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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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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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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We’re back in the AVL once again today, keeping it close to home with our buddies down the road, Asheville Guitar Pedals. We checked out their mini 308 Distortion a couple weeks ago, and today we’re looking at the equally powerful Fuzz Driver Distortion. This one has just two control knobs, but the range and gusto trapped in this pedal is unleashed with a serious fury, all while maintaining gorgeous, amp-driving tone. Get...
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Today, we’re heading back into the wonderful world of Keeley Electronics, with one new-ish pedal and one brand new creation, both coming out of the Overdrive camp. The Muse Driver sees Keeley collaborating with guitarist Andy Timmons once again, while the Noble Screamer harkens back to classic, battle-tested drive tones. Each of these pedals have modern options, a wide spectrum of sounds and that superb Keeley build we all know...
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After checking out the Rooms Stereo Reverberator last month from Death By Audio, we couldn’t wait to get our grubby paws on some more of their gear. Alas, salvation hath arrived in the form of the down and dirty Apocalypse Overdriver Fuzz, a powerhouse of a beast that boosts, crushes and annihilates anything and everything in its path – ARE YOU READY??? The Apocalypse is a jack-of-all trades fuzz pedal. After being...
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If you play guitar, chances are you have wanted or still do want to emulate the amazing tones of David Gilmour from Pink Floyd. Even if their music isn’t your jam, it’s hard to deny the affect he has had on the guitar as an instrument, and his tone from the 70’s is the stuff of legend. One of the main pieces of said tone was the Colorsound Power Boost, later renamed the Overdriver, which is where today’s pedal...
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Let’s face it: there are a LOT of overdrive pedals to choose from out there. We should know, we’ve had more than 200 come through our shop over the years. It’s also a genre that never seems to let up, with older and newer companies alike pumping out great drive after great drive. So, what makes the Shnobel Tone Daily Driver™ stand out from all of these choices? THE SOUND. The simple control section and lone toggle...
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If you use pedals, chances are you have a boost, overdrive, distortion or fuzz on your board….or maybe all of them, or many multiples of all of them. But what if you had a pedal that could do ALL of those things, that was built for classic and contemporary tones and was as versatile as can be? Then you’d probably want to check out today’s featured effect, the Odyssey Intergalactic Driver from Hamstead Soundworks. Not...
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Having recently reviewed and demoed a couple of pedals from our pals down under at Midnight Amplification, the Sentinel Reverb Overdrive and the Giant Sound Preamp Boost Fuzz, we were wicked excited to delve into yet another one of these Aussie-created effects. The Mynd Driver, in addition to having an awesome name, also conjured up some incredible overdrive sounds, from slight to heavy, with a lot of variation between the extremes....
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Last year, we had the chance to review/demo a new pedal from Orange Amps, the Two Stroke, a versatile clean boost/EQ with a ton of options. We couldn’t wait to see what they came out with next, and today we get to head down that road once more. The Getaway Driver is an overdrive pedal that is also versatile, with a load of sounds, output choices and classic rock and roll tones. When you first look at the Getaway Driver, you see...
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Discovering new pedal manufacturers is always a pleasure here at Pedal of the Day, and we’ve got another rad one for you today. Straight outta NOLA, Retroactive Pedals’ first offering is a fuzz/overdrive effect that has both aesthetic and sonic wonders for everyone. Loaded with options, the Designated Driver is easy to use and fun to dial in. Designed to be of the “Marshall” sound when strumming chords and...
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There aren’t many companies who deliver the goods consistently with each and every pedal they release, but one that just about has that market cornered is EarthQuaker Devices. From the most complex and innovative pieces of gear to a simple, two-knob fuzz effect (like maybe today’s featured pedal?), the musical inspiration their stuff brings out when you play it is almost unmatched. The Bellows Fuzz Driver is a two-knob...
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Today’s featured pedal is yet another overdrive in a long line that we’ve reviewed, but this one has a couple of secrets up its sleeve for some great tonal functionality. The Smooth Driver is the first offering from Burnt Audio Effects, and is an excellent first stage pedal to really push your amp and add some much-needed crunch to your overall sound. With a simple setup and broad range, this baby blue beauty really get...
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Boss pedals have long been staples on many a pedalboard, and one that I always found to be a real stand-out is the BD-2 Blues Driver. A great stock pedal, the BD-2 gives of great drive tones, perfect for rock and roll, blues or pop, and can get your tube amp to that special distorted spot that every player digs. Today’s version features a special Phat Mod done by our friends over at Keeley Electronics, which will turn your...
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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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The BD-2 Blues Driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30-year-old tube amps. With the JHS Blu-Drive mod, however, the BD-2 becomes very transparent and extremely amp-like in its response and character. You will notice a huge range of gain that reaches from clean boost to all...
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We’ve had a blast reviewing and demoing this round of pedals from our friends down at Mozztronics in Australia, and we’ve got the last one from this bunch for you today. Many revered studio compressors are old valve (vacuum tube) units used an optical element for the compression. These compressors were easy to dial in, and no matter what setting you put the controls at, they never sounded bad…interesting, but never...
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Chuck Garvey Cincinnati, OH moe. www.moe.org Ha Ha The Moose @chukg on Twitter moechukg on Instagram How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing instruments when I was young, just hammering stuff out by ear on acoustic guitar and piano, but started lessons for Tenor saxophone when i was in 5th grade. Played sax for 8-9 years and also started to play more acoustic and electric guitar...
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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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We recently had the wonderful chance to check out two new pedals from our friends at Keeley Electronics, the Muse Driver & Noble Screamer, a couple of excellent drives and the first foray into Keeley’s new-look series. Today, we’ve got not one, not two, but THREE more new pedals from Robert and the crew, designed in the same layout and format as the previous two. Ladies and gents, help us welcome to the world the...
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We’ve been working our way through the lineup of effects from Asheville Guitar Pedals recently, and we’re continuing that today with another dirty beast of a pedal. After checking out the 308 Distortion and the Fuzz Driver Distortion, we thought we’d switch it up and look at a distortion pedal 🙂 The Purr Machine is an absolute rocker from the get-go, pushing your amp to the brink with tasty tones, creating wicked rad...
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James Santiago Los Angeles, California Universal Audio https://www.uaudio.com/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar around 5 years old, and at around 15, I began working in professional working bands as musicians around town started asking me to play with them. I didn’t have a driver’s license back then, so I had to have my mom or other band members take me to band...
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Normally, we’re pretty focused on Effects Pedals themselves here at Pedal of the Day, but there’s an important part of the rig equation that we tend to overlook: the Pedalboard. Sure, you can just toss your pedals on the ground to be kicked, dropped, crushed and spilled on if you want, but having an organized setup is much more fun (for a lot of us, anyway, there’s no wrong way to do it, of course!!). Enter our...
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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 Buzz on Distortion Pedals By Shawn Leonhardt for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer Ever since the electric guitar was invented guitarists and sound engineers have attempted to manipulate its signal. When you pluck the strings, the pickup changes sound waves into electrical energy, which can then be...
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The award for “Pedal You Never Knew You Needed” over the last year has got to go to the Believable Audio / 29 Pedals EUNA, the Elite UNity Amplifier that took the pedal world by storm. Today’s pedal features the next creation from these guys, and simply amazes just like it’s older sibling did. The OAMP is an Output AMPlifier that replaces your conventional buffers, line drivers and preamps, and will change how...
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Roman Belonozhko Ridgefield, WA Shnobel Tone www.shnobeltone.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar when I was 14 years old so Ive been at it for over 20 years. I was born in Ukraine, which is a small Eastern European country, and at that time it was still part of the Soviet Union. Growing up I had uncles from both my mom’s and dad’s side that are...
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Much like the Boost pedals we were talking about in the other day’s review, there are certain pedals that you sometimes don’t even know you need. Today’s pedal is one of those, hands down, and it’s hard to even describe why. When a piece of gear works, sometimes it just works, without explanation. However, we’ll try our best to tell you about the 29 Pedals EUNA Elite UNity Amplifier…just be patient,...
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It’s been a while since we’ve heard from ADAG Audio, the last time being back in 2019 with the Metal Shock Distortion. But we’re glad they’re back, and with yet another BANG! The Seagull Overdrive is a transparent, low-mid gain drive pedal, with four simple controls and a lot of tonal tweakability. A great tone-shaper, you can run this one as a boost, first stage bump or right at the perfect level of amp...
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As impressive as their amps have always been, the crew at Orange have, especially in recent years, had a knack for conjuring up some fantastic effects pedals. The Orange Amps Bax Bangeetar Guitar Pre-EQ is a pedal, but is more of a machine masquerading as a pedal (and it has the girth to prove it). Not shy about its size or power, this mammoth boasts a unique and hugely versatile gain structure with extensive EQ controls. You can dial...
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We love pedals here at Pedal of the Day, obviously, but we also love Baseball, specifically our beloved Milwaukee Brewers. Through a series of conversations with Patrick from Garland FX, we were able to customize today’s pedal to honor our favorite club with custom tweed and knob colors, making it not only a killer-sounding effect, but one that is now near and dear to our hearts. The HTX Active Combo Drive is an EQ, Boost and...
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Well, it’s that time again: we get to check out another incredible, studio-quality compressor in a pedal from our friends over at FEA Labs. We’ve been privileged to peruse the DB-CL Dual Band Compressor Limiter and the DE-CL Dual Engine Compressor Limiter (as well as the killer Photon Fuzz II), and today we get to investigate the Opti-FET Compressor. This effect was designed with both audiophile and studio quality features...
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The Beatles. Whether you dig ’em or not, there’s no denying their influence on music since they came on the scene in the early 1960’s. Today we get to check out a pedal that captures their spirit and sound, complete with artwork by an iconic illustrator and sounds from one of the rarest amps of all time. The Dr. Robert from Aclam is an overdrive preamp that encapsulates the sounds from the Vox UL730 amplifier, a...
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Brandon “Taz” Niederauer tazguitar.com @brandonniederauer @NiederauerMusic How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I have been playing guitar since I was eight years old. I became fascinated with my father’s album and video collection and was listening to The Allman Brothers and other guitar and jazz music. When I went to my first concert at eight, I knew I wanted to play. Who...
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Not really sure where to begin with today’s featured pedal…. the crew at Meris has been crushing the effects game over the last couple years, and the Enzo was one highly anticipated pedal when it was released. A true multi-voice synthesizer in a box, this magnificent gold beauty takes everything you knew about synth pedals and flips it upside down, spins it around and jettisons it into the far reaches of space. The sonic...
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Scott Metzger New York City Joe Russo’s Almost Dead WOLF! The Showdown Kids www.scottmetzger.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing saxophone in the third grade and I kept that up all through high school. A love of early Metallica led to the guitar when I was about 14-ish. Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present? Tons of Motown &...
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The resurrection and resurgence of the new Shin-ei brand of pedals started off with the stellar Vibe-Bro (click here for our review and demo), and continues to build and build with more pedals from vintage eras. The Screaming Sister is an octave boost based on the Prescription Electronics’ Clean Octave Boost (COB), a now rare (and crazy expensive) effect used by Doyle Bramhall II, Jonny Lang and more. This simple three-knob box...
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Orange Amplification bring back their iconic 1970’s OMEC brand with an ingenious new product, the OMEC Teleport. The Teleport is a soundcard with a twist – in addition to being a studio-quality USB recording interface, it fits inside a guitar pedal – perfect for a gigging musician. The innovative, new OMEC Teleport is a universal connection device compatible with iOS, Android, MacOS or Windows devices without the need for...
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It’s no secret: WE LOVE DELAY. Old, new, analog, digital – bring it on. There’s a special place in our instrumental hearts for a good tape echo, though, and the Tapex 2 from Mr. Black Pedals is a top-notch inspirational charged delay that echoes (see what we did there?) the echoes of some classic players, songs and tones. A Stereophonic Tape Echo, this silver machine glistens and drips with analog sound, with a ton...
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Dario Darnell/Youngr London/UK www.youngrmusic.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started when I was around 10/11 years old. My dad is also a musician, so it’s always been in the family. Then he forced me to have piano lessons and told me I’d thank him when I’m older! Now I’m thanking him that I’m Youngr (#dadjokes). He also gave me my middle name –...
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After checking out the new Getaway Driver from our friends at Orange Amps a couple months ago, we were excited to plug in the Fur Coat, another new effect in their lineup. This monster is a vintage fuzz loosely based on the Foxx Tone Machine, with an added octave option, for full tonal control and all the dirt you can handle. User-friendly controls and aesthetically intriguing artwork make this one fuzz that’s sure to...
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One of the new key ingredients to our demo video sound is the marvelous Black Box from Sarno Music Solutions, a true audiophile quality, vacuum tube pickup driver that brings your tone to life. In addition to this marvel, they also make some effects pedals, and today we’re going to look at the Earth Drive Overdrive Boost. An easy control section makes this one a cinch to set and go, but there’s a lot to be discovered...
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Distortion pedals can be a tricky business – some players can get turned off even by the mention of the word, as they automatically assume these types of pedals can only be used to play loud, aggressive music. While that can be true, the good ones can also be used in many different musical situations, as is the case with today’s featured pedal. The Solid Drive from Mouse Electronics is, yes, a distortion, but can also be...
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Sean Wright Traverse City, Michigan Co-owner of Lollygagger FX www.lollygaggerfx.com info@lollygaggerfx.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I first started out as a frustrated drummer who would keep time like a broken clock….at least twice during the song I’d be in time. I think I was 16 when I started playing an instrument. A year later we moved into an apartment and that was...
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Brent Rademaker aka B_RAD GospelbeacH https://www.facebook.com/GospelbeacHband/ GospelbeacH The Tyde https://www.facebook.com/The-Tyde-119382698079518/?fref=ts Beachwood Sparks www.subpop.com/artists/beachwood_sparks How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been playing music since the 4th grade…My Dad is a musician (one of the best on the planet) There was always instruments and music in the...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Rob H. – you can find him on Instagram (@studio.rh), Twitter (@Rob_Hildreth) or on his website (Studio RH). Magnetic Effects are a London (UK) based boutique pedal manufacturer. All of the effects are designed and built by Christian Livingstone, who also happens to be the riff monster from NZ garage rockers The Datsuns. You only need to listen to his guitar work to realise this guy...
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Dave Schools Widespread Panic (Modulus Q-6 basses, D’Addario strings) widespreadpanic.com facebook.com/widespreadpanic reddit.com/r/widespreadpanic IG: @widespreadpanichq IG: @dashole Hard Working Americans (Modulus Jazz, G&L L-2000, Epiphone Jack Casady basses, D’Addario, LaBella tape wound strings) thehardworkingamericans.com facebook.com/hardworkingamericans IG: @hwamericans How long have you been a musician? How did you get...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Scott W. – find him on Instagram (@honey.power) and Facebook (Scott Willems). Electro-Harmonix’s Stereo Pulsar is a fantastic variable shape tremolo pedal. The setup is very basic, featuring only three parameters and a switch to choose between square and triangle wave types, but the sounds you can achieve are far from it. The Pulsar has three knobs: rate, shape, and depth. You...
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In our experience, when a company only makes ONE pedal, and that pedal is extremely popular among those players who actually know about it, it tends to be pretty damn rad. Such is the case with today’s pedal, the Mosfet Overdrive from Blackstone Appliances. A 2-in-1 of sorts, this overdrive will give you all the boost, crunch and distortion you can handle…provided you have a screwdriver or Leatherman nearby to adjust its...
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Usually you buy a certain overdrive pedal to do what you are going to use it for, you buy a TS9 for more metal and hard rock and you will get a boss blues driver for a smoother more lead/blues lead tone, but this Airis Effects Protodrive can do almost any of it. Trust me, I was skeptical also when I heard it could do it all, so I bought it to see if it could and I was blown away! I have owned this pedal for 6 months and have gotten...
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