# Lizard Leg FX - Flying Dragon, quick review



## iggs (Apr 6, 2006)

Just to confirm what everyone else has been saying all along ... kick ass pedal!!!

I went through quite a few boosters, clean and dirty, treble boosters, low gain ODs ... etc. Some of them good, some of them great but none really what i was looking for. Most of them imparted a sound on their own and some just compressed a bit too much for my taste.

I really wanted something I can use in front of my Keeler Push which is my main OD since I got it. I even tried Keeler's own Pull for that job and as nice as that pedal sounded on it's own, it did not gel with Push in the way I was hoping it too. I also tried running a compressor in front to goose up my main rhythm sound when needed. Basically what I was looking for was a pedal that will allow me to have exactly the same sound I get with Keeler Push but with more saturation and gain when needed.

Well ... the Dragon did exactly that. 

Plus, on it's own, it's the best boost I've tried so far. Cranked all the way it makes my Dr. Z Route 66 crunch like a mo-fo!!!

Thanks Steve, you ROCK!!!

Linky: http://www.lizardlegeffects.com/pedals/dragon.html


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## dan_ (Feb 5, 2008)

A second plug for a great product. Check out his website...he does a 'pedal tour' that you can sign up for and demo the pedal if you're into it, for no charge (other than shipping the pedal on to the next person in line).


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I don't want to be a sourpuss, but if I were to change a single tube in an amp's front end, from 12AY7 to 12AT7 or 12AX7, or some combination thereof that changes the gain a bit. I would have changed the tonal quality of the amp by changing the overall gain structure. No change in the basic circuit and toneshaping whatsoever, but sticking more gain here or there changes things. We know this to be true.

So how the hell does a booster pedal "sound like an amp, only louder"? If the amp 's sensitivity was turned down, and the booster pedal was set for very modest gain, then yeah, I imagine all headroom limits would be respected, and it WOULD sound like the same amp only a bit louder. But the moment you start to approach headroom limits, or turn the booster up appreciably, you can't NOT change the tonal quality derived.

I have no doubts it is a pleasing pedal, and realize that I'm only whining about the ad copy on the website, but this stuff drives me batty with the manner in which it misleads and misinforms consumers, who then have to have all this stuff explained to them all over again when things don't work the way they imagined...based on ad copy. You wouldn't be satisfied with a doctor who depends entirely on information the pharmaceutical rep tells him/her at the point of sale, so why should people be satisfied with what they learn from advertising copy and misleading claims?


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## dan_ (Feb 5, 2008)

mhammer said:


> You wouldn't be satisfied with a doctor who depends entirely on information the pharmaceutical rep tells him/her at the point of sale, so why should people be satisfied with what they learn from advertising copy and misleading claims?


You shouldn't. That's why you should get on the mailing list and request the pedal for a run yourself :smile: (but as always, you made your point well).


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## Lizard Leg (Jan 16, 2009)

mhammer,

You are 100% correct in your post, and as Dan said, you made your point very well. If you hit an amp harder with a booster, the sound changes. It's inevetible. If the amp has tons of clean headroom left, then a boost, at least a flat frequency response one, will literally sound like you did nothing more than turn the amp up. If the amp is on the edge of breakup, the boost will push it over the edge and then some, depending on how you have it dialed in. In essence a boost is an external gain stage.

The slogan "Your Sound, Just More." came about after a player used his 'Dragon for the first time at a show. I met him backstage during set break and he was pretty excited and said "It's like my sound, just more!" The slogan stuck.

I'm sorry you feel that the slogan is misleading. I would love to send you a demo pedal to try out for yourself - no obligation, no posts or reviews required. Just the few $ to send along to the next player on the list is all that I ask.

Thanks,
Steve


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Thanks for the reply, Steve, and for not being the least bit defensive about it. It speaks well of you.:smile:

I have no doubt you make a decent product, so there is no need to send me anything to convince me. Besides I'm not allowed to play at the sorts of volumes that show off the finer nature of boosters!

It's not so much that the slogan is misleading. If that's what it feels like to the customer, who am I to disagree (travelled the world and the seven seas....). Rather, it's what ISN'T said. That isn't your unique sin, trust me. You join one VERY long lineup, my friend! 

I find the technical explanations for things generally lacking in the pedal world. Sometimes, the ad copy is bombastic but the user manual gets into things and clears up misconceptions. Sometimes even the user manual doesn't take the user where they need to go. I'm not trying to be a fussbudget. Rather, as the sheer number of alternatives has exploded, and all these cottage industries, that would have normally been simply local affairs, go international via the web, the customer has to make their choice from the universe of possibilities on the basis of more than just sexy ad copy and rumour. I mean, imagine if a piece of software that cost $150 offered *only* the sort of ad copy and technical explanation of features that most pedals in that range offered. There'd be blood in the streets.

Now, I'll grant you that 16 year-old clients who want their solid-state Marshall practice amp to scream may not be the most technically-minded customers, and I will also grant you that writing a decent technical explanation of what a product does and doesn't do, and under what circumstances, in language that is clear and a pleasure to read....well, it ain't easy. Still, it needs to be done more often than it is. I think we can only benefit collectively by having a more technically astute and better-informed consumer. At the very least it can get you a higher quality of consumer feedback that leads to better products.

Again, this is not directed at you specifically. I imagine it is difficult for *any* aspiring pedal-maker working out of their basement or a small rented space to mentally situate themselves in the mind of a consumer who has just flipped through the hundreds of ads in Vintage Guitar, or just clicked through a zillion pedal descriptions at Musictoyz or pedalgeek.


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## Lizard Leg (Jan 16, 2009)

I agree - most of the ad copy out there is misleading, and after some thought into the matter, mine might be as well. I guess I made the fatal error of assuming that most players who research boosts understand that in certain circumstances it will be a clean boost, and in others it will act more as an overdrive - driving the tubes into saturation. Currently all of my sales are direct, so I have the opportunity to discuss these aspects with each customer, either over the phone or through email, to ensure that they understand exactly how a boost works. On more than one occasion I have talked a potential customer out of buying the pedal since it wouldn't work in their application, or wouldn't give them what they were looking for. You can only get so much gain out of a tube!

I am keeping the slogan, but I will be updating my website shortly to reflect how the pedal interacts with an amp - the clean vs. overdrive that the pedal can give - to try to clear the air some. I really try to take the high road in everything I do. If you look at the reviews on the website you'll see I *'d out all the other manufacturer and pedal names in the reviews I posted.

On another note, it's rare to get into a discussion such as this on an internet forum that doesn't devolve into mudslinging, accusations and nastiness – I thank you for keeping it civil!

Steve


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## Lizard Leg (Jan 16, 2009)

Paul, thanks! But to be honest, I'm just a ******* country boy from South Alabama with Cajun roots that moved to LA 20 years ago. My Mom's side of the family - maiden name Parault, pronounced "Pay-Row", and the rest of the family was Estay, pronounced "Es-Tay" - doesn't get much more Cajun than that!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Lizard Leg said:


> I agree - most of the ad copy out there is misleading, and after some thought into the matter, mine might be as well. I guess I made the fatal error of assuming that most players who research boosts understand that in certain circumstances it will be a clean boost, and in others it will act more as an overdrive - driving the tubes into saturation. Currently all of my sales are direct, so I have the opportunity to discuss these aspects with each customer, either over the phone or through email, to ensure that they understand exactly how a boost works. On more than one occasion I have talked a potential customer out of buying the pedal since it wouldn't work in their application, or wouldn't give them what they were looking for. You can only get so much gain out of a tube!
> 
> I am keeping the slogan, but I will be updating my website shortly to reflect how the pedal interacts with an amp - the clean vs. overdrive that the pedal can give - to try to clear the air some. I really try to take the high road in everything I do. If you look at the reviews on the website you'll see I *'d out all the other manufacturer and pedal names in the reviews I posted.
> 
> ...


Having spent easily 8-10 hours with him on the phone, I can say without qualification that Bill Finnegan (Klon Centaur) would be proud of you! You've described precisely the approach he takes.

Now, a warning.

One of the challenges Bill faces is that the phonecalls take up precious time, which slows down production. If a product "takes off" like the Klon did, then demand starts to outstrip production, and eventually people start to buy the pedal off e-bay as much as they do from the original manufacturer. At THAT point, all of that personal repartee and consultation/guidance is missing when making 2nd-hand purchases. It may not be an issue with your products, but in Bill's case, there are folks who paid more for a 2nd hand Klon than a new one costs, and their expectations were off-base *because* they had none of that info, and may have bought the wrong solution to their sonic needs. The result was that they are sorely disappointed with what they got for their $400-600 and then they write about it on H-C product reviews...angrily...which does nobody any good. Whatever you can do to avoid that scenario, you would be wise to do. Personally, I think good and extensive advance technical info is one component of addressing that. If a person makes a product that is reliable, addresses a clear niche and solves a problem, and provides fair value for the money, then one needn't have any qualms about telling folks what it does and doesn't do. I would imagine the folks you've steered away from the pedal provide word-of-mouth which is every bit as good/positive as those who did buy the pedal...maybe even more positive...so it's not the sort of thing you get punished for.

As for being civil, when the discussion is about a problem or challenge that all start-up pedal-makers face, as opposed to a pissing contest about what is better and worse, maintaining civility is a piece of cake. Have yourself a good weekend, bro, and be glad that you're not walking around in -22F weather like we have today.:smilie_flagge17:


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## Lizard Leg (Jan 16, 2009)

-22ºF? When I got up this morning it was 29ºF here - supposed to be in the mid 50's by this afternoon. Last weekend it was upper 70º's, low 80's.

I love cold weather, but -22º might be pushing it a tad...

The phone calls and emails do take a lot of time but is one aspect of doing this that I really enjoy. I understand that if things take off for me, it will become harder and harder to do while still maintaining production levels. Since the two pedals I have in production are single knob pedals, right now I don't even include a manual. Over the weekend I will finish the one I started a while back and include it in the box with every pedal, as well as posting it on the website for download for any users who buy second hand.

I know some people might have gotten upset with your posts, but to be honest, I would much rather address these issues BEFORE they become a problem!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Lizard Leg said:


> I know some people might have gotten upset with your posts, but to be honest, I would much rather address these issues BEFORE they become a problem!


The right approach. If I can make a suggestion, I think a helpful manual would include something like this. A list of suggested uses, followed by what to expect in that application, and a list of caveats accompaning that use. So, for example, a booster pedal can be used for solos. Caveats?: if the amp is already set for a loud but clean tone and does not have enough headroom, it may get pushed into clipping; if the amp or guitar is set for lots of treble, a boost may produce more added harmonic content at the top end than you want.

So, no brilliant military secrets, just a little suitable practical wisdom that they might learn eventually if they're paying attention, but could benefit from if they knew it now. Having that sort of a manual available for download can also take care of some of the stuff you probably have to deal with on the phone right now, so it's worth investing in.


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## Lizard Leg (Jan 16, 2009)

Good idea - I had planned on doing a recommended settings type list as well, but expanding on that and taking it into "with this setting, if your amp is ? then you can expect ?" seems like a plan!


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## Lizard Leg (Jan 16, 2009)

Okay guys,

I changed the copy on the website to reflect how the 'Dragon interacts with an amp, as well as posting an online manual (link on the page) with some placement options and the sound you can expect in those positions of the signal chain.

If anyone has any feedback, please let me know.

Link to page:
http://www.lizardlegeffects.com/pedals/dragon.html

Link to manual:
http://www.lizardlegeffects.com/pedals/dragon.html


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Looks pretty good to me. 

I didn't see, or at least check, how much gain the pedal provides. One of the things I frequently have to draw to people's attention is that there are a number of frequently used pedals that do not function as well, or at least in a manner the user might consider optimal, with too much gain placed ahead of them. For instance, FET-based phasers (MXR P90 and derivatives) can break up in unpleasant ways, and BBD-based pedals that do not use companding (usually chorus and flanger pedals, but not analog delays) can also get ugly when faced with too hot a signal. And, although they don't necessarily sound ugly when facing a hot input, some sidechain-controlled pedals, like compressors, noise-gates, and auto-wahs, can be too responsive, and using a hot input signal can reduce the usable sensitivity range too much. That is, depending on the pedal, the user may only be able to find the "sweet spot" on those other pedals within a very narrow portion of the pot's rotation (e.g. within a 20-30 degree arc). That doesn't make the FD/compressor combination off-limits, but the user may have to take steps to assure that they can replicate pedal settings that they like. Put simply, too much boost can make what follows it too "twitchy". Of course, none of that appliles when the booster is placed at the end of the pedal chain, before the amp.

Finally, when a booster provides nice buffering that retains top end, pushing the amp into breakup CAN sometimes elicit more treble than you really wanted. One of the ways to deal with that is to rein in the treble at either the amp or the guitar. I'd suggest the pedal, but then you have a fully functioning product already, so I'll leave well enough alone.

Other than those omissions, I think it's shaping up pretty good. I hope I don't sound too condescending. It's just that over the pace of the last 15-17 years on-line, I've had to explain those little tidbits what feels like several thousand times. Thing is, as fast as we can educate them, and as much as we'd like to think the job is done and all this stuff is common knowledge, the world keeps cranking out would-be guitar gods who don't understand how things work. And THAT'S where good documentation comes in as a community service!

Writing good documentation is hard, mostly because it is difficult to put one's self in the position of novice, after being so close to the product for too long. A little over 10 years ago, I was teaching a course to mostly computer science students, and included a unit on writing documentation. To illustrate, I brought in an LCD projector and laptop and, after a bit of an introduction about why documentation can too often end up being less than what you wanted, announced to the class that we were going to collectively write documentation for something everybody knew a little too well. One semester, I did Monopoly, and the next semester I did Scrabble. The class was asked to imagine that the person they were writing for had some generic knowledge about board games, but knew zip about either of these specific games. The overwhelming urge of the class was to jump right to the exotic stuff, and I had to get them to hold up at first base. "Does the reader know what to do with this info yet?", I asked. "Will they make more sense of it if you hold off? What exactly DOES the novice user want/need you to tell them right now?". I swear, they were sweating. It was HARD work. I hope they learned something that day.


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## Lizard Leg (Jan 16, 2009)

I'm also trying to walk the line between giving the experienced players helpful hints that a novice would understand, without giving the novice so much information they get overloaded and confused, and I think there is a nice blend of both.

Thanks for all the input!


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