There are pedals and amps that produce tones which just make you take a step back the first time you hear them. A good number of these have been produced by Marshall, and today’s pedal is a take on possubly their most famous pedal: the Blues Breaker. Taking that awesome piece of gear, tweaking it a bit and adding more options, the Mount Pleasant from Vick Audio aims to reproduce those vintage tones, but in a smaller footprint...
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The Verdugo Series of pedals from NUX have been some of our favorites over the years, and we’ve got our EIGHTH one for you today. The NDO-5 Ace of Tone Dual Overdrive has 2 channels, with each one harnessing the auditory glory of a classic overdriven circuit, with NUX’s special spin on it. Easy controls, lots of routing and bypass options and incredible tone are what you find here – let’s dive in and see what...
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It’s always exciting when we get to check out new pedals from companies for the first time, and we’re stoked to welcome Artisanal Effects into the mix today. Their Toneshaper Drive EQ Overdrive pedal combines the oomph of an overdrive with the frequency-sculpting of a 6-band EQ, for a well-rounded sound that can fit with ANY setup. There’s a lot of history on this one, so lets hear from the builder about how it came...
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We’ve been trying to collaborate with Don Poniz for the last few years, and we’re finally making it a reality today! Presenting the Power Contol Unit, a massive silicon/germanium overdrive with a simple control section and a huge range of sounds on tap. The note that came with the pedal said, “Worth the wait, trust me, Mike!” and after playing this pedal, I believe that to be a very true statement… From...
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Last month, we continued our steak of reviewing excellent pedals from our friends at NUX, with the amazing Duotime Dual Engine Delay. Today, we’ve got another one from their impressive Verdugo Series of Stomboxes: the Queen of Tone Dual Overdrive. Bringing two different but extremely complimentary drive circuits to the table, this 2-for-1 gives you just about all the overdrive options you could need…and maybe a couple...
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From the Archer Ikon to the El Hombre to the Mr. Moto and beyond, the folks at J. Rockett Audio Designs keep finding ways to pack a whole lot of effect into a small enclosure. This wonderful trend continues today with the .45 Caliber Overdrive, a dirt pedal derived from the classic rhythm playing of Malcolm Young and the face-melting goodness of Pete Townshend. If you’re on the hunt for your next amp-in-a-box pedal, this might...
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Most of us have, unfortunately, been affected in one way or another by cancer. Research and development of new ways to combat this killer are the only way we can rid the world of it forever, and today’s pedal set seeks to help fight that fight. The Electric Love Pedals Fuzz, Overdrive & Delay are being sold as a set, with ALL proceeds going to fund breast cancer research. Let’s see what creator Ben Carlin has to say...
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What’s better than an amazing, killer, amp-pushing overdrive pedal? Well, not much, unless you have TWO drive circuits in ONE enclosure! Such is the case for today’s unit, the Browne Amplification Protein Dual Overdrive. Taking inspiration from a couple of timeless (but not necessarily accessible) circuits and combining them into a single, glorious pedal makes this one a must-have for any overdrive fan. Each side sounds...
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Since the inception of Pedal of the Day, Josh Scott and JHS Pedals have been on board, sending us pedals to review and demo over the last 7+ years. Somehow, their most famous pedal, the Morning Glory Overdrive, has never passed through our shop, for whatever reason….until today. Unleashed in collaboration with The Pedal Movie (which is fantastic, if you haven’t seen it), this Morning Glory 2009 Limited Edition Throwback is...
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The Pelion, Dirty Little Thing and Mean Bone were our first forays into the world of Kasleder FX, and seeing how impressive they were, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on another pedal from across the pond. Enter the Toxic Twins Dual Overdrive, a 2-channel classic rock mammoth that goes from clean boost to low gain to crunchy grit to balls-out, borderline distortion, all with ease. With some unconventional diodes in the circuit...
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Ah, the infamous Klon Centaur. That mythical sound that can be yours for the low, low price range of $2,000-4,000, if you can find one. For those of us who think that staggering amount of cash just might be able to be spent elsewhere, we’ve got the Klone. Surfacing in many forms, colors, configurations and sizes, these homages to the original give the masses that Klon tone, without the hefty price tag. We’ve got another...
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The Klon. It has achieved mystical, mythical and maniacal status since its release in the early-to-mid 1990’s. While there have been dozens of clones (or Klones, as it were) produced over the years, trying to capture that sound without the $1500+ price tag, few sound as good as the Centura from Ceriatone Amplification. Deciding to further expand on their killer replication, Ceriatone has released a new, dual overdrive pedal,...
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There’s no shortage of amazing effects coming out of the Keeley Electronics camp, as they have been for close to 2 decades now, and we always love it when something new comes through the office. While the past couple of years have seen bigger, more option-filled pedals like the Dark Side, Aria, Super Mod Workstation and more, sometimes you just need a killer overdrive pedal to get you in the right mood, and spark some creativity...
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Bob Feldman Shin-ei Austin, TX USA www.shin-ei.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been playing guitar since 1965. That’s fifty-three years! Damn!! I had friends from school and the neighborhood that played guitar and other instruments. They got me interested in playing. I tried trumpet for about a New York minute but fell right into the guitar and haven’t put it down since. Who have...
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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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I want to just say right up front that this pedal from Keeley Electronics oozes quality. It just pours out of it. It’s solid, well bit and the finish is flawless. Very understated and clean looking. You can tell right away that it’s not an imported piece of tin. Built solid and to last.The simple gold stripe with the 1962 off to the side is a very classy way to say it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Now the...
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The famous “Bluesbreaker” amplifier made by Marshall in 1962 is one of the most sought-after guitar sounds on the planet, one of those tones that players are always searching for. Sometimes, a pedal comes along that really nails a certain sound, and a tone from a certain era of guitar stardom. The Mad Hatter Overdrive from Pedal Monsters seeks to re-create that illustrious Eric Clapton tone, and does a pretty damn good...
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The JHS Morning Glory is a discreet/transparent overdrive based off of the legendary Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit but with 2x more headroom and gain. This pedal, which some consider to be the one that brought JHS into the mainstream gear spotlight, is a transparent light to medium overdrive that brings life to any rig. With only three knobs for volume, gain, and tone and a bright cut switch, this simple pedal packs a lot of options...
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On tap today is the Del Mar overdrive – the latest offering from the awesome guys over at Bondi Effects, makers of the well-known Sick As overdrive. So what’s all the hype about? As many know, the Sick As is based loosely around the mystical Klon circuit, and works great as a clean boost/light OD without coloring your signal. Wonderful. The Del Mar takes two equally renowned circuits, the Tubescreamer and Bluesbreaker, and...
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The Thunderbird from Keisman Pedals is an awesome 2-in-1, combining their Velvet Drive and Earl Bird pedals into one modestly-sized enclosure, and providing the user with a nice array of sounds and tones to beef up a guitar’s signal. The Early Bird side gets things started by providing a nice clean boost to your signal, with all the levels around noon. A light-medium drive, the right side of the Thunderbird produces a warm,...
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The first pedal offering from Oddfellow is here: the Caveman Drive. This pedal breaks into Ts808 and Bluesbreaker territory, however, this piece of magic goes way beyond. Going from clean to fuzz, this pedal provides versatility, amp-like performance (this goes above any other pedal I’ve played so far), and great tone. Imagine John Mayor like-tones, but with extra bluesy mojo, awesome graphics, and singing leads. In addition,...
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