# The next Klon?



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Remember how there was a period during the 70's when anyone who had songs with lotsa major chords and twice as many lyrics was dubbed "the next Dylan"? Springsteen got that moniker as did a bunch of other players.

Well, I guess in the pedal world, the comparable is "the next Klon". That is, a pedal that many will misunderstand, will become legendary and mystical, and end up commanding ridiculous prices on e-bay from re-sellers who bought one thinking it would make them Lord of the (St)Rings.

The current newstand issue of Guitar Player has a lengthy cover story on AC/DC and Angus Young. One of the items focussed on in the interview and article is "The Schaffer". Apparently, prior to "Back in Black", Angus Young was using a wireless system, with built in companding, designed by one Ken Schaffer. The wireless system provided a bit of boost that IS "the AC/DC sound". Mutt Lange couldn't figure out why the live AC/DC he had enjoyed so much and wanted to produce, just didn't sound as good in the studio with the same amps and gear. It was the wireless.

So, apparently, a fellow in Italy jumped through all the various legal and personal hoops, and is now marketing a floor-pedal booster called the Schaffer Replica ( http://www.solodallas.com/the-schaffer-replica/ ). It is essentially the same processing as Angus' wireless system, but without the wireless part.

Given the fact that it is selling for about $350, apparently, and how many people want to sound *just like Angus Young*, I think we have our next Klon.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

I remember on TGP i think it was...someone spent a LOT of time with amps, cabs, speakers trying to pin the sound then determined it was the wireless...
this is cool...worth a look...thx Mark!


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

SoloDallas is the guy that did ACDC covers on YouTube a few years ago. He was pretty awesome at replicating the tone. For some reason, he stopped suddenly and voila he has resurfaced. Worth a look for sure but, I'm pretty happy with my crunchy ACDC tone.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

But what if I like how he sounds on an album? Did they record wirelessly?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I think Lange had him bring the wireless rig into the studio.


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## Disbeat (Jul 30, 2011)

I've been wanting to try one since they came out. I love SoloDallas's videos too, he gets some serious tone's and all the gear he uses is right up my alley.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

On the site is shows $399 + $41 shipping USD, ouch.

I found this...

"It may sort of sound strange that wireless units such as this one may be worthy of replication, and just an audio circuitry replication, too! Well, be aware of this, right here and now: the Schaffer-Vega Diversity System was successfully used by many artists of the magic era of the 1970s, and some of these artists even used the SVDS in the studio. It is really the case here with AC/DC lead guitar player Angus Young, who began using it from 1977 to at least 1984 (documented). Angus Young also used the Schaffer-Vega in the studio, recording with it all the solos and overdubbing some rhythm parts of the following AC/DC albums: Powerage, Highway To Hell, Back in Black, For Those About To Rock and Flick Of The Switch. (Watch the following video where Malcolm and Angus Young comment about the sound qualities of the original Schaffer-Vega Diversity System, “It sounded Great!”)"

http://www.solodallas.com/the-schaffer-replica/#history

They talk about it here...

[video=youtube;4TtTe6i2pg0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TtTe6i2pg0&list=RD4TtTe6i2pg0#t=0[/video]


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

Stratin2traynor said:


> SoloDallas is the guy that did ACDC covers on YouTube a few years ago. He was pretty awesome at replicating the tone. For some reason, he stopped suddenly and voila he has resurfaced. Worth a look for sure but, I'm pretty happy with my crunchy ACDC tone.


Yea...i realized that after i posted...was on the tablet and if i switch pages it logs me out...so i opened it in the background to keep lurking here...and then didn't sign in again...

i believe Dallas found information that the wireless was used in the studio...probably buried somewhere in his site now...


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## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

If he wants it to have the same status, he better goop the innards...

Or is that not a prerequisite?


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2015)

This reads like a pretty cool story! What a crazy bit of kit to need to chase a sound, that's for sure.

I notice on the site it says Angus used that specific wireless unit until ~1984 ("who began using it from 1977 to at least 1984 (documented)") -- so did his sound change appreciably after '84? I'm not up on AC/DC tones and how they've evolved over the ages.

Companding is usually non-linear so now we can have long debates online on the best place to put it in your signal chain to get maximum Angus!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

The funny thing is that, in an ideal sense, companding is intended to restore everything back to its original state; the expansion is intended to be symmetrical in action to the compression. That doesn't mean that is necesaarily always works that way. For instance, one of the best-tracking analog octave dividers out there (and I stress best-_tracking_, rather than best-_sounding_), the PAiA Rocktave, uses a compander chip, set to work slightly asymmetrically, such that the expander half cuts out the signal just before it reaches a point where octave division will get sputtery.

It's not necessarily the case that the Schaffer system _used_ a Signetics NE570 compander chip (same as found in Memory Mans of that era, and so many other pedals). Companding is a _process_, and not a _chip_. But, given that it was, for many years, the only game in that town, the chances are pretty good he did use it. So in what way was boost integrated into the use of companding?

So I'm curious as to what else is going on there.


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## Louis (Apr 26, 2008)

Better wait a little more before ordering one ,
I've heard some complain about noise issue and they are working on it .


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