We haven’t had an acoustic effect come through the office in a little while, so we were more than excited to get to check out today’s pedal. The Align Series Acoustic Delay from L.R. Baggs brings a classic effect to acoustic musicians by optimizing the signal for high-fidelity instruments, and giving you a decent amount of options in a small package. Combing analog and digital circuitry qualities together for a powerful...
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About a month ago, we were privileged to have a wild, intriguing and sometimes uncontrollable effects pedal come through the office, the Schumann PLL Analog Harmonizer from FTelettronica Pedals. That pedal was so fun and so innovative, that we decided we’d better take a look at some more of their gear, so for today’s featured pedal, we have the Zero-Sum Game. A 2-in-1 Fuzz and Filter effect, this 2-footswitch pedal allows...
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The Big Muff. You’ve heard it, you know it, you love it….but, can you afford an original, 1970’s-era model? Probably not, plus there’s the maintenance, reliability, etc. that goes along with owning any piece of vintage gear. Thankfully, we’re super-spoiled in the effects pedal community, and have companies like D-Sound Effects, all the way from Russia, to help us with these bumps in the road. Today...
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Reverb pedals come in many shapes and sizes, from a simple one or two-knob configuration to the most outlandish, extravagant effects machines on the planet. Today, we’re going to look at one that harkens towards the simpler side, but that by no means means isn’t absolutely powerful as can be. The Moby Depth Reverb from Jonny Rock Gear utilizes Accutronics™ (Belton) digital reverb technology, resulting in a lush,...
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From BB King to SRV to Hendrix to the Smashing Pumpkins to Paul Kossoff and more, the Vibrato effect has been employed throughout the decades, through both effects and playing technique. The results have been a mixed bag of emotional, soaring leads, unforgettable licks and drawn-out chordal arrangements for some of the most memorable music around. We’re going to explore this genre a bit more today, with the VIB1 Vibrato pedal...
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Effects pedals that house more than one effect are always good for an experimental day, week or year. The mix of Overdrive and Fuzz in one pedal, however, doesn’t seem to appear all that much, so we couldn’t wait to check out the Royal Jelly from Beetronics. Running two circuits in parallel and giving you the ability to blend them together as you see fit, this powerhouse of a pedal brings the best of two worlds together,...
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Another delay is upon us, friends, and this one has got some crazy features, interesting textures and gorgeous sounds throughout. The Oblivion Vintage Delay comes to us from Alexander Pedals, and is an “exploration of what exists in the darkest corners of the sonic universe.” Able to span decades in a single pedal, this glorious echo brings vintage sounds, warm delays and even a tasty bit of modulation along on its...
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One of our favorite pedals ever here at Pedal of the Day has got to be the Goatkeeper Analog Tap Tremolo/Sequencer from Lightfoot Labs. An intriguing blend of trem pulses and sequencing, this no-longer manufactured effect has become highly sought-after, and if you can find one, they have the price tag to prove it. Although we are fortunate enough to own an original, we were stoked to hear the news that the creative minds at Malekko...
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A couple of months ago, we were honored and privileged to review and demo a pedal that was very near and dear to our hearts: the DeLorean Analog Delay from VVco Pedals. Not only was it a nice-sounding delay, it brought back memories from 30+ years ago via one of our favorite movies, Back to the Future. Today, the VVco folks are at it again, this time taking on the superhero genre with their latest, the Dark Knight Distortion. Housed...
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Let’s face it: we all know about Chase Bliss Audio and their contribution to the effects pedal world by now, right? From their classic Warped Vinyl and Wombtone flagship effects to the uber-popular Tonal Recall and Thermae delays, as well as the most recent M O O D Granular Looper and a bunch of others in their lineup, the innovation and advancement they’ve brought to the table is quite stellar. In keeping with this slew...
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Sometimes, you find a pedal treasure out of the blue, one you’ve never heard of before and have absolutely ZERO idea about what it is or sounds like. Today’s pedal is one of these. From a perhaps-defunct company, the aptly-named Overdrive comes to us from Richtone Amplification, with very little info to go on, or any internet chatter at all, really. However, once we plugged it in, we couldn’t believe that more people...
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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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Well, our old pals at Walrus Audio are at it again. As if the Fathom Multi Function Reverb wasn’t enough, now they’ve dropped another ambient bomb on us all, one that’s sure to entice and excite. The Slö is a Multi Texture Reverb, a pedal that creates lush, ambient and even modulated soundscapes, bringing dreams from your subconscious to reality. Sound fun? You bet it is…. Starting things off, Decay sets your...
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If we had to pick a desert island effect genre, there would be only one answer: DELAY. Spanning back decades and inspiring and enticing players throughout the years, delay and echo pedals are some of the funnest, creativity-building effects out there. Today’s pedal, however, takes everything you thought you knew about delay and tosses it inside-out, upside-down and round and round we go. The Polymoon from Meris is a modulated...
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We decided we’d shake things up a bit here at Pedal of the Day today, and bring you a piece of gear that isn’t a pedal at all. The Asphalt TAR-20G is a miniature guitar amplifier from our friends at Valeton, and we’re going to take you through how it works, and can enhance your tone. Small and light but mighty and boasting some nice options, let’s check out this nifty little amp, shall we? Compact and not heavy...
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We love a good overdrive pedal here at Pedal of the Day – who doesn’t, really? We recently began showcasing two different Klone pedals a week in a series we dubbed The Klone Wars, and today’s featured pedal here has been one of our favorites in that lineup so far. The Pelion from Kasleder FX is a simple, three-knob overdrive that also works wonders as a clean boost, and will drive any tube amp right into the sweet...
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There’s something about a good octave pedal that beefs up your tone and adds a special flavor to any rig. Whether it’s a lower or upper octave, adding another layer of sound to enhance your original signal has always been a tasty option for us, and today we get to check out a truly killer, one-knob octave effect. The Queequeg (what a great name, right?) from KMA Audio Machines is a sub octave generator, a simple, analog,...
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The T-Rex Effects Replicator Junior Tape Echo was one of our favorite delays that has ever come through the office, and we were excited to see if there were any more delays made by this fantastic company from Denmark. As luck would have it, we stumbled across today’s pedal, the Replay Box Stereo Delay, an extremely small but wicked powerful straightforward delay, with stereo options and 3, count them THREE, seconds of delay...
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AC/DC. Even if you’re not a fan (not sure why that would be, but whatever), there’s still a good chance you know the words to at least 10 of their songs, if not more. Part of the appeal they’ve had since their inception in 1973 is, hands down, the guitar sound that seemingly has stayed exactly the same over the last 4+ decades. Angus Young’s signature schoolboy uniforms, love of SGs and the tone he produces are...
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The Russian Big Muff from Electro-Harmonix is about as classic a distortion/fuzz sound as you’re going to find in the effects pedal world, but sometimes, you may find yourself wanting more options than its 3-knob configuration will allow. Enter D-Sound Effects and their Orion Distortion Fuzz. Utilizing a six-parameter control section, and using modern, sophisticated circuitry and build techniques, this pedal is a Russian Big...
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There’s no shortage of amazing effects coming out of the Keeley Electronics camp, as they have been for close to 2 decades now, and we always love it when something new comes through the office. While the past couple of years have seen bigger, more option-filled pedals like the Dark Side, Aria, Super Mod Workstation and more, sometimes you just need a killer overdrive pedal to get you in the right mood, and spark some creativity...
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Preamp and buffer pedals seem to get swept under the rug these days a bit, in part due to the incredible modulation, delay and drive pedals seemingly coming out every other week. However, these pedals are an absolutely essential part of any rig, and today’s pedal harkens back to a classic circuit and tone that has yet to be almost exactly replicated – until now. The Epoch Pre EP3 Preamp Buffer from Catalinbread emulates...
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If you happened to have seen our Klone Wars series on YouTube, you may very well be aware of an excellent Klon-inspired beast called the Pegasus Overdrive. Based on the original Golden Professional edition of the Klon, this beaut made by Caline produces some gorgeous vintage-style overdrive and boost sounds, it brings everything we all love about that famous mythical pedal and offers it in an affordable and still true-to-form effects...
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For all the crazy things and innovative effects that EarthQuaker Devices have created over the years, the Chorus effect might be the least wacky of them all. However, in typical EQD fashion, they take a semi-normal modulation pedal and flip is upside down, spin it right ’round and come up with a new version (#3) that is absolutely the best one yet. The Sea Machine is a chorus pedal, yes, but an over-the-top modulating machine...
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The first two pedals we took a crack at from Hochstrasser Electronics, the Disco Terrapin Envelope Filter and the Helping Friendly Box Overdrive Compressor, were absolute gems, two pedals we instantly fell in love with and have been experimenting with ever since. Today, we get to investigate a third pedal of theirs, the Transmogriphaser, a dual channel, OTA (Operational Transconductance Amplifier), 4-stage phaser that conjures up Pink...
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There are times when we receive a box in the mail here at the office, open it up and just say “WOW.” Today’s pedal did exactly that to us, in an awesome and slightly unnerving way. The Schumann PLL Analog Harmonizer from FTelettronica Pedals is an absolute beast, full of more options than any pedal probably should have, sending your signal into the far reaches of space and beyond. Taking the input, turning it into a...
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The opening Dm chord of “Shakedown Street” is familiar to all Deadheads, and to a good chunk of non-Deadheads as well, whether they like it or not. That whole song, as well as several other Dead tunes, Stevie Wonder songs, Frank Zappa licks, Bootsy bass lines and more, would not be possible without the storied Mu-Tron III™ Envelope Filter effect. Today, we’ve got the next great incarnation of this pedal, in smaller...
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There’s something about a really rad distortion pedal that just sounds right when you engage it and crank up a good amp. It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you hear it, whether it’s at your band’s practice or on a recording or when you’re the member of an audience at a show – you can just feel that the sound and tone fit perfectly with the music. The aptly-named Distortion pedal from...
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Maverick. Goose. Fast jets. Bogeys. The weird volleyball scene. What’s not to love about the classically-cheesy movie “Top Gun?” Well, today’s pedal is a high-flying-themed effect, taking your tone and blasting it into the stratosphere. The Danger Zone from WingManFX is an analog tremolo and phaser in one, with each channel independent of each other, with a ton of options to propel you up, up and away…....
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Michelangelo. Obviously, he was a fairly famous artist in the 1500s, and was also arguably the coolest of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 1980’s and 90’s. Today, however, his name adorns an effects pedal, one coming straight from his home country of Italy, and one that sculpts your tone and paints vivid images of sonic waterfalls in your mind. The Michelangelo Overdrive Plus from Dophix is an overdrive and boost...
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Peanut Butter and Jelly. Hall & Oates. Burgers and Beer. Delay and Reverb. Some things were just meant to be paired together, and the latter two on this list are featured in today’s pedal. The Atlantic from NuX is a combo delay/reverb effect, with each side featuring 3 classic takes on sounds from decades past. With tap tempo, shimmer and a few other options, this is a pedal that can take up just a little space on your...
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The effects that have come out from Deep Space Devices since their inception have been one bang-bang after another, starting with the Red Ghost and Golem Distortions, and continuing with today’s featured pedal. The Trigonaut is an overdrive….but also so, so, so much more. According to the DSD website, “by utilizing its cosmic power, regeneration capabilities, and time-traveling technology, the Trigonaut is now...
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The small, powerful, one-button effects pedals from Henretta Engineering have been some of our favorites over the years, but we also like it when they combine a couple of ’em into one slightly larger enclosure. Recently, we saw the power of the Lake Effect, which combined their Bluebird Fuzz and Crimson Tremolo, as well as the Planetarium, which paired up the Moody Blue Reverb and Golden Years Phaser. Today, we bring you another...
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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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A lot of the pedals we review and demo have a ton of buttons, toggles and footswitches, and are able to produce more sounds than you could possible use at once. While we love those effects and all they are capable of, it’s nice to sit back with a really great-sounding, 3-knob overdrive and just plain rock out. The BB-74x Blues Breaker Overdrive from Mr. Black allowed us to do just that, conjuring up classic 60’s amp tones...
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Innovation is at the forefront for all of the effects pedals coming out from Chase Bliss Audio, and has been since they began. We’re going to dive right in to their latest tasty concoction, a 2-channel micro looper, delay and reverb pedal that breaks all the boundaries that they’ve already broken, and then some more. A collaborative effect with the crews from Drolo FX and Old Blood Noise Endeavors, MOOD is really gonna...
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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 had a slew of affordable pedals coming through the shop lately, and have been pretty impressed with what they have to offer. One of these companies is Caline, and we’re going to take a look at their CP-36 Big Dipper Pitch Shifter today. A tiny pedal with a bunch of options, this is a nice way to get introduced to the world of pitch shifting, and at an unbeatable price for players of all skill levels. Bringing both...
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We love it when we discover a new pedal company, one that we were previously unaware of that just blows us away right off the bat. The crew at D-Sound Effects did just that with today’s impressive dirt pedal, the Fisherman High-Gain Distortion. This multi-faceted beast gives you a nice range of tonal options to choose from, letting you create a solid drive sound from the ground up. Let’s check it out! The Fisherman is a...
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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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If you dig effects pedals, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard, seen and/or played something from Mantic Effects. If you have ears, there’s also a good chance you’ve come across an artist named Jack White….many, many times, some probably without you even knowing it. Jack’s record label Third Man Records and Mantic have teamed up for today’s featured pedal, the Flex TMR PLL Monophonic...
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“Wait a minute, Doc. Ah…are you telling me you built a time machine…out of a DeLorean?” Thus begins one of the greatest time-travel adventures ever to be created for the big screen, Back to the Future. Not only is this a personal favorite here at Pedal of the Day, but to millions of movie-goers across the globe. You may be asking yourself, “Why is a pedal review talking about a 30+ year-old movie starring...
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A few years back, we reviewed and demoed a pedal called the DynaMorph™, a crazy fuzz-filter-synth thing that blew our minds, from the creators over at Totally Wycked Audio (TWA) and Godlyke Distributing Inc. Recently, they’ve released another effect along the same lines, a younger brother, per se, to the DynaMorph™ – today, we’d like to explore the MM-01 MiniMorph™ Dynamic Waveshaper with you. An envelope-dependent...
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Ask anyone who loves pedals about some of the most innovative effects to come out in the last couple years, and you’ll hear the name Meris time and time again. Continually innovating the industry with their option-laden, size-friendly and sonically adventurous pedals, they always seem to be at the forefront of the conversation. We’re gearing up to take a look at their latest today, a quirky, pitch-shifting delay pedal...
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The 10 Series of effects pedal from Ibanez (also called the “Power Series”), created in the 80’s, features some of the most underrated and loved pedals of all time. We’re going to talk about one of these 10 effects that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough: the MT10 Mostortion. This mosfet drive has become pretty rare, and when you can find one, they’re fairly spendy, which is perhaps why...
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WE LOVE PHISH. Said it, not sorry, deal. Now that you know that, know this: we were SUPER excited to have a Helping Friendly Box Overdrive Compressor from Hochstrasser Electronics appear on our doorstep, and here’s why. This particular pedal harkens after the setup that Trey Anastasio from Phish used for many years (and still does occasionally), where two differently-gained Tubescreamers were followed by the famous Ross...
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While we’ve heard about the ODR-1 Overdrive from Nobels for years now, it’s not the most widely-known drive out there, but is apparently a staple of the Nashville sound, and has been for a while. This green beast falls into an overdrive category somewhere between the Klon and the Tube Screamer, with similar controls, but a voice all its own. Recently, the Nobels crew released the ODR-Mini, a smaller version of this classic...
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Do we like Modulation effects here at Pedal of the Day? Yes. What about Delay? Check. Reverb? Of course. What about all of them in one pedal, one that fits into the palm of your hand and costs less than 100 bucks? Sign us up!! Today’s pedal is all of these things and more – the CRL-1 Coral Modulation Delay Reverb from Valeton is small, affordable and boasts a slew of sounds you might not expect would fit into an enclosure...
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Let’s be honest: ring modulators are just not for everyone. However, for those of us that love innovation, chaotic noise and aggressively distorted sounds, you can’t go wrong when in this genre of effects. The original Gonkulator from DOD was released in the 90’s, and has become somewhat of a cultish, sought-after pedal, which usually leads to becoming overpriced and difficult to obtain. Luckily, for a little while...
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When we started doing our YouTube series “The Klone Wars”, we had a number of klones on our list that we wanted to include, and today’s pedals was one of those. The Gladiator Overdrive from AD Pedals is based on that certain mystical pedal that few of us can afford, but with a little more grit and dirt to it. Get ready to get shot down in a blaze of glory with this one, people – it’s a rocker! The range...
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