Harmonizer pedals?

[smokedtires]

Anyone one using one? Would love to get something that would allow some great Boston,Allman Brothers, Thin Lizzy type harmonies. I don't want something that sounds like an electric synthesizer. Maybe a pitch shift pedal?

 

TIA

[pegleg32]

I am not familiar with them, but it sounds intreging.

[Gitfiddler]

I have an old Boss Harmonizer on my pedal board. It's best use is as an octave pedal (High or Low or Both) during live soloing. Many recording artists use studio quality octave effects to add thickness to their single line solos. Typically the main lead line is most dominant, with the high or low octave coming in at slightly less volume. Listen carefully and you'll hear George Benson, Paul Jackson, Jr., and Norman Brown recordings with that effect on and off during some songs.

 

As a harmonizer, the pedal is just OK. It allows you to set it in 3rds, 4ths, 5th, etc., so as you play your single note lines, it becomes more dissonant as you travel outside of the harmonic or dominant notes. That limitation prevents one from sounding like a one man ABB or Thin Lizzy, et. al. Maybe more modern pedals have solved that issue. I haven't looked into it. Maybe others will chime in with more up to date info.

[smokedtires]

Gitfiddler thanks for the response. This is kind of how I was thinking. There are some newer pedals out that are too expensive (Eventide $500) for me to even consider. BOSS pedals are always more resonably priced.