AD-50 Double Beat

Guitar: Fender Mustang 77 altered with lipstick pick ups, Roland Jazz/chorus amp.  Bass: Music man sting ray, Trace elliot AH1200 or Peavey markVIII and cabs 4x10 + 1x15. Synth: MicroMoog, Roland Juno, EP30 and HP70 and MicroKorg with Roland Microphone amp. The double beat has always been the fuzz and wah sound I have used, and in conjunction with my Ibanez sm9 which is just a distortion with a good EQ, I have been able to achieve all the fuzz/distorted sounds I was after. The Double beat can seem rough and edgy at first or even limited in some of the three fuzz wave types available but I have found a use for every setting over the last decade, just be patient and consider all factors; what instrument and amp, the position of the double beat (within your chair of effects) leads, batteries etc. Lately I have been using my Bigmuff for my bass instead of the double beat as its much lighter -The Double beat is very heavy compared to your average pedal.

No problems. Never used a backup.

Any musician can work through the settings within a half hour, that is; settings on the double beat, instrument and amplifier. By actually spending the time many good sounds are achievable. As mentioned in previous reviews the volume of your guitar, bass, synth etc does influence the amplified sound (via the double beat of course). I have used this pedal for 11 years with guitar, bass and synth both in the studio and live.

No repairs required.

Have been playing for 25 years, teaching for 15. I don't see the point in listing my other gear, but I would definitely seek a replacement for the Double beat. The best feature is the quality of fuzz and ability to alter it, but I also love the wah which is very high end and both together can be extremely over the top, a sound I use often. I have tried to produce the sound of the Double beat with other pedals (after leaving it in Melbourne when in Sydney for recording) to no avail.

The wah really shines, great vintage wah very articulate sweeps. the fuzz engaged with the fuzz is somewhat muddy but the fuzz alone is the most awsome fuzz i heard.....very thick and and defined very hendrix {think of his sound at woodstock}

survived that long...so

Very easy to use.Has a nice three position bass, mid range and treble mode. I use it with a fender and a gibson with an old marshall head. The switching from wah to fuzz has a smooth click. The only down side is the position of the fuzz on off switch is too near to the wah {not something too difficult to operate.

i use it for santana and hendrix tunes...has that distinctive seventies smooth fuzz distortion to it and the wah is phenominal.

It is very noisy and buzzy, and you can obtain a nice variety of fuzz-sound by its few controls. I especially like the eq-type selector, so the fuzz can go from a smooth, very dull and muddy overdrive, like the amp stands in the cupbord over a crispy and dynamic crackle to a sharp and harsh electrifying distortion. I play a jap Tele thru the fuzz into a mesa quad. I got best achievemets in using an absolut clean preamp-mode, if u turn on a overdrive or lead channel, most sound will really suck with the fuzz enabled. I also used a transistor amp in a total clean mode, and also overdriven. This was the best-suited setup for getting the best out of the fuzz, 'cause its clipping does not fit to a tube-dist. but well into a additional solid-state overdrive. The wah is nice, but i wouldn't overrate it. It seems a kind too weak, but works nice and sublime thru my tube amp's overdrive. The combination of wah/fuzz is a very experimental. Like someone mentioned u can get these nice harmonics-sweeps if u move your foot very slow. For my taste the pedal goes too easily and the range the cv reacts to is too short, so slow sweeps get difficult. You can go from nasal, ringing "one-tone" sustain-chords to really annoying and screaming burst. It's versatality makes it good for nearly every instrument like a drum-machine or synth.

seems very reliable.

simple, like what youd'd expect.

Good for nearly every style of music. Brutal industrial powerchords, and very psychedelic. An interesting addition to your gear and perfect for unusual sounds.