It’s been a hot minute since we’ve had anything in the shop from Joe and Lone Wolf Audio, but we’re pretty stoked about today’s pedal, for sure. The Outsider V2 is a bit of an oddity pedal, based on a super rare piece of gear that most of you have probably never heard of. Described as a Lead Boost Sub-Harmonic Energizer, this little black box has the ability to conjure up some fun sounds, bold tones and, if we’re lucky, awaken the ghost of Mr. Frank Zappa himself.
Speaking of Frank, he used the legendary and ultra-rare Systech Harmonic Energizer, a filter/distortion from the ’70s which the Outsider is based on. Edgy and dark, with elements of fuzz, wah, envelope filter and more sandwiched into its circuits, this pedal has only a few controls, but ones that all work well together. A dirty, cranky, nasty squawk festival that’s sure to engulf and excite the senses, let’s check out the controls. The Gain knob adds up to 35DB of transparent gain that when put in front, or after a distorted signal opens up a whole new range of tones. The Band(with) knob dictates how wide the Frequency knob can alter your signal for a brighter, thinner, cutting tone, or a darker, fatter, cutting tone.
As seen on both Dweezil Zappa and Matt Pikes‘ pedalboards, the original was utilized and mastered by Frank Zappa, and the Outsider has been tweaked and tuned to the highest detail to honor the vintage model. This latest version also features an added CV expression jack for the Frequency control, which works with all expression pedals capable of 50-100k resistance (Moog EP-3, Source Audio, etc). The Outsider V2 creates an extremely specific sound, but one that can be utilized in many ways for many different musical genres. Cheers to Joe at Lone Wolf Audio for taking on the task of reviving a rare and unique piece of gear in a modern format – be sure to check out our demo below to hear the Outsider in action, and don’t forget to subscribe!
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