Buddy And The Orange Squeezer Pedal

[Dennis Detweiler]

I finally see how Buddy was getting that compressed growl in the early 80's. You can hear it on a few videos during that time. It was the Orange Squeezer pedal. My question, is the Analogman Juicer comparable to the Orange Squeezer Pedal. The Analogman website says, it is. Does anyone here have experience with a comparison? Bill Ferguson or Ernie Renn, maybe?

[Mike Auman]

Looking at the circuits, the Analogman Juicer compressor is an exact clone of the Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer. The only differences: Analogman uses true bypass, while the original used an older bypass scheme that left the circuit partially connected, so dulled the tone a bit during bypass. And Analogman added a volume control that the Orange Squeezer didn't have.

[Dennis Detweiler]

Thanks Mike. I may have to acquire a Juicer.

[Dave Campbell]

i'm curious....anybody willing to post examples of the sound you're talking about?

[Dennis Detweiler]

Dave, if you google YouTube "Night Life Ray Price Live", you can hear it on Buddy's ride. Same on that evening when he played "I Love You Because." There's also a YouTube of Del Reeves singing "Good Time Charlies." Buddy is using it there also. Find it on YouTube, google, YouTube Parissteel.

[Dave Campbell]

Dave, if you google YouTube "Night Life Ray Price Live", you can hear it on Buddy's ride. Same on that evening when he played "I Love You Because." There's also a YouTube of Del Reeves singing "Good Time Charlies." Buddy is using it there also. Find it on YouTube, google, YouTube Parissteel.

ok, yes. thanks. i just saw the del reeves clip a couple of days ago. what a tone!

[Dave Campbell]

does anybody know whether he put compressor before the volume pedal or after. i feel like before makes the most sense for that tone.

[Dennis Detweiler]

I think, between the guitar and volume pedal. I just purchased a used JHS Pulp N Peel V3 which has the Squeezer components, but two extra knobs to fine tune the effect ( blend and compression). I've watched several comparison videos and found them the same. A new Pulp N Peel is the V4, which has an added overdrive switch, XLR output and EQ to reset high and low tone. I settled for the used V3 because I have no need for the extra upgrades.

[Dennis Detweiler]

Yes, on those videos of Buddy, he's getting that little extra compression and grind when he digs in. Those scales he plays at the very end of the Nightlife Live is very revealing of the Orange Squeezer.

[Ernie Renn]

I don’t think he used the Squeezer for very long. In ‘77 he started using an MXR DynaComp (after the volume pedal).

In there somewhere Electra tried their hand at stomp box effects and Buddy swapped out his effects for theirs. I think they must’ve worked okay, but he knew how to set the ones he had been using.

I asked him about the slightly overdriven sound on one of the jazz tunes in the Live 77 records, but he said he didn’t remember using anything for overdrive. Perhaps a preamp. For the 78 rack he had four MXR pedal innards mounted in a separate case with the knobs and switches all in a row. (He had a sign on it that said Mits Off.) He had that on top of a self made rack that housed an MXR Flanger/Doubler, Pitcher Transposer and Delay. On top of all that was the Korg guitar synth.

Later he mounted the stomp boxes inside his rack of MXR effects. He slowly dropped effect use. The last time I saw him play he only used a Boss delay. (He left his rack at home.)

On the squeezers I have two reissue models, but I don’t hear any difference. I also got an Analogman Squeezer and still couldn’t hear any difference. I’m guessing for the Price/Night Life tune he had cranked up the MXR. Keep in mind he played firmly.

I wrote this to him: “Thinking out loud: Do you suppose practicing with no amp pushed you to playing each string a little harder?” His reply: ”No; that's a natural response I have when trying to make the notes come out of the amp shaking their fist at the listener.”. Always being The Big E!

[Dennis Detweiler]

I acquired a JHS Pulp N Peel version3 and have been messing with it at home since yesterday. The new model Pulp N Peel has 4 controls (added tone control).The JHS version 3 of the Orange Squeezer circuitry has 3 controls, Volume, Blend and Compression. I see no need for a tone control. The original Orange Squeezer had one knob, I assume volume? So far, I'm loving this pedal. It adds clarity and balance to notes and chords. The more you dig into the strings, you get more grit or "hair." Depending on how you set the controls, it cleans up the notes and chords and makes them stand out more. You can keep it mild as a studio quality pedal or take it deeper.

I was at the convention in 77 for Buddy's live recording. He used a Furman PQ3 and Session 400. I asked him how he was setting the Furman. He said, he just used it to detail the low mids. I'm not sure, but think he used a Boss Fuzz for the fuzz on one ride. He used an MXR Envelope for Witch's Brew. Not sure about the delay. Likely Echoplex? He also used an Ebow. He had perfect settings on everything that he used, as you'd expect coming from BE.
Bucky Barrett played lead on all songs except one. Barrett couldn't get through the first two tries on The Great Stream. Bobby Caldwell sat in the third time and had success. The CD of this recording doesn't show Caldwell in the credits, but the LP does have him listed. ?? I don't know why? I assume an error when they copied the LP to CD?

[Dennis Detweiler]

I was just thinking about the discrepancy over Bobby Caldwell and Bucky Barrett credits 1977? Could it be that Barrett dubbed a track on The Great Stream and the Caldwell guitar track was removed and Barrett track installed after the original LP's were produced? I will dig out my original LP and the CD and compare the guitar tracks.