Remember when you first discovered how to add a little bit of funk into your playing? Those couple of chords that you could jam on forever, thinking you were going to form the next Parliament or be the next Stevie Wonder, but on guitar? The Blurst from Electro-Harmonix is a modulated filter pedal that brings the funk with authority, while adding in some fun twists and turns, and always keeping a smile on your face.
Diverting slightly from a regular envelope filter, which uses your instrument’s input level to control the modulation, the Blurst features an internal low frequency oscillator (LFO), which acts similar to a phaser or tremolo. Using an expression pedal to control this makes for some experimental, on-the-fly settings, adding a new dimension to your live playing. Volume and Blend do what they do, while Resonance is set by its knob, which also affects the overall volume of the Blurst. Rate controls the speed of the modulation, and can be controlled by the Expression jack, along with Range and Filter.
Speaking of that, Range sets the Blurst’s frequency spectrum, centering around lower frequencies when turned to the left, higher ones to the right. The Tap Divide toggle lets you choose the note type based on tapped quarter notes, with Dotted 8th, Quarter and Triplet selections. The Shape toggle sets the waveform of the LFO (triangle, rising saw-tooth or falling sawtooth are your choices), and the Tap switch lets you set the speed/rate hands-free, again resulting in some shifting and unpredictable adventures.
The Blurst features an all-analog signal path, but the modulation is controlled digitally, allowing for the tap tempo and expression control, for a funk-laden festival of sound packed with numerous sonic options. Even if you’re not the hugest fan of Strats and funk chords, this thing will surely make you grin just a bit once you plug it in. For those of you who can’t get enough of this stuff, the Blurst is going to be a necessary addition to your rig, one that is sure to stick around for years to come. Check out our demo below on YouTube, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to our channel there as well!
If you’re in the UK, grab this pedal at Spartan Music here: https://spartanmusic.co.uk/products/electro-harmonix-blurst-filter
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