Whenever a crazy, noise-laden, free form piece of musical equipment comes into the office, we tend to get fairly excited. When the Erratic Clutch Deluxe arrived, we had no idea what we were in for, as it doesn’t really tell you what it is on the outside. However, once we plugged it in, we were treated to a sonic explosion, the likes of which we don’t witness very often around here. You’re all in for a treat today,...
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The Phaser Effect. It’s been heard on famous recordings and utilized in live settings by all of our favorite guitarists for decades, and continues to be one of the more interesting effects genres out there. Now, as much as we love a good, simple, one-knob phase shifting unit, the ones that are REALLY fun are the multiple-switch, more-than-you-need knob configuration, too-many-options-to-handle types of phasers, and that is...
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Let’s face it: Ring Modulators are not for everyone. They’re quirky, weird, loud, uncontrollable and will sometimes do damage to your other gear. Which are all reasons why we love ’em here at Pedal of the Day, and why we were wicked excited about today’s featured pedal arriving in the mail. The Optical Ring V2 is a complete ring modulation and fuzz system, wrapped in a giant enclosure to let everyone know you...
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Hope everyone here in the States had a safe and delicious Thanksgiving yesterday, but we’re back with a vengeance following our brief holiday! Today, we are checking out the final pedal in a run of enclosures sent to us by the fine folks at RPS Effects, and these four pedals come to a close with an absolute monstrous bang. The Red Sun is an analog distortion pedal, one built to crush your eardrums while delivering a scorching...
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After the wallop our ears got with the last effort from Mistweaver Effects, the Serpent Fuzz, we were excited and slightly terrified to see what lay in store for their next offering. Fortunately for the decibels, but not the tone quality, the Forestry Overdrive dials it down just a tick, with plenty of gorgeous dirt on tap to bring any amp to its full potential. With a fairly extensive control section and sounds that work in any...
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As our “Deadbeat Week” draws to a close here at Pedal of the Day, we’re excited to bring one final effect to you from the “Station” line of pedals from Deadbeat Sound. The Echolation Station is full of gooey delay goodness, boasting a ton of different modes and echoed tones up and down the line. The delay-filled gem gives you a multitude of echo effects, from modern to classic to vintage and everywhere...
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“Deadbeat Week” rolls on here at Pedal of the Day, and Day Three brings us a multi-dimensional effect unit that utters one simple but powerful word: REVERB. Whether it’s Plate, Mod, Church, Hall, Room, Spring, Lo-Fi, Gate, or Reverse reverb that you’re looking for, the Reverberation Station from Deadbeat Sound has you covered. Boasting a simple but effective control section for each of these 9 modes, this...
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It’s Day Two of our “Deadbeat Week” here at Pedal of the Day, and brings with it the first of three “Station” effects pedals we’re going to check out. Modulation is always a good time, no matter what type of rig you have or what music you play, so cramming 11 unique modulating effects into one pedal sounds like a pretty rad idea to us. The Modulation Station combines Tremolo, Vibrato, Chorus,...
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This week has been dubbed “Deadbeat Week” here at Pedal of the Day, having been taken over by the folks at Deadbeat Sound. Starting off our run of their pedals is The Visible Overdrive, a clear, see-through dirt pedal designed to emulate the tones of certain 1980’s, green, mid-focused overdrives, all at a ridiculously affordable price range. Working not only with guitars, but bass, keys, drum machines and more, this...
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We are just loving the effects pedals coming out of the FEA Labs camp right now, and we are once again fortunate enough to be able to bring another review and demo of one of them to you today. The DE-CL is a Dual Engine Compressor Limiter, with a lot of control knobs and tones abound, perfect for guitar, bass and more. Utilizing advanced, adaptive release circuitry, clean, boosted power and two sidechain control engines, this is one...
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Today’s featured piece of gear is NOT an effects pedal, but something that is just as important to electrifying your guitar’s signal. Without an amplifier, your pickups would have nothing to send sound to, and your speaker cabinet would not be able to receive sound and project it to the world. That’s where something like the Cobblestone Micro Amp Head from Kartakou Amplification comes in, only this one happens to be...
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We’ve checked out a couple of pedals by Garland FX out of Houston, Texas, before, so we were excited that they wanted us to take a gander at one of their newer effects pedal creations, and put it through the ringer. The Pink Drive brings you the classic rock and roll sounds of the 1960’s and 70’s, complete with a couple of add-on control choices for you to seriously dial in whatever tones you’re after. With a...
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Pink Floyd. I mean, c’mon, what else do you have to say? David Gilmour is well-known for one of the greatest all-around tones on the planet, especially in the fuzz/soloing department, and we’re going to take a look at a pedal that aims to recreate that today. The aptly-named Floyd Fuzz graces us with its presence, coming from Tru-Fi Pedals in Falmouth, Maine (the next fuzz capital of the world, apparently). With FIVE...
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The DE7 Delay Echo from the Ibanez Tone-Lok series has an interesting sort of lore to it. Not very expensive or super-popular when first released, it has become a true go-to delay for many players around the world, and absolutely debunks the myth that pedals have to be expensive to sound incredible. We have already taken a look at this classic echo pedal, and all it’s functionality, so today we’re focusing on another...
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Everyone ready? HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! And what better way to celebrate than with a hauntingly excellent boost preamp pedal from our friends over at JHS Pedals, right? The Haunting Mids, in addition to featuring some ghoulish graphics, adjusts the Midrange of your sound to your specs, providing a perfect opportunity to tame or heighten anything you’re not 100% happy with about your tone. With a simple control section and a wide range...
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Delay is one of our favorite effects – analog, digital, echo, modulated….it doesn’t matter. It always adds some mystique and mystery to any tone or setup, usually getting out into the sonic stratosphere to produce wild, unruly and unexpected tones, something we are huge fans of. Today’s delay pedal has a smooth balance of subtle and extreme, giving you a nice range of options and sounds to play with. The Dakota...
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Ah, the Klon….such a mysterious, magical and ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE piece of gear. Now, we love a delicious overdrive, and have even grown to love boost pedals over the last few years, but really, enough is enough. Since we have no money (or desire) to spend over $1500 on one singular item, especially when it’s an EFFECTS PEDAL, we’re glad there are companies like Rock Your Repaired Amp, or RYRA, as...
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Mixing it up in the effects pedal department has become almost the standard these days – adding clever options, combining effects and trying to change the overall soundscape of what we all use on our pedalboards. Today’s pedal addresses this in dramatic fashion, producing elements of fuzz, distortion, oscillation and overall weirdness with ease. The Guardian Fuzz from Hologram FX seeks to destroy everything you thought you...
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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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Today’s pedal, an overdrive with a three-knob setup, seeks to to fulfill a need to have an overdrive that was not so thin and lacking like so many others on the market. The Seawolf Overdrive from ToneApparatus FX isn’t trying to create a new effect or genre, just making a damn good overdrive that can be useful to any rig or player in any musical style. It’s also fully customizable, features an additional tonal option...
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Modulation can add an entirely new dimension to any musical endeavor, whether it be a subtle, layered effect or a noise-laden, pulsating fury of sound screaming through your amplifier. The Tremulus Maximus from RPS Effects is an exciting, fully analog optical tremolo and amplitude modulator that will change your approach to writing and recording your tunes. While it features a pretty straightforward control section, the ranges...
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Reverb. Oscillation. Bit Crushing. These three effects aren’t usually found on the same pedalboard, much less crammed into ONE PEDAL. The folks at AC Noises decided that the marriage of these three needed to happen, and the AMA was born. Meaning “love” in second person imperative (tu, ama! = you, love!), this deceptive gray pedal is one of the funnest noise creators we’ve come across recently, producing...
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Continuing our week of powerful distortion effects, we’ve got another monster fuzz pedal for you to check out today. The American Geek is a high-gain fuzz machine from Zander Circuitry, one with a spread out tone section, a ton of drive and a super-charged footswitchable option to send your sound into the metal stratosphere. Level and Gain set the output volume and amount of crunch the American Geek produces, as they should, but...
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Now fully established as a fuzz and distortion-producing powerhouse of a company, we are always happy to get new effects in the office from our friends at Wren & Cuff, and we’ve got another mammoth for you today. The Super Russian is a potent fuzz pedal, plus a buffer/boost as well, a well-rounded machine that works wonderfully with bass and guitar alike. Featuring loud, boisterous, Muff-y tones and distortion, plus a...
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Sometimes, a small adjustment to an effects pedal layout can make all the difference. Today’s pedal is a distortion, yes, with the usual trio of controls, but their positioning is instantly a head turner, and as you delve in, you’ll find them to be additional functional, too. The Distortion 1 from LunaStone Pedals also sounds fantastic, everything you want in a high gain rocker, so let’s check it out, shall we? The...
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Today’s pedal is an awesomely odd one to approach, as it is really 10 pedals in one. The Console from ELTA Music uses a series of interchangeable sound cartridges, each with its own set of three modes, to produce a wide array of tones and auditory revelations that will alter your approach to creating music. We are going to review and demo all 10 of these cartridges eventually, and the next one is our series is the Infinity Big...
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Reverb pedals are fun, we can all agree there’s little doubt about that. But what truly sets one reverb above another? Innovation and uniqueness are key factors for us here at Pedal of the Day, and today’s pedal if nothing if not both innovative and unique. The Arquitecto Fictional Space Reverberator features two cascading modulated reverbs, with different time, voicing and 2 depth modulation settings for each reverb....
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A couple times a year, the entire pedal community gets in an uproar about the latest and greatest effect that’s just been or is about to be released. Admit it, you’ve probably gotten caught up in the hype at least once or twice, no? One of the big fellas this year comes from 1981 Inventions, and is the focus of our review today. The DRV is an overdrive and distortion pedal, one with a look inspired by a certain...
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We have been really lucky as of late to have some incredible fuzz pedals coming through the shop, from all different sizes of effects-building companies, each one with a distinct flavor and sound. The Serpent Fuzz from Mistweaver Effects is no different, featuring a simple control section and a toggle to spice things up ever so slightly. Inspired by a classic, sought-after green fuzz pedal, this thing brings your tone to life, rocking...
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We’re always interested in what our gear-making friends across the pond are up to, and today we’ve got a new company that we’re checking out for the first time. Jānis lv Effect Pedals are straight outta Birzgale, Latvia, and have both a unique look and sound to their effects. With just a couple pedals in their lineup so far, we’re excited to check out the first one, the Miesnieks, a powerful...
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Collaborations between pedal companies and artists/players are always a good time, especially when said guitarist is one of your favorite songwriters around. Walrus Audio has teamed up with Mr. Ryan Adams for a special tone-shaping pedal, designed to work quickly and easily with both single coil and humbucking pickups, perfect for when your set requires multiple guitar changes and you don’t want to have to re-adjust your tone...
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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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It’s been a minute since we had a new pedal from JHS Pedals come through the shop, but they’ve reappeared with a brand new effect that sure to get the tremolo/vibe folks salivating. The Kodiak is a Tap Tempo Tremolo pedal, complete with a ton of bells and whistles that will suit anyone looking to add a fat, bold, pulsing effect to their lineup or board. Boasting subdivision note control, 4 differing waveform choices,...
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Since the mid-2000’s, there has usually been some form of a Keeley Compressor within arm’s reach around the house and office. Starting with the classic 2-knob, moving up to the 4-knob, PRO and PLUS versions, alongside the Morning Glory in the Steak and Eggs and finally (for now, anyway), in today’s featured 2-in-1 pedal. The Aria features 2 sides, one compressor and one overdrive, that couldn’t play nicer...
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Tattoos and music have gone hand in hand for decades, so it only makes sense to add effects pedals in and make a killer trio, right? Our new pal Joe Halliday from across the pond in the UK has managed to successfully fuse all three of these things together, to create a company offering reasonably-priced effects that look and sound great, perfect for the working musician and up-and-coming bands throughout the globe. Today, we look at...
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When a pedal describes itself as a Phaser, our interest is automatically peaked. Now, not everyone loves the phaser effect, for whatever reason, but then a pedal comes along that changes the game, and could possibly make a whole slew of haters into converts after they hear it in action. That pedal has arrived today, folks: the Arctic Wolf from Dogmatek Effects Pedals is a twin modulator phaser, but is also a ring modulator, tremolo,...
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Tremolo pedals are always welcome here in the Pedal of the Day office, as each one seems to have its own personality, features and tones, regardless of how many knobs, bells and whistles it may have. Today’s featured pedal leans towards the high end of that spectrum, with a ton of tonal options and sonic parameters waiting to be explored, and unleash all of their glory onto any recording or unsuspecting crowd. The Quaverato from...
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Big. Black. Bold. Bowerful. Well, maybe not that last one, but the others (and Powerful) definitely describe the lineup of pedals produced by Wounded Paw Audio. Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure to check out their Battering Ram Overdrive/Fuzz, Echo Drive and, most recently, the Black Wolf, a massive distortion for guitar AND bass. Today, we’ve got another creation of theirs for you: the Bighorn Overdrive. A little...
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Here’s a good recipe for sonic success: take a Delay pedal, make it TWO delays in one and the ADD in an independent Reverb section….sound good so far? Well, that’s about all you really need, and our Featured Pedal today just happens to showcase all of these features. The Twin Whales from Mammouth Machine has two separate delay lines, running in parallel, plus a lone footswitchable reverb portion to add in all the...
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Strange, unusual, sonically inventive, eardrum pummeling….we love pedals like these, and have a great one for you today. The Dream Reaper is a fuzzy modulation machine from Adventure Audio, and while that description might not tell you EXACTLY what this pedal is all about, it’s a good thing. Exploration and experimenting are what you do with a pedal like this, and we did just that many times over, trying to coax out new...
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We were recently fortunate enough to review and demo the String Slinger Overdrive from our friends at Free The Tone, and what an overdrive that was. Seeing as how they released TWO overdrives at virtually the same time, we were understandably excited to see what lay in store for us with the Fire Mist FM-1V Overdrive, a different spin on another classic amp, packed into one pedal and ready to rip. Where the String Slinger focused on...
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Have you ever been truly, genuinely and pleasantly surprised by an effects pedal? Recently, we had the chance to check out a pedal from Danelectro’s Billionaire lineup, the Big Spender Spinning Speaker, and it really threw us for a loop (in a good way), so we were super-excited to test out another in this series of effects. The Cash Cow is a simple overdrive pedal (or so it seems) with an easy to use control section and small,...
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It’s been a hot minute since we had anything from Yellowcake come through the office, but boy, was it worth the wait. The Lida Machine is an analog resonant filter, with hints of tremolo and vibrato, ring modulator, phaser and more jammed into an impressive-looking and sounding enclosure. With two footswitches and a lot of knobs, we’re ready to dive in and explore this beast immediately… Also known as a VCF (Voltage...
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Today’s pedal is an awesomely odd one to approach, as it is really 10 pedals in one. The Console from ELTA Music uses a series of interchangeable sound cartridges, each with its own set of three modes, to produce a wide array of tones and auditory revelations that will alter your approach to creating music. We are going to review and demo all 10 of these cartridges eventually, and the next one is our series is the Filter and...
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We here at Pedal of the Day have been fortunate to be able to review and demo many pedals from our friend Eric at Hungry Robot Pedals, which makes us even more excited about today’s featured effect. Having checked out the original Moby Dick Delay, we were excited to see what changes and improvements awaited us in V2 – well, let’s just say that our expectations were exceeded. Aside from the obvious smaller enclosure,...
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We’ve always been intrigued and interested in pedals that have lots of knobs, dipswitches and In/Out jacks, so when today’s pedal came along, we were super stoked to test it out. The Spectravibe from Endangered Audio Research (makers of the now-famous AD4096 Analog Delay) is a tremolo and vibrato pedal, but it’s also much, much more than just that. With elements of compression, overdrive, distortion, auto wah and...
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There’s just no substitute for a good analog delay, plain and simple. We love the classic, vintage models, the newer modern stuff and pretty much everything in between. Today’s featured pedal falls into the modern category, but boasts sounds and tones reminiscent of the units from decades gone by. The Warp Drive from RPS Effects gives you that tasty vintage delay warmth based on the noteworthy “bucket brigade’...
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Oooooohhhhhhh…..NEW DELAY DAY! We love ’em, and are super-stoked about his one, people. The Temporal Tap Machine from MAK Crazy Sound Technology not only has one of the longest combined names we’ve come across, but has killer delay tones, a ton of sonic options and fantastic sounds to heighten and excite all of your guitar-playing endeavors. With so much packed into a small enclosure, there’s a lot to chat...
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The World of Compressors here in effects pedal land has really come on strong the last couple of years, with some incredible, studio-quality stompboxes coming out into the fold more and more. Today’s featured pedal is no exception, using an expected control section to produce not just excellent, high-quality compression, but a gorgeous clean boost sound if you need it as well. Straight from our friends at Analog Alien, the Alien...
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