When I first got really into doing these reviews, reverb was sort of a take-it-or-leave-it effect. Now, before you chastise me too much, I have seen the proverbial light, and reverb has slowly crept up on my subconscious, and become one of my favorite effects to use. Especially when you have one like today’s pedal, the Polara Reverb from DigiTech, that’s loaded with a ton of options and a ton of great sounds as well. The...
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16-bit Digital Delay. Tape echo emulation. Looper. Tap Tempo. Twenty-three point eight (that’s right, 23.8) seconds of delay time. These are all options we seek, for a variety of different pedals, right? There’s no way these could ALL be present in just one, sweet, blue-mixed-with-purple pedal, could there? As today’s pedal, the E2 HeadRush from Akai Professional, will show you, it IS possible…and so much more,...
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The folks at Infanem just keep bringing it, man, and today’s pedal is one of their best yet. Most of their pedals we’re had the privilege to review have tended to be on the heavier side – distortions, fuzzes, etc., but this one is a complete flip of those pedals, and an awesome delay in it’s own right. The Small Echo Array has a bunch of features that make it stand out from the delay pedal pack, but no so...
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What happens when a company runs out of an important piece of the sonic puzzle that has been used in manufacturing one of their most popular pedals? The price of the ones already in existence goes through the roof, which happens to be the case with today’s pedal, the absolutely fantastic Moogerfooger MF-104M Delay, the final pedal of our “Moog Week” run here at Pedal of the Day. This all-analog delay is no longer in...
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The pedal we’ve got for Day Four here during “Moog Week” can’t really be put into any specific category, so we’ve decided to lump it into the super-generic and genre-jumping Filters category, as there was really no other place to put it. The MF-105 MuRF is a “Multiple Resonance Filter Array”, meaning it has 8 warm and resonant filters, which are controlled by 8 sliders. These sliders, coupled...
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Day Three of “Moog Week” is upon us, and this one is a mammoth. The beauty of ring modulators is that they are unpredictable at best. Especially when you’ve got one like today’s pedal, the MF-102 Ring Mod from Moog – this thing has got so many controls and such big ranges on each, it’s easy to get blissfully lost in a sonic wash that overtakes your amp, ears and anything else that might be within...
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Our second entry for “Moog Week” brings us into spacey, trippy, sci-fi territory, a place we love to be. Boldly going where no phaser has gone before (hehe), the MF-103 12-Stage from Moog represents everything that you’ve always wanted in a phaser pedal, but didn’t even know existed. Featuring Moog’s signature array of controls, sounds and available customization to each pedal, this MF-103 will leave you...
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Today marks the start of our “Moog Week” here at Pedal of the Day. All this week, we’re going to be checking out some of the coolest pedals that Moog has got to offer, and since the rest of them are all Moogerfoogers, we’re going to jump into this with our lone Minifooger for the week, the all-analog MF Delay. Smaller in size than the larger Moogerfoogers, these Minifoogers are great if you need to save some...
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Alright, we’ll talk about Star Wars if that’s what you guys and gals want, quit pressuring me! Seriously, I’m absolutely one of the people most excited about The Force Awakens being released in under a week, and have no qualms about relaying that to you fine readers (I suspect many of you are in the same boat, am I right?). That said, my boy Todd over at FoxPedal is excited as well, so we decided to team up and make...
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Sometimes, a pedal comes through the office here that is hard to describe, or put into one specific category, as it makes so many different sounds that it almost seems an injustice to limit its description to one lone genre of effects. Such is the case with the Liquid Ambience from Flux Effects. Labeled as an “Atmospheric Reverb”, this blue beauty is capable of a wide array of sonic textures and gorgeous soundscapes, thus...
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As it turns out, there are some very interesting guitar pedals being made in Russia. I’m not sure what it is – maybe the cold, maybe the vodka, but the inventions coming out of the former USSR are something to behold. A prime example is today’s pedal, the Reverber Reverb from Beard Custom. Not your everyday reverb, this thing boasts some powerful options and gorgeous tones, sure to bring a smile to many faces the...
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Sometimes, in the review business, you come across a pedal that is so unique and so out-of-the-ordinary, you’re impressed that you were even able to locate it, ESPECIALLY when it turns out it is currently the only one in existence (or so I was told). The Rapture Bit Crushing Delay from Albey Inventions is a musical instrument all on its own, smashing sonic boundaries and speaker cabinets as it tears through the very existence of...
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Little. Small. Tiny. Miniscule. Pequeño. All the rage as of late, pedalboards (for some guitarists, anyway) have been shrinking down in size year by year, and in order to adapt to this, some pedal makers have begun making smaller and smaller pedals. Getting the jump on everyone a few years ago was Guyatone, who created an entire lineup of “micro” pedals to share with the world, before the world even knew they needed them....
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We’ve been really digging some reverb pedals lately here at Pedal of the Day, and Chuck Pedals has recently released a hidden gem that a lot of folks might not know about. Getting an update from its previous version, the Blue Dream V2 features the same sparkling, robust and awe-inspiring reverberated sounds as their V1 did, but with a few extra options to really make it a sleeper pedal in the reverb community. The Deja knob...
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Straight outta New Zealand, Red Witch Pedals have been producing some incredible guitar and bass gear since their inception in 2003, and their latest offering is nothing short of a sonic tsunami, raging through your amplifier like a bat out of hell. Marketed as a bass pedal, but fitting in comfortably in the guitar realm as well, the Zeus Bass Fuzz Suboctave is a pedal that’s sure to turn some heads, rattle some eardrums, and...
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Our featured pedal today possesses two qualities we love in a good piece of musical gear: small size and simple controls. Measuring 2″ x 2″, it would be pretty hard to find a pedal smaller, anywhere really, much less one that holds so much life inside. With the size and only one lone stomp switch, the Purple Octave Octopus Octave Up from Henretta Engineering might just be the perfect compliment to your pedalboard, and one...
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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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Let’s face it: boutique overdrive are fun to play. With higher quality parts inside, and hand-made the majority of the time, it’s pretty hard to find one in the bunch that’s a real dud. A prime example of this is the Hermosa Drive from Reiter Brothers Effects, a mid-gain overdrive that looks like a throwback version of some 1970s muscle car, with all the power and prestige that came with those vehicles as well. While...
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For us here at Pedal of the Day, we see a LOT of overdrives come through, and while the majority of them are excellent pieces of gear, sometimes they all can seem a bit similar. Though they may sound, look and act differently, there a surefire standard for a simple overdrive pedal, one that is most certainly tried and true, but also can lack imagination and creativity. Today’s pedal, the Nero Overdrive from Crimsontone, is a bit...
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Today, we’ve got another awesome addition to our guest reviewer series, this time it’s Rob Compa from the excellent band Dopapod! I’d like to say thanks to him for taking some time out and writing this review on a very rare and unique pedal, looking forward to more reviews in the future, Rob! Enough of my spiel, here’s what Rob has to say: Hey guys! About a year ago, I finally got to that point where my...
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Continuing with their unpredictable, innovative and original lineup of pedals, EarthQuaker Devices has done it again with today’s pedal, the Bit Commander. Billed as an analog synthesizer, this gray beast is that, for sure, but much more as well. With four octaves of square wave synth tones, the Bit Commander will leave you speechless at first, but once you tame it, it’ll be your audience that will be in for the real...
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A number of pedals from our friends at Fuchs Audio Technology have been reviewed here at Pedal of the Day, and they are always a real audio treat. From delay to distortion and everything in between, Fuchs makes some great effects pedals, and they have also created some stunning high-end amplifiers as well (check them out HERE). Today’s pedal, the Crème de la Trem, is a tremolo that features a little different flavor from the...
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Multi-effects units tend to be hit or miss, in my experience, while some can be the most fantastic thing you’ve ever experienced. Today’s pedal, the Holy Stain from Electro-Harmonix, falls somewhere in the middle. Not the best at some functions, but really good at others, the Holy Stain is definitely a pedal worth checking out, even if you might not be using all of its functions all the time. Mix, Amount, Volume and Tone...
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In today’s world of awesome boutique pedals, it’s easy for a lot of us to dismiss a pedal due to its cost, which can be a shame a good part of the time. Somewhere along the way, a stigma was attached to pedals that don’t cost an arm and a leg as being inferior, poorly-built pieces of junk, that have no place on any civilized players’ pedalboard, and that needs to be rectified. There are a TON of great pedals...
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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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Having reviewed a number of their pedals, I think it’s safe to say that the crew over at Infanem (Instruments For A New Electric Music) make some of my favorite pedals ever. Wildly inventive and a lot of time out-of-this-world, they take on fuzzes, phasers, delays and more, much to the delight of myself and many others throughout the pedal-playing community. Today’s pedal is the 141G, a tough monster of a fuzz, with fairly...
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Having recently reviewed the POG2 and Micro POG Polyphonic Octave Generator pedals from Electro-Harmonix, I was eager to test out their newest octave offering, and see how it stood up to the aforementioned pedals. These little Nano POGs have been all the rage around the guitar world recently, I think mainly due to their smaller, more pedalboard-friendly size, which I was also quite pleased with. Let’s take a look and see how she...
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In this crazy world of pedal reviewing, I have been extremely fortunate enough to come across some incredible pedals from smaller manufacturers that I probably wouldn’t have even heard of otherwise. Since the market is so competitive, I’m lucky to be able to befriend these builders, and help try to get the word out about their pedals to as many musicians as possible, through all the avenues that are available for Pedal of...
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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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As most of you readers are aware, the gang at EarthQuaker Devices doesn’t tend to mess around when it comes to creative pedals that most of us would have never even thought about, much less could figure out how to make. On the rare occasion that they create a pedal that isn’t based on a concept they absolutely pull from thin air, you can guarantee it won’t be like anything else you’ve ever heard, and will come...
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Most (not all, but most) boost pedals are fairly simple, many times just having one knob to control the output volume, and nothing else. So, it’s always refreshing to come across a boost that has a little more meat to it, and some nice equalization options as well. Which brings us to today’s pedal: the Blinding Voip Boost from Jellyfish Electronics. While it’s true that the Blinding Voip does possess that...
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We love seeing a new company burst onto the scene, fresh with new ideas and full of gusto about their new adventures, and today’s pedal comes to us from one such company. Ohm Made Electronics, located in Leavenworth, Washington, is a small company just getting off the ground, and their first production model is today’s featured pedal, the Fuzz Out! At first glance, this pedal looks really simple…and it is, to an...
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Guess what? We’re going to review another delay today, making it three in a row (like we’ve said before, we love some delay around here). This one is a truly unique delay, however, one that you’ve probably not seen the likes of before, although I’m sure you’ve heard about it in recent years. Fairfield Circuitry is in a constant state of innovation, with each new pedal they put out topping the previous,...
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Once again, a highly sought-after delay is on today’s featured pedal menu, because delays are awesome, as you should well know by now. In a world full of overpriced “vintage” gear, there are still a few delay pedals who can boast that they are classics, they sound incredible and their prices are not even close to wiping out your bank account, as some others can be. The one we’re discussing today is that big,...
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Simplicity can be a powerful weapon in today’s pedal world, where some manuals tend to read like a Tolstoy novel. The ability to be able to sit down with a pedal and GO, without having to read a bunch first, can be key to gear working it’s way into your rig. Not that the big boys don’t have their place, of course they do, but sometime you just want a couple of knobs that make beautiful noise, and that’s all you...
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Sometimes, it’s hard to come up with a ton of words to describe a pedal and how it sounds, or makes you feel, or brings an immediate smile to your face. That said, I’ll try to do my best to try and describe the Hammer Distortion Fuzz from Greer Amps. Another in our recent lineup of 3-knob pedals, this one has got gusto, oomph and rock and roll ensconced into its DNA, and that is evident after you turn it on and hit the...
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I had heard of Crimsontone Amps before, but until recently, was unaware that they also made pedals. Needless to say I was super-stoked when they sent a couple of pedals over to review – the amps look so incredible, I’m sure the pedals are no slouches, either. Well, my assumptions were all confirmed the minute I sat down and plugged in the Rosso Fuzz, the first of two pedals that arrived that day. The Rosso is a...
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Here at Pedal of the Day, we’ve been diggin’ the stuff that Pedal Monsters has been putting out for a while now, having reviewed the Bright Lights, Mad Hatter and White Lightning overdrive pedals so far. This time around, we’re excited to switch it up and move into a different pedal category altogether: REVERB. The older brother of the one-knob Well Reverb, this one features a few new options, but has the same...
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A couple months ago, we reviewed a fuzz pedal that was about as simple as it gets, options-wise, that still hasn’t left our main pedalboard: the Hive Fuzz from American Wizard Toneworks. Killer name aside, AWT recently sent us another great pedal, with minimal controls and loads of great tone, and we’re going to take a look at it today. May I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, the Ozma Overdrive. As it turns out, 2...
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Although a lot of older pedals from past decades have been reissued or reworked in some way, there’s just something awesome about holding a piece of history in your hand, and then turning that piece of history on and making some rad music with it. Such is the case with today’s pedal, the SCF Stereo Chorus Flanger (and Pitch Modulator) from TC Electronic. A great tool to use in multiple sonic settings, the SCF can be...
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Let’s get funky, shall we? Continuing in their line of compact, bass-voiced pedals, Pigtronix has released the Bass Envelope Phaser, a unique take on the classic filter effect. Even more so than their compressor and drive offerings, the controls on this unit are incredibly simple: knobs for Sensitivity and Resonance, and a switch that changes the wave-form. In both modes the Sensitivity controls how responsive the effect is to...
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When I received today’s pedal in the mail from our friends at Sublime Guitar Company, one person immediately popped into my head: Joel Cummins, keyboardist for Umphrey’s McGee. Being the elder member of the group, Joel has repeatedly taken flack and guff from the other guys in the band over the years, and the graphic on the aptly-named Hippy Joel Overdrive was just about a perfect fit. I decided to shoot Joel a message...
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Delays that have some kind of modulation incorporated with them have been my favorites for a long time, and I’m always intrigued with each new one, to see what differences and similarities they might share will others I’ve played in the past. The first version of the Reptile Delay is the one we’re gonna check out today, and although there’s a newer model, the Reptile 2, the original is still highly regarded on...
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There have been a lot of fuzz pedals floating around the office as of late, and one of the ones I was most excited about playing is today’s featured pedal, the White Atom Fuzz from Magnetic Effects. I’d seen this pedal around on different sites online, and was extremely delighted when we both decided to collaborate on a review for the newest model, the MkII. Anticipation was high as I waited for the pedal to arrive from...
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We’ve been reviewing a bunch of drive pedals from Diamond Pedals recently, and today’s featured pedal is another in this esteemed list of great gear they’ve been putting out. With many of their pedals having a lot of controls and a ton of options, this pedal is simple, easy-to-use and sounds great. The Nine Zero Two (which happens to be the area code for Nova Scotia) is a stripped-down but powerful overdrive, that...
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Let’s face it – the classic Shin-Ei Uni-Vibe sound works really, really well in some music…and not so much in others. Being that it might not be the friendliest effect on your board, it’s hard for a lot of folks to shell out a couple hundred dollars for a well-made recreation, or even harder to find (and afford) and original, much less one in good working condition. While these sought-after analog machines are...
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I know, I know, today’s featured piece of gear ISN’T a pedal, but I gotta switch it up once in a while, right? It IS, however, an important piece of the puzzle that makes up your sonic arsenal, and one that is a must-have before an practice, gig or recording session: a tuner. Despite not being a stompbox, the Roadie Automatic tuner might become one of your go-to items on a regular basis, once you sit down with it and see...
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I really dig the simplicity of the pedal produced by today’s featured builder, Like My Pedals. The stuff that they’re putting out to the world from Gainesville, Florida is nothing short of awesome, and with the simple but bold enclosures and no graphics or text, their pedals are very easily recognizable, and come with a hint of class, prestige and mystery. Today’s pedal is a newer model (I think we got one of the...
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With the same control knob section as the Fuchs Audio Plush Phone Tone (none), today’s pedal is a bit of an oddball, but a fun one nonetheless. With only a Bypass footswitch to control it’s operation, the Tentacle Analog Octave from EarthQuaker Devices is a true one-trick pony, and will absolutely add a new dimension to your sound. The Tentacle is the same octave up that is present in EQD’s Hoof Reaper pedal, and...
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