iGuitar Magazine Issue 9 Steve Morse Interview: Digitech iStomp Pedal Review

iGuitar Magazine Issue 9 Featuring Steve Morse- Steve Morse Interview - Steve Morse Guitar Lessons - Win a Steve Morse Y2D Music Man Guitar! Out Now! The Free online guitar magazine for guitarists the world over. We have a Randy Rhoads tribute including an unpublished interview and career overview! Reb Beach from Whitesnake talks with Tom Quayle and David Grissom talks with our very own Stuart Bull. In the Bassment we have an interview with the bass guitar legend - Doug Wimbish! Exclusive REVIEW this month is with Guthrie Govan - he demos the new Vigier Fretless guitar! Also reviewed in this issue; Orange Jim Root Signature #4 Valve /tube head and cab review Musicman Steve Morse Y2D guitar review Digitech - iStomp FX pedal review Peavey - Delta Blues 15 Combo amp review Morley Steve Vai 2 and Classic Wah pedal review TC Electronic Polytune Mini Pedal Review TC Electronic Flashback pedal Review with Steve Morse TonePrint Engl Powerball Valve/tube head review Yamaha - Pacifica 311 and 611 solid Body reviews Pedal Snake FX cable System review Hughes and Kettner 18 Watt Tubemeister review Bass Reviews this month include; 3leaf GR2 Envelope generator FX pedal Ermie Ball Cobalt bass strings review Ampeg Portaflex PF350 head & 115HE cab review Breedlove BJ350 CM4 Solo fretless and BJ350 Sme4 Studio Fretted electro acoustic guitar review Acoustic guitar reviews; Vintage Paul Brett 6 String & 12 String electro acoustic reviews Faith Venus FVGH - HEX Concert cutaway electro-acoustic review Tanglewood Sundance TW45 W 0P E This month learn how to play fast Andy James Part 3 Learn the Feel Factor with Michael Casswell Extend your Chord vocabulary with Rick Graham Michael Angelo Batio continues his Alternate picking lessons Tom Quayle shows you how to expand your chord voicings Stuart Bull continues his lessons teaching you how to play Hybrid Picking! Maneli Jamal continues to teach you how to play percussive guitar and Georgio Serci shows you how to play campanella technique on classical guitar!

REVIEWS_PEDAL REVIEW

iOS based amp modellers and effects processors have been around for a couple of years now but Digitech has taken the idea one step further with the iStomp, a supremely versatile, stand alone FX pedal customisable through the App Store. Tom Quayle checks it out…

The idea of effects units and amp modellers running on Apple’s iOS operating system is certainly not a new one. Many companies have been falling over themselves to adopt the latest and most fashionable technology and appeal to guitarists who must have the latest gadget or app for their iPad or iPhone. Often the results have been pretty hit and miss with sub-par tones on hand, leaving the app as nothing more than a fun curiosity for a while. Certainly, the average gigging guitarist would never use such a device in their live setup. Digitech is looking to change this with the introduction of the iStomp pedal, a compact and customisable effects pedal that looks exactly like every other pedal on your board. In other words it really couldn’t be any more guitarist friendly!

The unit comprises a well-built, solid outer shell with a standard 9v DC input and stereo ins and outs. Digitech has used a high quality footswitch and knobs giving the whole pedal a professional feel and look. Stereo operation allows you to run a stereo rig or even use the pedal in a studio environment. A customisable, colour LED signifies on/ off operation. The innovation with the iStomp is that, unlike virtually every other

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iGuitar Magazine Issue 9

audio peripheral on the iOS platform, once programmed with the effect of your choice the iStomp can be disconnected from your iPad or iPhone and used on your pedal board in the normal way. This is a superb feature - after all, who wants their precious and very expensive iPhone/Pad on the floor by their pedal board where they’re stomping on pedals during a gig?

The iStomp ships as a good sounding overdrive pedal called the Redline but coupled with your iOS device via the included DSC (Digitech Smart Cable), is customisable via Digitech’s free app called ‘Stomp Shop’. Upon launch the app recognises the attached device and presents you with a range of 22 different effects in four categories that can be purchased and loaded into the pedal. The categories included are broken into Compressor/ Pitch/Filter, Overdrive/Distortion, Chorus/ Modulation and Delay/Reverb with multiple options in each category ranging from models of well-known pedals to Digitech’s own takes on classic effects such as Phasers, Tape Delays, Flangers and Tremolos.

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