Spaceman Effects Aphelion Harmonic Overdrive - Pedal of the Day

Spaceman Effects Aphelion Harmonic Overdrive

Posted By Pedal of the Day on Friday, August 8, 2014 in Overdrive / Distortion, Spaceman Effects | 1 comment



You know when you first stomp the on/off switch of a new pedal, and you get a rush of exasperation and disbelief, like you can’t believe it took you so long to find this glorious sound pouring out of your amplifier? Somehow, you think, you won’t have to ever buy another effects pedal in your life (yeah, right)? The search has finally ended? The wait is over? Well, it doesn’t happen all that often, in my opinion, but it sure seems to whenever I hear another Spaceman Effects pedal, and the Aphelion just might be Number One on that list.

Simple, elegant design notwithstanding, the controls are nice and simple, but feature a BIG range of tonal possibilities. Gain lets you know how loud you can get, which is really very loud with this pedal, but it never turns into an ear bleed moment, or one where you’d want to drop your guitar and run screaming out the door so you could hear yourself think. The Tone knob has a vast range, too, covering all the lows and highs usually require a 3-band EQ. The Drive is the smoothest, butteriest, most enjoyable overdriven sound I have heard, or at least it’s extremely close. Every note is crystal clear, but has bite, too – there just aren’t a lot of gritty pedals that can do both so well, but the Aphelion really brings the house down. And that’s it. 3 knobs of pure bliss. It coaxes tones out of my amp that I never thought were possible; it’s one of those pedals that make me think my playing is better than it is, and in turn makes me want to study harder and play as much as I can to keep getting better. Pretty powerful stuff from a little metal box.

Hopefully, Spaceman Effects will be coming out with some other glorious creation in the near future, but for now you’ll just have to wait patiently on eBay and Reverb for you chance to grab one of their excellent creations. If you can find one of these guys, you will not be disappointed, and it will be worth what you have to shell out for it – a true sonic marvel for true tube-amp overdriven tone, look no further than the Aphelion from Spaceman Effects.

 

 

Submitted by Mike B, Website

1 Comment

  1. As a Low Volt wirring tech & audio eng the past 20 yrs I can honestly say I think Spaceman effects are simply the best handmade pedals in the U.SA. inside & out.
    I own 2 , a Mercury III Harmonic Booster & a Saturn V.
    Outfrickin standibg.!
    If you want to go on the the cheap & expendable go with Boss.
    But if you want pristine audio that actually makes a real difference & a pedal that will increase in value over time go Spaceman.

    Post a Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *