Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Reeves Electro launches superb evolved compact Daughterboard take on its Leo Tweed Drive - in the guise of the new Leo : Twelve
This is quite a different device to the original point-to-point £490 ($649) Leo Dual Channel Tweed Drive - where that is all about the granularity of its gain output and structure. Where the new Leo : Twelve introduces a fully variable Tone control into the mix.
Controls - Volume, Tone (< More Bass | Less Bass > maintains top end throughout), Gain.
There’s plenty of range on every dial - and all is fairly self-explanatory besides the very unique Tone Control. Said Tone Control loads in more low-end / Bass as you move the dial CCW, where it consistently retains the top-end frequencies. So it’s at its most bassiest fully CCW and Brightest in effect CW. For me the Tone control adds too much bass if you go below 9 o’c. In fact for me the optimal operational range of that dial is from 9 to 12 o’c.
For the Volume and Gain - for a punchy Tweed Drive those are both at 3 o’clock for me - and when both dials are maxed out you really get that classic Reeves Electro Fuzz Feel - with a cool Fuzzy voicing. Weirdly - I tend to have the Tone control lower on lower gain settings- and as much as mid-way when the Volume and Gain are fully cranked.
This is a beautifully balanced Tweed voicing with all the zing, and twang and verve you might expect from that format. Back at Revves Electro HQ Markus demoed the pedal for me with both Strat and Les Paul guitars - where the LP flavour in particular was killer.
This is around half the price of the original Leo, and for me is the more suitable device really. I often talk about finding the right device / variant for your own sensibilities - and this one has a little more output in some ways, alongside that super handy variable Tone / Bass control.
For some there will probably be place for both of those devices - which makes for a fairly substantial invesment. For me the Leo : Twelve is the more practical version and is therefore my weapon of choice.
Each of these has been built by Izzy Reeves, and there will be be 25 available at 20:00 BST on this Saturday April 19th (i.e. tomorrow evening). Of course courtesy of the Reeves Electro Webstore - start your engine!
I was up at Reeves Electro HQ last week - on Thursday the 10th, with a view to do a kind of blow-by-blow coverage of the build process. Alas Izzy had been away sick at that time, and all those pedals were all consistently half-finished - i.e. all the same stage of build - so that exercise was kind of moot!
I did get a full blown demo of the prototype of course, as mentioned, and when my copy landed on Wednesday I think it was - I was able to confirm just how fabulous it sounds with my humbucker-loaded guitar. It has that amp-like sag to its playback, and also has amp-like guitar volume cleanup to a degree - while some noise floor is noticeable when you do that. This is a very vintage-sounding, beautifully balanced and punchy / twangy sounding Tweed Drive - one off the very best out there!
Markus demoing the Leo : Twelve
The above visual shows you the 2 relative topologies - both pedals have 3 knobs - albeit with different parameters. And the original Leo has a further 3 x 2-way and 3-way switches, and dual footswitches for Channel 1 / 2 action.
Generally the Leo : Twelve is he easier to deploy, while the original LEO gives you an enormous range around Gain Structure - which the Leo : Twelve does not. There are of course various benefits on each side - in terms of more simple vs more complex circuit. Both of these have a place in the world. The way the Leo is structured makes it more of a Preamp, and the Leo : Twelve therefore more of an Overdrive really - both sound amazing.
Leo : Twelve Controls - Volume, Tone (< More Bass | Less Bass > maintains top end throughout), Gain.
Original Leo Controls - Volume, Input Hi / Low, Profile : Bright / Normal, Wattage / Intensity : 5W / 40W / 12W, Gain, Boost, Channel 1 Footswitch, Channel 2 Footswitch.
So the question most of my readers will be asking is how does the Leo : Twelve stack up against my Origin Effects Deluxe 55 and Tubesteader Egg Nog. All of those are around the same price - and the other devices are somewhat more granular - with 6 and 7 controls each respectively - and the Egg Nog is something of a 2 Channel variant with its dual footswitches.
The Deluxe 55 is the most dense and intense of the 3, in some ways not quite as well balanced as the other two. They all sound exceptional though - but have somewhat different dynamics and attributes. And each has their own distinct take on the Tweed sound. As a combined roster those will deliver any and every Tweed voicing that you might want.
The Reeves Electro Leo : Twelve is quite evidently the simplest of these, but has a wonderful output profile - every bit as good as those two already classics.
I think it might me a cool project at some stage to slightly enhance and embellish the control topology of the Leo : Twelve for more granularity and versatility. At its core it doesn't really need anything more. It's the easiest to dial in here - and once you get used to the Tone Control it's all a breeze.
This is quite evidently a Reeves Electro project in terms of how it sounds - with that fuzzy top end when cranked - as I've mentioned . It's a superb fully amp-like experience with some obvious Reeves Electro Fuzz sensibilities injected into the mix.
Upgrading the BlackHatSound Deluxe
So - experiencing the new Leo : Twelve wasn't my sole purpose for being at Reeves Electro. I was there in part to inspect the new workshop (my first visit to the new premisses). And Markus asked me to bring along my BHS-D - as pictured above - where I had originally observed that its output wasn't quite as visceral and lively as was the very original Reeves Electro first pedal - the BlackHatSound!
Adding in the EQ elements gives the circuit more versatility, but that EQ section can take a little away from the output of the pedal - which I noted at the time. I liked the versatility of the BHS-D, but still preferred the rawness and visceral quality of the original!
To that end Markus figured out a very easy Mod to bring the BHS-D more into alignment with the BHS. The remedy being the replacement of one of the central resistors - or swapping a 6.6k resistor for a 2.2k value one. This results is more voltage being passed through to the output - and therefore a slightly more potent output overall - which brings the Deluxe wholly in line with the visceral and raw nature of the original. Fuzz is as much about how it feels and reacts as to how it sounds - and it's incredible how much difference a simple mod like this can make!
Of course Markus is a dab hand with the soldering iron - and the whole exercise only took a single minute!
I was there for most of the day - so I grabbed lunch with Markus shortly after I arrived in Kettering, and we covered a huge range of topics throughout the day - including covering off some of Markus's preferred tools - which are all of course of supreme quality - and where a selection of those is pictured below :
We also discussed some of Markus's own favourite pedal brands - which include - Blue Collander, Dominion, R2R, and Seeker Effects. You can see from the T-Shirts Markus wears for his Monday Minute segments - as to which brands he has a preference for!
The key tools of course include those essential Xuron Tweezer Pliers, and Knipex Snips. I've not yet felt the need or desire to get into soldering - so have no need of those superior temperature controlled units (for now). Everything listed is of the same exacting high quality as Markus's own builds!
You will find the finishing and packaging room (pictured above) at the back of the workshop - where the main open space is shared by Markus and Izzy - Markus at the front by the window, and Izzy in the alcove before the finishing room. The finishing room is where all the acid etching and colour spraying happens - as well as storing all the boxes and packaging elements used - there's a powerful extraction system in the left corner of said room - attached to the spray booth!
It's a fitting end to this article too.
Where I just need to remind you once more that 25 units of the Leo : Twelve will be up for grabs for £259 and equivalent on Saturday the 19th of April, at 20:00 Hrs BST.
Demos
