We get pedals coming through the office here from time to time that are so fun and so insane that they’re difficult to write about. The Tesla Oscilador (Oscillating Tesla, for you English-speakers) from Lee de Forest is a synthesizer-fuzz-envelope-filter-harmonizer-laser-maker of a pedal – again, difficult to write about. While you’ll get the best idea of what this thing can do from the demo video below, we’ll do our best to explain what it’s all about.
At the heart of the Tesla is a square wave oscillator, which works in conjunction with your input signal to create a wide range of strange and unusual tones and sounds. Volume and Blend do their thing, and Freq adjusts the frequency of the oscillator, producing octaves, thirds and fifths, both above and below the original signal. This sends the Tesla into gated fuzz territory as its increased. The Mod knob controls the depth of the modulation present, and Umbral sets the threshold of the gate.
The Tesla is a multi-instrumental device, working wonders not just with a guitar, but beefing up your tone on bass and adding new and exciting bursts of sound to any keyboard and/or synth setup. The input Volume is essential to new tonal discovery here, with on-the-go adjustment playing a key role in the creativity and exploration this type of effect is used for, again, no matter what instrument you’re using. Very different and a bold choice for anyone who uses it, this pedal is not for your average blues-rock gig down at the local church festival…
Taking their name from an inventor who is credited with the invention of the triode valve (earning him the nickname “father of electronics“), Lee de Forest pedals are a fuzz-heavy company, with each effect in their lineup giving us differing takes on this classic effect genre. Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, you can feel the creativity and passion they have coming through the Tesla Oscilador, making us hungry for more of their gear to review and demo. Be sure to check out their website, and don’t miss the demo video to hear what this wild and wacky pedal can do!
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