After checking out the Big Rumble Overdrive Boost and the Heavenly Lake Delay Reverb from Tone City, we were excited to see what was coming next from the TC camp. Enter today’s pedal, the Holy Aura Distortion Boost, a powerful, space-saving beast of a distortion with a little extra push if you need it. Simple and user-friendly, this unit is made to get the most out of your tone… The Tone City Holy Aura Distortion pedal...
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We’re continuing to dive into the world of Tone City pedals today, with a 2-in-1 that will quench even the most snobbish shoegazer’s thirst for the ultimate ambient effect. The Heavenly Lake Delay Reverb brings two of our favorite effects into the mix, smashes them into one beautifully aqua enclosure and adds a bunch of knobs to twist and turn as we see fit. If you like either of these genres of effects a LITTLE BIT,...
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Our friends over at Osiamo Music Gear have introduced us to some great pedal companies over the years, and we’ve got another one for you all today! We’re taking a look at the Tone City Big Rumble Overdrive Boost, a 2-in-1 unit that has a bunch of options and some really killer tones, as well as a cool aesthetic that will have folks asking about “that purple pedal on your board.” Let’s jump in and see what...
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We’re switching things up a little bit today, bring you some amplifier flavor from an excellent local North Carolina company. Come along as we take a look at not one but TWO amazing amps from Port City Amplification: the 30W Grandville Rhett Shull Signature and the 20W Merino Combo. Our pal Carl Perkins was kind enough to lend both of these amps and a killer cabinet to us to check out, and we fell in love instantly with these...
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It’s always a special day when our friends at Beetronics release a new creation, and we’re so happy to be a partner for today’s latest release! The Nectar “Tone Sweetener” is an overdrive and fuzz in one, boasting a wide range of sounds and tones you’ll be swarming about. Little, yes – powerful, absolutely. Let’s see what all the buzz it about, shall we? Shop Beetronics pedals at...
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Today’s featured pedal not only looks and sounds rad, but has a great story behind it as well. The Summer School Electronics Stone Thrower Fuzz is a 2-transistor silicon unit that offers a range of tones, from subtle breakup to full-on aggressive fuzz. Let’s get the backstory on this green beast from Summer School themselves: “In 1925 in Syracuse, NY’s predominantly Irish neighborhood, Tipperary Hill, a group of...
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My Name is Colin Croy, I am the Owner and Engineer at CroyTone Audio Effects Pedals based out of St Louis, MO. Our website is www.CroyToneAudio.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been a musician for about 15 years. My dad was a jazz guitarist and my family and family friends were largely musical so there was always music being played around me. I initially started out playing bass...
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We love the simplicity of the line of effects pedals coming out of Pittsburgh, PA, from our pal Clayton and American Wizard Toneworks. That said, it was nice to see today’s pedal step up the game a little bit, and add some much-appreciated controls into the mix, making the Blk Fuzz Plus a true powerhouse in the world of fuzz pedals. Containing an extra channel and some tone-shaping capabilities, this black beauty gives you all...
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Clayton Donofrio Pittsburgh, PA American Wizard Toneworks americanwizardtoneworks.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I think I was 12 or 13 when I got my first guitar, but I always wanted to play. Growing up my parents always had a great record collection (Black Sabbath, CCR, Led Zeppelin, Queen, etc.) so Rock n Roll was in my blood from the beginning. My mom in particular was very...
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WE LOVE DELAY. Alright, we admit it, happy now? Today’s pedal isn’t going to help to decrease our love of this glorious effect, as it is chock full of killer tones, massive options and both classic and more modern delay sounds. The Magic City Delay comes to us from Swindler Effects, and this particular edition happens to have a bit of a cool design backstory as well. Repeats, Mix and Time are all present as control knobs...
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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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Gimmie a one-knob pedal with maybe one toggle switch, and I’m usually pretty happy. No exception here, as we’re going to take a look at a small company (they don’t even have a website yet) with a great name, American Wizard Toneworks, and their flagship pedal, the Hive Fuzz. As soon as I clicked the bypass switch, my guitar came alive and my amp started yelling at me, in a great way. With only one knob to worry...
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As many of you may know, the 3 Series of affordable effects from JHS Pedals has been out for a while now…what you might NOT realize is that today we’re taking a look at our FIRST ONE!! The Octave Reverb from this series is based on a well-known and well-loved effect, created by a well-known and well-loved musician and producer (any guesses?), and it sounds amazing. With a minimal design aesthetic and minimal controls,...
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Often times, one or two-knob pedals can be dismissed as not having all the bells and whistles that fancier, more expensive effects have, and can be labeled as lesser quality. That’s why we love it when a pedal like today’s comes along, proving all the “experts” completely wrong. The Clarity Dynamic Overdrive from Analog Time Machine crushes all amps and eardrums in its path, but does so in a tasteful and...
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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!!) Guitar Tricks presents The Benefits of Multi-Effects Pedals By Shawn Leonhardt for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer, the original platform for online guitar lessons. Years ago stand-alone guitar pedals were the gold standard and the way to go if you wanted the right sound. In the past decade though...
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After the Dream ’65, Ruby ’63, Woodrow ’55, Starlight, Golden and Astra effects units from Universal Audio were released, everyone was wondering what creations they’d come up with next for their stompbox lineup. Today, we’re proud to present the first of the next three pedals: the Galaxy ’74 Tape Echo & Reverb. Built upon award-winning UAFX dual‑engine processing and an unquenchable thirst for...
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It’s always amazed me how tone-shaping a one-knob effect can truly be – the simplicity seems like it might not have a lot to offer, but that’s usually not even close to the case. Which brings us to today’s pedal, the oddly-named beAst beWst Full Range Boost from EEIDI FX (Everyone Else Is Doing It), the brainchild of Will from Third Age Amplifiers. This hand-wired boost has a killer range, great tone and will...
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Flanging. Players love it and players hate it, but it has had an effect (pun intended) on music since its inception decades ago, and we think it’s a great tool to use for musical experimentation. Sometimes, however, flange units can get too crazy, almost to the point of unusability for some genres – that’s why we really dig today’s pedal, the M152 Micro Flanger from MXR and Dunlop Manufacturing. With two simple...
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It’s Klone Time Again, Kiddos!! We love a good mythical circuit around here, especially when it looks and sounds *really close* to an original…well, at least what we’ve heard an original sounds like, having never been knighted into the club. This particular clone comes to us from Warm Audio as the Centavo Overdrive, an accurate recreation of one of the most unattainable overdrive pedals in guitar history. Let’s...
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The majority of 2-knob pedals out there usually have a really wide range of sounds available, regardless of what type of effect they are housing. From overdrives and phasers to compressors and delays and much more, the 2-knob setup often gets overlooked for units with a ton of knobs and switches, but these simple pedals have just as much a place in our world as anything. Today’s effect keeps with that tradition, bringing a wide...
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We love preamp pedals, and we love reverb effects, so what could be better than to have them both in the same place? AND have them modeled after very old, specific circuitry, making the sound unlike any pedal we’ve encountered before? That’s just what has happened with the Nocturne Brain El Pescadoro Reverberant Hot Preamp, an incredible dual channel device that will transport you about 70 years into the past… The El...
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Our friends over at Poison Noises are releasing new versions of their entire lineup of effects pedals, and have asked us to help showcase these overhauled creations. We’re looking at 2 pedals a week for the next couple months, continuing today with The Vacuum Optical Compressor V2. Strap in and get prepared to explore a universe of dazzling compression, folks…. The Vacuum V2 is an optical compressor that brings you dynamic...
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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!!) Message in a Pedal: How to Get Andy Summers’ Signature Sound By Steven Kendzorski for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer, the original platform for online guitar lessons. Andy Summers joined The Police in 1977, and quickly catapulted the group to international superstardom. With hits like “Every Breath You...
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Sometimes, great effects come from the unlikeliest of places – such is the case with the wonderful pedals from our friends at Jānis.lv Effect Pedals, who reside in Birzgale, Latvia. From the Miesnieks and Tre Tre to the RNGD and Laika Plūsma, each creation they release has a unique spin on its musical genre, all while looking very cohesive as a brand. Today, we’ve got their latest for you – the Purvs Fuzz, which...
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One of the first pedals we ever reviewed here at Pedal of the Day was from our friends at Catalinbread (the Semaphore Tremolo) and we’ve been marveling at every new release they’ve had since then. Today, we’re proud and honored to help introduce the world to the Tribute Parametric Overdrive, a 4-knob, amp-driving, tone-shaping powerhouse that’s sure to find its way onto pedalboards across the globe. Let’s...
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We LOVE a good reverb sound, whether subtle or pronounced, slight or bold, rockin’ or ambient. It’s not often, though, that a device comes through here that actually has SPRINGS in the reverb, and that’s one of the many reasons we’re stoked to bring you the Surfy Industries SurfyBear Compact Reverb Unit. This true spring reverb has a wonderful control section, authentic sound and a stylish, well-built...
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There aren’t a ton of effects pedals coming out of a city I lived in for 8 years, Boise, Idaho, so I’m proud to represent and bring a hand made gem to the masses today. The Red Velvet Overdrive Distortion from Vanilla Sundae Pedals looks deceivingly simple at first glance, but this crimson beauty is hiding some real power under the hood. Part overdrive, part distortion and all balls-out dirt, this bright beauty tears...
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One of the first pedals I ever bought was a Keeley Compressor, back in 2003 or so, and I’ve had some version of that pedal in the office since. It’s become the standard by which other compressors are measured, producing tens of thousands of units over the course of the last 20 years. Keeley’s latest version takes everything we love about this classic sound and smashes it into a small, super pedalboard-friendly...
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Ever since we had the privilege to play the first DiscumBOBulator Envelope Filter, we’ve loved all things EMMA Electronic. Today, that tradition continues with the stellar Navigator Delay, a pinnacle of elegant simplicity, offering everything you need in a delay pedal, and nothing you don’t. With tap-tempo, modulation, beat-splits, trails, wet/dry outputs and more, this one is sure to get your creativity stirring… The...
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Flashy graphics and newly-shaped enclosures have their place in the effects pedal world, for sure, but sometimes, simplicity can be welcome. That seems to be the goal with the lineup from our pals at Kenny B Pedals, and we’re taking a look at our 4th effect from them today. The Double Double has an easy-to-figure-out control section, complete with multiple sonic options, housed in an unassuming, minimalistic case. That’s...
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ONE KNOB. ONE KNOB TO RULE THEM ALL… And so it goes for today’s pedal, the Calico Effects Pounce Preamp. The simplicity you might expect from a one-knob pedal, regardless of genre, can sometime be deceiving. Is that the case with this golden beauty? Let’s delve in and see what’s in store… The Pounce is NOT a transparent, clean, preamp booster…no siree Bob. Quite the opposite, in fact, it adds...
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Following in the footsteps of the highly successful BlackHole Reverb released in mid-2020, the innovators at Eventide are back with another impressive effect. The MicroPitch Delay harkens back to classic Eventide rackmount units from the mid-1970’s, some of the first commercially available digital audio effects devices. Combining de-glitched pitch change with Delay and Feedback, these machines opened up entirely new worlds of...
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Mike Dillon Kansas City, MO Bands: Mike Dillon Band, Nolatet https://mikedillonband.bandcamp.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I have played music since I was 10 years old. I started taking drum lessons when I was in 5th grade, and had my first garage band in 6th grade. We played “American Band,” “Smoke on the Water” and “Black Dog.” I am sure we sucked, but I was hooked!! I played in...
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In today’s brave new world, filled with digital amp emulators and effects processors, sometimes it’s nice to take it back old school and analog. Today’s “pedal” is actually an amp that fits right onto your pedalboard, and is full of tonal and routing options. The Thermion Zero Dynamic Hybrid Amplifier lets you play live, rehearse or practice at home with just your pedals. Lots to explore, let’s get...
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Today’s featured effects pedal has been garnering a lot of attention as of late, and once we got our hands on it, we understood why. The Horrothia FX Type One Stereo Analog Chorus Ensemble is a one-knob modulation machine, but don’t let the unassuming simplicity fool you. There’s a ton of range in this lone dial, and the unique LFO waveform makes it unlike any other chorus or vibrato pedal you’ve ever...
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The InterFax Harmonic Percolator has a weird story. A distortion/fuzz pedal made in the fabulous city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the 70’s, it has become a mystical unit of legend. Probably made most famous by Steve Albini of Big Black and Shellac, these rather bland-looking boxes have a wide range of tones to investigate. Since originals are relatively scarce and spendy, it’s nice when a re-creation comes our way, and...
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You probably know Paul Gilbert from the bands Racer X and Mr. Big. Or, maybe from the G3 Tour and G4 Experience. Or the countless guitar magazine covers. Or the Beatles cover band Yellow Matter Custard. Or the extremely unique Ibanez Fireman guitars he plays and is frequently pictured with. Whatever the case may be, there’s no doubt he’s well-known at the top of the current guitar chain of players, and we’ve got...
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Sometimes, simplicity is the best way to approach something, and that is true of most two-knob effects pedals. Today’s offering, Bardic Audio Devices Goblin Fuzz, takes this concept of simplicity and applies it to one of the heavier pedals we’ve had in the shop in quite a while. If the names of the knobs don’t terrify you enough, just wait until you hear this thing rip through your headphones or...
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We’re stepping outside the old comfort zone again today, folks, and diving into another fantastic synthesizer. This one is larger and more complex than the Outer Space Sounds MOSTRO we checked out a couple weeks ago, but we’re once again pairing it up with some of our favorite pedals to create some fantastic sounds. The Novation Bass Station II Analogue Synthesizer is a powerful machine, encapsulating everything you know...
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Ori Naftaly Southern Avenue www.southernavenuemusic.com https://facebook.com/SouthernAvenueMusic/ https://www.instagram.com/southernavenuemusic/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar when I was 5 years old. I remember listening to my dads record collection that was full of Jazz, Blues, Funk and British rock from the 60s and 70s. I had an amazing mentor called Tony...
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We have always had a bit of an affinity for the exquisite pedals produced by our friends at Spaceman Effects, and are always excited to check out their creations. One of our favorites was the Saturn V Harmonic Boost, a pedal that just adds that extra little bit of POW! and WOW! that your tone sometimes is lacking. Today’s pedal, the Mercury IV, is also rooted firmly in the Boost department, but with a couple more options and a...
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Another 2-in-1 pedal is upon us! This time, it’s a bit of an unusual pairing: Overdrive and Fuzz. Now, you may say to yourself, “That’s not weird,” but surprisingly, that combo isn’t seen all that often. Fuzz/Octave, sure; Overdrive/Boost, absolutely. Overdrive/Fuzz? Not so much, so we were super excited to check out the Pink Hellephant from Stomp Under Foot. The Overdrive side of the Pink Hellephant...
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We love a good overdrive here at Pedal of the Day, and one that is both based on and sounds like an amplifier is right up our alley. Today’s featured pedal takes on a fairly specific and (to us) extremely nostalgic sound – the one coming from Slash and the classic Marshall 2555SL Jubilee 100W amp. With attention to detail, both sonic and aesthetic, rivaling the original head, the Jubilee Silver Overdrive from Alexander...
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We’ve always loved the simplicity of the majority of lineup from Henretta Engineering, but were pretty excited for today’s 2-in-1 pedal. In collaboration with Chicago Music Exchange, the Lake Effect combines Henretta’s Bluebird Fuzz and Crimson Tremolo into one enclosure, and adds a couple of options as well. Taking two great effects and smashing them into one box is usually a pretty great plan, and this one was...
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Today we’ve got the third and final installment in our “Walrus Week” that featured new effects pedals from our friends at Walrus Audio, and we’re headed back to revisit one of the pedals that put them on the map in the first place. The Deep Six Compressor has been a staple in the compression market since its release in 2012, and this particular version, Number Three, continues to build on that solid foundation....
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Willy Porter Milwaukee, WI willyporter.com This is a pretty special interview – as some of you may know, I hail from the great city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I had the pleasure of seeing Willy play numerous times, in high school and beyond, before I moved away. It was a real treat to have been able to sit down with him here in Asheville and talk about music, Mil-town and life in general. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I...
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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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We want the funk. Give up the funk. We need the funk. We gotta have that funk. Truer words have never been spoken, both in general and especially when in relation to today’s magnificently funky featured pedal. The Analogue Filter 442 from Mojo Hand FX brings SOOOO much funk to the table, yet utilizes only two control knobs, making it easy to dial in, yet complex in the amount of range you have for such a simple configuration....
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HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY! We’re going to start off 2019 the same way we ended 2018: with POWER. While the Camper Fuzz from CroyTone Audio focused on the fuzzy side of things, today’s pedal takes a crack at the distortion market, and does so with blistering abandon. The Metal Shock’s name alone should give you a clue as to what it can do – this is a modern, high-gain distortion pedal that is just quivering with...
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Merry Christmas-Hanukkah-Kwanzaa-Boxing Day-Omisoka-Yule to you all, hope your celebrations were safe, festive and full of love and friendship! Now, back to business: today’s pedal is an absolute CRUSHER. Taking the world of distortion and completely throwing it for a loop, the PLASMA High Voltage Distortion Unit from Gamechanger Audio reinvents the way a high gain pedal should look, feel, sound and perform. Using updated and...
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