Equalization and Boost pedals are not always flashy, or the most talked-about, or the hottest new releases when they are debuted. Today’s pedal flips the script, though, providing plenty of eye-opening tonal brilliance and showing us all how these two pedal genres can be best utilized in any situation. The Ground Control Audio Noodles Tone Shaper EQ Boost gives you a whopping 64 different tone combinations from its 3 bands, each...
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We’ve partnered up with our friends Ground Control Audio a couple times over the last few months to check out their rad lineup of pedals, and today it looks like we’re gonna do it again! Their latest offering is the aesthetically pleasing and excellent sounding (and hard to pronounce at first) Amaterasu Bright Pre-Amp, a simple, down-to-earth boost that offers a couple different options, and will send your amp into the...
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We recently reviewed an excellent overdrive pedal from our friends to the north, Canadian-based Ground Control Audio. They’re back at it again, this time with their newly released “discrete distortion”, the Locust. Pushing silicon amplification into loud and sluggish distortion territory, this pea green monster has a lot of power, and will put a smile on your amp’s face as soon as you plug it in. Volume, Gain...
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At Pedal of the Day, we love discovering new companies that are putting out great gear, and today’s pedal and company are a prime example. Ground Control Audio comes to us via Montreal, Canada, and their flagship pedal is what we’ll be looking at today. The Blood Oath Overdrive is a nice, low to mid gain drive that has a great sound and a nice EQ section to dial in whatever dirty sounds you might be after. The Volume knob...
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Today’s pedal is both brand new and not…if that can make any sense. The now-resurrected and much-revered Octave Clang from Death By Audio is BACK, bringing its unique sound along with some new improvements and sonic options to the table. As usual, this DBA unit isn’t for everyone, but it should be, ’cause it is WICKED AWESOME… In the decade since it disappeared, Death By Audio revisited the original Clang...
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We’re diving into the world of UAFX from Universal Audio again today, but this one takes a different sort of turn. The OX Stomp Dynamic Speaker Emulator provides you with the ability to mimic just about any speaker cabinet + microphone setup you could think of. With on-board options and easy controls, plus a ton of extras as usual, this unit continues UA’s magnificent run of amazing pedals… Grab an OX Stomp from...
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It’s been a while since we saw an effects pedal from Wounded Paw Audio, and it’s also been a while since we had a bass pedal to review and demo. Luckily, both of these are getting fixed today, with the introduction of the Attack Goat OD DI Bass Pre-Amp, a 2-channel fuzz, overdrive, EQ and more. If you’re looking for a tone-shaping, amp-pushing, low-end machine to handle your 4, 5 or 6-string needs, you’re in...
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After the Catalinbread Tribute Parametric Overdrive a couple days ago, we’re honored to get to share in the release of another brand new drive pedal today, this time coming to you from J. Rockett Audio Designs. Based on the classic tones of a bearded Texas legend, El Hombre is the ideal overdrive for those feeling the blues or ready to rock all night. Capturing the nuances and touch sensitivity of an amplifier, El Hombre can go...
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Enrico Preuß KMA Audio Machines Berlin, Germany www.kma-machines.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Well, I started playing guitar with the age of 18. A friend from school was playing a red Squier Strat and a Peavey Valveking 100W 2×12 combo and he showed me some Green Day, Ulver and Anathema riffs…oh, and he was using a Marshall jackhammer pedal (the first pedal I ever heard...
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Sometimes, we stumble across a company that doesn’t have a lot of information pertaining to them on the old interwebs, making it a tricky puzzle as to if they’re still in business or not. Today’s pedal comes to us from AboveGroundFX, whose pedals are available at Vintage King, but who don’t appear to have a social media presence or an updated website to their name. Regardless, the Tone Control Booster is a nice...
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There are times when you plug in a pedal and think, “Hey, this might be kinda cool” and are then absolutely blown away once you click that bypass switch. Today’s pedal was one of those for us, for sure: the Solar Eclipse Fuzz from Earthground Audio. Not only does it satisfy all of our fuzzy desires, it has options for days and tweakablity to fit into any musical scenario. Let’s check it out! Inspired by the Big...
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Today’s featured effect not only showcases some incredible sonic prowess from the designers, it also gives a nod to one of our favorite television shows EVER. For those of you who marveled in ‘Stranger Things’ like most of the rest of the world, you’ll surely recognize the name Demogorgon, the moniker given to this insane pedal. Blending in elements of fuzz, tremolo and reverb, this beastly monster sounds...
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Since most of the pedals that come through the shop here are geared towards guitar, today’s pedal was a breath of fresh air, and hopefully an asset to all you bass players out there who think your instrument doesn’t get represented enough (which you’re absolutely right about). The B Station from Hotone Audio is a powerful Preamp + D.I., featuring multiple connections, an FX loop, on-board compressor and more. Since...
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Today’s “pedal” is a bit of a new territory for us, and one that we were excited to attempt and figure out. The PEDALpUNK! is an audio interface designed to allow analog devices to interact with digital workstations and computers without any quality loss. There’s a lot going on here, so let’s dive in and see what we can discover! The three control knobs are what you use to dial in the sounds emitted from...
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The Flanger effect is one of the most recognizable in all the land, and one that generally is not in the forefront of a lot of music these days (or, in the past, either, really). Sort of an oddball effect, the lone kid on the playground that’s kinda weird and is sometimes difficult to approach, flanging is mostly used in very specific settings, and even then only for short bursts or passages. Until now. Joel Korte and the team...
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Sometimes, the simplest pedals can be some of the coolest and most fun, and a lot of times can be used in many different ways. Lots of buttons and knobs and bells and whistles are always fun, but sometimes you just want a pedal that you can only turn on or off, with no controls and virtually nothing to think about. A prime example of the marriage of simplicity and usefulness is today’s wacky signal processor pedal from Fuchs...
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The last few months have been busy for Joel and the crew at Chase Bliss Audio. After releasing brand new versions of their staple pedals the Warped Vinyl and the Wombtone, they’ve now released a THIRD pedal in almost as many weeks, and it will shatter your expectations once again. Keeping with the theme of “best modulation gear on the planet”, we present you with the Gravitas Analog Tremolo. As with the other Chase...
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Eric Clapton. Ritchie Blackmore. Brian May. Tony Iommi. What do these fine gentleman have in common, besides being incredible guitar players? They achieved tones that are still being sought out today, by way of using a Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster. These pedals were made to push an amplifier into a gorgeous overdriven tone, and were featured on some real breakthrough albums back in the day. Our friends at Tribute Audio Designs...
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The reverb pedal you’ve been waiting for is now here (no, not the big blue one that has to do with the Sky) – the Descent Reverb from Walrus Audio. This is a complex reverb on steroids, allowing you to access a ton of different tones and modes, most with a stomp of your foot, for easy use and brilliant sound. Let’s get to it, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. First off, it looks amazing coming out of the box...
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We’re venturing back into the unpredictable world of Chase Bliss again today, as we check out their latest release. A collaboration with Goodhertz, an audio software company making plugins and algorithms, Lossy is a lo-fi bit crusher at its heart, but with a TON of other options, nooks and crannies waiting to be explored. Come along as we lose our collective minds trying to decipher what’s going on with this amazing new...
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(This article comes from our friends at GuitarTricks.com – check out their site for tons of guitar-related tips and tricks!!) The History of the Flanger By Shawn Leonhardt for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer, the original platform for online guitar lessons. The Flanger guitar pedal has an interesting background that involves both science and a lot of luck! Like many guitar and music effects it stems from early experiments with...
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Getting in on the ground floor to help promote a company’s first flagship pedal is always something special here at Pedal of the Day, and we’ve got an absolute banger on the bench today. The Hog Overdrive from Tallon Electric is the only overdrive ever created that enables you to dabble with the untamed guitar stylings of the band Bilmuri, whose sound incorporates pop-punk, electro-laced emo, experimental post hardcore and...
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday season, and that your 2023 is already off to a great start. We’re going to get off to a great start here at Pedal of the Day as well, bringing you some dynamic effects units to start off the year. Recently released, the Moog Moogerfooger Effects Plug-ins are faithful recreations of the classic, big box Moogerfooger effect lineup, which has been discontinued for...
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Well, the groundbreaking, innovative team at Meris is up to it again, and this time around, they just might have created the *perfect* delay pedal. You’ve probably heard about the LVX Modular Delay System since its release earlier this year, and if you haven’t had a chance to sit down with it yet…let’s just say you’re gonna want to as soon as possible. There’s so much going on in this pedal,...
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We eagerly await each new release from our pals at Strymon, as many of you do, and their latest is an absolute mindbender. The Zelzah Multidimensional Phaser, aside from having a wicked rad name, is a modulation pedal like no other. Focusing on phasing, it also sports elements of chorus, vibrato, flanger and tremolo, all while sweeping an enormous range of phaser tones, modern and vintage. Grab your headphones and strap in,...
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Y’all know how much we love delays around here, right? All shapes and sizes, all price points and all ranges of options are more than welcome: always have been, always will be. Therefore, it was a no-brainer to give the Joyo R-10 Nascar Analog Delay a go, and we’re sure glad we did. This simplistic delay produces some beautiful tones, and will have you playing with a smile on your face within seconds of plugging it in....
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My name is Luis Aznarez, I am from Barcelona, Spain and I have a pedal company called Lefa Pedals located in Seattle, Washington www.lefapedals.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing bass more than 25 years ago. A friend from school told me to join his band. My musical knowledge at that time was practically non-existent, I thought that a bass was a 4-string guitar that did...
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The wonderful world of multi-effects has had quite a resurgence in the last couple of years, with bigger, more powerful machines that actually sound incredible being put on the market. With all of these fantastic sounds and options available, there’s also been a considerable price hike in these effects units, too, making it hard for those on a lower budget to even be able to test them out, to see if it’s a good fit for...
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Greg Bortnichak Olympia WA Teach Me Equals (currently) & Sparta Philharmonic (formerly). I’ve also done session work pretty consistently over the last two decades, lending string arrangements to all sorts of projects. Some you might recognize would be Circa Survive, Jonathan Badger, Dream Tiger, Eating Club, The Metal Hearts, RedRumsey, Br’er, and HeadShy. www.teachmeequals.com spartaphilharmonic.bandcamp.com How long have you...
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Mixing it up in the effects pedal department has become almost the standard these days – adding clever options, combining effects and trying to change the overall soundscape of what we all use on our pedalboards. Today’s pedal addresses this in dramatic fashion, producing elements of fuzz, distortion, oscillation and overall weirdness with ease. The Guardian Fuzz from Hologram FX seeks to destroy everything you thought you...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Dominick F. – you can find him here on Twitter. Thanks again, man! The Meris Polymoon is an incredible delay pedal based off of old Rack unit modules. With relative ease create lush reverb sounds or even syncopated rhythmic trails. With up to 1200ms of delay with or without tap tempo and premium analog JFET inputs, this beast offers crisp and clean high quality audio. Onto some of the controls:...
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We’ve been fortunate enough to get to review and demo some excellent gear from our friends over at Eventide, and that is gonna keep going today when we take a look at another marvelous creation from these guys. The PitchFactor is a pitch shifter / harmonizer / octave and so much more, adding layers upon layers of sound into your signal path, and allowing you to create and imagine more than you could before. With synth effects,...
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Efren Castro Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Paradox Effects www.paradoxeffects.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Since I was 11, I’m currently 30. I started playing bass on my own and then got together with a few friends to play some Misfits covers. I think one of the reasons I got through most of the days playing instruments was to keep myself away from the streets of my hood,...
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Mike Beigel Mu-FX Encinitas, CA www.mu-fx.com [Mu-FX by Beigel Sound Lab is a division of Beigel Technology Corp.] facebook.com/BeigelSoundLab How long have you been a musician? How did you get into musical effects in the first place? My main musical training was classical music on clarinet, but I also played Saxophone for a local high school dance band (“The Crescendos”), and for some local rock & roll bands and guitar just for...
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Jeremy DePoyster Chicago, IL The Devil Wears Prada www.tdwpband.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I got my first acoustic at 10, and have played ever since. I took a quick interest in keyboards, synths, and sequencers and have been making music with them since around the same time. I started with a KORG Polysix running a curly cable into a Fender Champ Amp. Who have been some of your...
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When one of the most talked about and anticipated effects of the year shows up on your doorstep, the excitement that has been building up in your brain finally becomes a reality. The aptly named Reverb pedal from Empress Effects is the pedal we’re talking about today, and it absolutely lives up to the hype. We’ll try to give you a good amount of info in this review and subsequent demo video, but this is truly a pedal that...
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Andy Greene Escape Plan Pedals http://www.escapeplanpedals.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve played music for pretty much my entire life. I got my first guitar, a miniature steel string acoustic, when I was 5. I learned simplified versions of most of the standard position major chords and a few minor chords and would try to put on concerts for my family. I really got interested in...
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Multi-effects pedals can be tricky to write reviews about, as there is so much going on, and so many different options to choose from that it makes it hard to narrow the writing down and focus on a few things to discuss in detail. Such is the case with today’s featured pedal, the M5 Stompbox Modeler from Line 6 – and if the regular functionality of this pedal wasn’t overwhelming enough, this model has been modded by...
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Rarely am I at an immediate loss for words when plugging in a new pedal for a review, but that was absolutely the case with the Grizzly Fuzz from Stonefly Effects. This is one of the fuzziest, quirkiest, glitchiest fuzz pedals I have ever come across, and getting it to play nice was an awesome challenge. First off, there’s no power input: battery only. That should give you a hint as to how this pedal was conceived, and what it...
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Just take a look at this thing…recognize it? Then you’re probably not under 20 years old, as it seems these things have become somewhat of an underground legend. The Tube Driver, in this particular case from Chandler Industries in San Francisco, has been a staple on many famous and influential guitarists, even if you might not know where their killer overdrive tone was coming from. Granted, these all don’t sound the...
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