Review - MFC KickTag labels by Pedalboardlabels.com - gigged!

benson

benson

Inspired
Received my labels and tags for my MFC on Friday. Initially I didn't know which design to go for as they all looked cool but eventually went for the Burnout theme with glow labels.

When they arrived the first thing I noticed was the quality was great. Beautifully cut with great colours, bright and vivid just like the photo's. The glow labels looked impressive when I opened the package and I could actually see them glow in the bag! They kind of reminded me of excited little aliens desperate to pop out the bag eager to make me and my MFC happy :)

The surrounds fitted perfectly round the switch and LED on the MFC. They sat squarely in position with no overhang on the bottom edge and instantly looked very cool. I next added the text inserts and was seriously impressed at how perfectly flush they sat within the surround. No overhang and you'd never know it was a two part system - genius! Putting them in place was easy - the magnets are strong enough to hold the labels in place without making them tricky to apply - or remove.

I had a gig Saturday night at a local bar. I was really looking forward to checking out the glow under stage lighting. I couldn't help but show my bandmates my labels and they were impressed, We managed to get a couple of syllables of approval from the drummer which has never been done before ;)

The flexibility is fantastic, during sound check I wanted to change the location of one of my IA's as we had a new song which required liberal use of a particular effect. I changed the MFC switch layout then just popped out the text label and swapped it round - easy.

I could tell the glow labels were revving up and ready to go during our set up. When it came to our opening number the lights went down and whola … there they were. I could read all my labels and see exactly where my IA's were and didn't have to guess any more. They worked brilliantly.

So there you are. If you're looking to smarten up your board plus add the functionality of viewing your labels in the dark during live work these babies are absolutely essential.

The only downer? I now need KickTags for my Mission expression pedals. Sukh, we need to talk dude!
 
i have "some" labels on order. I was actually in two minds - because I alredy have a set from Stomplabels. Now they are nice, based on FX, but are a compromise on the "patch/amp" front. The default labels dont really match how I use theMFC as I have 5 core tones, Clean, Crunch, Nid Gain, High Gain and Modern. There was alos no way of showing the "hidden" function on these switches.

When I saw the Kicklabels I thought mmm. Labels with whatever you like - so my own names AND the possibility of both functions using the small "modyfier" - space permitting. I alsoi really like the "glow" option. However, none of the set really flipped my switch - aND they dont have any lebels for the control switches.

Well - after emailing the company, if appears there is a "control" set upcomming - available in "Glow" mode (not sure whether ther single or two part labels). They are also developing a non intrusive FX based set. What Ive gone for is the Amp set - which I will use anyway, and a set of 8 custom labels. Ive gone for various lables to try them out as follows:

1. CLEAN - with a small Tune
2. CRUNCH with a small pitch
3. MID GAIN with a snall Dly2
4. M GAIN with small Dly2 - in case the longer label wis too small to see properly
5. HIGH GAIN with a small eq
6. H Gain with a small eq for the same reason as M GAIN
7. MODERN with a small tempo
8. MODERN with a small tap - again for sizing issues.

Once the control set is out - and the FX based surrounds I can order those along with "glow" labels that I KNOW work. AS a bonus - being an existing customer - Ill get a discount on this larger order. Ill also be able to directly compare the two makes of lebels for quality/fit etc.

Should have the new labels by Wednesday as Im in the UK abnd there being shipped today. Ill get some A/B photos up here :)
 
see, i think the amp set answered the "dual function" preset switches that overlay the hidden fx. to me it makes sense to still put the fx text, but then use an amp surround instead so without words, the picture describes what the preset layout usually is. with stomplabels, which do have nice artwork themselves, you can't easily swap out the text. that sold me on sukh's approach.

regardless, i committed to the same pattern of clean, grit/dirty/light od, med gain/crunch, lead/high gain rhythm, and solo/ultra/etc. that people have been doing for years and i think that works for me. i probably wouldn't use more than 2-3 presets per song anyway. while the axe is powerful, it's also complicated and without an mfc expansion (yet), overloading the IA's with too much meaning on the tags would just confuse the hell out of me. ymmv, of course. again, just mho. and i don't gig right now, so how much clout do i really have :mrgreen
 
Hey guys, I took some photo's before I left for home, didn't know how effective my camera would be in low light conditions, not sure how kind Imageshack will be to these .....





 
Cool indeed. Though I'm happy I've ordered the "subtle" theme. ;)
That font works well, especially with max. 6 characters.
 
Got my small set today. As I said earlier I only went for the Amp surrounds, and 8 labels - so I could see what sizes worked and what dont. Also because there is no control set yet I didnt go for the "glow" set, and as I didnt like the surround options at present (might get the subtl, though there working on a FX based set).

Anyway - 3 pics. The first one is all Stomplabels, the second is the amp surrounds and the larger letters with abreviations on the labels, the 3rd is the smaller letters with full words.

I think there really good. I did have issues with the stomplabels as after only a week I got some of the graphics rubbing off - and any moisture seemed to cause the graphics to rub off too. I did get replacement labels from Stomplabel so cant fault them there - and I covered them in stick plastic to further protect them which wasnt difficult - but these Kicklabel ones seem to be finished better. I wet one spare surround, and tried to scratch it with the edge of a coin - nothing happened :)

Anyway - pics - sorry for the links. i cant seem to upload to photobucket, so had to create a quick account elsewhere. cant seem to get this one to show the pics directly.

stomplabel - Photos - View other's original photo - Yahoo! Pulse
kick label large - Photos - View other's original photo - Yahoo! Pulse
kick label small - Photos - View other's original photo - Yahoo! Pulse
 
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benson said:
Received my labels and tags for my MFC on Friday. Initially I didn't know which design to go for as they all looked cool but eventually went for the Burnout theme with glow labels.

When they arrived the first thing I noticed was the quality was great. Beautifully cut with great colours, bright and vivid just like the photo's. The glow labels looked impressive when I opened the package and I could actually see them glow in the bag! They kind of reminded me of excited little aliens desperate to pop out the bag eager to make me and my MFC happy :)

The surrounds fitted perfectly round the switch and LED on the MFC. They sat squarely in position with no overhang on the bottom edge and instantly looked very cool. I next added the text inserts and was seriously impressed at how perfectly flush they sat within the surround. No overhang and you'd never know it was a two part system - genius! Putting them in place was easy - the magnets are strong enough to hold the labels in place without making them tricky to apply - or remove.

I had a gig Saturday night at a local bar. I was really looking forward to checking out the glow under stage lighting. I couldn't help but show my bandmates my labels and they were impressed, We managed to get a couple of syllables of approval from the drummer which has never been done before ;)

The flexibility is fantastic, during sound check I wanted to change the location of one of my IA's as we had a new song which required liberal use of a particular effect. I changed the MFC switch layout then just popped out the text label and swapped it round - easy.

I could tell the glow labels were revving up and ready to go during our set up. When it came to our opening number the lights went down and whola … there they were. I could read all my labels and see exactly where my IA's were and didn't have to guess any more. They worked brilliantly.

So there you are. If you're looking to smarten up your board plus add the functionality of viewing your labels in the dark during live work these babies are absolutely essential.

The only downer? I now need KickTags for my Mission expression pedals. Sukh, we need to talk dude!
Click to expand...


Thanks for the review buddy - glad your digging them.

And your board looks great!!

Sukh

(p.s. Mission pedals - surely you can tell what they do without having a label on them?) :)
 
paulmapp8306 said:
Got my small set today. As I said earlier I only went for the Amp surrounds, and 8 labels - so I could see what sizes worked and what dont. Also because there is no control set yet I didnt go for the "glow" set, and as I didnt like the surround options at present (might get the subtl, though there working on a FX based set).

Anyway - 3 pics. The first one is all Stomplabels, the second is the amp surrounds and the larger letters with abreviations on the labels, the 3rd is the smaller letters with full words.

I think there really good. I dod have issues with the stomplabels as after only a week I got some of the graphics rubbing off - and any moisture seemed to cause the graphics to rub off. I did get replacement labels from Stomplabel so cant fault them there - and I covered them in stick plastic to further protect them which wasnt difficult - but these Kicklabel ones seem to fe finished better. I wet one spare surround, and tried to scratch it with the edge of a coin - nothing happened :)

Anyway - pics:

stomplabel - Photos - View other's original photo - Yahoo! Pulse
kick label large - Photos - View other's original photo - Yahoo! Pulse
kick label small - Photos - View other's original photo - Yahoo! Pulse
Click to expand...


Thanks very much for your review Paul - really glad you like them!

I have to say, I was concerned that with so much text, it would look a bit small, but that's not too bad.

For anyone reading this, the normal font and text size can better be seen on Benson's post, but at least Pauls pics show how it would look with more on there too.

And hey, Paul, I've just put together the prototypes for the Control switches and they look INSANE!! Another different approach by us that I think you're all going to really like. I have 2 versions I've put together, one that is ridiculously cool, but impossible for me to make available for people (took me 2 hours to make one set of 4 labels!!) and the other version which is probably a bit more sensible and still very cool.

Need to try them out for the week to make sure nothing falls apart (you'll understand when u see what we've done) and if all is cool, then they'll be up for sale next week.

Cheers man - will keep you all updated!
 
paulmapp8306 said:
Got my small set today. As I said earlier I only went for the Amp surrounds, and 8 labels - so I could see what sizes worked and what dont. Also because there is no control set yet I didnt go for the "glow" set, and as I didnt like the surround options at present (might get the subtl, though there working on a FX based set).

Anyway - 3 pics. The first one is all Stomplabels, the second is the amp surrounds and the larger letters with abreviations on the labels, the 3rd is the smaller letters with full words.

I think there really good. I dod have issues with the stomplabels as after only a week I got some of the graphics rubbing off - and any moisture seemed to cause the graphics to rub off. I did get replacement labels from Stomplabel so cant fault them there - and I covered them in stick plastic to further protect them which wasnt difficult - but these Kicklabel ones seem to be finished better. I wet one spare surround, and tried to scratch it with the edge of a coin - nothing happened :)

Anyway - pics - sorry for the links. i cant seem to upload to photobucket, so had to create a quick account elsewhere. cant seem to get this one to show the pics directly.

stomplabel - Photos - View other's original photo - Yahoo! Pulse
kick label large - Photos - View other's original photo - Yahoo! Pulse
kick label small - Photos - View other's original photo - Yahoo! Pulse
Click to expand...

Btw - just wanted to say - nice that you tried to trash the label !! :)

We use high-quality Kodak paper for the printing, so it's good to hear it looks good after taking some abuse from you!

I know people think this is probably just sales speak, but we genuinely tried a TON of different materials. Some were thicker but didn't last as well or print as well, some were stronger magnets, but the finish wasn't as good etc etc.

The Kodak paper was the best balance of thickness with the best quality reproduction we found.

Anyway, thanks again for your review - appreciate it mate.

Sukh
 
I know what you mean about too much text, but as I intend to get a complete glow set later, I thought spending £6 on a standard set (that matches the stomplabels) and taking the oportunity to try different sizes was worth it.

FWIW, My favourite in the house is the full text. Its small, but not too small. I will try both at the next gig though as in the heat of battle, I may prefere the larger text. The smaller text used for the secondary function is the same either way, so its only the main function text I need to decide on.

Good job all round though :)
 
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paulmapp8306 said:
I know what you mean about too much text, but as I intend to get a complete glow set later, I thought spending £6 on a standard set (that matches the stomplabels) and taking the oportunity to try different sizes was worth it.

FWIW, My favourite in the house is the full text. Its small, but not too small. I will try both at the next gig though as in the heat of battle, I may prefere the larger text. The smaller text used for the secondary funtion is the same either way, so its only the main function text I need to decide on.

Good job all round though :)
Click to expand...

Thank you brother - your feedback means a lot to us. We're a small company and no advertising money behind us, so if you dig them and were happy with the process and (importantly) our service, please do us a favour and spread the word!

Cheers,
Sukh
 
got Photobucket to work so direct pics:

Stomplabels:

P1020114.jpg


Kicktabs Amp surrounds with abreviated text:

P1020118.jpg


Kicktabs amp surrounds with full text:

P1020117.jpg
 
Oops, got too excited. Forgot to mention that the Kicktags were sent and delivered almost immediately with a personal message from Sukh. I haven't set them up in the positions I need for gig use yet but couldn't wait to take a pic and show them off! They seem great quality in my opinion and am already trying to plan some custom glow labels...

Arnie
 
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