I think you might be right, Eivind? I mean, there are no marks indicating make on the thing, but that VU meter is of Indonesian make. I just call it the Hel Ripper!
and now is the time for the 666,666 words of gratitude
Seriously, i ain't no saint, but i don't lack for gear, so my motivation for jumping into the ILFSS this year was simply throwing out goodwill to the part of this twisted universe that has nourished me through the filthy, disgusting year that was 2020 - and on that count ILFSS was a rousing success for me, with little thought about what might come back towards me....
but as things rolled on and the awesome displays of ILFgiving rolled in, i have to admit a sense of anticipation started growing. i never lost faith, because i knew the mismanagement maelstrom any package directed towards me had to travel, but i did wonder when the post-storm delivery ice would thaw. As it happened, the arrival of my package on the 11th day of Christmas was perfect timing - the blah hammer came down hard at my blessedly remote job Monday, and getting a mystery box with the return address of ILF Satan after logging off Monday was *perfect* timing!
And just look at them loots!
All tied together with the perfectly worded, hand-written ILFmas message; prime goods wrapped up for proper ceremonial effect - I gotta tell ya i was touched by the ineffable hand of gratitude.
As much as I greet each day with my lovey and the rest of my family as pure spun gold, i know that none of them fully gets this thing in my head that drives me to sleep with one eye ever open as i relentlessly track down wacky noisemakers to jumpstart my sputtering ganglia. My lovey does see that this is somehow a critical part of my sanity infrastructure, and quietly and steadfastly supports me - to the point of proactively sending me off to my music closet when i start frizzlesplizzling - but ultimately, to her, no matter what the different boxes look or sound like, they're all fuzzbusters, and rarely has she ventured to gift in that domain. The rest of the family just doesn't even notice for the most part
And this is more than okay, because fuzz lunacy remains where it needs to be in my world, in its own self-contained domain.
ah shit, brb, my country is melting....
holy shit what a weird day....
anyway - someone, some magnificent randomly chosen secret someone took the time to wade through my squirrely internet ramblings and *nailed* my platonic ILFmas!
i know it ain't easy to figure out what i got (too much) or what i want (just, every damn thing) - but these gifts totally floored me.
from the Hardy Boys lost masterpiece card (i have literally sent 100s of texts with similar lost classics to my exasperated and giggling lovey); to the yuletide gummys (oh look (irl gummy-obsessed) boo - i got you a box full of gummies (and some other...boxes what boxes?); to the lickle lego ominoids, ILF stickers (why don't i have these already?), gorgeously satanic stickers; these-are-mine truffles and don't-you-even-touch-my chocklick orange; Sugar Shack goodies (i'm def popping at least one in my morning cuppa); seriously hot *organic* sriracha fwoar! - i need a bigger treasure chest
and the pedals
the maybe Sehat(?) HelRipper with the awesome VU Meter and red+blue-make-purplls leds flashing as some mutant capacitors inside charge up until, depending on where the big black switch is set they either laser cascade spontaneously or on command of the red arcade button, plus two mystery three-way switches that change up all the various ways the pedal will glitch/cackle/shriek/explode - i lost hours plotting ways to deconstruct melodic fragments and detonate drones. I've played me some PLLs and comparator/oscillator blends and/or hard sync dealios and this thing is totally new and fantastically agg-ress-ive and I LOVE IT!!!!!
Also- fantastically lightweight and not at all likely to break a toe like, oh, say a vermicious Optical Ring
The Alexander Radical DX was at a comparative disadvantage - at first. Don't get me wrong - Alexander makes zesty pedal candy at a price point where i could gladly just snap up one after the other until - hey presto! - i've got'em all (but, well other pedals too?)
The OG Radical seemed appropriately, well, rad, but it seemed destined to be an also-ran as i focused on the Syntax Errors and SkyFis and etc. - and this is the perfect kind of gift to receive - the thing that is secretly perfect for you but because of your
priorities *issues* you've just never gotten around to making a real thing. It's got that magickal combo of dead simple operation backed up by seriously deep-dive possibilities - simple enough to be wrangled by your inner dummy and complex enough to lull the left side of your brain into submission while your right brain stares slack-jawed at the light show and wonders what-in-the-hell-just-happened here? Seriously - this passed the ultimate pedal test for me - two of the first three settings i blindly finagled filled me with that intense existential fear of "i will never be able to dial these up again!"
"oh, wait - they put presets in!"
and the two of them together?
pssst - i'm pretty sure i know who you are SS - expect a fawningly thankful PM
(and i only had to go back and delete 12 smilies to get this to post, lol)
"In a moment of unparalleled genius, Noel Parachute headed off this potential disaster by unplugging the microphone."
