Loopers are just fun. Period. Getting an exact replicated signal for any chord progression, lead run or experimental phrase and repeating it over and over, endlessly, is a true thing of beauty. But, what if you wanted to mix it up a little bit, and make the looped section NOT exactly identical to your original signal? The Lo-Fi Looper from Analog Fox is an analog phrase sampler, meaning it works like a looper, but with that classic...
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Innovation, inspiration and next-level thinking have become key aspects of the effects pedal industry. With a HUGE wave of companies popping up over the last number of years, you really need to have your gear stand out from the rest to avoid being sucked into the abyss of oversaturation that can present itself. Today’s pedal is not just three different effects in one, it is a complete work of art. The Black Hole Symmetry from...
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We’ve got something a little different for you today, courtesy of our friends at NUX. The Mighty Lite BT is a mini-modeling, desktop, Bluetooth amplifier, that only takes up a small space but has some extremely powerful features. It’s lightweight, can run on a power supply, batteries or USB power, and it even has Bluetooth connectivity, for both playing music AND controlling different parameter settings. There are even...
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We’ve had the pleasure of checking out a couple of pedals from StoneFly Effects up in Canada, so we were pretty stoked when we heard that Marc-Eric was unleashing a new beast on the world. Even better, he was teaming up for this release with our friend Eric Calvert of Frost Giant Electronics and Switchblade Jesus fame, which peaked out interest that much more. The result is today’s complete monster of a fuzz, a RAT that...
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Another day, another delay….and why not? They’re only the most fun effects out there, and we’ll review and demo ’em as long as companies keep making ’em! Speaking of making exceptional pedals, today’s gem comes to us from Mr. Black, longtime maker of intriguing devices and inspiring tone machines, and this one is no exception. The SS-850 is a solid state echo chamber delay unit, featuring a retro...
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Sometimes, fantastic things come in small packages. Now, while it’s nearly impossible to get a smaller effects pedal than the Oscar All-Tube Preamp from Night Owl Industries, going just a little bit bigger can really “amp” things up a bit (see what we did there?). The newest offering from the Greenwood Lake, New York-based company is the Edison, an all-tube EF86 tube preamp pedal with a built-in voltage tripler, once...
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The Jupiter Fuzz has been a staple in the lineup of Walrus Audio’s effects lineup for years now, and today we’re going to take a look at the newest incarnation of this monster of a fuzz. This gritty, thick and loud beast comes roaring right out of the gates, with enough gruff and gusto to put fear into any amplifier, while also remaining adjustable and useable in many different musical scenarios. With new artwork and a...
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If you are in the market for a Tube Screamer-type of pedal, there are a good deal of choices out there. Some are basic replicas of the vintage three-knob machines, and some like to take it a step further. Today’s pedal completely engulfs the latter category, keeping those tasty-mid tones in tact, but adding a slew of options to really let you dial in your own unique sound. Let’s take a gander at the Direwolf Overdrive from...
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Trey Anastasio. For those of you who don’t know (or don’t care), Trey has been a HUGE guitar influence on us for almost 3 decades, and today’s pedal encompasses some of the best aspects of his tone. From his use of the famed grey Ross Compressor at various stages of Phish’s career, to his consistent use of different variations of Tube Screamers, his tonality and superb sustain give him an unmistakeable and...
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WE. LOVE. DELAY. PEDALS. There, we finally said it….again. Multi-delay effects are some of our favorites, as they can range and vary from mode to mode, opening up so many auditory possibilities, and truly expanding your palette to reveal new musical thoughts and ideas. The Time Warp from CNZ Audio is a delay with many modes, stereo connections and a price point that will blow your mind. Don’t have $400 to spend on the...
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We love a clean, tasty, tone-enhancing pedal around here, and compression, while not for everyone, has come to be one of our favorite effects. Today’s pedal is a classic sound from a classic series – the Ibanez CP10 Compressor Sustainer is a high tech, studio quality effect in a compact case, with a VCA circuit and clean compression and sustain. Keeping the control panel light and easy to use, this is one little funk...
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Today’s Guest reviewer is Brian Johnston – you can find him and more demo videos he’s done on his YouTube channel, CoolGuitarGear – click now! Thanks again, Brian, looking forward to more! SOUND: The 2 SA 202 model (named after the type of transistors used) of Vintage Fuzz II replicates the famous Fuzz Face sound of Jimi Hendrix. However, unlike older models of fuzz (and even some current ones), this fuzz is...
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Today’s pedal is an awesomely odd one to approach, as it is really 10 pedals in one. The Console from ELTA Music uses a series of interchangeable sound cartridges, each with its own set of three modes, to produce a wide array of tones and auditory revelations that will alter your approach to creating music. We are going to review and demo all 10 of these cartridges eventually, and the next one is our series is the String Ringer...
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With the weekend rapidly approaching, many of you will be exploring new gear and trying to figure out which new, tasty pedal to order while you relax on your off days. If you’re in the mood for something that will warp your mind, bend your soul and spark outrage in your neighbors, then you have definitely come to the right place. The Super Weirdo from our noise-happy German neighbors across the pond, JPTR FX, is the ultimate in...
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Chris and the crew at Haunted Labs are making some crazy pedals these days, if you haven’t had the chance to check them out. We were fortunate enough to get blistered with ambience by their Dark Aura Reverb a little while back, and thus were stoked for today’s featured gem. The Paranormal Fuzz V2 builds on the original version of this monster, with a cleaner, quieter circuit design, more gain and improved construction....
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We had the opportunity to check out a good chunk of the pedal lineup from Deadbeat Sound a couple months ago, and were more than impressed with their group of multi-functional, affordable pedals. Today’s featured effect is both of those things, with a simple control structure and more-than-affordable pricing. The Delay Lay Lay (great name) is an analog delay that doesn’t mess around with frills, but will give you plenty of...
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Unleashing a fury of dirty fuzz tones that cover a large range, today’s featured pedal comes to us all the way from New Zealand. Apparently, they know how to make a pretty decent pedal down there, as the Caustic Fuzz from Pepers’ Pedals is a true powerhouse in the world of effects. While we’ve had a couple of guest reviews for Tony Pepers and his lineup, this is the first one we’ve gotten our hands on, and...
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Last month, we checked out an extremely underrated pedal from the past, one that really deserves to be talked about more: the DigiTech HardWire DL-8 Stereo Delay Looper. Not being able to help ourselves, we found a counterpart pedal to that beauty, and have it for you today. The RV-7 Stereo Reverb fits in perfectly next to its delay brother, offering up reverberated tones featuring everything from jazz room to surf rock spring to...
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The Carbon Copy from MXR and Jim Dunlop has become a real leader in the way of modern analog delay pedals over the last decade, so it was a welcome sight to see that they decided to release another version of this gem. The Carbon Copy Bright gives you everything that you’ve come to know and love about the original, with a bit of a twist. Let’s see what this lime green gem has in store for us today…. As with the...
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Today’s featured pedal brings to the table a slew of delay modes to choose from, as well as a built-in looper function, external switching capabilities and more. The Canyon Delay Looper from Electro-Harmonix packs a TON of features into a less-than-normal sized enclosure, giving you a lot without sacrificing any space on your board. The Canyon gives you pretty much all the delay options you could ever want, via the 11 different...
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Altough we don’t do it as often as we should, a good bass demo is always a fun way to end a long week. And speaking of bass pedals, the crew at Mantic Effects have been building some low end-inspired pieces of gear for years now, several of which we’ve been fortunate enough to tackle here at Pedal of the Day. Today’s effect might not be as flashy as some of those others, but it’s an important piece to any bass...
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In addition to having a very 1980’s-like look to it, today’s featured pedal brings you the sounds and odd tones of that decade as well. Coming at’cha with a slew of pitch shifting, digital delays and arcade-inspired effects, the Radical Delay II Plus from Alexander Pedals takes you on a trip back to your childhood (depending when you were born, of course) in one of the crazier 10-year stretches we’ve ever seen....
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We want the funk. Give up the funk. We need the funk. We gotta have that funk. Truer words have never been spoken, both in general and especially when in relation to today’s magnificently funky featured pedal. The Analogue Filter 442 from Mojo Hand FX brings SOOOO much funk to the table, yet utilizes only two control knobs, making it easy to dial in, yet complex in the amount of range you have for such a simple configuration....
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When the crew at Pelican NoiseWorks released the Pelitaur Fuzz a couple years ago, it took the effects community by storm, and we were lucky enough to get our hands on one to check out (review and demo here). Since then, they’ve decided that one of the sides of that crazy creature needed to branch out on its own, in the form of the Half Horse Fuzz, which we’re going to take a look at today. A dynamic JFET fuzz circuit that...
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Newer effects pedals that are based on older effects, or electronic unit, or tape machines, or screen projectors, or whatever, always put a smile on our face. Taking something that might not have been geared towards our current effects world and utilizing the sounds it makes to enhance our musical world is a fascinating concept, so we’re stoked about today’s featured pedal. The Jive from our pals in Germany, JPTR FX, is a...
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HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY! We’re going to start off 2019 the same way we ended 2018: with POWER. While the Camper Fuzz from CroyTone Audio focused on the fuzzy side of things, today’s pedal takes a crack at the distortion market, and does so with blistering abandon. The Metal Shock’s name alone should give you a clue as to what it can do – this is a modern, high-gain distortion pedal that is just quivering with...
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Since this will be our last review and demo of the year, we wanted to go out with a BANG!, and boy, does today’s pedal deliver on all fronts. The Camper Fuzz is a creation developed by CroyTone Audio, based in St. Louis, Missouri, and produces gain, volume and tone that will shake your walls and mystify your very soul. With enough settings and options to make it almost four different fuzzes in one, this seemingly simple beauty...
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There are certain series of pedals that seem to really stand the test of time, and stand out themselves, as individuals and as a collective group. The 9 Series and Tone-Lok pedals from Ibanez. Mid-80’s Boss pedals. The late 70’s DOD bigboxes. And, the group we’re going to venture into today: the Hardwire Series from DigiTech. This 10 pedal series featured a wide range of genres to choose from, and today we want to...
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The Tremolo Effect. It’s been heard, loved and loathed by many on countless records throughout the decades, and, regardless of if you’re a fan of it or not, you can’t deny it’s place in musical history. Starting with circuits in amplifiers and moving gradually to our beloved effects pedalboards, it comes in many shapes, iterations and styles. Sometimes, though, simple is the best solution, and we’re going...
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Merry Christmas-Hanukkah-Kwanzaa-Boxing Day-Omisoka-Yule to you all, hope your celebrations were safe, festive and full of love and friendship! Now, back to business: today’s pedal is an absolute CRUSHER. Taking the world of distortion and completely throwing it for a loop, the PLASMA High Voltage Distortion Unit from Gamechanger Audio reinvents the way a high gain pedal should look, feel, sound and perform. Using updated and...
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Sometimes, in certain pedalboard real estate situations, the smaller the pedal the better. Today’s featured piece of gear will have no problem fitting into any musical tetris-type situation, as it is so small it can be placed virtually anywhere with a perfect fit. The Bluesy Overdrive is another gem from our friends at CNZ Audio, and, while tiny, packs a huge sound and excellent amp-enhancing tone. Let’s take a look at...
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We dig a good hard rocking, amp crushing, super clipping distortion pedal around here (who doesn’t?), and today’s featured piece of monster machinery scratches all of our high gain itches. A simple pedal built around a simple need, the Thallium 81 Hard Clipping Distortion pedal from Fat Foot Effects brings the thunder, but not in an overpowering kind of way. With a plug and play mentality, easy-to-use parameters and some...
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The Tube Screamer. Iconic. Classic. Overdrive. Green. All of these things it may be, and there have been many copies/recreations that have tried to capture that special tone as well. Today’s pedal uses the famous green monster as a base, then builds on it, adding switches and options to produce a more complete overall unit of sound. The Hangover Overdrive comes to us from Rocket Scientists Electronics, and, as you can clearly...
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There’s no mistaking the bright red glory that comes with every single effects pedal we see from Sioux Guitars, which should make it no surprise that the bright red beauty we’re checking out today comes straight from Sioux City, Iowa, as well. The Flood of ’53 is aptly named after a huge rainfall that hit and flooded the town those many decades ago, and just like the big waves and ripples through the city, this...
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We love a gritty, dirty preamp boost overdrive pedal, because who doesn’t? The Dirty Boy from Massive Unity Ltd. is just that, a powerful, clean-looking but dirty-sounding effect that is powered by T.A.E. (proprietary tube amp emulation) technology. Based on the amp used by legendary guitarist Blues Saraceno, which was built by his dad, this pedal features two different modes, a bunch of options and a whole slew of sounds that...
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We recently had the opportunity to check out the Distortion 1 from LunaStone Pedals, and were more than impressed with its build, layout and incredible sound quality. Following in those exact footsteps, today’s pedal from LunaStone is a different animal overall, but retains the quality that these guys are putting out in their effects. The Red Fuzz 1 gives you the feel and power of a true Marshall stack in a small box that will...
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There is nothing like the sound of a Marshall stack, particularly a vintage one, perhaps of the Plexi variety, with the classic 4 input configuration. Those in the know have discovered a special secret about these amps: using a patch cable to connect two of the inputs together. This results in the Volume controls from both channels becoming active, and able to be blended at will to produce gorgeous, soaring crunch tones. If...
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There are a lot of speculative stories surrounding the Umibōzu, a mythical sea creature hailing from lore in the Far East. Today’s pedal takes not only that beast’s name, but the mystery, terror and power that engulf it, and force it outwards, via your amplifier. The Umibōzu Fuzz from Rougarou Pedals has a simple setup, but the tones this monster puts out are far from easy, ordinary or even sometimes logical. BEWARE! The...
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After the powerhouse of a pedal we witnessed last month in the American Geek from Zander Circuitry, we couldn’t wait to delve into their next offering, a rare THREE-IN-ONE pedal that has more options than you’ll know what to do with. The Avalanche is described as a “Harmonic Clipping Trifecta,” and it certainly gives you three completely different sounds to concoct your next sonic meal with. Fuzz, Boost,...
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Whenever a crazy, noise-laden, free form piece of musical equipment comes into the office, we tend to get fairly excited. When the Erratic Clutch Deluxe arrived, we had no idea what we were in for, as it doesn’t really tell you what it is on the outside. However, once we plugged it in, we were treated to a sonic explosion, the likes of which we don’t witness very often around here. You’re all in for a treat today,...
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The Phaser Effect. It’s been heard on famous recordings and utilized in live settings by all of our favorite guitarists for decades, and continues to be one of the more interesting effects genres out there. Now, as much as we love a good, simple, one-knob phase shifting unit, the ones that are REALLY fun are the multiple-switch, more-than-you-need knob configuration, too-many-options-to-handle types of phasers, and that is...
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Let’s face it: Ring Modulators are not for everyone. They’re quirky, weird, loud, uncontrollable and will sometimes do damage to your other gear. Which are all reasons why we love ’em here at Pedal of the Day, and why we were wicked excited about today’s featured pedal arriving in the mail. The Optical Ring V2 is a complete ring modulation and fuzz system, wrapped in a giant enclosure to let everyone know you...
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Hope everyone here in the States had a safe and delicious Thanksgiving yesterday, but we’re back with a vengeance following our brief holiday! Today, we are checking out the final pedal in a run of enclosures sent to us by the fine folks at RPS Effects, and these four pedals come to a close with an absolute monstrous bang. The Red Sun is an analog distortion pedal, one built to crush your eardrums while delivering a scorching...
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After the wallop our ears got with the last effort from Mistweaver Effects, the Serpent Fuzz, we were excited and slightly terrified to see what lay in store for their next offering. Fortunately for the decibels, but not the tone quality, the Forestry Overdrive dials it down just a tick, with plenty of gorgeous dirt on tap to bring any amp to its full potential. With a fairly extensive control section and sounds that work in any...
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As our “Deadbeat Week” draws to a close here at Pedal of the Day, we’re excited to bring one final effect to you from the “Station” line of pedals from Deadbeat Sound. The Echolation Station is full of gooey delay goodness, boasting a ton of different modes and echoed tones up and down the line. The delay-filled gem gives you a multitude of echo effects, from modern to classic to vintage and everywhere...
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“Deadbeat Week” rolls on here at Pedal of the Day, and Day Three brings us a multi-dimensional effect unit that utters one simple but powerful word: REVERB. Whether it’s Plate, Mod, Church, Hall, Room, Spring, Lo-Fi, Gate, or Reverse reverb that you’re looking for, the Reverberation Station from Deadbeat Sound has you covered. Boasting a simple but effective control section for each of these 9 modes, this...
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It’s Day Two of our “Deadbeat Week” here at Pedal of the Day, and brings with it the first of three “Station” effects pedals we’re going to check out. Modulation is always a good time, no matter what type of rig you have or what music you play, so cramming 11 unique modulating effects into one pedal sounds like a pretty rad idea to us. The Modulation Station combines Tremolo, Vibrato, Chorus,...
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This week has been dubbed “Deadbeat Week” here at Pedal of the Day, having been taken over by the folks at Deadbeat Sound. Starting off our run of their pedals is The Visible Overdrive, a clear, see-through dirt pedal designed to emulate the tones of certain 1980’s, green, mid-focused overdrives, all at a ridiculously affordable price range. Working not only with guitars, but bass, keys, drum machines and more, this...
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We are just loving the effects pedals coming out of the FEA Labs camp right now, and we are once again fortunate enough to be able to bring another review and demo of one of them to you today. The DE-CL is a Dual Engine Compressor Limiter, with a lot of control knobs and tones abound, perfect for guitar, bass and more. Utilizing advanced, adaptive release circuitry, clean, boosted power and two sidechain control engines, this is one...
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Today’s featured piece of gear is NOT an effects pedal, but something that is just as important to electrifying your guitar’s signal. Without an amplifier, your pickups would have nothing to send sound to, and your speaker cabinet would not be able to receive sound and project it to the world. That’s where something like the Cobblestone Micro Amp Head from Kartakou Amplification comes in, only this one happens to be...
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