Tone Report Weekly 173 | Page 28

STRYMON TIMELINE & BIGSKY Remember that one time when you played pickup basketball, and a guy you didn’t know showed up and schooled everyone with his sick handles, killer jumper, and soft touch around the rim? That’s what you call a baller. Strymon has been a baller from day one, creating such masterpieces as the El Capistan and Flint (which I previously praised in my first perfect pedal pairs article), along with amazing multi-pedals such as the Mobius, TimeLine, and BigSky. The TimeLine is an incredible delay machine with 12 delay types, the ability to adjust every possible parameter, and should you need them, a whopping 200 presets. If there’s a delay sound you can’t find in the TimeLine, keep looking—it’s in there. The BigSky is the TimeLine’s reverb brother, and it has everything from subtle room reflections to luscious infinite ambience. If you score films, you may be able to create an entire soundtrack just by turning both pedals on in stereo and striking a single chord. Be warned, you will get lost in space. In fact, when you use this tandem in stereo, 28 TONE TALK // you may become that guy, the one who insists on lugging two amps to every gig and argues with the sound guy so he can get a proper setup to convey his stereo aural imaging live. These pedals are especially useful if you need to use multiple delay and reverb sounds in the same song, as the onboard presets make that a breeze. The tap and hold function on the TimeLine gives you infinite, oscillating feedback while the same function on the TimeLine produces reverb tails that last forever. Using the two together is perfect for dramatic intros and outros that grab the audience’s attention. If you love ambient sounds, tweaking knobs, and spending money, these pedals are for you. On top of all that, Strymon pedals hold their value incredibly well, so if you decide you’re not a musical astronaut, you should be able to get most of your money back. Perfect Pedal Pairs: 3 Killer Stompbox Combos Part II