...about Workhorse Amps:

Pat Bergeson (Chet Atkins/Lyle Lovett/Alison Krauss) I get a great tone with the new Visual Sound Workhorse Amp." It is a smooth sounding, highly responsive, clean, amplifier that works great with guitar effects pedals. I LOVE IT!"   Michael Elsner (LA Session Guitarist/Artist/Producer) The Workhorse amp really lives up to its name... It sounds great - I'm amazed at how loud it gets and how with just one speaker it fills up a room... I've also used it with a 4x12 cab and was totally thrilled. I'm thoroughly impressed.  It's amazing how you can crank these things without any breakup… AND the speaker hubcap disperses the sound in such a way that makes these amps sound BIG no matter where you stand!!!  Not only do they look cool, these amps have amazing tone and sound AMAZING!!! I love this amp!!   Spencer Gibb (54 Seconds) I stumbled across the Workhorse amps kind of by accident. I had fallen in love with Visual Sound pedals during a session but had no idea at the time that they made amplifiers. Anyone who knows me or my band knows I like to control every aspect of my distortion with my pedals, mainly because I change tones sometimes multiple times during one song, and love a solid warm clean tone. This has always made it difficult for me to find the perfect amp/pedal rig. When I read that the Workhorse amps are designed to do exactly what I'd been looking for, right down to shipping them with the Jekyll and Hyde pedal as the distorted channels, of course I was interested but also skeptical. I called Visual Sound to start a relationship together and naturally I ordered a Pony, which it turns out they were just about to start shipping. I couldn't have been more blown away! "Fat, warm and loud, clean, tone when you need it, then the perfect overdrive or distortion dialed in just the way you like it from your pedal. No additional coloring that you never asked for. I've been pitched by many other companies before but never really been satisfied. After years of frustration and compromise, the Workhorse amps are what I've been waiting for."   Paul Jackson, Jr. (Michael Jackson/Lionel Richie/Celine Dion, etc….) This amp is GREAT! The diffuser over the speaker works surprisingly well. The EQ is subtle but effective. I have been making good use of the 9 volt power supply on the amp to power my pedals. We used the line out for direct and it sounded very good.   Michael Ripoll (Babyface/Michael McDonald/Mary J. Blige/Stevie Wonder) The Pony is the funk player’s quintessential amp.  It has all of the character of a Twin, without the inconsistencies.  "Spanky and crystal clean power!" But wait, there's more... with the Jekyll & Hide in front of it, watch out!  This thing screams like the true pure tube tone monster that it is.  Finally…a real gig-able amp with the versatility of a pro-player in mind.   Mark Slaughter (Slaughter/Scrap Metal/Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp) I have been on tour for many years and the Workhorse amp blows all of the others out of the water!  A Boutique amp with dependability! Loud… and the unique design allows the ultimate stage sound disbursement. In an amp-by-amp comparison at the Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp in Los Angeles last week, the SIR techs at the camp said there was absolutely “no comparison in tone” between the Workhorse amplifiers and all the other high-end amps at the camp. Hands down the Workhorse is superior in all ways.

 

...about the Jekyll & Hyde:

From: Matt   I just thought I would drop an e-mail and let you guys know how pleased I am with your Jekyll & Hyde creation!  I lead worship at a church in the San Diego area and it has always been a struggle keeping stage volumes in check, while still retaining the integrity of the tone I was after.  After many modded TS9 and Blues Driver combinations, the Jekyll & Hyde does everything, especially with the channels combined.  I am a single channel amp fan and this thing sings through both my Pro Junior and Reverend Hellhound. Thanks and I wish you the best of luck! From: Dave F. Just wanted to thank you for the wonderful pedal the Jekyll and Hyde is.  I've used it now for quite a number of years and almost feel proud to have used it before you guys got so well known.  My buddy at church just purchased a Jekyll and Hyde, as well.  Many people like to comment on my pedal and how they'd like to "slide into home plate".  Guess it is shaped like home plate, huh?  Anyways, I love the tone, the buffered bypass, the versatility, and the ease and durability!  It's lasted me a good 4-5 years now!  Works great for when I'm helping out with worship music.   From: Corbin W.   I purchased your Jekyll & Hyde pedal not long ago, and I have to tell you, you guys did an outstanding job creating this “box ‘o tone”!  I have gone through different amps and many stomp boxes looking for both the perfect overdrive and the oh-so-right distortion… and this pedal NAILS both square in the face! I can get anything from a channel boost without tonal change, to mellow jazz, ballsy blues, and distortion that make most pedals run away. All in all, it’s the best pedal of its kind I’ve ever had the joy of experiencing. You also seem to have kept in the “working man’s” budget. For the money I paid I would have gotten one pedal and a pack of strings… if I were lucky.   From: Joe M.   Hello! I’m a new Visual Sound customer as of yesterday. Here’s my story: I spent the afternoon with 5 different overdrive/distortion pedals with the goal of selecting the best to use with my amp. I purposely avoided knowing the cost of each pedal so that my final decision would be based on nothing more than tone. The pedals were as follows:   Fulltone OCD Radial Timode Homebrew Big D Homebrew Germacide Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde After about an hour of testing, it was clear that the J&H was the pedal for me. Having the OD and distortion in one pedal is perfect; the Bass Boost and Blunt switches helped me get the exact sounds that I was looking for. I used the pedal at rehearsal last night and the other guitarist in my band was so blown away that he purchased his own J&H this afternoon!     From: Igor M. (Serbia and Montenegro)   Dear Mr. Weil, I am the proud owner of your Jekyll & Hyde pedal for a couple of days now and couldn’t be happier with the sound it produces. My friend bought it in Germany and brought it to me. If you ever make a Fuzz pedal, I’ll buy it immediately. Until then… my setup is now complete and I’m happy! Oh yes, the 1 SPOT works flawlessly, too.   From: Brent Wilson on tour w/Andy Griggs I really love the Jekyll & Hyde a lot! Thanks for spending time with me the other day and replacing my 1-SPOT! I also really enjoyed test driving the new pedals and amps. You’ve got yourself some real winners on your hands. Very cool.   From: Chris Rodriguez on tour w/Keith Urban WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK... these pedals live in my pedalboard already... I’ve been soooooo busy here in LA haven’t had time other than today in Anaheim to incorporate these wonderful pedals into my rig… but man, they are KILLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   The Jekyll & Hyde are my crunch AND solo patches from here on... Thanks so much and Keith has his set of Visual Sound pedals...Thanks so much Steve!   Best, Chris Rodriguez From Jim C.   ...by the way the Jekyll and Hyde is great!!  I kept the TS's on the board.  The J&H sounds 'different', and I like that. Played with a Strat, into a Fender Blues Deville 4 x 10, it can get downright scary. I think this is the most versatile OD/Dist pedal I've ever encountered. They seem to be lumped in the "workingman's" class, but I believe they can hold their own with Menatone, Maxon, and other "boutique" OD/Distortion pedals, and that's where the comparison should be.   From: Tyler Burkum (Audio Adrenaline)   I have been using the Jekyll & Hyde overdrive as my main overdrive pedal for about 6 years. I have also used the Jekyll & Hyde a ton when I play on other peoples records as well. For me there’s no better overdrive/distortion pedal than the Jekyll & Hyde.   From: Corrado M. (Italy)   About 2 months ago I bought the Jekyll & Hyde pedal and now I can say only: WONDERFUL.....!!!!!!! It is the best overdrive/distortion on this planet. Thanks to all, Visual Sound guys. From: Steve J. (Australia)   I bought my daughter a Jekyll & Hyde pedal for her 16th birthday. I got it from Music Park here in Perth. We tried many pedals before settling on your product. Sarah has been playing for 18 months and decided she needed to add some "grunt" to her sound as she is playing in a three piece band. She plays mostly rock and classic rock and her Jekyll & Hyde has certainly done the job. Sarah knew the sound she was looking for and it only took 10min to nail it. It’s a great product, and an excellent value. You can't ask for anything more. As you are a family man, Bob, I'm sure you can appreciate the importance of encouraging your kids to pursue their dreams. Jekyll & Hyde has given Sarah a real kick along as far as her playing is concerned. Thanks so much.

…about the H2O:

From: Marvin R. (London, Ontario) I recently purchased a brand new H2O from Long & McQuade in Stratford, Ontario and all I can say is YeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHaw!  This is the best  “bang for the buck” that I have ever invested in musical equipment in my 37 years of pro and now semi-pro gigging. In closing, I'd like to say that I bought my H2O without ever trying it beforehand based on the idea of the 2 for 1 unit and the few sound clips that I heard as they immediately caught my ear. I've already decided to buy the Route 66 to add to my sonic arsenal and will probably get a Visual Volume, as well, to round out the set.  Did I mention that I got a 1-SPOT as well?  Now I'll have to sell all my stock in Duracell! From: Armourman Hey guys… I picked up the H20 the other day and wanted to let you know what an outstanding product it is. One thing I’ve hated about most delays was how “sterile” they can sound. Not this thing, it’s warm and smooth. I purchased this pedal because of the service I received when I was having problems with my Jekyll & Hyde. I feel that if you provide this level of service you need to be reminded that this causes customer loyalty, which is a very rare thing these days. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!   From: Mike R.   I bought an H20 over the weekend and I LOVE it! Over the last 15 years of playing, I’ve gone through the whole cycle of analog, then digital, then modeling, and now… I’m back to analog. I absolutely love the chorus on the H20, especially the “lush” setting. The analog voicing on the delay is outstanding. At the same time, I tried out the Route 66, and my desire to keep my marriage intact prevented me from buying it at the same time. I love the way it sounds, and the bass boost is awesome and the compressor blows me away. It’s next on my list.   From: Jim P. Hello Visual Sound Guys! I just wanted to drop you and note and say THANKS for making such wonderful products. I’m the proud owner of both the H20 and Route 66. Words fail me to describe my pleasure with these pedals. And your 1 SPOT is functioning without any hiccups. I received my Route 66 pedal yesterday and I can’t quit playing with it. (Ok, I did collapse about 2 a.m. from exhaustion, but awoke soon after to continue jamming… JOY! JOY! JOY!)   From: Beth Marlis @ GIT   Hi Bob… We have now had the chance to try out the pedal; and so far the vote is overwhelmingly “WOW”! I had two hours with them yesterday and found the H20 to be extremely deep and lush. I was blown away by the multiplicity of possible CRUNCH/OVERDRIVE options on the Jekyll & Hyde. The overtones are fantastic. They were introduced at the GIT “EFX” class this morning and were demo’d for about 45 students. They are now very much in-demand for check-out in our library at GIT. Bottom line… THEY’RE GREAT!   From: Joe C.   I've been using your Route 66 for years now. Recently bought an H2O and just wish I hadn't waited so long. Anyone who says this pedal doesn't cover the waterfront is nuts. Warm, real sounding and, most important, easy to use. I'm eBaying the Echo Park and DanEcho.   From: Simon S.   I was looking for a replacement for my Line 6 Dm4 pedal, which I liked but never used live due to its bulkiness. I couldn’t have been more pleased to discover the H2O! The biggest surprise for me was how much I liked the chorus (and I hate chorus normally)! The quality of the Leslie-simulations I could dial in immediately made my phaser and vibrato pedals obsolete.

…about the Route 66:

From: Johnny Lang From an interview in the September/October 2006 issue of Christian Musician Magazine: CM: Are you using any kind of pedals? JL: Yeah, I use a Route 66. I think he’s a Christian. CM: That’s Bob Weil of Visual Sound, who makes the Route 66 analog overdrive pedal.  Bob is a brother in the Lord and a good friend of this magazine. JL: Yeah, man, so I use that for my “lead sound”...   From: Woodie W. Dear Bob, I want to write and thank you for making a mediocre guitarist sound extraordinary. Since I began gigging with your pedals, especially the Route 66, I’ve received endless compliments about my tone. At almost every gig other guitarists will ask to see my setup. This has led me to make a small request of you. PLEASE STOP SELLING YOUR PEDALS! If the secret gets out, then everyone will sound this good and once again I will be mediocre. Seriously, you have created the best sounding pedal I’ve ever had the fortune of playing. Thank you for putting the tools in the hands of us weekend warriors that allow us to sound like, and sometimes better than, the pros.     From: Kyle W.   I recently researched and purchased my first two Visual Sound pedals, the H20 and the Route 66. They are the best pedals I’ve ever owned. Not only is the craftsmanship superb, the sound is even better. Each pair of effects compliments each other. Because of your love and dedication to music (and a lot of hard work), the guitar community is greatly benefiting. Thank you. If only other music companies had the same commitment to quality and customer service as you… If you haven’t guessed… I’m a Visual Sound Fan! Thanks for everything.     From: Marco M. (Italy)   I purchased a Route 66 pedal from your Italian distributor, those great guys at G&E Musiclab. I write you to say how really happy this pedal has made me. I play a Fender Strat and an Italian guitar, Eko Cobra, equipped with two Seymour Duncan P90’s. My amp is a 1965 Fender Twin Reverb. I now have a wonderful sound and I wanted to share this with you and say thanks a lot

…about the 1-SPOT:

 

From: Chris O. Your 1-SPOT power supply has made all of this so much easier to do, I almost feel guilty about it.  The 1-SPOT powers my Jekyll & Hyde, my Boss tuner, and both my Sansamp Classic and my Sansamp Acoustic DI.  I set up and break it down faster and I have three fewer wall warts to lug around.  From: Craig (in Iraq) I’ve just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. I’m a musician and I really like your products. I even had one of your 1-SPOT’s with me in Iraq.  Like me, it survived also. It was going thru a 220 converter that you have to run everything thru over there. Though it was pretty beat up, it made it.

…and, about our Customer Service:

 

From: Eric L. There is no doubt in my mind that your company has the BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE I've ever dealt with.  I have a Route 66 pedal that I got 3 years ago and the overdrive part went out. I e-mailed your company yesterday and Dave Mullins walked me through the fix. I've had many other companies (not just in the music business) tell me, "Oh, well".  He stayed right there with me through quite a few e-mails and made sure everything ended up good.  Gotta go, I’m running out to get an H2O pedal! From: Raleigh G.   Hello, I recently sent back a broken Route 66 to be replaced or repaired. I wanted to thank you and your company for some of the most excellent customer support I’ve encountered yet. I was called back immediately and received my pedal back on the day I asked for – all with the most positive and polite demeanor. Thanks so much! I enthusiastically recommend your products to others for the quality of sound and sturdy build… but most of all for the prompt and professional attitude of your company! Many thanks!   From: Alfonso C. I called just a couple of days ago and left a message to please send me a replacement box for my Jekyll & Hyde. I received a phone call back immediately the very next day. Your Customer Service rep was a true professional in every way -- friendly and helpful. Before buying your merchandise I read and read all the wonderful things musicians have said about your company and your products. They mentioned how impressive your customer service was. Yes… this did make my choice easier. There are many competitors and effects out there… so, why choose you? You know how to treat customers and deliver a quality product at the same time.     From: Jason C.   Hi Bob, You never cease to amaze me with your customer service/support. Business schools should study you when teaching students how to run a business. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I bought your pedals. I will continue to buy whatever you put out. Thanks for everything.   From: Peter R. (Australia) I can get a great 'Hammond B3' sound using this, and I'm sure there are other goodies to be found, as well. But even better, when I had a little problem with the pedal (a chip went out, as they do) Dave Mullins arranged to have a part flown out to me, with instructions etc., etc., etc. All in really quick time… and I had bought the pedal second-hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can't get better than that.

 

Have a thought about a Visual Sound product that you’d like to share with us?  We’d love to hear from you!  Send us an e-mail at bliss @ visualsound dot net  We promise to acknowledge any questions or customer service issues promptly, courteously and accurately.