Pedal of the Day 7-22-09 Bixonic Expandora

[Mark Wein]

I kind of wanted to do a POTD on the original Expandora but I can't find much info on it...or even good videos. parrothead is going to guest star on this one with a little review of his, though later in the day.

This is supposed to be a favorite pedal of Billy Gibbons...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2x4o6Nh8as

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuzk3xjwYyk

[Denverdave]

Interesting....

I'll look forward to Parrotheads contribution, since my Spanish is pretty weak these days...

[Phil513]

Fixed.

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p80/noelpointer/ryan003.jpg

[parrotheada1a]

Hey gang, Mark invited me to do a review of the pedal, I hope I can do it some justice. First off, this isn't a review of the original Expandora, but one of the Godlyke EXP 2000R reissues. I've never even seen an original, let alone play one. Mine cost me 150 bucks. MF currently lists these pedals as a discontinued item, so you might end up digging one up elswhere or on fleabay. Godlyke's website also makes no mention of 'em. The newer rev Expandora 2 models have a flashing LED and a pedal type switch instead of a button on top. As you might know, I play a stock HSS Strat, plus a Hughes & Kettner edition Tube amp, so your overall tone will vary depending on your own gear. One thing I will say from the outset is that it won't suck. In that video with the Gretch guitar... I can hear lots of the same tone that mine has. DEEEELICIOUS.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v142/parrotheada1a/music%20stuff/Expandorasmall.jpg

I think a good place to start would be what this pedal actually is. It's more or less a multi staged distortion pedal, with a fuzz component added. Two of those slide switches change up the gain stage structure, while the third adjusts the overall tone between bass or guitar. In my experience, the bass switch acts like a subtle boost for bass frequencies ... without any mud whatsoever. Sounds larger and fuller. The two switches give you what the manual calls: crunch, overdrive, distortion and forbidden modes. Each setting is fully adjustable by the 3 pots on top. I should point out that while the pedal isn't “true bypass” but it does not seem to color the tone of the guitar when not engaged. I notice some hiss with mine when it's on, but I don't think it's much of a big deal considering that it can be filtered out using the tone control.

That is where the fun begins, because the pedal covers an insane range of distortions from a light, almost OD thing to something more akin to a triple rectifier metal tone. One thing I am certain of, is that the pedal responds well to pick attack and cleanup via your guitar's volume knob. Cleanup is a relative term with this pedal though, because to get something like that it needs to be almost off. At that point why bother? This puppy easily sounds like a pair of tubescreamers if you go for that sort of tone, and with better harmonics and less mid hump.

The 'fuzz' tone if it can be called that, is more like sonic mayhem. I usually run my pedals through the clean side of my amp. On a setting with the gain pot way down, the 'forbidden' stack will get you that chewed up and spit gated sound... kinda like that 'Spirit in the Sky' fuzztone. Increase the gain pot some and you extend the sustain at the expense of a little more noise.

Questions & comments? Ask away.

[Help!I'maRock!]

so its a high gain tubescreamer and a fuzz in one? how does it compare to the Keeley Fuzz head?

[parrotheada1a]

so its a high gain tubescreamer and a fuzz in one? how does it compare to the Keeley Fuzz head?

No idea at all. I've never played a Keeley pedal.

[Mark Wein]

I didn't realize that the new ones were made by another company...do you know any of the company history?

[parrotheada1a]

I didn't realize that the new ones were made by another company...do you know any of the company history?

Bixonic still made the pedals, they were originally a Japanese company IIRC. My pedal was made in Taiwan, so I'm pretty sure that they moved production out of Japan before the reissue came out. Lower labor costs and all that. I think Godlyke was merely the distributor for the US market.

[Help!I'maRock!]

Bixonic still made the pedals, they were originally a Japanese company IIRC. My pedal was made in Taiwan, so I'm pretty sure that they moved production out of Japan before the reissue came out. Lower labor costs and all that. I think Godlyke was merely the distributor for the US market.

Godlyke is a distributor.