There are some rack mount delay units from the 1980s that are considered to be in the upper echelon of all-time delays, and one of them has now been shrunk down to fit onto your pedalboard. The original SDD-3000 from Korg had a sound and tone all its own, separating it from other delays in the same category, and helped to make its way into the signal chains of many guitarists, including Daniel Lanois, Johnny Marr and most famously The...
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I have yet to come across an Ibanez pedal in their 10 series from the 80’s that I haven’t found to be exciting and exceptional all at once. I mean, these things are all built like tanks, usually have a ton of options, regardless of what type of pedal it is, and sound like they were decades ahead of their time…which they were, in fact. Today’s shining example is basically a multi effect, although it’s...
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In reviewing so many pedals, there can be periods where a group of effects all seem really similar, and although they may have slight differences, they feel like pedals we might have already reviewed before. There are, however, some pedal production companies who really set themselves apart from the rest, in terms of innovation, creativity and all-out awesomeness. A couple that come to mind off the bat are Red Panda, Dwarfcraft...
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Delays that have some kind of modulation incorporated with them have been my favorites for a long time, and I’m always intrigued with each new one, to see what differences and similarities they might share will others I’ve played in the past. The first version of the Reptile Delay is the one we’re gonna check out today, and although there’s a newer model, the Reptile 2, the original is still highly regarded on...
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After reviewing the Defibrillator Reanimating Shock Fuzz from Paradox Effects, I was super excited to see what they would come up with next. Crazy graphics, tones and controls seem to be the general makeup of all their pedals, and the latest is no exception. When the Oniric PseudoAleatory Delay Modulation showed up on my doorstep and I opened the box, I knew I was going to be in for a real treat, and it turns out I was right. As...
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Anticipation is one of the funnest parts about getting new pedals in the mail to review, and sometimes, that anticipation is higher than other times. Case in point: I couldn’t wait to open the box for the brand new Interstellar Orbiter from EarthQuaker Devices when it arrived on my doorstep. I had heard a lot about it from the last NAMM show, and was super-excited to see what it could do, and run it through the paces to maximize...
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In this awesome world of pedals, it can sometimes seem like it’s all been done before: sure, there might be a couple of different toggles on this pedal and a new knob or two, but really unique, new and innovative stuff can elude the masses at times, until you stumble across a pedal that truly makes you stop in your tracks. Today’s piece of hardware did exactly that me, as I had never come across a...
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All-in-one pedals can be great, and they can be terrible, as anyone who has ever tried a few out can attest to. The good ones, though, when they’re good, they are GOOOOD. Where to begin with a pedal like this, with so many options, tones, squeaks, sound and delights? With a long-standing reputation of making some of the finest musical gear around, the folks at Eventide have one-upped even themselves at this point, and released...
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Rainbows and Unicorns are known to be magical, especially in the realm of musical instruments (no duh). But let’s not get caught into rainbows at the moment… Unicorns, yes unicorns can often be found in the wild land of “Hendrix,” but the Unicorn can be tamed and domesticated for much subtler uses too. JHS has produced a modern *Uni-vibe* device which is reviving the nearly “extinct” species. With...
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Some pedals are great at doing one thing, and one thing only. It’s usually quite specific, and they’re not trying to do anything but the ONE thing they’re great at. The Depths from EarthQuaker Devices is NOT one of those pedals, as it can perform many effect functions, with ease and sounding great in the process. Chorus, vibrato, rotary speakers, phasers and more – this pedal has got your needs more than...
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The Mobius super-modulation pedal from Strymon is yet another example of some of the finest gear offerings available on the market today, and doesn’t really leave much to chance as far as options and tones are concerned. Created in the same realm and structure as the TimeLine Delay and BigSky Reverberator, the Mobius is a true all-in-one modulation box, supplying just about any kind of phaser, flanger, chorus and vibrato sound...
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The latest offering from the folks over at Strymon is based on some classic sounds throughout the past century: the Deco Tape Saturation and Doubletracker. Conjuring up the sounds of ancient reel-to-reel tape machines from the 50’s and 60’s, the Deco provides all the vintage echo and delay sounds you’re after, and the Tape Saturation side aims to fatten up your sound using tasty compression and just a bit of...
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The Rain is my favorite pedal on my board. It is weird and does such a wide range of things that I always find a new use for it. The Rain is a super tweaked clone of an EchoBender by Polish Power Pedals, the best of the best of small pedal builders. The settings include modulation, delay, two different decay settings, the wet effect and amount of dry guitar, as well as “feedback/shit” as labeled in the manual Nathanael put...
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The Assblaster is an absolutely unique, deviant, evil, and yellow effects system unlike any other available. The sounds it makes are always new, often very unpredictable, and are never repeatable. The Assblaster combines several of Metasonix’s classic vacuum-tube processing circuits: The preamp stage from the TM-7 “Scrotum Smasher” distortion pedal, the pulser of the TM-1 vacuum-tube waveshaper, and the the thyratron...
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This Custom pedal for Daniel Ettorre was especially fun to build because where I normally let the customer have complete control and input on what the pedal will be Daniel wanted to flip that idea around. As he put it “I want you to build me a pedal but I want it to kind of be a surprise. It can be something crazy you wanted to try, your favorite/best build”. By turning the whole ‘customization’ aspect on its side I was...
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One of my favorite things about effects pedals are when companies design something new, fresh and innovative, especially when it combines multiple effects into one unit. Sometimes, though, these things are over-the-top, with a manual that takes 3 days to read and a month to figure out how to use properly. The Quantum Leap from Diamond Pedals incorporates a number of effects possibilities, while making them easily accessible and fun to...
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