Aclam has launched the latest in its Beatles-inspired preamp and overdrive pedals series, with Go Rocky Go capturing the solid-state magic of a Vox Conqueror in a compact stompbox, complete with psychedelic artwork inspired by George Harrison’s Rocky Stratocaster.
This is for those who have the Epiphone Casino, the Strat and maybe the Gibson SG, too, and are looking to recreate the electric guitar tones of the late ‘60s Beatles.
Okay, there’s a little more to it than that. A cornucopia of vintage studio outboard gear, the watchful eye of engineer Geoff Emerick, and other variables would come into it. But they don’t make the Vox Conqueror anymore and this pedal will at least get you that sound, with a few useful twists.
Aclam based Go Rocky Go on a vintage Conqueror it purchased in 2017 during the R&D process for its Dr Robert overdrive, aka “the Revolver pedal”.
“We rescued it from our vault, fully restored it, meticulously measured every component, and traced the circuit boards to ensure we knew exactly how the amp sounded,” says Aclam. “This time, we wanted to push the boundaries, packing as many features as possible while staying true to the original sound. That’s why it takes us a while to release new effects! We’re finally digging the result!”
Go Rocky Go is a dual-footswitch pedal. The Bypass footswitch not only engages the effect hold it down for a one-and-a-half seconds and it toggles from Normal mode (marked with a white LED) to Crunch mode (which has a blue LED).
This Crunch mode is one such modern updates on the original, applying a little overdrive. Just like an amp, if you’re using a guitar with hotter electric guitar pickups it will overdrive more, and there is an internal trimmer to fine-tune that drive and dial it back if it’s a little too much.
The Distortion footswitch engages Go Rocky Go’s distortion circuit, based on the original amp’s circuit. When the Distortion footswitch is in play, the Distortion Volume mini-pot lights up orange, which is a nice touch, practical and aesthetically pleasing, allowing you to adjust the balance between the distorted and the clean signal.
There should be lots of nice textures to be had there. As Aclam notes, the original Conqueror’s distortion circuit had a fixed output volume, so it should be easier to dial in a sound with this.
Volume controls the overall output of the pedal when the Distortion circuit is disengaged. The Attack-Sustain control sets the amount of gain in the distortion. Though when we talk distortion in the context of a Vox Conqueror, it’s very different to the tight voicings of contemporary high-gain amps. This is fuzzy, a little ratty and scratchy, and, well, very of its time. It sounds good.
There are a lot of tone-shaping features on this. The M.R.B (mid-range resonance boost) is a three-way dial that offers three boosts across three different frequencies. Position 1 boosts at around 500Hz, position 2 at 700Hz, while position 3 gives those frequencies at 1kHz a little more oomph. Step on both footswitches to boost these mids. An LED will illuminate to let you know this M.R.B. is boosting. Finally, you have Treble and Bass controls.
Jacks are located on the top of this landscape-orientated pedal. As with previous Aclam releases, it comes with the Smart Track fastening system for Velcro-free application to your pedalboard.
Go Rocky Go is available to order now, priced £319/€288. It can be run on 9V or 18V DC from a pedalboard power supply. See Aclam for more details.
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