Aside from sounding really cool it looks great too! I love when pedal companies put a bit of effort into how their pedals look. It really sets them apart and, to me, makes the appeal to get one a whole lot stronger
Agreed. There are a bunch of different versions of this, also... I made a point of tracking down this tower graphic because I thought it looked coolest, but the others are interesting looking too.
Thanks! Yeah there is not a ton out there. I kind of had to take a leap of faith and just buy it. The existing demos were not a great deal of use. Hopefully other folks will make their own demos in the future, this is a wildly underrated drive!
Thanks! My impression is the Rook sounds pretty similar on humbuckers and P-90s. I was trying to think of whether I have anything recorded using humbuckers through it, and all I could think of was this song - all of the rhythm guitars are a Gibson Les Paul through the Rook (through an Iridium by way of amp). If that helps at all: czcams.com/video/aRk_5VUoq5A/video.htmlsi=4bOGhgp_cFdQ1XPy
Nice job, there is also the rook royale which has the rook on one side and a tone controlled clean boost on the other in a 2 foot switch format. Also don't be put off by the approximately 8 different pedal graphics over the last 10 years, they are all the same. The rook is a fantastic, highly overlooked pedal.
Super overlooked pedal for sure That’s for the clarification on the graphics. Part of me assumed they were all the same circuits with different art work but I didn’t want to assume I was right because sometimes they alter circuits and add or take away certain features. I wasn’t sure one was like a V.1 then a V1.2. A lot of JHS pedals change with the version which usually comes with artwork change. I feel like the Rook stacked with a really good fuzz could be tonal nirvana. Eric Gales has been playing the Colossus Fuzz by Mojo Hand FX for years and his tone is ridiculous so maybe the Rook and the Colossus would be a good match. Anyone else notice the similarities in the clipping options being similar to the Dunes, Palisades or the Plumes? I had and sold a Palisades and really liked but there’s something about this Rook that I really seem to like. The clarity of the chords on high gain reminds of that old Green Day sound.
Great demo. I always loved this pedal. My girlfriend and her son were playing chess and I saw the rook and it made me come check it out again and I’m glad I did. I’m going to get one to try. Sounds great to me and it has clipping options too which is always nice
@@LeFeversAudio Yeah I’m pretty shocked at the high gain clarity this pedal can achieve.. It’s not like an Angry Charlie or something which is based on a JCM 800 high gain amplifier, so to me, it’s really cool you could get the high gain and Tube Screamer tones. Eric Gales has been playing Mojo Hand FX for years, I think he uses the Colossus Fuzz. Have you tried the RYRA 808 or the Bonsai ? I’d say those are the closest to the Rook with the Bonsai able to to achieve higher gain on the JHS Mod mode. . I also picked ip a TS-10 and a Jan Ray to see what the hype was about and the both really lived up to it. The TS-10 stacked is the best Tube Screamer I’ve ever played gain cuts way better than a 9 or 808 and has a lot of sparkle and nice sustain. But the sound in your video really shows how great the Rook is. It has that clarity most pedals seem to lack when you get into high gain territory and the TS-10 can’t do high gain. You mentioned the Klon....I have a Ceriatone Cenutra, which is an exact replica of a Klon and I noticed that Rook can achieve the same type of clarity with the gain up. The Rook actually reminds more a cranked or stacked Klon than a Tube Screamer the more I hear it. Thanks for a great video on this pedal because like you said there really aren’t any videos is this specific version of the Rook that really showcase what it can do. I think this pedal can wind up on a lot of boards. It’s seems to have that Morning Glory tone people love but takes it to the next level and offers more options.
Thanks! I've tried it in passing (I load up a Stomp amp every so often to try and tweak it and mess around) but I don't use the Stomp for amps that much so I can't recall how it went.
i just ordered a rook upon playing around with it the up position on the little toggle is so quiet and the bottom toggle is so quiet the best position is in the middle for light gain on the amps clean channel for some extra chime and sparkle
That's definitely what that middle channel is meant for. And yeah lots more volume on tap in that one. I usually use top or bottom myself, because I've got a sparkly light gain drive already (the Timmy) so Rook is my beefier rock drive. But yeah it'd be great for that in middle position for sure.
Have you tried stacking it with any other overdrive? As a worship leader and one of the EG players on the team, I tend to stack to quickly get a higher level of gain. Seems like a great stand alone pedal!
You know, I've never fully gotten my head around stacking. I know it's the norm in worship circles and I've definitely tried, but the system that's working for me right now is to use one drive for my neck pickup and a different one for my bridge... then I can EQ them for whatever that pickup needs. That said, in a live situation I regularly use Timmy for low gain and then stack in the Rook for medium. Like you said, sometimes you gotta get there quickly.
It is so good. I've been playing with it a lot more since this video even and I'm starting to think I could get by with this drive and no others. It's absolutely the one I would grab for some kind of out-of-town gig where I needed to bring only a couple things.
Great review! Do you think that "Guitar --› Mojo Hand Rook --› a very low gain overdrive (in my case, Barber Gain Changer) --› Clean channel" sounds good? The Rook can be a good stacking pedal, and how do you suggest to set it? My idea is to use the GC to give a very slight distortion, and push it with the Rook for a good rythm and mid gain sound (using the GC as the base of my sound)
Thanks! Yeah, that's about how I do it. I have my board right now set up with Guitar > Rook > Timmy > Clean Amp. I actually don't stack them that often, I've got the EQ's dialed in for different pickups (Timmy is rolling off a lot of bass to make the neck pickup clearer and the Rook is adding a lot of bass to fatten up my bridge pickup) but they do sound good when I've done it. The pedal builder Brian Wampler has a whole thing about how the last overdrive in the stack is the one you keep the 'character' or sound of... so if you like how the Gain Changer sounds then running the Rook into it will give you a beefier version of that. 👍
@@LeFeversAudio Another question: in your signal chain, how do you get the lead sound? And second question, using a Timmy with your neck pickup, and the Rook with your bridge pickup, you basically have two distinct and different sounds: in your opinion, a guitar player should have one pedal (the basic, personal and unique sound) and adding to it other pedals it's like having different flavours, but with a basic RECOGNIZABLE sound, or instead the player should have two or more basic distinct sounds (but in that case you won't have your personal unique sound, will you?)
Well, I don't concern myself too much with "uniqueness", most guitar players are out here using basically similar gear :) But you're right that dialing in different pedals for different pickups does make the two sound less similar to each other. I used to be more of a stacker, this pickup thing is a new thing I'm trying... I just found that once I got my 'main' drive dialed in for one pickup, everything I tried to stack into it I ended up fighting against the EQ I had already done on the first drive. So far I'm happier this way, but we'll see.
@@LeFeversAudio I wasn't trying to argue! When I bought my first valve head some months ago, after much research, I was thinking to buy an overdrive for mild gain, another one for crunch, maybe a third one for "naughty" lead, a fuzz... Then the other guitarist of my band, plus many musicians on various forums, suggested to have a basic sound (like a clean on the edge of breakup, in my case it's the Gain Changer to fullfil the purpose) and then put other overdrives in front of it for different flavors, but with a basic sound always recognizable in the base - the last overdrive in chain it's the most important, as you and Brian Wampler told me :) -. But it's difficult to match different overdrives to achieve one beautiful sound with their fusion, and maybe better to have distinct sounds with separated pedals. The research keeps going 🤟🎸
Not the first to say it, but hell yeah, Thrice and P90’s. Do you find the volume a little light in some of the heavier toggle positions, particularly the bottom/LED side? I owned this once and had that issue, but thinking about trying again.
Is there any difference between this bold version and the Rook Red edition? I couldn’t f8nd any info about the red version on their site, but there a bunch on reverb
W Ang - I’m not aware of a difference, I think they’re just different graphic designs. It seems like the company updates the images on their pedals pretty often; for the Rook I’ve seen this gold one, a red bird, a blue and gray bird, and the super limited run of custom Dustin Kensrue units with a crow silhouette that I WISH I COULD FIND. Haha.
Oh, for sure, I just meant that's what I got it looking for. (It replaced a JHS Morning Glory on my board.) My normal use case for it is between low gain and punk/alternative. But it'll go much higher, especially in that bottom mode.
Aside from sounding really cool it looks great too! I love when pedal companies put a bit of effort into how their pedals look. It really sets them apart and, to me, makes the appeal to get one a whole lot stronger
Agreed. There are a bunch of different versions of this, also... I made a point of tracking down this tower graphic because I thought it looked coolest, but the others are interesting looking too.
Juicy tones! Interesting tunes!
5:35 sounds amazing. Going to buy this right now.
It’s very good.
Sounds great. For great punchy yet not thin mid-gain drives, J Rockett Dude, Marshall Shredmaster, or Keeley Katana Blues.
This is a great demo. Thanks man. Glad to see a more modern/updated demo!
Thanks! Yeah there is not a ton out there. I kind of had to take a leap of faith and just buy it. The existing demos were not a great deal of use. Hopefully other folks will make their own demos in the future, this is a wildly underrated drive!
Nice playing, love your guitar sound. That pedal works fantastic with your p90 single coils. How's it sound with Humbuckers I wonder? Great video.🙂👍
Thanks! My impression is the Rook sounds pretty similar on humbuckers and P-90s.
I was trying to think of whether I have anything recorded using humbuckers through it, and all I could think of was this song - all of the rhythm guitars are a Gibson Les Paul through the Rook (through an Iridium by way of amp). If that helps at all: czcams.com/video/aRk_5VUoq5A/video.htmlsi=4bOGhgp_cFdQ1XPy
Hi mattie. Great video!!!!! 💪
Thanks Matt!
Sounds really good. I'd love to hear a good comparison shoot out with this and the Greer Supa Cobra. I use that the same way.
Nice job, there is also the rook royale which has the rook on one side and a tone controlled clean boost on the other in a 2 foot switch format. Also don't be put off by the approximately 8 different pedal graphics over the last 10 years, they are all the same. The rook is a fantastic, highly overlooked pedal.
Super overlooked pedal for sure That’s for the clarification on the graphics. Part of me assumed they were all the same circuits with different art work but I didn’t want to assume I was right because sometimes they alter circuits and add or take away certain features. I wasn’t sure one was like a V.1 then a V1.2. A lot of JHS pedals change with the version which usually comes with artwork change. I feel like the Rook stacked with a really good fuzz could be tonal nirvana. Eric Gales has been playing the Colossus Fuzz by Mojo Hand FX for years and his tone is ridiculous so maybe the Rook and the Colossus would be a good match. Anyone else notice the similarities in the clipping options being similar to the Dunes, Palisades or the Plumes? I had and sold a Palisades and really liked but there’s something about this Rook that I really seem to like. The clarity of the chords on high gain reminds of that old Green Day sound.
Playing Thrice through a JA-90… a man of taste
If there are two bands that would cause me to check out a piece of gear solely because they use it... those are the two. 😅
That sounds great! Really good with P90s.
Great demo. I always loved this pedal. My girlfriend and her son were playing chess and I saw the rook and it made me come check it out again and I’m glad I did. I’m going to get one to try. Sounds great to me and it has clipping options too which is always nice
It’s so good. I just recorded a bunch of clips of it for a buddy of mine and it reminded me how good the high gain mode is too.
@@LeFeversAudio Yeah I’m pretty shocked at the high gain clarity this pedal can achieve.. It’s not like an Angry Charlie or something which is based on a JCM 800 high gain amplifier, so to me, it’s really cool you could get the high gain and Tube Screamer tones. Eric Gales has been playing Mojo Hand FX for years, I think he uses the Colossus Fuzz. Have you tried the RYRA 808 or the Bonsai ? I’d say those are the closest to the Rook with the Bonsai able to to achieve higher gain on the JHS Mod mode. . I also picked ip a TS-10 and a Jan Ray to see what the hype was about and the both really lived up to it. The TS-10 stacked is the best Tube Screamer I’ve ever played gain cuts way better than a 9 or 808 and has a lot of sparkle and nice sustain. But the sound in your video really shows how great the Rook is. It has that clarity most pedals seem to lack when you get into high gain territory and the TS-10 can’t do high gain. You mentioned the Klon....I have a Ceriatone Cenutra, which is an exact replica of a Klon and I noticed that Rook can achieve the same type of clarity with the gain up. The Rook actually reminds more a cranked or stacked Klon than a Tube Screamer the more I hear it.
Thanks for a great video on this pedal because like you said there really aren’t any videos is this specific version of the Rook that really showcase what it can do. I think this pedal can wind up on a lot of boards. It’s seems to have that Morning Glory tone people love but takes it to the next level and offers more options.
I saw Dustin Kensrue from Thrice uses one of these and wanted to check it out - good, comprehensive video!
Thanks! That was the reason I checked it out, too, haha.
@@LeFeversAudio No problem! Scooped one up off Reverb after watching.
Have you tried this pedal through an HX Stomp? I was curious how it sounds. Great video by the video.
Thanks! I've tried it in passing (I load up a Stomp amp every so often to try and tweak it and mess around) but I don't use the Stomp for amps that much so I can't recall how it went.
i just ordered a rook upon playing around with it the up position on the little toggle is so quiet and the bottom toggle is so quiet the best position is in the middle for light gain on the amps clean channel for some extra chime and sparkle
That's definitely what that middle channel is meant for. And yeah lots more volume on tap in that one. I usually use top or bottom myself, because I've got a sparkly light gain drive already (the Timmy) so Rook is my beefier rock drive. But yeah it'd be great for that in middle position for sure.
Have you tried stacking it with any other overdrive? As a worship leader and one of the EG players on the team, I tend to stack to quickly get a higher level of gain. Seems like a great stand alone pedal!
You know, I've never fully gotten my head around stacking. I know it's the norm in worship circles and I've definitely tried, but the system that's working for me right now is to use one drive for my neck pickup and a different one for my bridge... then I can EQ them for whatever that pickup needs. That said, in a live situation I regularly use Timmy for low gain and then stack in the Rook for medium. Like you said, sometimes you gotta get there quickly.
This might be what I'm looking for... I love Thrice and am looking for another articulate overdrive...
It is so good. I've been playing with it a lot more since this video even and I'm starting to think I could get by with this drive and no others. It's absolutely the one I would grab for some kind of out-of-town gig where I needed to bring only a couple things.
Great review!
Do you think that "Guitar --› Mojo Hand Rook --› a very low gain overdrive (in my case, Barber Gain Changer) --› Clean channel" sounds good?
The Rook can be a good stacking pedal, and how do you suggest to set it?
My idea is to use the GC to give a very slight distortion, and push it with the Rook for a good rythm and mid gain sound (using the GC as the base of my sound)
Thanks! Yeah, that's about how I do it. I have my board right now set up with Guitar > Rook > Timmy > Clean Amp. I actually don't stack them that often, I've got the EQ's dialed in for different pickups (Timmy is rolling off a lot of bass to make the neck pickup clearer and the Rook is adding a lot of bass to fatten up my bridge pickup) but they do sound good when I've done it.
The pedal builder Brian Wampler has a whole thing about how the last overdrive in the stack is the one you keep the 'character' or sound of... so if you like how the Gain Changer sounds then running the Rook into it will give you a beefier version of that. 👍
@@LeFeversAudio Thanks Matt for the quick and exhaustive answer!
@@LeFeversAudio Another question: in your signal chain, how do you get the lead sound?
And second question, using a Timmy with your neck pickup, and the Rook with your bridge pickup, you basically have two distinct and different sounds: in your opinion, a guitar player should have one pedal (the basic, personal and unique sound) and adding to it other pedals it's like having different flavours, but with a basic RECOGNIZABLE sound, or instead the player should have two or more basic distinct sounds (but in that case you won't have your personal unique sound, will you?)
Well, I don't concern myself too much with "uniqueness", most guitar players are out here using basically similar gear :) But you're right that dialing in different pedals for different pickups does make the two sound less similar to each other. I used to be more of a stacker, this pickup thing is a new thing I'm trying... I just found that once I got my 'main' drive dialed in for one pickup, everything I tried to stack into it I ended up fighting against the EQ I had already done on the first drive. So far I'm happier this way, but we'll see.
@@LeFeversAudio I wasn't trying to argue! When I bought my first valve head some months ago, after much research, I was thinking to buy an overdrive for mild gain, another one for crunch, maybe a third one for "naughty" lead, a fuzz...
Then the other guitarist of my band, plus many musicians on various forums, suggested to have a basic sound (like a clean on the edge of breakup, in my case it's the Gain Changer to fullfil the purpose) and then put other overdrives in front of it for different flavors, but with a basic sound always recognizable in the base - the last overdrive in chain it's the most important, as you and Brian Wampler told me :) -.
But it's difficult to match different overdrives to achieve one beautiful sound with their fusion, and maybe better to have distinct sounds with separated pedals.
The research keeps going 🤟🎸
Not the first to say it, but hell yeah, Thrice and P90’s. Do you find the volume a little light in some of the heavier toggle positions, particularly the bottom/LED side? I owned this once and had that issue, but thinking about trying again.
Not really - I do keep the volume up around 2 o'clock most of the time, but that's typical for me with drives. I'm sure it varies by rig though.
Is there any difference between this bold version and the Rook Red edition? I couldn’t f8nd any info about the red version on their site, but there a bunch on reverb
W Ang - I’m not aware of a difference, I think they’re just different graphic designs. It seems like the company updates the images on their pedals pretty often; for the Rook I’ve seen this gold one, a red bird, a blue and gray bird, and the super limited run of custom Dustin Kensrue units with a crow silhouette that I WISH I COULD FIND. Haha.
Even when no diodes, an op amp can distort
It sounds great, but I wouldn’t call it medium gain. It has a ton of gain.
Oh, for sure, I just meant that's what I got it looking for. (It replaced a JHS Morning Glory on my board.) My normal use case for it is between low gain and punk/alternative. But it'll go much higher, especially in that bottom mode.
@@LeFeversAudio Please don't misunderstand me, it sounds so great that I just bought the same pedal online