We all get excited when there’s a new release from Walrus Audio, as they’ve been at the forefront of effects pedal innovation for well over a decade now. Today, we’re stoked to bring you their latest creation, the Silt Harmonic Tube Fuzz, a powerful pedal that utilizes a real tube to create some unique and punchy fuzz tones. Let’s see what the Walrus crew has to say about their latest masterpiece… Grab a...
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A good tube amp is hard to beat, but what if you could harness that sound and put it right into an effect-sized enclosure, complete with actual tubes? That’s what happened with today’s pedal, the Electron Brothers Brass Knuckle High-Voltage All-Tube Overdrive. This big yellow beast uses an all-tube signal path to create the harmonically rich overdrive tones only tubes can…let’s dive right in! Although based on...
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The Dreivoost All-Tube High-Gain Boost was created when Will from EEIDI FX / Third Age Amplifiers saw Fluff (Ryan Bruce) and Ola Englund on YouTube using TS style pedals to boost their Dual Rectifiers, and realized the amplifier tone could be preserved 100% by using a tube boost. This provided the gain kick they wanted with the choice of full range or treble boost. 11 years later, this powerful pedal will do just that…and...
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Love it or hate it, the Ibanez Tube Screamer, in all its iterations, is a staple in the world of guitar overdrive effects. With its characteristic mid-range boost and bright green enclosure, it works with rock, blues, metal and more, becoming part of many famous guitarists’ signature sounds. Its stock version, however, can leave some wanting more, and that’s where today’s pedal comes in – the TS9 Tube Screamer...
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Effects pedals with one footswitch are great…but TWO footswitches? You know you’re in for a real treat. Such is the case with today’s mammoth beast, the Crossfire Overdrive Preamp from Crazy Tube Circuits. Inspired by one of the most iconic Pedal/Amp combinations in musical history, this two-sided gem shapes your tone, pushes your amp and much, much more… The left side is voiced after the blackface amps that...
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We can’t get enough of the effects coming out of the Mozztronics camp, and we’re so honored to bring another brilliant creation to you all today. Using a real 12AX7 tube internally, the TD-2 HV Tube Driver provides authentic, crunchy tube amp tone, with an easy control section for instant overdriven glory. Three knobs doesn’t give you the whole story, so let’s go for a ride and see what this orange beauty is...
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Love ’em or hate ’em, compressors have a place in the musical world – on vocal/instrument microphones, recording/studio gear, interface plugins and, of course, pedalboards. Today’s squishy treat comes to us by way of our friends at Crazy Tube Circuits, improving on one of their existing creations. The φ (Phi) Golden Ratio Compressor is an all-analog unit that’s been ungraded to include 3 separate...
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Let’s head back in TI:ME today, into the land of warm delays and vintage echoes. With a nod to classic echo units of the past, the Crazy Tube Circuits TI:ME Echo Delay is a retro-inspired machine, capable of instantly warming your tone. With separate analog and digital paths, tap tempo, modulation and more, this little pedal has a LOT going on. The all analog signal path in the TI:ME Echo Delay features a high-quality opamp,...
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We just fell in love with the wild modulation, wicked delay and gorgeous reverb found in the Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick when we recently demoed it, and are excited to delve into one particular aspect of that pedal today. The Splash Mk4 Reverb takes elements from said Sidekick, as well as the last version, the Splash mk3, plus adds in a couple new ones for your ambient enjoyment. So much fun in such a small box, we’ll never...
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Combining multiple effects into one enclosure should be a no-brainer, right? Well, we love when boxes like this come through the office, and we’ve got another incredible piece of gear to show you today. The Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick Reverb Delay Modulation brings together, well, FOUR of your favorite effects, placing them all in one pedal with multiple options for each sonic layer. You’re gonna like this one…...
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When a pedal utilizes an ACTUAL tube to produce an overdriven tone, we’re immediately on board. When a company uses a tube in the CORRECT way, to bring out all of the tonal beauty a tube-driven effect should have, we fall head over heels for it. The Mozztronics TD-1 Tube Driver Overdrive accomplishes this feat with just a couple of knobs, a 3-way toggle and some genius internal circuitry. Let’s give this gem a warm...
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The Micro Terror from Orange Amps has been a staple of our gear for years here around the shop, so we were super-stoked when we got word that Orange was sending us their latest small amp concoction. The Terror Stamp 20W Hybrid Tube Pedal Amp is a pedalboard-friendly piece of gear, for sure, measuring just 5.4″ x 2.4″ x 3.9″, but it still brings all the power and tone you’re used to from an Orange amplifier....
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Overdrive pedals that use actual tubes in them are not very common, but we checked on out a couple weeks ago (the Xtonebox Plexi Heritage), and are going to check out another one today! Yay Us! Today’s gem, the GlassJaw, comes to us from Vibrato, LLC, and is a high voltage vacuum tube overdrive pedal.With a dead simple control section and warm, sweet-sounding, amp-driving tones pouring from it, this is the kind of pedal...
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We’ve all been trying to find THAT amp-in-a-box sound forever, it seems, right? A lot of good pedals have come out that have achieved this goal pretty well, but to really make it convincing, you’ve got to have real tubes, and that just isn’t always possible. Fortunately, we have a unit today for you that utilizes TWO real preamp tubes to bring you a faithful recreation of the 1987 Marshall Plexi amp. Ladies and...
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While we mostly review and demo pedal around here, it’s always fun to have something a bit different come rolling through. Today, we’re switching gears and talking about another fantastic subject related to guitars and pedals: AMPS. Let’d face it – without these guys, music wouldn’t be what it is today, and with so many different varieties, variations and options to choose from today, we’re living...
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Sometimes, huge things arrive in extremely small packages. At just 3.5″ x 3.5″ x 3.5″, today’s featured pedal packs a big punch while taking up minimal real estate on your pedalboard. The Oscar from Night Owl Industries is an all-tube preamp, designed to boost your signal, overdrive a distortion pedal, bring out the best in your amplifier and more, fitting in to any rig around. The Oscar uses either an EF86...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Jerry Gentry, and uses a familiar effects pedal in a completely new and creative way. If you’re into the Vibraphone, or know anyone who might be as well, this review is for you! Check out Electric Vibes on Facebook and here on Write Off Records’ website – thanks again, Jerry! Tube amps produce a sound which is distinctive. In the reinforcement of the aural signal they can be...
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Effects pedals with actual tubes in them are just the best, right? They produce a comfortable, inviting sound and feeling when engaged, one that you don’t want to give up…ever. Today’s pedal does just that and more – the Tube Factor Overdrive from Hughes & Kettner promises to take your sound up a notch, maybe even to 11 if you’re lucky… As far as controls go, there are three knobs on the Tube...
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Look, effects pedals that have tube built in are just plain rad. There’s a warmth and energy that they bring forth that is hard to capture otherwise, and we always love getting these types of effects into the shop. Today, we’re going to look at the now-discontinued Tonebone Classic Tube Distortion from Radial Engineering, makers of fine tube-filled gear. Let’s see what’s under the hood with this beast, k? Level...
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We’ve had the pleasure of reviewing and testing out a couple of pedals from Crazy Tube Circuits here in the past, and since they were all in the dirt box category, we were pretty stoked when they sent us a reverb pedal, just to mix it up a little bit. Well, the Splash Mk3 Reverb did not disappoint in the least, further confirming that now is a true golden age of pedal production on Earth. Coming to you all the way from Greece,...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Max F. – find him on SoundCloud (@MaxFaith)! Darkglass Electronics’ products are quickly becoming the hottest way to sculpt tone in the bass world. The Finnish company makes some of the most musical bass preamps, distortions, and amps on the market right now. Today’s pedal is the Darkglass Microtubes B3K Bass Overdrive. The B3K Overdrive has simple and intuitive controls for sculpting a wide...
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Let’s face it: we all love delay. Sure, you can tell your friends or your buddies in the local death metal band that delay is weak and has no place in music, but as soon as you get home, you bust out your favorite delay and noodle for hours. You can admit it. Speaking of killer delays, today’s featured “pedal” just might top the list for modern analog echo recreations, and certainly holds a spot near the top of...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Christian E. – you can find him on Instagram (@chriespiritu) or on his band’s Facebook page (Story Of April). The Tube Screamer is probably the most famous pedal of all time and it has its spot on pedalboards of players from all over the world. The pedal itself is built like a tank. The all metal construction makes a very solid stompbox and you’ll feel like you could gig...
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One of my guitar heroes, Nels Cline, is a super effects junkie, like many of us, and I always liked how diverse and cool his rigs have been over the years. He’s also gotten me to try out numerous pedals, and today’s featured pedal is one that I wanted to get my hands on as soon I could after seeing his Rig Rundown. Having reviewed the Stardust from Crazy Tube Circuits, I wanted something a bit heavier and crunchier, and...
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I’d always heard good things about the TS10 Tube Screamer, and if Stevie Ray Vaughn and Mike McCready used it (and even John Mayer, too!), it had to be AOK in my book. Having reviewed and played many different iterations of the infamous Tube Screamer over the years, I had never had the opportunity to play one of these bad boys, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. TS9 and TS808 comparisons aside, the TS10 has an ongoing...
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The classic Tube Screamer, in its many early variations, is considered by many guitarists as the top dog in the overdrive department, and that can be evidenced by the numerous attempts to recreate that signature sound by pedal companies across the world. With a surge of pedals focusing on smaller footprints and less pedalboard space, Ibanez decided to follow suit and release the Tube Screamer Mini, a micro version of their overdrive...
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As much as I enjoy a nice, small delay pedal that fits beautifully onto my pedalboard, I love the big box delay pedals, the ones that take up too much real estate but sound so incredible that you don’t mind the size whatsoever. In an attempt to satisfy my delay obsession, I may or may not have purchased a number of these pedals over the years, and one that I really dig is the Plush REP-3 Tube-Voiced Delay from our friends at...
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Tube Screamers: you love ’em or you hate ’em, so far as I can tell. The stock ones that I’ve played have never really overly impressed me much (although I’ve never had the opportunity to play one of the old classics from the early 80s) – they’re nice overdrives, but nothing too spectacular, in my book. The 808 we’re reviewing today is one of the reissues, but it has been modded by Analog Man,...
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I first came across the Greece-based company Crazy Tube Circuits when I was listening to a Rig Rundown with Nels Cline, as he is a big fan of their pedals, so I thought I’d check ’em out. The first one I got my hands on was the Stardust Overdrive, which is a highly-responsive and amp-like pedal, perfect for almost any guitar situation, and a worthy comrade to take into the studio with you as well. This pedal, aside from...
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I’ve never been a huge fan of the classic Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal. There, I said it. It might be because I’ve never had the opportunity to play one of the “great ones” from the early 80’s, or maybe it’s just how they’ve always reacted with the amps I’ve played, but it just never grabbed me like it has other folks. So, I was a little skeptical to try the TS9 Strong Mod from JHS Pedals,...
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Another overdrive? Well, it’s true, but this is a fun one…well, let’s face it, they’re all pretty fun! Today’s fun-time stompbox comes to you all the way from Finland via Darkglass Electronics, and they’re tasty pedal is the Microtubes Vintage Overdrive. Four knobs seems simple enough, and it basically is. Level adds or subtracts more or less overall volume output from the pedal, Drive controls the...
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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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Alchemy Audio is a small company based out of Chicago, and the majority of their work stems from performing great upgrades to some of the most famous guitar effects pedals ever created, such as the ProCo Rat, Electro-Harmonix Soul Food, a slew of Boss pedals and, of course, the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer. As most of you know, this pedal is a classic overdrive, used by countless artists since its release in 1982. A good pedal on...
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To really test this pedal, I wanted to run it through an solid state amp, to see how much “tube tone” it would actually add to a sound not produced by tubes in the first place. However, I only have 1 solid state amp, and it’s a little ZT Lunchbox. Maybe not the best demo amp, but I figured if I could coax a warm tube sound out of it, then this pedal was doing its job. Well, it did, and then some. For starters, it...
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For those searching for the modern metal djenty tone, the Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer is best used with the overdrive on 0 so all gain comes from the amp. The pedal is great and the reviews speak for themselves, but Keeley is a god – he can bring things out of pedals you didn’t know existed. So much middle and the bass is as tight as it gets, it’s a stand alone pedal and the most interesting things happen in the...
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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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Today, we’re excited to be teaming back up with an awesome pedal maker, and helping to introduce a new/old collaborative release. Frost Giant Electronics is excited to announce they have teamed up with Dave Davidson of Revocation to bring back his Eidolon pedal. A true “desert island” in modulation, bringing you a beautiful digital delay, reverb, and a clean boost to help clear up your board for solos and those looking to expand...
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After being pretty blown away by the Orbital Pitch Shifter and NovaDrift Modulation pedals from ALABS Audio, we were excited to check out the next pedal in their Adam Adventure Series, which happens to come from our favorite effect genre. The TimeSlip Stereo Delay features loads of echo modes, options and exploration into all things delay, with a wide stereo field to engulf your audience. Lots of knobs and switches here, let’s...
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The lineup from Summer School Electronics has just gotten better and better with each new release, and today’s new pedal might just be their best one yet. The Class Reunion Overdrive Fuzz Distortion combines all elements of those three effect genres into one beautiful and still pedalboard-friendly enclosure, for a wide range of awesome, dirty sonic prowess. Lots of knobs and switches here, let’s see what this one is all...
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It’s been a little while since we’ve heard anything from the folks over at Danelectro, but today’s pedal suddenly appeared in the mail a couple weeks ago, and what a wonderful surprise it was. The Nichols 1966 Distortion Fuzz brings back the very first circuit created by fOXX pedals founder and current Danelectro owner Steve Ridinger, which has been elusive since the 1960s. This unique sound is gonna be loved by...
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On this lovely 4/20 morning, we’re continuing our journey exploring the lineup of effects from our local buds Asheville Guitar Pedals. Today, we’re looking at their Echo Machine Delay, a little mini pedal with simple controls and the perfect amount of delay for those just getting into the genre, or seasoned echo vets who want to enhance their sound. You can dial in a great tone is literally seconds, let’s see what...
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It’s always a thrill to get gear from a pedal company for the first time, and today’s effects unit is sure to get the commenters talking. Combining a mythical circuit with a familiar-looking enclosure, the Attic Audio Transparent Overdrive brings you the best of both worlds. Designed to be a little tongue-in-cheek, this drive/boost provides incredible tonal punch, along with being an excellent conversation starter…...
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Well, it’s Benson Amps time again, folks!! It’s always a pleasure when their effects make it to our office, and this latest gem is sure to get everyone talking. The Germanium Preamp builds on the first pedal that Benson ever released, the aptly-titled Preamp Pedal, but with some tweaks and new circuitry options along the way. The result is a slightly lower gain, but richer sounding and feeling...
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We loved the Germanium Fuzz pedal that Silktone Amps put out a couple years ago, and we’re excited to have their latest effect creation for you today! The overdrive+ is an original circuit with a whole range of both familiar and unique tones – from low gain always-on tonal enhancer to ripping high gain lead machine. Come along as we explore all the ins-and-outs of this beautiful amp-pushing machine, won’t ya? With a...
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Last month, we were able to check out the amazing Utopia Deluxe Echo Delay from Anasounds, and were floored by the amount of sonic options packed into such a compact enclosure. Today, we’re looking at another pedal with similar attributes, but switching gears as far as effect genre is concerned. The Sandman Double Overdrive combines two of Anasounds’ previous pedals into one unit, gives them some upgrades and crushes any...
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The folks at Stone Deaf have never shied away from intriguing, boundary-busting effects creations, and today might be their most ambitious yet. The Rise & Shine Fuzz Octave Tremolo not only combines those three effects into one box, it changes the way you will forever hear them moving forward (in the best of ways). Big tones, bold sonic creations, unusual pairings – this pedal has go it all… Elevate your musical...
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We’ve been reviewing and demoing effects units from NUX for over six years now, and they just keep getting better and better. Today, we’re continuing our exploration into their Core Series of pedals (the Tape Core Deluxe was amazing, BTW) as we check out the Verb Core Deluxe, a vast-reaching, wide-ranging ambient powerhouse that brings your favorite reverb sounds up from the depths…let’s dive right in, shall...
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After checking out the newest pedals in the Keeley Electronics’ lineup recently, we’re going to head back a little ways to review a classic 2-in-1 effect from our friends in OKC. Combining two popular Keeley circuits into one pedal, the Parallax Spatial Generator Delay Reverb brings ambience and shoegazing right to your feet. Lots of control parameters and a wide range of tonal options here make sure you can create the...
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After going 3-for-3 on heavy dirt pedals so far from our friends at Asheville Guitar Pedals, we’re moving into our favorite genre for today’s creation: Delay. The Follower Delay is a digital delay with a barebones control system, but one that provides big, bold repeats and beautiful echoes for days. It looks good, it sounds good – what more do you need? The Follower Delay Pedal is the ultimate tool for musicians...
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It’s always exciting when we get to check out new pedals from companies for the first time, and we’re stoked to welcome Artisanal Effects into the mix today. Their Toneshaper Drive EQ Overdrive pedal combines the oomph of an overdrive with the frequency-sculpting of a 6-band EQ, for a well-rounded sound that can fit with ANY setup. There’s a lot of history on this one, so lets hear from the builder about how it came...
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