Sick of combating in opposition to the weak tone of your acoustic’s piezo pickup? Effectively, the ToneDexter II is right here to save lots of the day. The dearth of pre-loaded presets may postpone some gamers at first, however these keen to place within the work might be rewarded with the acoustic tone of their goals.

What’s it?

Think about this: you have simply invested a few thousand kilos into your dream acoustic guitar. You strum your first chord, and it seems like magic. The tone is brilliant, wealthy, and stuffed with harmonic depth – precisely what you’d count on from a top-notch flat-top. However then you definitely plug it in. Immediately, that vibrant acoustic tone is remodeled right into a flat, overly compressed, scratchy model of itself, harking back to an affordable imitation. What offers?

The perpetrator is usually the piezo pickup, generally discovered beneath the saddle of many acoustic guitars. These pickups wrestle to seize the true essence of your instrument’s sound in a room. Positive, a well-placed microphone can carry your tone again to life, however let’s face it – organising mics generally is a problem and vulnerable to suggestions, particularly in dwell settings. That’s the place the Audio Sprockets ToneDexter II is available in.

This revolutionary little stompbox is designed particularly to revive the full-bodied tone of your acoustic instrument. Utilizing proprietary digital sign processing know-how – referred to as WaveMaps – ToneDexter II goals to remodel the uninspiring sound of your pickup into a shocking, microphone-quality reproduction. This implies you may take that wealthy, acoustic sound to gigs or recording classes with out the fuss of mics, stands, and tangled cables.

However that is not all. The ToneDexter II comes loaded with a devoted increase management for that further punch, an intuitive tuner that’s simple to learn, anti-feedback controls for peace of thoughts on stage, and even built-in reverb for added depth. Plus, it’s versatile sufficient to work with guitars, violins, mandolins, dobros, banjos, upright basses, and most different acoustic stringed devices which have pickups.

A relatively spectacular checklist of specs for positive, however is it too good to be true? Effectively, at the moment we open up the doorways of the testing lab and put this stomp beneath the microscope to see if it actually can remodel our acoustic tone for the higher, or if you could be a Poindexter to make use of it.

Specs

• Launch worth: $599/£599/€699
• Kind: Acoustic pre-amp pedal
• Controls: Out, In, Telephones/Aux Out, Stero/Aux In, Low, Mid, Excessive, Mute/Tuner, Increase
• Options: Superior DSP algorithm creates a devoted replica of your mic’d sound, 32 WaveMap slots, 3 EQ blocks, reverb, Sensible suggestions management, tuner, MIDI program management, exterior footswitch management, and increase
• Connectivity: Enter, Output, Mic in, Management in, Ship, Return, DI out
• Bypass: True-bypass
• Energy: 9-15V
• Dimensions: 165mm x 150mm x 66mm
• Weight: 2 lbs
• Contact: Audio Sprockets

Construct high quality

Construct high quality ranking: ★★★★★

At a smidge beneath £600, this pedal is not precisely budget-friendly, however let me let you know, the second I pulled it out of the field, I understood the place a minimum of a number of the funding goes. The ToneDexter II l is severely sturdy and impressively put collectively. Merely put, this factor is a tank.

Proper off the bat, the rugged design makes it clear that the ToneDexter is crafted to resist the trials and tribulations of life on the highway. I would not hesitate to toss this magnificence at the back of my van for an evening on the native open mic, that is for positive.

Once I flipped the unit over, I used to be greeted by a beneficiant array of inputs and outputs, each simply accessible and clearly labelled, precisely the place you’d count on them to be. The footswitches? Effectively, they’re on level, too. They really feel strong and clean underfoot, and identical to the remainder of the unit, reassuringly effectively constructed.

Truthfully, after spending time with this pedal, I can confidently say I’ve zero complaints about its building. It’s obvious that it is a severe piece of substances that mixes each type and performance.

Usability

Usability rankings: ★★★½

Now, truly utilizing the pedal is a fairly combined bag in a method. Whereas it is fairly easy to document a WaveMap, something deeper requires a good quantity of menu hopping, and it isn’t at all times apparent the place all of the settings are hiding.

First, I would like to say that this unit doesn’t come arrange and able to use straight out of the field. In actual fact, there aren’t any presets saved within the unit while you obtain it. So, to get began, you could seize your favorite pickup-equipped acoustic, a microphone, and a pleasant quiet area to start out your seize.

Producing the seize is fairly easy. As soon as all the pieces is plugged in, faucet the mute button, then the increase change, and begin taking part in – it’s really helpful to discover a broad collection of chords all around the neck to make sure you seize a whole image of your instrument. I used to be pleasantly shocked by how simple this was to do, and inside a few minutes, I had a genuinely convincing WaveMap of my attractive J-45. That stated, I actually did count on the unit to ship with some presets already put in for these gamers who do not know the place to start out when recording an acoustic guitar.

To get readability on this, I reached out to Audio Sprockets’ James Might to grasp the choice behind not together with pre-made WaveMaps. “This can be a philosophical determination that we produced from the beginning, proper at ToneDexter’s inception,” says James. “We imagine you’ll by no means get the perfect outcomes utilizing a WaveMap created for one acoustic instrument on one other acoustic instrument. The physics merely stack the percentages in opposition to you as a result of every particular person guitar has a novel spectral footprint – a fancy sample of resonant peaks and dips that give your guitar its signature sound,” he explains.

“Even guitars of the identical make and mannequin, although they might sound comparable, could have spectral footprints that differ sufficient such {that a} WaveMap created on one might sound veiled or barely off when utilized to a different,” provides James. “And this assumes you’re utilizing the very same pickup, however these differ considerably of their response, too. Sure, I do know it might probably occur that generally you’ll get usable outcomes mixing and matching WaveMaps like this, however we don’t wish to should reply to buyer dissatisfaction, confusion, or frustration. I name it the Fishman Aura syndrome (with all due respect to Larry Fishman). We have made the coaching course of ultra-simple in order that customers can take a little bit of time to get the perfect outcomes doable,” he clarifies. “It’s about discovering that candy spot the place your particular guitar’s character shines via the combo, and truthfully, it is a rewarding expertise while you nail it.”

So, whereas the shortage of presets may initially really feel like a hurdle, when you dive into creating your individual WaveMaps, you may simply discover it liberating. You are not simply utilizing a one-size-fits-all answer with the ToneDexter II; you are crafting a novel sound tailor-made to your instrument. Positive, it’d take slightly extra effort upfront, however the private contact you get in return makes it effectively price it in the long run. Simply bear in mind, each second spent fine-tuning is a step nearer to capturing the true essence of your favorite guitar.

Now, relating to deep enhancing and turning on and off the consequences, it isn’t essentially the most intuitive pedal to make use of – this isn’t a unit you may function with out the handbook helpful. Granted, as soon as I spent just a few days with the pedal, I began to get used to the place every setting was hidden, however it did take slightly getting used to – this pedal definitely makes you’re employed in your tone.

Sound

Sound ranking: ★★★★½

To completely discover the tonal capabilities of the ToneDexter II, I started my testing with my trusted Gibson J-45 workhorse, a typical SE condenser microphone, and a rigorously managed area in my residence studio. I positioned the mic a couple of foot away from the guitar, angled towards the twelfth fret. I experimented with my taking part in place earlier than finalising the WaveMap seize, listening rigorously via a set of headphones to make sure I used to be capturing the precise sound I used to be in search of.

I’ve to say, as soon as I created a WaveMap, the outcomes had been fairly exceptional. As a lot as I cherish my J-45, the tone produced by its pickup usually falls wanting capturing the guitar’s true essence. Whereas the sound generated by the LR Baggs VTC is not dangerous, it lacks the richness and harmonic complexity of the guitar’s acoustic voice. Luckily, with the ToneDexter at my toes, that concern swiftly vanished.

Participating the pedal remodeled my beforehand skinny and uninspiring tone right into a superbly fats, heat, and full-bodied sound that faithfully represented how my guitar sounded with this go-to mic setup. After all, I experimented additional by swapping out the condenser mic for a Shure SM57 and transferring the mic placement nearer to the bridge. This transformation produced a brand new WaveMap that was brighter, much less bass-heavy, and extra centered, but simply as correct in its illustration.

It is necessary to focus on that whereas the ToneDexter II gives unimaginable capabilities, the standard of its output will in the end hinge in your total gear, your area, and the miking method you use. A high-quality guitar, microphone, and correct placement are elementary to attaining the perfect sound. As superior as this pedal is, in case your gear isn’t as much as par or if the mic isn’t positioned appropriately, you may by no means get that polished studio tone you might be in search of.

That stated, the ToneDexter II is supplied with a strong EQ that contains a helpful visible illustration of the EQ curve you are creating via your strategic cuts and boosts. I discovered that this function grants intensive tonal flexibility, permitting me to fine-tune the sound to match my desired acoustic aesthetic. Whether or not I used to be seeking to improve the heat, readability, or presence, the pedal permits me to effortlessly sculpt my tone with a twist of some dials.

Verdict

In a world of instantaneous gratification, the ToneDexter II stands its floor as a pedal that requires you to place in some effort earlier than you might be granted entry to acoustic tonal bliss. There’s no denying that that is an extremely highly effective software for the gigging acoustic guitarist, and in reality, I might even see myself utilizing it within the studio, too.

Nevertheless, it’s troublesome to not evaluate this unit to the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI or the LR Baggs Voiceprint. Okay, they aren’t precisely the identical, and sure, the ToneDexter takes acoustic modelling to a complete new degree, however I do know the shortage of presets will flip some folks off this product. However greater than that, for those who aren’t notably well-versed in miking up an acoustic guitar, chances are you’ll discover it troublesome to get really skilled outcomes.

So, if that’s you, then chances are you’ll wish to look elsewhere, however in case you are keen to take a position the time to grasp its intricacies and put within the obligatory effort, the ToneDexter II can reward you with an unmatched degree of tonal customisation. Its potential to copy acoustic tones with element and authenticity is spectacular, respiration new life into your acoustic performances.

The construct high quality of the ToneDexter II is most positively substantial, sturdy and greater than dependable sufficient for the highway. Its consumer interface, whereas not as easy as some rivals, gives a degree of depth that skilled gamers will definitely recognize.

Finally, whether or not you are gigging or recording, the ToneDexter II is a formidable ally for these keen to take a position effort and time into mastering its options. It might not have the user-friendly attraction of plug-and-play pedals with preset choices, for the devoted guitarist searching for distinctive acoustic constancy, the journey with the ToneDexter II is certain to be extremely rewarding. In the event you thrive on crafting your sound and possess the endurance to navigate its complexities, this pedal may simply change into an important a part of your musical toolkit.

Guitar World’s verdict: Sick of combating in opposition to the weak tone of your acoustic’s piezo pickup? Effectively, the ToneDexter II is right here to save lots of the day. The dearth of pre-loaded presets may postpone some gamers at first, however these keen to place within the work might be rewarded with the acoustic tone of their goals.

Additionally think about

Arms-on demos

ToneDexter

Sweetwater

Aaron Brief Music

Rob has 20 years of expertise writing, reviewing and enhancing for guitar magazines and web sites, together with Guitarist and Complete Guitar. He is now the Evaluations Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, heading up our in-house critiques workforce to provide you in-depth and sincere checks of the most recent guitar gear. He eats and goals critiques.

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