We recently reviewed a great preamp pedal from RST Custom Effects, the Magic 6, and were extremely impressed by what it could do, so the thought of reviewing more of their effects was welcome for sure. The next pedal we got was the aptly-named Queasy Seaman Vibrato, a true vibrato pedal that produces sounds not likely to come from your standard tremolo or phaser pedals. Featuring a simple control setup and nausea-inducing graphics,...
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Well, since today just so happens to be my birthday (thank you, thank you), I thought I’d review a pedal that’s almost as old as I am…almost. Graphic Equalizer pedals tend to be easily dismissed by a lot of pedal people, but I’m here to reassure you that they have their place in any rig. This one in particular, the GE10, was made from 1985-1989, so it’s got a couple of miles on it, but don’t let...
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Sometimes, a package arrived at the shop and when you open it up, you’re both excited and completely baffled. Such was the case with today’s featured pedal, the Nitro Fuzz from Elta Electrolaboratory. These cats are based straight out of Moscow, Russia, and the graphics and text on the Nitro convey that clearly, as I could not read a word, and could only figure out a couple of the controls by eyeing it. Luckily, I got some...
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Sometimes, you want a fairly straight-forward, easy to manage fuzz, that just adds in enough power and oomph to your guitar tone to give it a little grit and gusto. Other times, you want a fuzz that is unpredictable, crazy, innovative and spectacular, one that opens up your mind and expands your musical library. Today’s pedal is most definitely the latter, a giant beautiful mess of blips, squawks and bleeps, complete with a...
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There have been some incredible reverb pedals coming onto the effects market recently, and we have been fortunate enough to get to review a bunch of them. Today’s featured pedal continues this awesome streak of awesome effects, in the reverb department, and is a welcome addition to anyone to needs easy and great-sounding reverberation. A Level control starts us out, adjusting the overall presence of the Wet reverb signal. The...
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When it comes to compact, simple delay pedals, you usually only have the option for one specific sound for each pedal: analog, digital, warm, crisp, dark, etc., resulting in the delay section of your pedalboard constantly having to expand. Well, the crew at Alexander Pedals and Chicago Music Exchange have created a pedal that will trim down that portion of your board immensely, with a full spectrum of delay tones from classic decades...
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One of the favorite reverb pedals we’ve had the privilege of reviewing here at Pedal of the Day is the Surf Rider III from SolidGoldFX, so we were pretty stoked to try out one of their delays, the ElectroMan. Boasting some cool features and incredible sound, this delay will add new dimension to your guitar’s sound, and make you more inclined to push some sonic boundaries you never thought possible before. The control panel...
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There are a lot of “Screamer” pedals out in the world, being manufactured by a ton of different companies, and rightly so, as it was one of the first truly awesome overdrive pedals in existence. However, with so many floating around, it’s sometimes hard to decipher which one is from where, as they can tend to all start to sound fairly similar. Enter today’s pedal, the Relic Drive from our friends at Greer Amp...
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We were recently introduced to a pedal company in New Jersey called Pusher Pedals, and had the pleasure to review one of their first gear offerings, the Dirty Darling. In chatting with them some more, we came to find out that they were in the process of making a 2-In-1 pedal, combining their first two flagship pedals (the Dirty Darling plus the Leap of Faith Boost), and we could not have been more excited. The result is a fantastic...
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I have found that a lot of old pedals, like from the ’70s old, like ME old, really rock. Hard. Today’s pedal is absolutely no exception, and has been used by some of rock and roll’s most famous guitarists as well. The Distortion + from MXR has a bit of a misleading name, as it is definitely more of an overdrive, but can get into relatively chunky territory with ease. A pretty easy to use pedal, there’s really...
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The TonePrint collection of pedals from TC Electronic have been pretty outstanding so far, enabling some exact dialing in of flangers, delays, reverbs and chorus, among others, all with pretty good sonic results. Today’s pedal ventures into a bit different territory, and into an effect that most players have a love-it-or-hate-it relationship with: The Compressor. Some swear by it for their tone, some can’t stand it, and...
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In reviewing so many pedals, there can be periods where a group of effects all seem really similar, and although they may have slight differences, they feel like pedals we might have already reviewed before. There are, however, some pedal production companies who really set themselves apart from the rest, in terms of innovation, creativity and all-out awesomeness. A couple that come to mind off the bat are Red Panda, Dwarfcraft...
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When you think about the best, most-used and highly-sought after amps ever produced, everyone’s list almost always includes a Blackface Fender of some sort, and for good reason. Those amps made in the 1960’s have a character and tone not easily reproduced, by amp or pedal, putting them truly in a class of their own. The Magic 6 Preamp from RST Custom Effects seeks to reproduce some of those coveted tones, but in solid...
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I’d always heard good things about the TS10 Tube Screamer, and if Stevie Ray Vaughn and Mike McCready used it (and even John Mayer, too!), it had to be AOK in my book. Having reviewed and played many different iterations of the infamous Tube Screamer over the years, I had never had the opportunity to play one of these bad boys, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. TS9 and TS808 comparisons aside, the TS10 has an ongoing...
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2-In-1 pedals are always fun, but more often than not, they come in the form of overdrives. Don’t get me wrong, I love dual overdrives, but a Dual Delay pedal? Now that’s something else all together. The Dual Tap Delay, made by the now-defunct Visual Sound (actually, they’re a new company called Truetone), is one of these rare delay breeds, and one that is a hell of a lot of fun to figure out. Each of the 2 separate...
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Well, it’s official: Reverb has been creeping up into our subconscious for a while now, and it has firmly planted itself in the Number Two spot on the list of effects we love the most right now (Delay is Number One, and that will probably always remain). That said, when the opportunity to snatch up a Proverb Reverb from Mantic Effects came up, it was a basic no-brainer, as they create some of the most unique and wacky pedals out...
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We’ve played almost all of the pedals that have been released by Spaceman Effects, and each one has been a real revelation to the pedal world, containing powerful, unique and rare tones found only hidden inside these precious few stomp boxes. Their latest release is another one-of-a-kind, as it offers true analog spring reverb in the form of a pedal! We’d like to proudly announce a wonderful addition to the Spaceman...
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The crew over in Portland at Catalinbread have been pumping out some awesome pedals for years now, and we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing some of their best ones (in our opinion, anyway!). From overdrives to analog echoes to “Sabbath In A Box”, the diversity and craftsmanship are second to none, which is why we were so excited about checking out’s today’s featured pedal, the Adineko Oil Can Delay. From...
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At first glance, the Fix’d Fuzz Deluxe from Blackout Effectors looks as though it might be a little tricky and complicated, with its vast array of knobs and switches. Turns out, it is, but in the best possible way. With all of these adjustable options, this brilliant fuzz truly allows the user to dial in a wide range of distorted and fuzzy sounds, and will take you from a simple, basic fuzz to sonic dementia that you may well...
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The crew at TC Electronic has had a long-standing reputation for building some truly innovative and awe-inspiring delays, and possibly the best delay ever in the 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay. Shrinking the principles and options down to fit into a smaller enclosure that fits nicely onto a pedalboard, they’ve created the Nova Delay, a compact delay full of sonic options and tones for days – all the best features of the old...
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I knew not what I was getting myself into. I think, at some point, most of us buy some piece of gear because someone we admire uses it. For me, that was the MXR Blue Box. True Page uses it on “Fool In The Rain” but I became interested because Jesse Lacey of Brand New uses it. And on top of that, new it’s fairly cheap, as far as pedals go. The Blue Box also introduced me to some terrific noises. A fuzzy, synthy, sub-octavey box is how...
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For the most part, multi effects pedals are pretty fun, and can be super useful if you are traveling a lot, or have a small pedalboard that you need to cram a bunch of stuff onto for gigs. The Rocket Train from Movall Audio covers the bases for three pretty common and oft-used effects, all in one relatively compact box that should fit on any pedalboard with ease. I decided to go right to left on this pedal, as I usually like...
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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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