Having just performed at International Pop Overthrow, Steven Wilson of L.A. pop-rockers Plasticsoul told us about his beloved Cool Cat Pedal.
Steven Wilson: Over the years I've acquired some pretty cool vintage guitars, amps, pedals, mics, etc. When I was asked to write about my favorite piece of gear, I performed a mental checklist of what I had in my arsenal, and which item that I thought would be most impressive.
Truth be told, my favortite piece of gear that I "can't do without" is a "cheap" $60 pedal made by Danelectro called the Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive. Why do I love it? Well for starters, it's inexpensive, which is always a good thing on a musician budget. It's also built like a tank.
The Cool Cat series of pedals are practically industructable. Believe me I've put mine through the wringer. Most importanly though, I can always rely on it to help me get "my sound".
My band Plasticsoul plays a lot of gigs where we show up with only our instruments and have a backline of amps that are provided by the venue and shared by every band on the bill. And trust me when I say they don't always sound like The Who at Leeds.
I've found that by using my Cool Cat overdrive I can dial in "my sound", or a reasonable facsimile, around 99 percent of the time. It's really a life saver. I got my first Cool Cat pedal about 15 or 20 years ago. It has travelled all over the world gigging with me in the US, Europe, UK, and Scandinavia. It only just recently crapped out.
My first instinct was to give this little metal hero a viking warriors burial at sea. Instead I figured I should try to get it repaired. I did managed to find two more for sale online and purchase them. Now I have three! Because...you know...that's better than two. Don't judge me.
International Pop Overthrow is taking place at the Redwood Bar until August 10.
