Just so there's no confusion about this, let me make this abundantly clear:
I LOVE CHASE BLISS PEDALS.
Since the first one I got back in 2016 (a Warped Vinyl mkII in case you're wondering) I have become a FIRM fan of the pedals AND the company. Joel is a total sweetheart and the crew I've met over the ensuing years (shoutouts to Zach, Tyler and Courtney) are wonderful folks. But there was ONE Chase Bliss pedal I wasn't immediately sure of...
On June 17, 2019 I received an email from Chase Bliss head honcho Joel Korte. The subject line was simple and immediately attractive: "new chase bliss". Then I read ONE line and began to wonder "is this going to work for me". Joel's words were just like his subject line, simple and attractive: "...it's a weird one..." What was I about to get myself into???
When that "weird one" arrived I was greeted with MOOD, a peach, purple and red box of ambient awesomeness! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Nothing I had in my pedal collection sounded like it or was capable of doing what it did.
The key to the weirdness, in my opinion, lay in two features:
the Micro Looper and the Clock control.
The Micro Looper was ALWAYS listening to what you play and only records FRAGMENTS of what you play. It was a unique approach to sound-on-sound that I had never explored.
The Clock control was multi-faceted...controlling fidelity, tonality, time stretching, loop record time to name a few things.
I don't think any pedal at the time gave you that much control!
Check out my old "First Five" video w/ the OG MOOD.
Although I loved MOOD, there were still aspects that made it difficult to use on the regular. The biggest problem came from the Clock control. As you turned it counter-clockwise, the fidelity would degrade in a very fun way but introduced a significant amount of noise. Adjusted carefully this noise could be used as a layer but with the pedal bypassed the noise persisted. I also found the delay repeats to be a bit erratic. But that worked for shorter delays like Slapback. Depsite the "shortcomings" I still managed to put this on MANY a pedalboard over the years. And I was content. But some others weren't.
It didn't take very long for the usual question to come out: why didn't they make this stereo in the firstplace?!?
Let it be known I generally prefer Mono over Stereo. One signal is easier to place in a stereo field that a stereo signal. Mono gives you options. Monos is direct and punchy. Stereo is wide and deep but gives you none of those options...
Well, it seems Chase Bliss had their ears to the ground on this one and had something up their proverbial sleeve. ENTER MKII...
MOOD mkII is definitely deserving of its "V2" designation. Not only are the effects we know and love STILL in tact but they've been refined and improved thanks in part to Tom Majescki (mastermind of the Generation Loss & Cooper FX). Gone is the sometimes unbearable clocking noise, the delay repeats are quantized, the pitch shifting is more accruate AND everything is NOW IN STEREO! So, stereo maximalists be happy and shut up.
But, if you still desire the more quirky effects of MOOD they're all still here in the CLASSIC mode.
Plus, secondary controls allow for more tone shaping, ramping options AND level balance between the micro loop and direct signal. Not only that you can now OVERDUB with the micro looper!
I can confidently say that MOOD mkII is my new favorite Chase Bliss pedal. Everything I loved about the original remains and everything I wasn't crazy about has been fixed! And don't even get me started on pairing the MOOD mkII with other Chase Bliss pedals like the Generation Loss mkII and CXM1978...MOOD mkII loves to play with others!
In case you were curious, here are both my OG AND mkII demos side-by-side. Watch one, watch the other. Compare and contrast. Join me in some tonal explorations...
Having said all this, MOOD (in both forms) is not for everyone. It's quirky and erratic; adventurous and mysterious. But if you have a mind to explore and dig deep the sounds you'll unlock are worth the time spent. You may find yourself composing music you wouldn't expect...or even letting go and have MOOD compose it for you.
If you're on the fence, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch the demo! This pedal is $400 and it is not a good idea to go into such a sizable purchase without some foreknowledge of what you're getting into. If you have ANY questions, please feel free to CONTACT me and I will do my best to help you out.
Wishing you Great Tone & Happy Stomping! - SPJ
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