Episode 20 – St. Anger

Hello readers! My previous blog was about some really great guitar luthiers, pedal-board and amplification companies based locally and the urgent need to promote them. The reason is every musician(on a tight budget) will benefit when locally made equipment with global standards is available at affordable prices. I ended the last article on an optimistic note, hoping we could have more such entrepreneurs.

Well, on the occasion of Republic Day, I've got some good news for all patriotic rockers. I’m delighted to write about my latest prized possession – a fuzz pedal called “St.Anger” made by the young, enthusiastic engineers at Iret Guitar Enhancements, based in God’s own country- Kerala!I’d been searching for the right fuzz pedal for quite some time when two weeks ago I learnt about the St.Anger from Mr. Rethin Silvester, CEO at Iret. On visiting Iret’s website, my first reaction was, “Gosh! They make pedals here in India! I've got to try this!”

So, last Thursday my excitement knew no bounds when I received a package from Kochi. In a few minutes, I had the pedal running through a tube amp and my Jackson. And when I switched it on, a wall of heavy, weird, wicked sounds came punching through the amplifier. For the past few days, I've been experimenting with the St. Anger pedal and I’m happy to report that it sits in perfectly with other pedals on my board whilst retaining its distinct tone. I've placed the fuzz after a Dunlop Crybaby wah and it doesn't have an oscillation problem, which tends to be the case with many fuzz pedals. The St. Anger is versatile- it can be used for crunchy rhythms to muted power-chords and provides the perfect boost for soaring leads. It has given a fuller sound and more depth to my music... With three simple knobs for volume, tone and gain this little stomp-box packs a knock-out punch.

So, we have home-grown amps, guitars and pedals and may their sounds Rock the world.

Be Indian- Buy Indian! It’s been a happy Republic Day indeed