We’re continuing our “Asheville Week” here at Pedal of the Day today, with the first of three effects from a company focused on 100% analog sounds. The Asheville Music Tools AFG-1 Analog Dynamic Flanger is a Whooshless Resonant Comb Modulator, featuring a reissue Bucket Brigade Delay line to deliver classic Flanger and Chorus sounds with the most natural modulation possible. The synthesizer-inspired control voltage...
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After being pretty blown away by the Orbital Pitch Shifter and NovaDrift Modulation pedals from ALABS Audio, we were excited to check out the next pedal in their Adam Adventure Series, which happens to come from our favorite effect genre. The TimeSlip Stereo Delay features loads of echo modes, options and exploration into all things delay, with a wide stereo field to engulf your audience. Lots of knobs and switches here, let’s...
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Ever since we got our Monarch 15W amplifier from Benson Amps back in 2017, we’ve loved everything they’ve put out, especially when the effects pedals made their debut. Having already checked out the Preamp, Germanium Fuzz, Germanium Boost and Stonk Box units, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on their first foray into out favorite all-time effect: Delay. The Delay Benson has created brings vintage and modern...
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Although today’s gear is not a pedal, it is a very useful piece of equipment here at PotD headquarters. The String Swing SW5RL-K Multi-Guitar Wall Rack has been an instant gamechanger, organizing my guitars in a neat, orderly and aesthetically pleasing way. If your collection of instruments is starting to grow and grow, this might be just the thing you’re looking for… The most convenient guitar display package on the...
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Recently, we had the wonderful opportunity to jump into the effects world of Fuzz Imp, from beautiful Portland, Oregon. The Shroot II (Deluxe) Overdrive not only looks rad and features a beloved TV character, but has some real meat to it when you turn it on. Today’s pedal, the Creature Fuzz, gets into a bit more dirty sonic territory, gloriously, and we’re completely here for it… The 5 controls are very interactive...
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So, there are distortion pedals, and then there are DISTORTION PEDALS. Today’s featured effect, the Beautiful Noise Effects Exploder Distortion Device, clearly falls into the latter category (whatever that is), taking what you thought you knew about dirt pedals and smashing all expectations into oblivion. Sound too harsh? Well, if that’s the case, you should probably stop reading and go play a nice, quiet melody on your...
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The effects pedals coming out of the English shop where Tom Oakes and Horrothia FX call home have always been cool to look at, built with extreme quality and incredible-sounding, to say the least. These marvelous traditions continue today with their latest release, the Triage Discrete Transistor Pre-Amplifier, which covers Boost, Dirt and Volume at the same time. Easily ranging from clean to nasty, we are really digging this...
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Delay is the best effect out there, hands-down…BUT, I do love a good compressor and a good preamp, too. Fortunately, today’s pedal, the Niche Devices Humboldt Preamp SE combines both of these effects into one brilliant effect, with broad range and total tonal control. Conceived over the course of two years, this original circuit offers optical compression coupled with a high headroom preamplifier, and features the unique...
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Our friends over at Poison Noises are releasing new versions of their entire lineup of effects pedals, and have asked us to help showcase these overhauled creations. We’re looking at 2 pedals a week for the next couple months, continuing today with The Gaia Overdrive. This one just might be your new desert island pedal…. The Gaia Overdrive is loosely based on a K-style circuit, but with a new take on the whole thing....
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We can’t get enough of the effects coming out of the Mozztronics camp, and we’re so honored to bring another brilliant creation to you all today. Using a real 12AX7 tube internally, the TD-2 HV Tube Driver provides authentic, crunchy tube amp tone, with an easy control section for instant overdriven glory. Three knobs doesn’t give you the whole story, so let’s go for a ride and see what this orange beauty is...
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The designs and sounds contained in the first two pedals we saw from Aclam were impressive and extremely specific. The Dr. Robert had a major Beatles influence on its sound, while the Windmiller was focused on The Who and Pete Townshend’s rig. Today, we’ve got the third pedal in their current lineup, the Cinnamon Drive, which recreates the essence of vintage tube amps pushed to the max volume. Great for any musical genre,...
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There have been some incredible modulation pedals coming out recently, and we are excited to bring you another wonderful effect from that list today. The CopperSound Pedals Polaris Analog Chorus Vibrato gives you two independent depth levels for the Chorus and Vibrato sides it contains. Along with a couple of other tricks up its sleeves, this purple beauty has all your wobbling, warbling needs covered. Based loosely on the classic...
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After the success of their Dr. Robert Overdrive Preamp, we were wondering what would be next for the crew at Aclam. Well, their latest invention is here, and it harkens back to another band from the 60’s, and a particularly well-known guitarist. The Windmiller Preamp is based on a secret weapon that Pete Townshend of The Who used as a boost, and gave him his signature tone during the latter portion of that decade. Let’s...
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Enrico Preuß KMA Audio Machines Berlin, Germany www.kma-machines.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Well, I started playing guitar with the age of 18. A friend from school was playing a red Squier Strat and a Peavey Valveking 100W 2×12 combo and he showed me some Green Day, Ulver and Anathema riffs…oh, and he was using a Marshall jackhammer pedal (the first pedal I ever heard...
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We recently received a big shipment of pedals all the way from Australia, from our friends at Mozztronics, and we’re going to check out Pedal #1 today. The HW-1 wHo WATT is based on a British amp from the 60’s used by The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, making it not a dirt pedal as such, but more of an emulation of this classic amp. Big and loud and awesome, this is one incredible Amp-In-A-Box… To do full justice to the...
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Since delay is far and away our favorite genre of effect here at Pedal of the Day, we’ve been closely watching the Memory Lane line from our pals at Diamond Pedals for years. First getting our hands on a Memory Lane Jr, then eventually snagging an out-of-production original Memory Lane, we know a little bit about this incredible line of delays (don’t sleep on the Counter Point or Quantum Leap, either!). The latest...
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The sounds of AC/DC have echoed through concert halls, dorms, bedrooms, vans, strip clubs and just about any other place you could think of for close to 50 years now. Many have tried to capture their classic sound, and many have gotten close. Today’s re-creation attempt comes to us from our pals in France, in the form of the Anasounds High Voltage Plexi Distortion. This dirty, overdriven beauty conjures up tones reminiscent of...
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The Legends of Fuzz series from JHS Pedals is a tribute to the world’s most historic, rare, and sought after fuzz circuits. Since the originals are extremely hard-to-find, extremely expensive when you do and prone to the problems electronics might have after 50 years, this series brings these sounds and tones to the masses, for all to enjoy. There are four pedals in all, and we’re going to run through each one, what they...
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Here at Pedal of the Day, we’ve had the pleasure to be able to review and demo numerous pedals from Fulltone over the years. Ranging from the classic OCD Drive to the incredible Tube Tape Echo, Choralflange a couple of Deja Vibes and more, the sound quality and craftsmanship have always been right up their at the top. That said, today’s pedal of theirs might be our favorite one yet. The Fulltone Supa-Trem2 Stereo Tremolo /...
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The pulsing, audio ebb-and-flowing, peaks and valleys sounds of Vibrato are some of our favorites in the world. Whether it’s coming from a modern day effects pedal or from the circuit of a vintage amplifier, it’s hard to beat adding that type of effect into any signal chain and being the least bit disappointed. Today’s pedal, the SurfyVibe from Surfy Industries, brings a vintage sound into our modern world, keeping...
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Recently, we had the privilege and honor reviewing and demoing another pedal from our friends at KMA Machines, the Wurm, a killer distortion pedal full of great tones and offering loads of options. We get to look at another KMA machine today, one along the same lines as the Wurm, but with a couple differing twists and turns. The Dead Stag is a Distortion, yes, but it’s also a Fuzz, so you get the best of those two worlds in one...
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The Sunn Model T Amp. A classic in the heavy/stoner genre of music, they are known for being loud, having thick, killer overdrive, taking pedals well and putting out bass tones that are warm, natural and organic. Today’s pedal comes to us from Electronic Audio Experiments, and is based off of this legendary amplifier. The Model feT is a Preamp pedal, and while capable of doing the doom-y tones, it works for just about any other...
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Who doesn’t love some AC/DC? Really? Well, you’re wrong, and you need to go download their whole catalog immediately. Speaking of folks who really dig that band, our featured pedal today is basically the accumulation of facts, tones and info regarding Mr. Angus Young (of said band) and his instantly-recognizable tone, compiled over a lifetime and finally brought to life in the form of the TSR Schaffer Replica Compander...
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The craftsmanship and unique effects pedals that have been coming out of the Beetronics camp the last couple of years have been pretty exciting, and we are lucky enough to get to check one of them out today. The WhoctaHell is a crazy, wild effect, combining octave, fuzz and synth tones into one glorious machine, perfect for anyone who likes to make noise and draw attention to themselves at a gig. This one is from Beetronics’...
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John Lee Shannon (www.johnleeshannon.com) Brooklyn, NY In addition to my own solo project, I regularly work in collaboration with: Zephaniah Ohora Cliff Westfall Bonehart Flannigan Brother Roy How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar when I was 15 or 16. My mom is a huge music lover, we were always listening to the radio in the car and going to concerts growing up. My dad...
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There’s something about a good octave pedal that beefs up your tone and adds a special flavor to any rig. Whether it’s a lower or upper octave, adding another layer of sound to enhance your original signal has always been a tasty option for us, and today we get to check out a truly killer, one-knob octave effect. The Queequeg (what a great name, right?) from KMA Audio Machines is a sub octave generator, a simple, analog,...
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There are times when we receive a box in the mail here at the office, open it up and just say “WOW.” Today’s pedal did exactly that to us, in an awesome and slightly unnerving way. The Schumann PLL Analog Harmonizer from FTelettronica Pedals is an absolute beast, full of more options than any pedal probably should have, sending your signal into the far reaches of space and beyond. Taking the input, turning it into a...
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We did a review of the Double Barrel Overdrive from JHS Pedals back in 2014, when we were first getting started, and have come full circle to be able to check out the newest model of this fine dual overdrive. This famous box now incorporates the newest versions of the separate pedals it houses, giving it an overall upgrade to the individual sides, as well as the whole pedal. You know what this is, you’ve probably played or owned...
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Willy Porter Milwaukee, WI willyporter.com This is a pretty special interview – as some of you may know, I hail from the great city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I had the pleasure of seeing Willy play numerous times, in high school and beyond, before I moved away. It was a real treat to have been able to sit down with him here in Asheville and talk about music, Mil-town and life in general. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I...
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With the weekend rapidly approaching, many of you will be exploring new gear and trying to figure out which new, tasty pedal to order while you relax on your off days. If you’re in the mood for something that will warp your mind, bend your soul and spark outrage in your neighbors, then you have definitely come to the right place. The Super Weirdo from our noise-happy German neighbors across the pond, JPTR FX, is the ultimate in...
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Patrick Garland Houston, Texas GARLAND FX garlandfx.bigcartel.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’m 33 years old, and started playing guitar at age 10 – so about 23 years. 20 on electric guitar. The first guitar I ever played was my mom’s Guild Madiera from 1970. My mom uses it for playing music to pre-schoolers – she’s quite talented and can play and sing. I also still...
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If you’ve heard one or a hundred or more demos of ours over the last couple years, there’s a good chance the sound you’ve heard was coming from a Benson Amp. The Monarch has been part of our demo setup for a while now, and since we love its sound and tone so much, we were stoked to hear that Chris and the crew were finally putting out a pedal. Now, as far as effects go, “Preamp” isn’t always one...
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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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We love fuzz pedals around here, and the only thing better than a killer fuzz effect is….that’s right, TWO fuzzes in one pedal. The Bitoun is a Doubled Octave Fuzz from our friends in France Anasounds, and while looking seemingly simple from the bare bones control section, this guy is anything but. Based around the Shin-Ei Superfuzz pedal from the 60’s, the Bitoun Fuzz also incorporates aspects of Anasounds’...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Nikki King – you can find her and the band Spank on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and on their website as well. Thanks again, Nikki! I wanted something similar to the Marshall Shredmaster, but its not in production anymore and the vintage models go for lots of cash. I asked Pepers if they could make me something like that, and he totally obliged, I’d spent heaps trying to find...
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Pedal that are hard to describe, explain or wrap your head around are usually some of the best. The Ottobit Jr from Meris fits squarely into this set of rules, possibly breaking some along it’s sonic warpath as well. Part pitch manipulator, part sampler, part sequencer and all bitcrusher, this little black box will expand your mind and everything you thought you knew about how music is supposed to be created. Inspired by vintage...
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Chris Marlon Jennings Northampton, Massachusetts Sun Parade http://www.thesunparade.com/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? When I was 5, I took some guitar lessons for a little, until I ran away from a lesson. So I guess I started when I was about 12, after I broke my foot during the baseball season and then asked my dad to show me bar chords. I also saw a Sum 41 music video on MTV of them...
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Matt Olson Onalaska, WI Mattoverse Electronics mattoverse.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I have been a musician for about 22 years now. I started playing guitar when I was 14, after a close friend and future bandmate suggested we pick up guitars and put down the Nintendo Game Boy. Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present? I was born in 1981 and grew up in...
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Every now and again, we get an effect coming through our shop that defies all reason, logic and musicality, and those pedals usually come straight from Akron, Ohio. If you don’t know by now (all 3 of you), EarthQuaker Devices has been not just pushing, but destroying the sonic envelope for the last decade or so, crushing everyone and everything in its path to total oddity domination in the effects pedal world. Today’s...
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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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We’ve always admired the small footprint mentality of the mostly no-knob effects pedals coming from our friends at Henretta Engineering. Get the sound you want, set it, forget it, play your ass off. Perfect. However, we were excited to see that they had collaborated with the crew at Chicago Music Exchange to make a bigger pedal with some control knobs to play with, too. The Planetarium is a combination of Henretta’s Moody...
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Michael Weavers Christchurch, New Zealand Flux Effects www.fluxeffects.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar and drums when I was 15. We had a crappy nylon-string acoustic guitar with a cracked neck lying around which I began playing around with. I’d try to play U2 songs off the Joshua Tree album with the 3 chords I had learned. In my late teens I bought a...
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Whenever a package arrives carrying ANYTHING from our friends at EarthQuaker Devices, the whole shop seems to light up instantly. Continually reinventing the sonic wheel, Jamie, Julie and the crew keep dazzling our eyes and ears with each new creation, and one of their newest is what we’re going to explore today. The Space Spiral™ is a delay with all the modulation you could want, as well as out-of-control repeats, outer space...
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There are a LOT of effects pedals that claim they are an “amp in a box,” but when a company who actually has been building amps for decades creates a pedal, you know it’s legit. The 1305 Drive from Supro takes everything that has always sparkled about their lineup of amps and condenses it into an extremely pedalboard-friendly package. Using an actual output transformer and re-creating the real circuitry of a Supro...
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My name is Trevor Shelley de Brauw. I’m from Chicago, IL and I perform in: Pelican: http://pelicansong.com/ RLYR: https://www.facebook.com/RLYRband/ Chord: https://chordgroup.bandcamp.com/ And solo: https://trevordebrauw.bandcamp.com/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been playing guitar since junior high school. At some point around age twelve or thirteen or so music became a complete...
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Matt Jalbert New York TAUK http://taukband.com/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been a musician pretty much all of my life. My mom had me and my brothers learning how to read music and play from a young age. I started out on the violin and it lasted maybe a couple of weeks before I decided it wasn’t for me and asked if I could try guitar. Right away there was a connection...
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Matt Johnson Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Tortuga Effects www.tortugaeffects.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been playing guitar and bass for 26 years, but started as a musician on cello, three years before that. I remember wanting to play cello because being in the school band meant you had to blow into things. I didn’t want to do that. I also didn’t want to sit in my classroom during...
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We have had the pleasure of reviewing and demoing a whole bunch of pedals from our friends at Celestial Effects over the years, and we get to do it again today! The Virgo Rock Overdrive conjures up feelings and sounds of all your favorite classic rock tunes and guitarists from the ’60’s and ’70’s with ease, while adding in some modern functionality and enough options to fill Madison Square Garden. Deceptively...
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Luke Miller Denver, CO Lotus www.lotusvibes.com Luke The Knife (DJ/Produce/Remix) soundcloud.com/luketheknife How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been a professional musician for 12 years. I’ve been a musician for about 20 years. I took piano lessons as a kid, but I consider my true origin as a musician when I started teaching myself guitar freshman year of high school. That’s when my...
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Recently, we had the chance to review and demo a great pedal from a company who has been a supporter of our since practically the beginning: Stacks FX. Their Native Lung Reverb was one of the coolest pedals we’d checked out in a minute, and today we’re honored to be able to present to you guys another one of their fine creations, the Fuzz Gazer. This purple beast is a Silicon fuzz with a ton of tone on tap. Volume controls...
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