While most of our reviews are focused on the pedals themselves, we couldn’t hear the magical sounds they make without the aid of cables, and we’ve got a new release from Rock Stock Pedals in that department today. Their Solderless Patch Cable Kit gives you high performance and perfect customization to make your pedalboard look, feel and sound exactly the way you need it to. Let’s hear what Rock Stock has to say about...
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We all love pedals that make cool noises, or blow the speakers out of our amps, right? There’s one pedal, though, that EVERYONE needs to have on their board, hands-down: THE TUNER. You can have all the rad effects you want, but if you’re out of tune, it won’t matter, ’cause you’ll sound terrible. The folks at Rock Stock Pedals have come up with a new tuning solution, the Nano Tuner, and we’ve got a...
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We all know multi-effects pedals, especially the ones that have been coming out the last couple of years, can be super fun, and essential to some rigs. But they really open up when you can control more of their functionality easily, and that’s why we’re here today. The new Tap and Dual AUX switches from Rock Stock Pedals open up your Line6 HX Stomp (and other multi-effects) and lets you customize how you use it to your...
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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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There have been some incredible reverb pedals coming onto the effects market recently, and we have been fortunate enough to get to review a bunch of them. Today’s featured pedal continues this awesome streak of awesome effects, in the reverb department, and is a welcome addition to anyone to needs easy and great-sounding reverberation. A Level control starts us out, adjusting the overall presence of the Wet reverb signal. The...
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The effect pedal market is at an all-time high at the moment, in terms of companies and gear available to all the guitar players out in the world, so how do you pick and choose which pedal is right for you? Well, sometimes you just randomly stumble across a pedal that says “put me on your board…now.” I had a similar thing happen the other day, when I unwrapped a package from Rock Stock Pedals… Inside was the...
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As evidenced by our Klone Wars demo series on YouTube, we love a good replica of that infamously mythical circuit that only a few can now afford. The J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer, in all its iterations, has steadily been one of the go-to clone units since its release. Today, we’re proud to help bring the latest version, the Archer Select, to you and the rest of the world… The Archer Select is a uniquely functioning...
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The Tube Screamer. Iconic. Classic. Overdrive. Green. All of these things it may be, and there have been many copies/recreations that have tried to capture that special tone as well. Today’s pedal uses the famous green monster as a base, then builds on it, adding switches and options to produce a more complete overall unit of sound. The Hangover Overdrive comes to us from Rocket Scientists Electronics, and, as you can clearly...
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Today, we’ve got the final pedal (so far) in the Voodoo Lab effects lineup: the Sparkle Drive MOD Overdrive Distortion. Building on the original design, this one features 4 different drive modes and a wide-ranging control section, producing just about any dirt tone you’ve been chasing. Going from punchy and modern to thick singing lead sounds, this green gem has got it all… Grab a Sparkle Drive MOD from Sweetwater:...
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Today, we continue our journey of the exploration of the Ampworx Series of preamp pedals from our friends at TC Electronic. We’re looking at all six effects in the series (so far), starting with their three latest releases, and moving through the previous three, over the last several weeks. Let’s keep it going today with the JIMS 45 Preamp, a beast that faithfully recreates the sound of a 1965 Marshall JTM45 tube amp, for...
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Love it or hate it, the Ibanez Tube Screamer, in all its iterations, is a staple in the world of guitar overdrive effects. With its characteristic mid-range boost and bright green enclosure, it works with rock, blues, metal and more, becoming part of many famous guitarists’ signature sounds. Its stock version, however, can leave some wanting more, and that’s where today’s pedal comes in – the TS9 Tube Screamer...
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Many times throughout the course of a year, there are certain pedals that have a TON of hype around them, that just about everyone in the industry is waiting for their release to the public. Today’s pedal might just top the list for 2020, even though we’re only halfway through (really, only halfway?). The Chase Bliss Audio Automatone Preamp MKII is not only a collaborative effort with Benson Amps, but a surge forward in...
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Big Muff. You know the name, you know the pedals, you know (some of) the records that they have appeared on. Thankfully, since the originals are fairly rare and expensive when you can find them, there are many companies who produce their individual takes on these excellent fuzz/distortions, and we’ve got a new member of the group to tell you about today. Siren Pedals, out of Nashville, TN, brings another take on the Muff, in the...
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The Mu-Tron / Musitronics Phasor was one of our favorite phasers (and favorite pedals, really) to ever come through the shop here at Pedal of the Day. Big, bulky and badass, it helped define the phaser effect in the 70s and beyond, creating giant soundscapes of whooshing pulses and out-of-this-world types of sonic embellishments for all to enjoy. Fast forward to the present day, and we’re lucky enough to have the Mu-Tron company...
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If you’re a fuzz lover, when you hear the words “Tone Bender,” an instant smile creeps over your face. Used on countless classic rock recordings and live shows by everyone from Pete Townshend to Jeff Beck to Paul McCartney and more, these gray boxes from Sola Sound defined the latter half of the 1960’s. The MkII Professional version of the Tone Bender was made popular by Jimmy Page, having used it on the first...
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Joey Lewis Buffalo, NY Funktional Flow www.funktionalflow.com facebook.com/FunktionalFlowMusic youtube.com/user/funktionalflowmusic/videos How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? From what I can remember, a man in our neighborhood growing up gave an acoustic guitar to my older brother Justin and he quickly lost interest in it. That’s when I swooped in and nabbed it lol. But it was ok...
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Michael Vickery Gilbert, Arizona Vick Audio VickAudio.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I got a late start when it comes to guitar but I have been playing for almost 25 years. I started as a musician by taking piano lesson when I was a kid. I took lesson for about 4 years but it never really clicked with me. I think piano teacher have a tendency to try to make kids classic pianists...
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Marco Benevento Upstate New York Homepage Follow the Arrow When longtime jazz/jam favorite of ours, Marco Benevento, brought his band through town last week for a show at the Asheville Music Hall, he was kind enough to sit down and talk with us about music, touring, gear and more…here’s our chat, enjoy! [Pedal of the Day] First of all, where did you grow up? Do you still live in the same place? [Marco Benevento] I grew up...
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Ben Deane Overland Park, KS (Kansas City Metro) Monarch Musical Devices https://reverb.com/shop/monarchmusicaldevices How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve always had a connection with music. From my dad’s outlaw country vinyl LPs to my mom’s affection for artists like Paul Simon and Billy Joel, music always spoke to me and I wanted to speak back. I had a couple of years of piano lessons...
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DEVON ALLMAN The Devon Allman Band: ST.LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA, EARTH THE SLAYS: MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, USA, EARTH devonallmanband.com theslays.com (coming soon) How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? At 5, the vinyl bug bit me and it was love at first spin. At 9, the live music bug bit me when Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick pulled out the 5-neck guitar at my first concert. But as for me playing…I...
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Mike Beigel Mu-FX Encinitas, CA www.mu-fx.com [Mu-FX by Beigel Sound Lab is a division of Beigel Technology Corp.] facebook.com/BeigelSoundLab How long have you been a musician? How did you get into musical effects in the first place? My main musical training was classical music on clarinet, but I also played Saxophone for a local high school dance band (“The Crescendos”), and for some local rock & roll bands and guitar just for...
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We recently reviewed and demoed the Plush® Cream II™ Overdrive pedal from our friends at Fuchs Audio Technology, and today we get to see what that pedal is like on steroids. The Extreme Cream II™ takes everything that we love about the smaller version, and then doubles it, giving you two separate pedals in one, and a whole lot of gain to tame (if you’re up to it). The Extreme Cream II™ gives you not one, but two different...
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It’s been a while since we reviewed a pedal from our friends at Vick Audio – they were one of our first pedal donators and supporters of the site two and a half years ago, and we’d like to thank them and acknowledge that once again. Their style, designs and pedals have become more sophisticated and versatile since the one-knob Fuzz Box we reviewed so long ago (as have our reviews, thankfully!), as evidenced by...
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Andy Greene Escape Plan Pedals http://www.escapeplanpedals.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve played music for pretty much my entire life. I got my first guitar, a miniature steel string acoustic, when I was 5. I learned simplified versions of most of the standard position major chords and a few minor chords and would try to put on concerts for my family. I really got interested in...
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Mike Gantzer Guitarist for Aqueous Buffalo, NY https://aqueousband.com/ https://www.facebook.com/aqueousband/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Incidentally, when I first started playing music was in the 3rd grade with the standard issue recorder they give out to everyone, and i HATED it. haha I picked up trumpet for awhile, but I recall being sort of turned off with the rigidity of the...
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Celestial Effects 22 Kane Industrial Drive Hudson, MA 01749 800-343-4492 sales@celestialeffects.com www.celestialeffects.com How long have you guys been musicians? How did you each get into it in the first place? Dom: Thanks to my dad, who loved music but never played an instrument, my formal musical education came from playing trumpet and coronet from 3rd grade through high school. In high school I played in the concert band, wind...
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After recently reviewing the new and awesome DD-500, we figured it was time to round out the digital delay pedals offered up by Boss, and the only one we had left was today’s featured pedal, the DD-5 Digital Delay. Although we did review a version of this pedal before, it had been modded by JHS, so we’re gonna take a look at the stock pedal and see what it has to offer as it comes stock. The DD-5 is jam-packed with delay...
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Sometimes when you review a particular pedal, you get to do a little research and discover another pedal in the process. The flavor of the day today focuses on the classic Shin-Ei Super-Fuzz FY-6 pedal, which was produced from 1968 until the late 1970s. Our featured pedal today not only made a long journey to us via India, it also has the innards and homage that make it an excellently-modified version of an awesome vintage effects...
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The classic Tube Screamer, in its many early variations, is considered by many guitarists as the top dog in the overdrive department, and that can be evidenced by the numerous attempts to recreate that signature sound by pedal companies across the world. With a surge of pedals focusing on smaller footprints and less pedalboard space, Ibanez decided to follow suit and release the Tube Screamer Mini, a micro version of their overdrive...
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Boss pedals have long been staples on many a pedalboard, and one that I always found to be a real stand-out is the BD-2 Blues Driver. A great stock pedal, the BD-2 gives of great drive tones, perfect for rock and roll, blues or pop, and can get your tube amp to that special distorted spot that every player digs. Today’s version features a special Phat Mod done by our friends over at Keeley Electronics, which will turn your...
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A while back, our buddy and fellow reviewer Kyle Ragan (check out his YouTube channel) introduced us, and probably most of you guys and gals out there, to a little company from the Czech Republic called HDR Amplification. Their Seastorm and Sunstorm Distortion pedals both looked and sounded incredible, so we were pretty stocked when an overseas box arrived on the front door not long ago sporting their name. Upon opening said box, we...
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When it first came out, I thought the Palisades Overdrive from EarthQuaker Devices was one of the coolest drives I had come across in a while, although it was just a bit bigger than I needed at the time. Fast forward some months, and the team at EQD decide that there might be a need for a smaller version of this pedal, that sticks to the basics but still offers up some tonal options, too. They’ve done it again, folks: help me...
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Tube Screamers: you love ’em or you hate ’em, so far as I can tell. The stock ones that I’ve played have never really overly impressed me much (although I’ve never had the opportunity to play one of the old classics from the early 80s) – they’re nice overdrives, but nothing too spectacular, in my book. The 808 we’re reviewing today is one of the reissues, but it has been modded by Analog Man,...
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Next to Delay, Overdrive is my favorite type of pedal, hands down. There are so many little additions, changes, options and tones that can come to fruition while building a drive pedal, and while I don’t know jack about how to do it, I love listening to how they sound once the work is complete. Having quite a collection of overdrives myself, it was really fun to test out the Zero To Sixty Overdrive from McCaffrey Audio, as they...
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Designed by guitarist Paul Crowther of Split Enz back in 1976, the venerable Crowther Hotcake OD/Distortion pedal is all about crunch. Airy, satisfying crunch, like a warm basket of tortilla chips. Hand built in New Zealand, the Hotcake delivers that classic rock rhythm sound in spades, and produces a great old-school lead tone that will make it your first grab. According the builder, the Hotcake is different from most ODs in that it...
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Here’s another installment of the Digital Delay stompbox series from Boss: the DD-5. This is a great delay in it’s stock version, but I got my hands on one that has been modded by our friends over at JHS Pedals to add in a bit of analog flavoring. Let’s check it out! Let’s go through the basic functions of the DD-5, then we’ll get to the mod. Lots of modes here, starting with 4 delay modes. These range in...
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It seems that certain low-priced pedals from Boss have a reputation as being terrible and unplayable by an overwhelming number of folks in the guitar community. For how long this has been going on is unknown, but these pedals are an excellent introduction to beginning players who are still searching for their sound, and the tools with which to do so. Plus, if you can pony up a few extra bucks and get them modded by companies like JHS...
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Noisemaker Effects makes really nice pedals, and then sells them at a really nice price (I bought their 1/2-watt amplifier, too, and that thing rocks!). They’re built in sturdy, tough, metallic enclosures, sure to stand the test of time (and our foot abuse) and outlive us all. The Soda Pop Fuzz seems like another rad pedal from a cool company, so let’s check it out, uh? The graphics first catch your eye and make you crack...
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