Monday 22 February 2010

Line Six Liqua Flange Pedal For Guitar

Flange is a weird effect. It is not always fitting for a lot of music. I think a lot of guitar players have trouble trying to determine where the effects best fits in with their sound. Instead of the direct punch and obviousness of other effects, flange is an overlay that tampers with the frequencies surrounding your signal.

On really loud, humming amplifiers, you can actually hear the flange effect from a lot of pedals. It will waver up and down and up and down through the buzz that the amp is making. It is a very powerful effect. It may take some getting used to. If you have a good enough device and a decent understanding of how it can be used, I think it can be one of the best pedals out there. A few bands have actually mastered the art of using it constantly.

These bands generally sound dreamy and ambient all the time. The flange pedal, without being overbearing, really creates the dimension that makes a lot of these bands sound memorable. If you have ever heard of Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, or School of Seven Bells, you will hear (the slower songs especially) huge waves of flange over everything from guitar to bass to cymbals. You have to find the right device to have on board with you. Once you figure out the sound you are going for, you're golden.

The Line 6 Liqua Flange is one of the best units I have come across. It has controls for Speed, Depth, Feedback, Time and Mode Selector. The Mode actually lets you sift through 11 different wave formations to find which one suits you most perfectly. There is a Model switch that lets you choose either Digital, Liquid, or Analog.

With ease of use, affordability, and premium sound quality, it is a wonder to me that I do not see more of these on stages across America.

There is also another switch for polarity with negative and positive options. One cool thing about this Line 6 model that a lot of others do not include is tap temp. If you need the wavering of your flange to be in perfect time, fear not. You now have a classy, hands free way to keep it all in line.

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