Recently, we had the chance to review and demo a great pedal from a company who has been a supporter of our since practically the beginning: Stacks FX. Their Native Lung Reverb was one of the coolest pedals we’d checked out in a minute, and today we’re honored to be able to present to you guys another one of their fine creations, the Fuzz Gazer. This purple beast is a Silicon fuzz with a ton of tone on tap. Volume controls...
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Sometimes, companies release different versions of pedals, ones that have basically the same layout, but maybe a few less gadgets and gizmos, and sell it at a cheaper price. The Deluxe Memory Man 550-TT Analog Delay retains all the power and prestige of it’s big brother, the 1100-TT, but pretty much just shortens the delay time. Also, the 1100-TT’s first version were made with the coveted NOS Panasonic MN3005 chips, but...
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Boost pedals are Boost pedals, right? They make your instrument sound louder, and help push your amp sometimes into slight overdrive territory, and that’s about it…or is it? The crew over at Vertex has crafted a new kind of boost pedal, aptly named the Boost, that does an excellent job of performing its main function, but does so much more as well. First off, this is the first boost pedal we’ve ever seen that has an...
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WE LOVE DELAY. Alright, we admit it, happy now? Today’s pedal isn’t going to help to decrease our love of this glorious effect, as it is chock full of killer tones, massive options and both classic and more modern delay sounds. The Magic City Delay comes to us from Swindler Effects, and this particular edition happens to have a bit of a cool design backstory as well. Repeats, Mix and Time are all present as control knobs...
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Every pedal company strives to have their pedals be easily recognizable – whether it’s colors, shapes, design, graphics…the list goes on, but you want to make your mark. The guys at StoneFly Effects have most definitely accomplished that feat, with their crazy array of graphics, enclosure sizes, control knob placement and more, and today’s pedal continues in that realm. The Two Headed Werewolf is a fuzzy,...
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3-In-1 effects pedals usually require, well, 3 switches, a huge enclosure and a control panel that rivals something at a NASA launch site. Today’s pedal brings the versatility of 3 pedals to one super-small enclosure, providing a bunch of tones all with a user-friendly mindset. The Bipolar from PFX is a Buffer, Boost and Overdrive all rolled into one – curious yet? The Bipolar features just three control knobs, but they...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Ric N. – find him on Instagram (@ricnewsom) and Twitter (@ricnewsom). “What does that do?” “Drugs. It does drugs. All of them.” That’s how a lot of conversations start about my Count to Five. Granted, explaining what a delay/sampler with pitch, speed, and direction manipulation DOES is usually more than people can digest -including me. But I’ll do my...
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A lot of times, boost pedals just do one thing: Boost. While that is all well and good, sometimes you want a little more from a signal enhancer, and today’s featured pedal does just that and more. The Two Stroke Boost EQ pedal from Orange Amps is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill boost pedal, but a complex (yet easy to use) tone sculpter, instrument booster and EQ all rolled into one. The Two Stroke doesn’t look like your...
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REVERB! You love it, you know you do, and today’s pedal will make you love it even more. One of the highest-quality and well-known reverbs out there, the Space Reverb from Eventide is truly the next level in studio and live performance reverb effects, with up to 100 preset reverbs, studio-quality sound, stereo outputs and more. We’ll give you a little run-down of how this big black beauty works, and show you a demo video...
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Pedals such as today’s featured behemoth are intimidating, plain and simple. However, once you sit down and chat with the Flanger Hoax from Electro-Harmonix for a little while, you’ll find that it’s a mellow, mild-mannered piece of gear, that just so happens to have a bunch of features and options, making it that much more lovable. A flanger, phaser and modulation monster all wrapped into one, this pedal has a bit of...
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Continuing our look at the killer and super-affordable lineup of pedals from our friends at Ninevolt Pedals today, we’ve got a tasty little delay pedal for you all to take a look at. The Relaxing Walrus is a simple, down-to-earth delay pedal, but don’t think for a second that means it doesn’t have a ton of tone on tap. Once again emblazoned with artwork by the fantastic Jonas Claesson, this little blue beauty...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Coe S. – find him on Instagram (@coeschneider) and say Hi! As part of the Skyline Series by Hotone Audio, the Verb caught my attention for three reasons; price point, size, and a cool glowing knob. This was my first reverb pedal, that being said, I had no reference point, and still don’t have much. I’ve watched a ton of demos though;) The light up knob is super cool, and...
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Robert Keeley and the folks he employs just keep releasing more and more dynamite pedals, and we’re going to take a look at another one of them today. Considered rather normal by the standards of most of the Keeley effects we’ve reviewed recently, the Oxblood Overdrive takes on the world of mystical creatures, powerful tone enhancers and ridiculous pedal price tags all at once. Sort of their answer to the gold and silver...
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A while back, we reviewed a couple of pedals from the Big Joe Stomp Box Company, the B-304 Analog Delay and the B-309 Texas Screamer, and were impressed by both. This time around, Big Joe has sent us a unique 2-In-1 pedal, with more options and features than most dual pedals we have come across, and with a tone of tones and sounds. The B-502 Empire is a dual-preamp overdrive, complete with an adjustable buffer, independent but...
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Where do we even start with a pedal like this? The Goatkeeper 3 has become a pedal of mystery and intrigue, not to mention hard to find and pretty expensive, too. Described as an analog tremolo sequencer, this big white whale is so much more, a giant tone machine just itching to be experimented with, and thanks to the folks at Lightfoot Labs, one that we get to indulge in for you today. The Goatkeeper is a pedal unlike most, utilizing...
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Today’s featured pedal come to us from a special place: Boone, NC, where we lived for seven years before venturing out West to our now-home in Boise. Our pal Brian is holding down the fort in our small mountain town for us, though, continuing to create some excellent musical gear as Keisman Pedals has been since 2011 in the High Country. Today’s particular gem is a boost/overdrive combo, with tons of tones on tap to enjoy...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Scott W. – find him on Instagram (@honey.power) and Facebook (Scott Willems). There are copious amounts of pedals based on the revered Big Muff Pi, but the Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz by Way Huge Electronics proves itself as a very versatile fuzz. Packed in the typical Way Huge anodized aluminum housing, it features three knobs for loudness, filter and sustain, and two external trim pots...
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We see a lot of fuzz pedals come through the shop, and today’s pedal is another representation of how we live in a marvelous and fuzzy age. Having recently reviewed their Rat Fink Distortion, we were excited to check out another pedal from Cathouse Pedals, especially since this time around it was gonna be a fuzz. The Bender Fuzz is a seemingly simple three-knob effect, but has some internal secrets and bold tones abound. Fuzz,...
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The crew at Westminster Effects in South Carolina has slowly crept onto the pedal scene, and has amassed a nice little lineup of pedals, of few of which we’ve gotten to review. Their first effects we got our hands on was the Piper Drive, a great little overdrive/boost, and today’s featured pedal expands on that model a bit, with some more options and tones to play with. Let’s take a look at the Edwards Overdrive,...
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In today’s crazy world of ambient pedal obsession, there are more and more incredible machines being produced, and today’s featured piece of gear is a unique and glorious ambient player’s delight. The Wash from Hungry Robot Pedals completes the arduous task of using both delay and reverb to create an organic, below-the-mix wash of sound, while only taking up a fraction of the pedalboard space usually required to...
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Joe and Dom over at Celestial Effects are some of the biggest supporters of Pedal of the Day, and they’re also making some pretty incredible pedals as well. Today’s moose of a beast is actually a FOUR-In-1 pedal, trying to outwit the usual 3-In-1 lackeys (just kidding, you guys all rock, too). The Cancer Wah The Fuzz? features Fixed Wah, Octave Fuzz, Muscle Fuzz and Tube Overdrive, all in one relatively-space-saving pedal...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Marlin M. – find him on Instagram (@goes_by_fish), Twitter (@goes_by_fish) or Facebook (Marlin.Morin)! The NuX Mod Force is a multi effects pedal boasting an impressive 12 modulation types in a compact, pedalboard friendly enclosure. This unit has a full color LCD display (128×128) to adjust parameters for each of the modulation models. These models include chorus, tri chorus,...
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A few weeks ago, we got to review one of the coolest and most effective rehouse pedal projects we’ve ever come across: the DD-20 Rehouse by Chesapeake Effects. As it turns out, they not only do rad rehousings, but they make a pretty mean overdrive pedal as well. Let’s check out the Flagship Overdrive, shall we? Based around the popular Marshall Blues Breaker circuit, the Flagship adds in a couple key elements to make it...
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We recently reviewed an excellent overdrive pedal from our friends to the north, Canadian-based Ground Control Audio. They’re back at it again, this time with their newly released “discrete distortion”, the Locust. Pushing silicon amplification into loud and sluggish distortion territory, this pea green monster has a lot of power, and will put a smile on your amp’s face as soon as you plug it in. Volume, Gain...
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Continuing right where we left off yesterday, we’ve got another awesomely oddball pedal for you today, and it is also one of the most fun ones we’ve had come through our office. The 8Bit-Tron is a strange and marvelous creation from Mammouth Machine, an envelope filter that wants to be a fuzz but is trapped in the body of a bitcrusher and listens to a lot of Jerry Garcia and Stevie Wonder (from the 70’s, of course)....
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Where to even begin with today’s featured pedal? It’s kind of a fuzz, and a partial distortion, but it’s also a tone-shaper, ring mod, oscillator, cosmic sitar and more. A truly unique pedal in a sea of effects, the Frequency~LSD from Mountainking Electronics is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry for help, weep uncontrollably and jump for joy…all in the same half hour. Out is the overall volume control. Done....
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Max F. – find him on SoundCloud (@MaxFaith)! While octave pedals are available in a variety of configurations it’s hard to find units that operate in the desired octave range and track well enough to be useful and musical. Enter the Walrus Audio Luminary Quad Octave Generator. The fine people at Walrus have designed this pedal to work in the lower and higher octave ranges with some of the finest...
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Years and years ago, I bought a fuzz from a new company called Wren and Cuff: it was green, with a single silver stripe down the front, and is to this day one of the favorite fuzz pedals I’ve ever owned. Sadly, I had to sell it many moons ago to help pay rent, and have regretted it ever since. Fortunately, I’m now in a position to have befriended the owner of said pedal company, and he decided it would be a good idea to...
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Right off the bat with today’s featured pedal, there’s something very unique. While most pedal enclosures feature some kind of graphics or etching or something along those lines, the Scenic Drive from Square Amps is completely see-through, letting us all see the insides for all their glory (well, at least to those who can understand what’s going on in there, which definitely leaves us out of the loop). Not to mention...
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2-In-1 effects pedals are always an adventure, and today’s featured pedal takes us on yet another glorious sonic journey. Having previously reviewed the Battering Ram from Wounded Paw Effects, another 2-In-1, we were pretty stoked to be able to check out another one of their marvelous creations. The Echo Drive is a delay and reverb pedal, with additional overdrive on just the delay signal. Basically, your original tone still...
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Germany seems to be pumping out some awesome pedals lately, and today’s is another in that spectacular lineup. The White Fuzz from °red sun fx is based on the Silicon Fuzz Face, and produces those warm and fuzzy (pun intended) classic fuzz sounds. Boasting a simple setup but producing huge sound, this fuzz, like most of ’em, was an absolute blast to sit down with and explore. Nothing ground-breaking in the control...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Sean G. – find him on Instagram (@TheNoiseReel), Twitter (@TheNoiseReel) and Facebook (The Noise Reel). It’s bright or it’s dark. The name makes me think of mint cotton candy at a circus. So I wanted to make a demo in a fast, chromatic circus fashion. Do you know how hard it is to find elephants in midtown Manhattan? Simple controls for a low to medium gain in the Mint...
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When one of the most talked about and anticipated effects of the year shows up on your doorstep, the excitement that has been building up in your brain finally becomes a reality. The aptly named Reverb pedal from Empress Effects is the pedal we’re talking about today, and it absolutely lives up to the hype. We’ll try to give you a good amount of info in this review and subsequent demo video, but this is truly a pedal that...
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The Supercollider Distortion/Fuzz we reviewed from Earthbound Audio a little while back was an absolute beast in a box, so we were hoping for more of the same when we opened up and plugged in the Centurion Fuzz. Well, turns out our dreams came true, as this thing also falls into the “beast” category, but with more fuzz focus and wooly, gritty tones. The Centurion is a 2-transistor fuzz, which has been built utilizing bc108...
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Having recently reviewed a killer fuzz from our friends over at Vick Audio, the Violet Ram’s Head, we were excited to test out another one of their fuzzy creations, as that one was just a blast to sit down and experiment with. Well, it turns out that these guys know a thing or two about fuzzes in general, and today’s pedal is yet another example of how they take the basic fuzz concept and turn it into an incredible piece...
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Well, it appears that we are in a familiar situation, reviewing another dynamite effects pedal from our friends at Keeley Electronics. It seems you can’t take 2 steps forward these days without literally stepping on one of Robert’s pedals (in our office, anyway), which is not necessarily a bad thing. Today’s gem of a pedal features a trio of effects again strewn together into one marvelous (and super space-saving)...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Max F. – find him on SoundCloud (@MaxFaith)! The Boss DS-1 is a classic circuit that most of us are familiar with. Players have been modifying the little orange boxes for years and the amount of modifications and spinoffs are too numerous to mention. Despite the variety of DS-1 circuit configurations, most specimens seem to impart the same familiar gain-structure that originally made the pedal a...
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Classic pedals are classic pedals, no bones about it. However, in today’s world of klones and circuit-borrowing and all the rest, there are a lot of great pedals “based” on vintage units from the past, that tend to offer similar tones as well as modern upgrades that actually improve on the original. Today’s featured piece of gear comes to us from a fairly unknown company, but the Rat Fink Distortion from...
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Ever since I first the opening notes of ‘Battery’ off of Metallica’s 1986’s masterpiece album ‘Master of Puppets’ as a youngster, I’ve been a fan of Kirk Hammett’s playing. Today’s pedal is not only a pretty kickass overdrive, but it comes to us from Kirk’s new pedal company, KHDK Electronics, making it just a bit more special coming from one of my idols. The Ghoul Screamer...
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Whenever we get pedals coming to us from halfway around the world, it’s always interesting to see the new and exciting ways used to create effects through the minds of builders in other countries. Today’s featured pedal is the flagship effects from Ratin Pedals in Munich, Germany, a country which seems to keep putting out more and more killer effects each year. The Blue Angel Overdrive is an original design, three-gain...
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Happy Labor Day to all our followers in the United States! Hope you’ll be kicking back with a cold one and some tasty grilled food later on this afternoon, and enjoying the day off (for those of you who have it). In other news…It’s pretty hard not to be impressed by the sheer volume of pedals that come pouring out of the Edmond, OK offices of Keeley Electronics – what’s even more incredible is how...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Coe S. – find him on Instagram (@coeschneider) and say Hi! I purchased this pedal many years ago I will admit right off. At the time I just needed a boost, I had a tuner, a Sparkle Drive, and and a Line 6 dirt modeler. I didn’t know much, just wanted something to get me louder for solos. I was not disappointed. The Freq Boost is BBE’s take on a treble boost, great for...
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Complex delay pedals can be confusing, sometimes hard to figure out and even extremely frustrating, but the payoff for hard work and actually reading the manual will ALWAYS pay off. That said, the Echolution 2 Deluxe Delay from our friends at Pigtronix features a more-than-slight learning curve, but it also packed with options and delay sounds not heard very often, in any pedal or context. This delay is set up sort of like other delay...
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We’ve had the pleasure of reviewing and testing out a couple of pedals from Crazy Tube Circuits here in the past, and since they were all in the dirt box category, we were pretty stoked when they sent us a reverb pedal, just to mix it up a little bit. Well, the Splash Mk3 Reverb did not disappoint in the least, further confirming that now is a true golden age of pedal production on Earth. Coming to you all the way from Greece,...
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Fun, fun, fun. Today’s pedal provides a great deal of, well, FUN, and sounds great as well. Not to mention it comes to us from a small (no pun intended) pedal company, and we love to see the non-mainstream stuff the little guys are working on, and help get the word out about their companies as well. Small Grey Pedals has a great name, a unique look and some great sounds, and their featured pedal today is the Europa Reverb. Level...
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We last reviewed some pedals by today’s company over a year ago, when they had a different design layout and even a slightly different name. Today’s featured pedal is a departure into glorious territory from the dirt boxes we reviewed back then, too, showing off their revamped style and technical prowess all at once. The Native Lung Reverb from Stack FX has a slew of different ambient sounds available, and a control panel...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Max F. – find him on SoundCloud (@MaxFaith)! Darkglass Electronics’ products are quickly becoming the hottest way to sculpt tone in the bass world. The Finnish company makes some of the most musical bass preamps, distortions, and amps on the market right now. Today’s pedal is the Darkglass Microtubes B3K Bass Overdrive. The B3K Overdrive has simple and intuitive controls for sculpting a wide...
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Today’s little piece of overdriven glory comes to us from a long ways away – Voronezh, Russia, to be exact. The crew at Blacksoil FX sent their first creation across the pond for us to check out, and what arrived was the excellent Alpha Centauri Overdrive. This little silver bad boy is based on the legendary Klon schematic, so the controls are a cinch to understand, but there’s also an added bonus feature to mix...
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Big, fat, thick and tasty fuzz pedals are always welcome on our review table, and the Dark Horse from Rock Stock Pedals was one we were particularly excited about putting through the paces. Another pedal that is excellent on both guitar and bass, this simple but intricate effect is holding a lot of tonal range in only three knobs, and is an amp-exciter to say the least. Volume sets the overall output, and you won’t get lost in...
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We dig it when a pedal arrives that is just plain HEAVY – plug it in, turn up your volume and hope the neighbors don’t get too itchy with their police-dialing fingers. The pedal we;re checking out today is exactly that type – raw, unencumbered, gritty, dirty, nasty and, above all, killer-sounding. The Supercollider is a distortion/fuzz pedal from our new pals at Earthbound Audio, and it’s sure to be a...
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