Full disclosure: we are digging the lineup of pedals coming our way from the folks over at ModTone Effects. These simple, affordable and great-sounding pieces of gear fit every musical style and playing type, as well as fitting onto any pedalboard AND fitting any size budget, big or small. The next one we’ve got for you today is the Bohemian, an overdrive/distortion that purrs and growls with the best of ’em, and will make...
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We have enjoyed getting to review and demo a bunch of pedals from Michael over at Vick Audio, and we’re excited to bring another one to you today! Combining the best aspects of two of his favorite pedals, the Zendrive and the OCD v3, Mr. Vickery has taken overdrive sounds into another realm of possibility. Although simple in appearance, the Tree of Life Overdrive is a truly versatile little stompbox, one that will get you many...
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There are times when you plug in a pedal and think, “Hey, this might be kinda cool” and are then absolutely blown away once you click that bypass switch. Today’s pedal was one of those for us, for sure: the Solar Eclipse Fuzz from Earthground Audio. Not only does it satisfy all of our fuzzy desires, it has options for days and tweakablity to fit into any musical scenario. Let’s check it out! Inspired by the Big...
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Happy 4/20, kiddos! We’ve got a pedal today that seeks to build upon an already existing design, giving you two different sounding but equally incredible pedals to choose from (who are we kidding, you’ll probably buy both). The original Warped Vinyl Analog Vibrato Chorus from Chase Bliss Audio was a monster modulation pedal in its own right, as was the subsequent MkII version, which took things up a notch. Their new...
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One of the best parts of this gig is discovering new pedal companies that are doing innovative, exciting and non-traditional building in the effects pedal world, and today’s pedal and company both have captivated us in the best of ways. The DB-CL Dual Band Compressor Limiter takes all you thought you knew about compressors and turns your brain upside down, spins it around and sends it into a musical abyss from which you’ll...
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A couple years back, we reviewed and demoed one of the finest MIDI controllers we’ve come across, the MC6 from Morningstar FX. Fairly easy to use and full of possibility, we have continued to use it around the office ever since. We were justifiably excited, of course, when the announcement came about the ML5, a loop switching counterpart to the MC6, and one that looked just as simple to operate and efficient as well. If...
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The crew at Malekko Heavy Industry have always been up near the forefront of companies creating effects pedals that defy logic, expand minds and throw all caution to the wind. Today’s achievement holds nothing back, either, producing a slew of unorthodox and unusual sounds, twisting and warping your brain as you step into another dimension of time and space. The Thicken does thicken your tone, it’s true, but it does so...
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Do you need a little funk in your music, or your life, but don’t like things super-clean or proper? Have you always wanted to venture into the world of auto-wahs and filters, but never found just the right pedal to make the leap? The Cock Fight from Electro-Harmonix incorporates elements of wah, fuzz, and filters to create a uniquely-voiced effects pedal, one that’s certain to make your head turn and your body bust into a...
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DUMBLE. If you play guitar, there’s a decent chance you’ve heard about these rare and legendary (and ridiculously expensive) amps, used by such players as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ben Harper, Ry Cooder, Lowell George and more. Fetching price tags ranging from $50,000 – 100,000 EACH, there’s also a good chance you’ve never (and will never) get to play one for yourself. Today’s pedal, the Dumble Overdrive...
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The wonderful world of modulated effects opens huge doors into other levels of musical consciousness, whether it be via flanger, phaser, or something like the pedal we’ve got for you today: chorus. Our friends at Big Joe Stomp Box Company have created a gorgeous, simple yet robust and invigorating chorus effect, one that allows you to mimic your favorite sounds, ranging from the 70’s to the 00’s and beyond. The B-305...
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A lot of times, when a Boost pedals comes to us, it’s intended to just boost your signal, and why shouldn’t it? However, we love it when a Boost comes in that isn’t JUST for boosting, but enhancing your tone, and maybe even getting a little bit dirty. The Germanium Boost from Expresso FX does both of these things, adding a shimmer and sparkle to your tone, giving you a number of options to use AND driving your...
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We’ve had our fair share of reverb pedals come through the shop over the years, and we love it when one arrives that really re-imagines the way that effect should sound. My friends, the Dark Aura Modulated Reverb from Haunted Labs does just that, and more. Taking your favorite bits of ambience and stuffing them through a sonic meat grinder, this pedal takes you to the edge of modulation insanity and space-time travel, for a...
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The folks over in Japan at Free The Tone don’t mess around with their effects, always taking things up a notch from where we all think they might level off, surprising and delighting us along the way. Their TA-1H Tri Avatar Multi-Dimensional Chorus pedal continues this tradition by unleashing an absolute mammoth of a chorus pedal, full of all the modern, vintage, classic and yet-undiscovered sounds you could imagine, and then a...
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It’s no secret: WE LOVE DELAY. Old, new, analog, digital – bring it on. There’s a special place in our instrumental hearts for a good tape echo, though, and the Tapex 2 from Mr. Black Pedals is a top-notch inspirational charged delay that echoes (see what we did there?) the echoes of some classic players, songs and tones. A Stereophonic Tape Echo, this silver machine glistens and drips with analog sound, with a ton...
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We’ve had some really great compressor pedals come through the shop recently, and today’s featured effect is right on par with the rest of ’em. Looking and sounding like a true studio rack compressor that has just been squished down into pedal form, the Underthruster from RetrogradeFX gives you all you’d expect from a comp unit. With essential features and uncompromised audio fidelity, you’ll get all the...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Liam Stevens – you can find him on Instagram, and with his band Tainted on Facebook. Thanks again, Liam! Had Tony Pepers, of Pepers’ Pedals fame, knock me together this custom pedal a few years back. At its core, it’s a clone of a Big Muff, but he’s done a few neat little tricks to it to make it more versatile. On the front of it there is a switch that shifts the mid range. You...
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Today we’ve got another collaboration pedal from some friends in Japan and a pedal builder in Nevada, one with a heap of fuzz tones, as well as some overdrive and distortion thrown in just because. The Rover Fuzz comes to us from Animals Pedal, via Skreddy Pedals, easily creating big, fat and tone-filled walls of sound. Touch-sensitive and stable in any temperature, this pedal is gonna shock and surprise you, we promise…...
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Keeping with the theme of heavy and dirty started off earlier this week with the Medor Amps Hurt Circuit Fuzz, today’s featured pedal is an absolute mammoth of a distortion, with an easy-to-use control panel, a versatile array of sounds it can produce and a price tag that will fit any budget around. The Red Ghost Distortion comes to us from Deep Space Devices, and enjoys elements of sludge, doom, metal and even some good old...
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When today’s pedal arrived on our doorstep all the way from Medor Amps in Australia, it was a beast to behold. Seriously, this thing is HUGE! We talk a lot about “Pedalboard friendly” here, and if there’s one thing the Hurt Circuit Fuzz is NOT, it’s that. However, once you plug it in and get to know how it works, you’ll throw that “size matters” theory right out the window. Wait…....
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Jerry Gentry, and uses a familiar effects pedal in a completely new and creative way. If you’re into the Vibraphone, or know anyone who might be as well, this review is for you! Check out Electric Vibes on Facebook and here on Write Off Records’ website – thanks again, Jerry! Tube amps produce a sound which is distinctive. In the reinforcement of the aural signal they can be...
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Although not the flashiest or most exciting of all the effects genres, the Boost pedal still has an important role to play in the overall tone shaping we all like to do with our rigs. While some boosts are just one knob and others more complicated and experimental, today’s featured pedal presents two parameters for you to dial in a perfect clean enhancement of your tone. The MT-SB Signal Booster from ModTone Effects helps...
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Well, the effects marvels at Anasounds have done it again. Today’s featured pedal is a wooden-topped beauty coming to us all the way from France, and features just one lone control knob. While the word “compressor” can have negative connotations to some guitar players, those of us who love it LOVE it, and it’s always fun to try out different options and sonic scenarios. The Lazy Comp is an optical compressor...
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Continuing our recent trend of some amazing tape delay echo machines, we’ve got another brilliant pedal for you today. The Deluxe Tape Machine Delay from LongAmp not only re-creates some fantastic sounds from the delay-filled 70’s, but does so while offering THREE distinct options, emulating the best tones from three of the most revered and classic delays ever made. Influenced by the Binson Echorec, Roland RE-201 Space...
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You gotta love a good vintage pedal, especially one that’s a little beat up, and shows its age. The R-60 Flanger from Ross we came across is exactly that, giving us a glimpse into what it has been through over the course of its 40-year life. Not surprisingly, however, it still sounds just fantastic, as these old Ross pedals were built like tanks, and able to withstand whatever was thrown at them. Let’s take a look and see...
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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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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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We love a good mini, pedalboard-friendly pedal here at Pedal of the Day, and who doesn’t? The crew at CNZ Audio has devised an entire lineup of these little wonders, and we’ve got the first of many coming at you today. The Tape Echo is, well, a tape echo pedal, with a ton of features packed into a small enclosure, and offering a compact fit, but not sacrificing any tone… Designed to emulate vintage reel-to-reel...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Monique Hernandez-Fuentes – you can find her with Guitar Tricks on Facebook, Twitter and on the Guitar Tricks website. Thanks again, Monique! In my quest for the ultimate high gain, I stumbled across the awesome Heavy by Canadian heavy weights, Empress Effects. Originally, I was looking for something super versatile and was referred to Empress by a guitar buddy of mine on Instagram. One thing I...
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Anyone who knows Lone Wolf Audio and its proprietor, Joe Anastasio, knows that they don’t mess around when it comes to effects pedals geared (pun intended) towards the heavier side of music. Today’s featured pedal, the Outer Heaven Fuzz, continues that staunch tradition by bringing a fury of fuzzy and distorted tones to the forefront, while taking your average fuzz pedal and flipping it upside down and around, as Joe has...
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We loved both the Battering Ram and Echo Drive pedals we reviewed from Wounded Paw Audio, so we were stoked to be able to try another one of their creations for today’s featured pedal. The Black Wolf is a monster of a distortion pedal, with a tone of options for dialing in the perfect tone, and plenty of volume and gain on tap as well. If you’re looking for a clean boost or light overdrive pedal, you’d better get...
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We’ve had a blast over the years reviewing effects pedals from Ninevolt Pedals/Animals Pedal, and today we’re venturing for the first time into acoustic territory from these guys. The Firewood Acoustic D.I. is an active D.I. that fits in both live stages and recording studios alike, using analog and discrete circuits and able to output to a mixer or an amplifier without missing delicate expressions. This simple pedal...
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For some reason, the “Power Series” of pedals made by Ibanez/Maxon in the mid-to-late 80’s don’t get the respect they truly deserve, and we’re bringing you another one of those pedals today to prove it. The DL10 Digital Delay is a simply-controlled, excellent-sounding and now extremely affordable delay effect, one that should definitely be popping up on more boards across the globe. Famed for its crystal...
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This is the Number 23 Fuzz from our friends at Vaux Flores. Small, purple, full of tone and killer in any setup, this fuzz-based beauty features a splash of upper octave cream and heterodyned, atonal artifacts with a sound few compare to. Not overly complex, but with enough gusto and tonal range to get the job done, and done well, let’s put this guy through the ringer and see what comes out on the other side, shall we? Upon...
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With a long-standing tradition of being anything but traditional, Dwarfcraft Devices have been pushing, reshaping and demolishing the sonic envelopes that we are all used to, and show no signs of stopping that in the near future. A perfect example of the inventive and creative products they’re producing is today’s pedal, the Grazer, a bright orange behemoth that acts as a granular repeater, delay, sampler, and all out wack...
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Today’s piece of gear isn’t a pedal, but something that every player should have as the first bit of equipment they buy along with their instrument: a tuner. No ordinary tuner, either, mind you: this thing is in a class all its own, untouched so far by imitators or copycats. Now completely wireless with no phone necessary (although you can still use the app in many beneficial ways), this is some next level tuning right...
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Ahhh, delay….our favorite effect. It comes in so many different shapes and colors and flavors and options, and we love ’em all – not equally, though. Once in a while, an effects pedal makes its way to our shop and we are absolutely blown away, and today’s pedal did exactly that as soon as we plugged it in. The Echoczar Analog Delay from Toneczar Effects is a BBD-infused, vintage-inspired, modulated black beauty...
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Happy Valentine’s Day!….or whatever. Now, here’s something important: If you’re a fan of Andy Summers’ guitar work, there’s a good chance you’ve always tried to figure out just what created those classic sounds that he and The Police became famous for 40 years ago. Today’s pedals is a fantastic recreation of one of the most important pieces to that puzzle, the Electro-Harmonix Electric...
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The folks at Pigtronix have always put out wildly innovative, sonically-pleasing and sometimes futuristic effects, that are always surrounded by questions like, “Who makes that pedal?” or “How did you get that sound?” The purple piece of gear we’ve got today for you to check out and listen to is their newest creation, one that works wonders in both the guitar and bass worlds (and other, too, we’re...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Jimi Dymond – you can find him on Instagram and with his band Rotten Foxes on Facebook and Bandcamp. Thanks again, Jimi! What can I say? I’m not a fancy man. Technology eludes me, I’m 28 and write on my smartphone with one index finger like a banged up old mum. But there’s one thing I do know about certain types of technology, bass pedals for example. I’ve gone through a lot of...
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Equalization effects pedals tend to get lost in the chatter, what with so many interesting noisemakers available today. They are, however, an important piece to many rigs, and today’s pedal takes it up to a new level in terms of usability and EQ options for your tone. The PA-1QG (there’s also the PA-1QB for bass) from pedal innovators Free The Tone has been specifically designed for your guitar setup, integrating the combo...
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It’s been a little while since we’ve anything in the shop for our friends at Anasounds, but today we’ve got the first of three pedals from their stellar lineup to chat about and demo. A good phaser can add that special something that maybe you didn’t know you needed in your rig, or can be take you on a beautiful, space-infused journey, depending on what you need it for. The Phase Lag is an organic, analog...
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We’ve been getting down and dirty the last few weeks with some incredible distortion pedals, and we’re gonna keep that trend going again today, if you don’t mind. “Good-sounding distortion” and “affordable” don’t always go well together, but today’s pedal just might change your opinion about that. The Flextortion from ModTone Effects is a supreme distortion, featuring enough range...
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Who doesn’t love a good bit of ambience in their music? Well, lots of folks, probably, but for those of us that dig it, today’s pedal is going to blow your mind. The Astronaut V.2 from Shift Line is a multiverb space reverb unit, with numerous program algorithms to choose from and tones that stretch beyond the far reaches of outer space. A space-saver without a large manual to try and decipher, this plug and play beauty is...
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Today’s featured effect not only showcases some incredible sonic prowess from the designers, it also gives a nod to one of our favorite television shows EVER. For those of you who marveled in ‘Stranger Things’ like most of the rest of the world, you’ll surely recognize the name Demogorgon, the moniker given to this insane pedal. Blending in elements of fuzz, tremolo and reverb, this beastly monster sounds...
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You all have fun at NAMM last week(end)? Well, we’ve got one of the premiere effects from the show for you RIGHT NOW! Continually pushing the musical envelope is what it’s all about these days, especially in the crowded effects pedal market. Colt and the squad at Walrus Audio seem to be keeping themselves up near the lead in this crazy race, and with today’s pedal, they just might take the lead. The Fathom is a...
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Although we’re not the fastest or most technical of players around here, we sure can appreciate a good heavy metal tune, and the pedal we’re going to look at today is capable of providing the tones needed for speed, thrash, glam, black, death and other metal genres with ease. Robert and the kids at Keeley Electronics have covered just about all the bases when it comes to effects, and the Filaments High Gain Distortion is...
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After being able to check out the revered White Pedal from Jext Telez, we were excited to see what dirty effect they had for us this go-round – color us impressed again. The Buzz Tone is a germanium fuzz that also has trace elements of overdrive packed right in, for an all-encompassing tonal spectrum of sounds. The easy controls hide a wide dimension of tones, and the secret weapon here really pushes the envelope on what a...
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While everyone is always out to find a great deal, there don’t seem to be a ton of decent options for low-priced gear that sounds great in the world of effects pedals. That all changed when we plugged in today’s featured pedal and went for a funky, delay-filled ride down the rabbit hole. The Time Force from NUX is a multi modulation digital delay, with a ton of different echo modes and fun around every delay-infused...
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We’ve all had a pedal, effects or vintage sound-making machine that has peaked our curiosity for years, but have never had the ways or means to acquire said piece of gear. One of the most famous of these is undoubtedly the Echoplex EP-3 from Maestro, a warm echo machine full of tasty modulated delays, and one responsible for many of the classic and iconic recorded tones ever put down on tape. These units, however, are...
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