Lol. Your video reminded me that I bought this pedal when it first came out... Played it for about an hour and it's been sitting on the shelf collecting dust ever since. It didn't inspire me at all. Not bad, just... Forgettable? Maybe I'll try it again but it seems like meh?
My thought too... a hundred shades of lackluster tone in this one
It takes some time to dial in. People who get to know it tend to keep it on their pedal board.
Um … I wasn’t , hate it when the tag line is “EVERYBODY” , my friend Bob wasn’t either , such click bait 🤷♂️
I’ve tried everything and I love most pedals but this pedal looks and sounds terrible wanted to love it tried it didn’t think you could make a bad sounding drive
Meaty
But the only wise thing to do is to buy a Tonex One for 145 Euros and upload 20 captures of your favorite drive pedals. Same results less money
First!