Sunday, September 10, 2017

OVERDRIVE-CMAT MODS Brownie ...an old school Plexi with a massive raw low end !!!

 CMAT MODS BROWNIE 

$135.00 USD
A small one man outfit?  Chad Mathews comes across as a really enthusiastic old school.
Odd name as his work reminds me as early Mike Matthews.
Tinker with it until it works. The results are he makes nothing truly new.
It is not a meticulously refined effort.
I love those ....but Hey! they are often $300 plus and they do not always hit the emotions like a pedal built to do just and perhap and only that.

His Brownie like many is not even close ...OR IS IT?
nor are the other 10 pedals out there close.
I believe there are at least 3 pedals with that name and others with a word added.
It however definitely bears comparison with the
M.I.Crunch Box.

So what do we get? I think one of the best Plexi type pedals for a low end that is bigger then a Russian Fuzz!
with a great attack.
I love this pedal!!!!
In my opinion it can eat a OCD and it is in the same price range.

This simple Vid gets right to the point. SOUND not VISUALS!!
Others have much too much
Shredding... nice enough playing ...but I came to hear a pedal not a player.
Yes if love this ...then you love the pedal. Done!

For me the best sound I heard was when the Level is Set at Unity Gain ...the Gain set full and the tone at 1 o'clock. The first vid around about 4:08 on.


2 EARLY EVH LIVE RECORDINGS
THAT HAVE NO POST PRODUCTION
TO CHANGE WHAT THE REAL TONE IS.

I couldn't resist the last 2 recordings. No I am not making fun of the guy.
If you could stand in front of the stage in a small club this is the sound 
you would hear. 
To be honest find a pedal that someone says is a EVH sound and I will find a vid to match.
So the C-MAT played at your band's rehearsal and this vid will sound damn close.
on the last vid you will note that there is very noticeable and course low end
only the CMat has caught this in there sound you can hear that in the comparison video.

BESTCOVERY gave the Brownie  a Best for the Van Halen tone.
They also gave a Best to Hamilton Beech for their coffee maker.
HEY! you can't make this sh_t up!!!


CONCLUSION
OK what we get here is yet another take on the M.I. CRUNCH BOX
the CRUNCH BOX is the Big Muff of high gain OD's every maker thinks he has a better one!!!

So is it better???
Is the Angry Charlie better???
What about the Joyo,Caline and Mogoo chinese knock-offs???
I would sneak in the NUX Brownie too.
Newer pedals that have a very similar sound tend to have a 'modern' tight low end.
A Crunch pedal I feel is all about the raw tube amp distortion of a stock classic Marshall amp.
The EVH club recordings are all about just that.

None are better! Or are they? lol
I just listen to them all again.

BUT ...the CMATMODS Brownie has a very nice raw edge and very detailed overtones.
and at the price of $135.00 USD ( the M.I. Crunch Box is $140.USD) 
It is an exceptional pedal that holds it's own.
No matter how derivative it is impossible not to like this pedal.

I have listened to this pedal now for weeks. I really do like it better then the M.I. Crunch Box
By inventing the Crunch I have to give M.I. a 10 out of 10! 
BUT! I give the Brownie a 12...lol 

So having spent some time with the 'Crunch' and getting the tone optimized . BIG SURPRISE even at very low volumes you can get this sucker to leap into a great soaring yet easy to control feedback. The only pedal that comes close is the responce of the Friedman BE-OD!

IF THE 'BROWNIE' CAN PULL OFF THE SAME THIS COULD BE THE 'GO TO' PEDAL FOR THE SHREDDER IN US ALL


Check out this video. First ignore the Amptweaker... it sounds big but it totally sucks non of the Amptweaker pedals have any response I ended up having mine for only a few weeks ...expensive mistake. It just lays there it has zero dynamics. All the others are worthy choices.


NOTE:

FIRST .......pay attention to the low end of the CMATMODS. Listen to that                           ripping huge growl. Compare it to the EVH vids.
SECOND ...listen to how beautifully it lays in the mix with the bass & drums.
THIRD.......it is the cheapest. 

Mad Professor 1............ $220.00 USD (defunct)
CMAT MODS Brownie .... $135.00 USD
M.I. Super Crunch Box... $180.00 USD
Solid Gold Super Drive... $250.00 USD
Amptweaker Tight Rock.. $210.00 USD
Wampler Pinnacle.......... $200.00 USD

After Thought
XVIVE Golden Brownie
-Thomas Blug's take on a Brownie nails the overproduced
 sounds of much of the recordings
 At around $60.00 USD it is a nice pedal to have.
check my Post


Dec 12/17

So having know having had the pedal for some time.
I was trouble with why it is sooo close to be as good or better then pedals costing a hundred dollars more. What was missing?
The 'better pedals seem to have just bit more ...edge, depth heasroom and dynamics. In short they just sparkle!!!
The pedal can run on a current as high as 18v. Other pedals I tried with this feature seem to loose their character over the 9v sound...and worse still they doubled the noise floor. But I gave it a shot.
WOW!!!
What a difference the dynamics and headroom are incredible.
At 18v this is a totally different pedal!!!!


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