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….
The Tremolo side of the Danger Zone is a square wave, giving you a solid trem base to work with, and some options to carve and shape the effect. The Depth control sets the intensity of the effect, while the Rate controls the speed, going easily from zero to smooth and mellow to all-out vibrato-infused insanity. There’s also a small Volume knob, which acts as a boost, to be sure your trem sound is as laid back or up front as you want it. This knob is also a Rate LED, making you constantly aware of your speed at just a glance.
The Phaser side has the same initial controls as the Tremolo side, but with a couple more options as well. There’s a third footswitch in the middle that activates the Jet Wash mode, which is a 2nd phaser type that provides deeper coloration and a more intense overall effect. This can be accentuated even further via the Mach II switch, igniting the Rate of the phaser into an additional dimension of multiplied sound possibilities far crazier than it is normally. The Phaser sound itself can be jet-whooshing, as you’d expect, but also conjures up elements of ring modulation, something not too common in an effect of this type, but certainly more than welcome.
It should also be noted that the Danger Zone’s Rate knobs aren’t your usual knobs at all, but a wonderful creation called the Option Knob WingMan, which allow you to easily control the Rate of each side with your foot. Specifically designed to take the place of any factory knob on any pedal, not only do they work here with the Danger Zone, but will work with just about any other pedal as well. This eliminates the need for any sort of external tap switch or bulky expression pedal on your board, saving room for more effects, which we all want. They even glow-in-the-dark, so you’ll never lose sight of what’s happening on a dark stage. Check out more info HERE.
As for the Danger Zone itself, well, what else can we say? With so much coloration flexibility and optimal control in every aspect, this is a 2-in-1 that should be firmly planted on any board that uses these two types of effects. All at once inspiring, innovative and nostalgic, this combination of Tremolo and Phaser together is a perfect example of how you can soar to new heights with your playing, and develop new and exciting ideas to incorporate into your writing. It also plays nice with overdrive and distortion pedals and sounds, so experimentation is absolutely encouraged with the rest of your rig. Cheers to Chad and the WingManFX crew for this one, and the Option Knobs WingMan as well – two products that really open up you eyes as to what’s possible, and where the future of effects is headed. Be sure to check out both the pedal and the knobs on their website, and see/hear the Danger Zone in action by clicking below!
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