When you think of fun, exciting, life-changing effects pedals, noise gates are not usually the first things that pop into your brain. Mainly geared towards players with louder, high-octane rigs, they are actually quite essential in many scenarios to keep feedback and overall volume at acceptable levels. Not having a ton of experience with these things, we were interested and excited to check out today’s pedal, the DECI-MATE G...
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Recently, we had the privilege and honor reviewing and demoing another pedal from our friends at KMA Machines, the Wurm, a killer distortion pedal full of great tones and offering loads of options. We get to look at another KMA machine today, one along the same lines as the Wurm, but with a couple differing twists and turns. The Dead Stag is a Distortion, yes, but it’s also a Fuzz, so you get the best of those two worlds in one...
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Mmmmmm…..Ducking. That’s the subject of today’s lesson, kids! This is a first for us, too, so we’re going tackle this thing together. Today’s pedal, The Pill, is an Analog Stereo Ducking Effect, brought to us all the way from Switzerland (might be our first Swiss pedal, too). This simple but crazy machine uses a trigger input and either Mono or Stereo Input and Outputs to produce a sound that not quite...
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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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HOT DAMN! It’s our second tap tempo tremolo pedal in one week, and boy, are we stoked! Nothing beats the pulsing, racing, ebbing and flowing of a good tremolo, pedal OR amp, and today’s featured effect covers just about every base you will ever need. EVER. The Semaphore from Catalinbread features the coveted Tap Tempo functionality, as well as a slew of other options that make it a well-rounded, amazing and essential piece...
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When you think of the main innovators in effects pedal history, there’s one name that’s near, if not at, the top of just about everyone’s list: Boss. Crushing the game since before most of you were probably born, these guys just keep churning out hit after hit, and have for decades. Once in a while, however, they release a pedal that folks, for whatever reason, just don’t dig. Those pedals’ production...
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One of the things that really makes a good Tremolo effect pedal is the Rate at which the LFO (low frequency oscillator) moves and shimmies, right? Now, bending down on a poorly-lit stage to try and set the speed of these pulses can be challenging, which is why we love a good tremolo pedal that incorporates Tap Tempo functionality. Today’s pedal does that and much, much more – the Tacana Tap Tremolo comes to us all the way...
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You gotta make your mark in this industry, right? With so many companies and so many pedals on the market, if you don’t stand out, you’re not gonna last. Well, today’s pedal is the first in a lineup of not only aesthetically-pleasing effects, but ones that have the power, grit and usability to make them contenders for years to come. We always love to discover new(er) companies, or ones that might not have a...
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Here at Pedal of the Day, we love a good Big Muff. Especially the Russian ones. The really, dirty, nasty Russian ones. Get your head out of the gutter, people, we’re talking about FUZZ. Since their inception in late 60’s, Big Muffs have been heard on countless recordings, and are key ingredients to some of the favorite guitar players and bands around: David Gilmour, Thin Lizzy, Kiss, Santana, Smashing Pumpkins, Frank Zappa...
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Hey kids! If you’re tired of your news feeds filled with politics and coronavirus posts, why not kick back and relax with a fun review and in-depth demo video for one of the hottest new pedals around? It’ll be a great way to start your weekend….promise. (and please don’t forget to wash your hands!) It’s no secret that Robert Keeley and the crew at Keeley Electronics put out some incredible...
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In today’s world that has become just fantastically filled with the most options-laden, powerful, hip, trendy and mind-blowing effects pedals on the planet, sometimes it’s hard to remember a day when everything moved a little slower, things were a bit easier and every pedal didn’t cost a ton of money or have a manual the size of a phone book…..for those of us who remember phone books. A prime example of these...
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Recently, we had a chance to check out on of the latest creations from one of the most famous pedal companies in the world. The Flashback 2 x4 from TC Electronic improved on one of the best delay families to come out in the last decade or so, to everyone’s delight. Today, we’re going to take a look at the Flashback’s sibling of sorts, the Hall of Fame 2 x4 Reverb. Also making a couple of significant upgrades to its...
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Big Muff. You know the name, you know the pedals, you know (some of) the records that they have appeared on. Thankfully, since the originals are fairly rare and expensive when you can find them, there are many companies who produce their individual takes on these excellent fuzz/distortions, and we’ve got a new member of the group to tell you about today. Siren Pedals, out of Nashville, TN, brings another take on the Muff, in the...
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While a good compressor pedal might not be everyone’s cup o’ tea, we here at Pedal of the Day LOVE ’em, and are always excited when a new one comes through the shop. We dig it even more if it’s from our friends at Orange Amps, who are always redefining the way we all should look at and approach music, through effects, amps and more. Their newest compressor offering is the Kongpressor, a Class A effect that...
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Octave pedals seem to be fairly hit or miss, as far as tight low end, good tracking and non-muddiness in your tone are concerned. There are inexpensive octave pedals and there are super expensive ones, and each one seems to be a personal preference to everyone who plays them. Well, we’re gonna lay another one on you today, and let you decide if it’s worthy or not. The SOC-10 Octopus Octave from CNZ Audio doesn’t cost...
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Well, it’s 2-in-1 pedal time again, kids, this time in a collaborative format between two killer companies. Brought to you in tandem by Henretta Engineering and The Guitar Trader (in our very own Asheville, NC), The Valley is a sweet-sounding, experimental Reverb and Delay pedal, combining our two favorite effects into one glorious box. It looks great, it sounds great, it IS great, so let’s delve in and see what wonders...
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Like ’em or not, Tube Screamers and their clones are a HUGE part of the effects pedal world. They’re found on pedalboards, in studios and adjacent to practice spaces the globe over, and can be heard on countless classic and modern recordings alike. For those of us that DO enjoy a good TS, wouldn’t it be nice if you could find one that had a built-in Boost section as well, to give you that over-the-top punch if you...
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Clean tones are great, sure. Even Overdrives have their place in the world, and we love ’em. But there is something special about engaging a really good Distortion pedal, strumming your chord of choice and having the sound rip through your speakers and come blazing out with fury and vengeance…right? Today’s pedal gave us all the feels when we cranked it up, and will continue to do so for years to come. The Wurm...
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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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There’s just something about Analog Delays – the warmth, the nostalgia, the modulation. It all adds up to one of our, and many other musicians’ favorite effects pedals. Older analog delay have limited delay time, control over the modulation and just features in general. Today’s pedal has an abundance of all of these, and more – the Syncopy Analog Delay from Stone Deaf FX boasts long echoes, more...
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Since we started this little Pedal of the Day excursion, we’ve had an excellent relationship with Colt and the crew from Walrus Audio. Their latest creation might just be their best one yet, as it encompasses everything we all love about delay pedals, featuring a ton of options to play with, and amazing sounds to create. The D1 is the first pedal in Walrus’ Mako Series, and is a Hi-Fidelity Stereo Delay. There’s a...
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As is evidenced by our series on YouTube, The Klone Wars, we love a good Klon clone here at Pedal of the Day. We’ve had many such a pedal come through the office, but today’s effect has a special feature not often added into this mystical enigma of a pedal. It looks killer, it sounds killer – lets have a look-see at the Klone from 68 Pedals. The Drive, Treble and Volume controls are present here, as they have to be...
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TC Electronic has been putting out some amazing delay effects for decades, ever since the TC2290 was released in 1985. Since then, they’ve enjoyed much success with the likes of the Nova Delay, Flashback, numerous rack units and more. Their latest delay endeavor is the Flashback 2 x4 Delay, one of the most option-filled mega delay pedals we’ve ever come across. Utilizing their unique TonePrint preset system, numerous...
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Ring modulators have been often intriguing, sometimes frustrating effects that, if nothing else, always take you on a musical journey of some kind, whether you want them to or not. When you start mixing in fuzz, tremolo, gates and synths with a ring mod, it all really hits the fan, and your brain must adjust accordingly. Today’s pedal is a true face melter, a device of such force and sheer power that it was, at times, difficult...
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The Sunn Model T Amp. A classic in the heavy/stoner genre of music, they are known for being loud, having thick, killer overdrive, taking pedals well and putting out bass tones that are warm, natural and organic. Today’s pedal comes to us from Electronic Audio Experiments, and is based off of this legendary amplifier. The Model feT is a Preamp pedal, and while capable of doing the doom-y tones, it works for just about any other...
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A couple months back, we reviewed our first pedal from a company that’s doing its best not to promote itself, AboveGroundFX. The Tone Control Booster was a nice surprise of a pedal, very amp-like and responsive, something that can sometimes be hard to find in pedals around its price point. Today, we get to check out another effect from the AboveGroundFX lineup, a deceptively simple-looking delay that conjures up vintage tape...
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If you don’t know the power and prowess of having a Volume pedal in your rig by now, you should really look into it. Besides being able to cut off your signal instantly, you can do signal swells, ambient delay and reverb fades and, in most cases, silently tune without skipping a beat or unplugging anything. Now, there are many different types, sizes and build structures to volume pedals throughout the world – we’re...
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The products created by the team at Mantic Effects are always wild, unpredictable and fairly awesome, let’s face it. From low-end powerhouses like the Beef Bag Subharmonic and the Thug Low End Boost to the tonal enhancements of the Proverb Reverb and Isaiah Delay to the heavy, dirty sounds of the Vitriol Distortion and the Flex TMR PLL Monophonic Synth Fuzz, they’ve got a lot of cool stuff to choose from. Sticking in the...
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They may be small in size, but the lineup of space-saving effects from the crew over at CNZ Audio have been a pleasure to peruse each time we’ve had them come through the shop. Overdrives, delays, modulation and more – these guys have an inexpensive answer for everything you need. The next one we’re going to look into today is the SPH-20 Phaser, a simple one knob, one toggle concoction that produces some excellent...
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A little while after we started this crazy Pedal of the Day adventure, we came across a new effects company that we knew were going to go places. Starting with their first Boos-tah Preamp, the crew at Beetronics has made a big name for themselves, and is now recognized as a true powerhouse in the pedal world. Today, we’re going to take a look at their Overhive Overdrive, a mid-gain rocker that brings a round, warm tone to...
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It’s always an interesting scene when we open up a package sent from our pal Marc-Eric Gagnon at Stonefly Effects. Over the least few years, we’ve had the opportunity to peruse devices such as the Grizzly Fuzz, Two Headed Werewolf Fuzz and the Switchblade Fuzz (seeing a pattern yet?). The latest FUZZ creation from our friends to the North in Quebec is the Alien Sasquatch, another killer effect with a name to match. This...
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We all love pedals, but if you have a bunch of ’em that you use together, you’re nothing without a good power supply. There are small ones, medium ones, HUGE ones, skinny and fat ones and more, coming in all colors, shapes and sizes. The smallest one we’ve come across so far has been the PB-107 Power Box Lithium, from our pals over at Big Joe Stomp Box Company. Well, they’ve topped themselves, and have released...
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With access to a seemingly endless supply of incredible vintage pedals, our friends at JHS have revamped yet another long-lost, obscure and intriguing effect, all while putting their own unique spin on it, as usual. Based on the strange and rarely talked-about Boss FA-1 FET Preamp, the Clover is a Preamp EQ Boost, a true tone-shaper / always on / can’t-live-without-it pedal that will really sculpt and mold your sound. Top...
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The lines of pedals from Friday Club and Mr. Black (the brainchildren of Jack Deville out of Portland, Oregon) have been the topics of many a conversation over the last decade plus, and we love what we’ve been able to check out here at Pedal of the Day. Today’s sonic journey brings us to the ED-450b, a warm, analog-ish delay echo machine from the Friday Club camp that is simple yet powerful at the same time. A real...
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Here’s the thing…we don’t really know ANYTHING about the country of Latvia except this: Jānis Altmanis of Jānis.lv Effect Pedals is making some absolutely incredible gear. We’ve had the privilege to check out his Miesnieks Overdrive and Tre Tre Tremolo pedals so far, and he was even kind enough to chat with us for our Weekly Interview Series last summer. Today, we’re jumping into perhaps his craziest...
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Effects pedals come in all shapes and sizes, and from all over the world. A company we’ve recently discovered, and have had the opportunity to demo some of their gear, such as the Echidna Overdrive and the FuzZ-2 Bass Fuzz Octave is dpFX Pedals from Preveza, Greece. So far, we’ve been on the Bass Pedals train, and we’ve got another one for you today. The Acheron (Αχέρων) is a Bass Overdrive that aims to make your amp...
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Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to play and enjoy some wonderful 3-knob delay pedals, such as the TC Prophet, the Cusack Music TME, the Deadbeat Sound Delay Lay Lay, the Guyatone MD2 and the Ninevolt Relaxing Walrus, just to name a few. Today’s pedal is a fine addition to this club, and we’re glad it made the long trek from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Slow Pick Analog Delay comes to us from XFX Boutique,...
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The sound of the Uni-Vibe® effect is really specific, and completely unmistakable. Made famous by Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, David Gilmour and many more, this swirling, pulsing phaser-infused vibrato chorus effect has been heard on countless classic recording over the decades, and adds a bit of depth and dimension to any music it happens to come into contact with. Today, we’re going to look at one of the now-most-famous...
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Through our Klone Wars videos on YouTube, we pit two Klones against each other and see which one sounds best (in everyone’s vastly different opinion, of course), but what about some other effects that are getting cloned around the world? One of the most sought-after effects, and one that has a years-long wait list, is the King of Tone from Analogman. A dual channel Boost/Drive/Distortion, it has become one of the most popular...
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The clean look, perfectionist wiring and incredible noises that come out of anything that Spaceman Effects creates have always been most welcome here at Pedal of the Day. Beginning with our search for the Aphelion and continuing over the last 5 years to try and get our hands on as many of their limited release pedals as we can has been challenging, but in the very best of ways. We have another one of their lovely effects for you this...
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It’s always an exciting time when Boss releases new delay pedals, as they’ve been at the forefront of the genre for decades now. We recently got a chance to check out one of their latest, the DD-8, which was filled with new options and sonic adventure around every corner. Today, we’re going to take a look at another digital delay they released at the same time, the DD-3T. Although it’s an updated version of a...
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HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY! Hope yours was safe, enjoyable and filled with love and happiness! Speaking of love and happiness, we’ve got a monster overdrive for you on this wonderful New Year’s Day, one that will bring a smile to your face and put some joy in your heart. The R-403 Vintage Overdrive arrives to usher in 2020 from our friends at Big Joe Stomp Box Company, and is sure to start the year off right, at least as...
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Here at Pedal of the Day, we love pedals with tons of options, switches, buttons and levers….but not necessarily ALL the time. Today’s pedal scratches an itch for a simple, stripped-down, no-frills-but-sounds-amazing effect, and it comes in a bright red box, too! The Saturator is a pedal kit available from MOD Kits DIY, and will go from clean boost to crunchy overdrive to rock and roll distortion, all with just 2 knobs....
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So, here’s the thing: we LOVE to review and demo pedals that step completely outside the box, that make their own rules, that completely annihilate everyone’s expectations and conceptions about what effects pedals are supposed to do. Now, the list we currently have is not as long as we’d like it to be, but today’s pedal gets us a start in the right direction. The Moomindrone T from ezhi&aka is a Drone...
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Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Anything You Choose to Celebrate! Now then, we’ve been checking out some effects pedals from a company called Caline Technology over the course of this year, and are excited to bring one last one to the table before we say goodbye to 2019. Having already been a part of our Klone Wars series on YouTube, the CP-99 Medusa Overdrive brings a familiar look, feel and sound to the...
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Having worked with the folks over at Godlyke Distributing Inc. many, many times over the years, we are still pleasantly surprised with each new piece of gear they seem to either distribute or create. Today’s pedal falls into the latter category, and comes from their own lineup of effects and pedals called Totally Wycked Audio (TWA). We’re going to take a look at the Side Step™, which is a universal, variable-state low...
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Happy Holidays, everyone! As we approach the close of 2019, we’d like to take a look at a new and truly unique piece of gear, one that has been much anticipated in the effects world. As we all know, multi-effects pedals can be really, really good…and sometimes, they’re really, really bad. Thankfully, today’s pedal falls squarely into the former category, as an options-filled modulation machine that will blow...
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Although we don’t do it as often as we probably should, we love having some bass pedals come into the shop. Recently, our new friends at dpFX Pedals in Greece sent over a trio of effects for us to peruse, starting a month or so ago with the FuzZ-2 Fuzz Octave, and continuing today with the killer Echidna Overdrive. With just a couple of controls, a smaller footprint than it’s older brother and a ton of tone to be found,...
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The Line 6 HX Stomp has taken the pedal world by storm over the last few years, and rightly so. Boasting an astonishing number of effects, combinations, routing options and overall tweakability, it is a compact, powerful processor that can just about do it all. But, let’s face it, any help to make a complex machine like this work is always welcome, and the crew at JET Pedals has answered the call in a BIG way. The Micro is a...
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