Tube Screamers: you love ’em or you hate ’em, so far as I can tell. The stock ones that I’ve played have never really overly impressed me much (although I’ve never had the opportunity to play one of the old classics from the early 80s) – they’re nice overdrives, but nothing too spectacular, in my book. The 808 we’re reviewing today is one of the reissues, but it has been modded by Analog Man,...
Read More
Sometimes, the simplest pedals can be some of the coolest and most fun, and a lot of times can be used in many different ways. Lots of buttons and knobs and bells and whistles are always fun, but sometimes you just want a pedal that you can only turn on or off, with no controls and virtually nothing to think about. A prime example of the marriage of simplicity and usefulness is today’s wacky signal processor pedal from Fuchs...
Read More
There are a couple of pedals from Strymon that are currently in high demand almost everywhere you look: the TimeLine, BigSky, Flint and BlueSky are on a TON of pedalboards throughout the world, and rightfully so, as all three are tops in their respective pedal fields. However, Strymon does actually make more than those 3 pedals, believe it or not, and we’re going to check one out today – get ready for the Orbit dBucket...
Read More
I first came across the Greece-based company Crazy Tube Circuits when I was listening to a Rig Rundown with Nels Cline, as he is a big fan of their pedals, so I thought I’d check ’em out. The first one I got my hands on was the Stardust Overdrive, which is a highly-responsive and amp-like pedal, perfect for almost any guitar situation, and a worthy comrade to take into the studio with you as well. This pedal, aside from...
Read More
Since I started up this little review adventure, I have reviewed a couple pieces of gear from EC Pedals, and they keep surprising me with each new encounter. These guys don’t make pedals for the weak-hearted or yacht-rockers, they are built for loud clubs and loud guitars, and today’s pedal is on par with that philosophy as well. The Angry Ape is a big, bold, distorted fuzz pedal, and one that can perform a multitude of...
Read More
Most guitarists at some point or another want to sound like they’re playing a big, fat, Marshall stack, even if they don’t own one and won’t have the means to for quite some time. With all the overdrive pedals out on the market today, it can be tricky finding the precise one for you and your style, as there are a TON of options to choose from. However, if you really want that classic rock and roll sound, but your amp...
Read More
Wah-wah-wah….what a great sound. In any variation, whether it’s through an actual wah pedal, a filter of some type or through a series of effects that somehow produce it, that waka-chicka tone is beloved by many, many people, not just guitar players, and has been heard on countless recordings and millions of live shows over the last 5 decades. Being pretty well known for creating some fun wah/filter pedals,...
Read More
The highly-successful 9 Series of effects pedal from Ibanez demonstrated how innovative and adventurous the company was in the early 80’s, and this series produced some of the most recognizable and most used pedals in history, such as the TS9 Tube Screamer, the AF9 Auto Filter and the incredible AD9 Analog Delay. Another of my favorites from this series is the FL9 Flanger, the pedal we’ll be checking out in this review....
Read More
I’m a fan of chorus effects….there, I said it. Seems a lot of players are either on board with chorus or think it’s the worst thing to happen to guitar since C.C. DeVille (I love Poison, that was just the first name that popped into my head). If there was a magical pedal that somehow housed an incredible analog chorus, as well as a kick-ass flanger (another of my favorites), I just might have to buy it. So I...
Read More
Retro Mechanical Labs was first brought to my attention by a friend who asked me “Hey, have you seen that company making pedals that look like they’re off a WWII Russian submarine?” My interest was peaked from that moment on. I began researching their website, scouring the internet for deals, and seeking out demos immediately. Admittedly, it took some time to get my hands on one because I was nervous. I come from a punk background,...
Read More
The pedals being made by Graig over at Recovery Effects look rad. Plain and simple. That said, today’s reviewed pedal also sounds pretty rad, too, which usually makes for an excellent combination. The Grizzled Mighty Fuzz was originally created for the band of the same name, and is now available for us all to enjoy. This fuzz has some relatively simple controls, but a ton of differing tones, and a big, fat low end, which makes...
Read More
I’ve always liked the sound of a cool flanger pedal ripping through an amp, mine or someone else’s, it doesn’t matter. That jet stream whoooosh and whirl, especially when mixed in with some nice overdrive, really puts a fat ole smile right on my face. I’m also a fan of TC Electronic’s TonePrint series, so I was excited to test out a pedal I hadn’t really heard too much about, the Vortex Flanger....
Read More
The Power Series pedals that Ibanez made back in the 80’s have come to be a well sought-after group, and a good chunk of that group of pedals can be found for extremely reasonable prices as well. The pedal we’re gonna check out today is the SC10 Stereo Chorus, a great little blue box full of charm and character, kinda like me. Speed (the rate of the effect) and Width (the intensity of the chorus) are two extremely common...
Read More
As a self taught guitar player, I’ve been trying to find ways to get some practice playing along to a rhythm track. CD’s, prerecorded backing tracks, loopers, you name it, I’ve tried it. They get old pretty quick, or my playing skill isn’t good enough. I started hearing about the Trio a few months ago and was pretty curious. I got the chance to get a demo of the pedal and was hooked.This thing is super user...
Read More
The Keeley Electronics Katana had me the moment I read the name. Anything named after a sword wielded by ancient Japanese warriors is okay in my book. Not to mention, it’s a stinkin’ awesome sounding boost pedal! To start out, with the volume knob pushed in, this pedal does exactly what a good clean boost should do: it allows you to boost your signal without coloring your tone whatsoever. Seriously, this thing is crystal...
Read More
If you’re searching for a pedal to add some fatness and volume to your rig, the Pigtronix Class A Boost will help solve those problems. Pedal specs: – Input and Output jack – Gain knob offering 20db of volume boost – 9v/18V adapter jack (The pedal includes its own apapter) Upon taking the Class A Boost for a test drive, this pedal lived up to it’s reputation as being a clean boost while adding a nice...
Read More
Reviewing so many drive and fuzz boxes means I’m usually playing through my electric guitar setup, but recently I’ve been gravitating toward my trusty Alvarez acoustic, and decided to create a little acoustic mini-board to enhance my playing a bit. The first pedal I decided I needed, as I always do, was a delay, and after some research via the Interwebs, I chose to check out the Fishman AFX Delay as my first acoustic...
Read More
We recently introduced you to Fuse Electronics, a pedal company creating some great gear out of Chile, and they’ve got another line of pedals as well: Humboldt Endemic Pedals. These extraordinary pedals are made with recycled woods from Valparaiso and Santiago de Chile (check out the video about their process HERE), and are wildly unique and creative. Their first offering is the Regainer Hi-Gain Overdrive, which we’re...
Read More
Keeping with tradition, JHS Pedals continues to pump out great-sounding overdrives left and right, and today’s pedal is no exception to that seemingly unbreakable rule. Roughly based on the classic Supro amplifiers of the 1960’s, the SuperBolt has grit, grime and dirt, as well as a boatload of sensitivity, dynamics and patience as well. If you want to sound like Jimmy Page, but can’t afford that vintage amp, this is...
Read More
The gang over at Fuchs Audio Technology are really well-known for making incredible amplifiers. Incredible. That said, their line of Plush effects pedals has been killing it quietly alongside those amps for years, and today’s pedal sort of combines the two. The Plush Valve Job Overdrive is basically an amp in a pedal, and while it might not be a Dumble, it will make you and your playing sound better than you thought possible....
Read More
A couple weeks ago, we reviewed a rad little fuzz pedal, the Muzz Fuzz, from an upstart company based out of Chile called Fuse Electronics. The fuzz was a pleasant surprise, being from such an unknown builder, and they sent us another pedal to test out as well: the Smooth Drive. This golden box keeps in theme with most other 3-knob overdrive pedals, as far as the controls are concerned. Level (Volume) adjusts the overall output of the...
Read More
The previous pedals we’ve reviewed from our friends over at Center Street Electronics have been some of the most innovative and fun pedals we have ever delved into, and they all had a common theme: heavy. Fuzz, Drive and Distortion was the name of the game with those other pedals, so the new and improved StellarVerb was an interesting transition, and a nice and inspiring one at the same time. The new version of this classic...
Read More
Gimmie a one-knob pedal with maybe one toggle switch, and I’m usually pretty happy. No exception here, as we’re going to take a look at a small company (they don’t even have a website yet) with a great name, American Wizard Toneworks, and their flagship pedal, the Hive Fuzz. As soon as I clicked the bypass switch, my guitar came alive and my amp started yelling at me, in a great way. With only one knob to worry...
Read More
Continuing our run of reviews for the smallest, baddest, pint-sized pedals in the West, today we’ve got the Dead Man’s Hand 2-Mode Overdrive from our friends Outlaw Effects. This small but powerful drive makes a perfect pair with any pedalboard, and has a few surprises up its sleeve (see what I did there?) as well. Tone, Level and Gain are the three basic overdrive controls here on the Dead Man’s Hand, and they...
Read More
The last few months have been busy for Joel and the crew at Chase Bliss Audio. After releasing brand new versions of their staple pedals the Warped Vinyl and the Wombtone, they’ve now released a THIRD pedal in almost as many weeks, and it will shatter your expectations once again. Keeping with the theme of “best modulation gear on the planet”, we present you with the Gravitas Analog Tremolo. As with the other Chase...
Read More
The first version of the Silver Rose Mega-Fuzz from Devi Ever garnered much attention from fuzzheads everywhere, and has been a sought-after pedal for some time, especially due to its ties to Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins. With a couple tweaks and an updated design/layout, the new version of the Silver Rose is a mammoth of a fuzz, and is able to create basically any fuzz sound you could want, plus some you haven’t even...
Read More
Well, there’s always a first in this crazy business, and we’ve got another one today! The pedal in questions has traveled to us all the way from Belarus, a country I admittedly know very little about. However, after playing the Warmer Drive from Kartakou Amplification, it’s safe to say that they’ve got at least one cat who knows what they’re doing when it comes to building overdrive pedals. This one not...
Read More
I’ve really been diggin’ doing some acoustic pedal reviews lately, as it’s opened my playing back up a bit, and it’s always fun to go back and rediscover all the rad things an acoustic can do. Playing electric so much with the majority of these reviews, I forget sometimes the tranquility and serenity that a nice acoustic guitar provides, and I’m glad I’ve been able to explore that more as of late....
Read More
Overdrive pedals are a tough but fun category of gear to deal with, at least in my opinion. Dealing with so many incredible choices can be daunting, frustrating, expensive and awesome, all at once, sometimes. On the plus side, there are lots of incredible drives to put through the ringer to see what they can do and how well they hold up to other greats in the industry. Our latest test drive (pun intended) comes to us from our friends...
Read More
Way back when we first started Pedal of the Day, one of our first pedal donators was Happy Valley Analog out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. I loved the simplicity of the first incarnation of their Jurassic Fuzz pedal: simple controls, a great space-saver for your pedalboard, but it didn’t lack the balls that you want a good fuzz to have. Well, they took that schematic and beefed it up a bit, adding another control for more sonic...
Read More
The Flashback x4 Delay pedal from the famous brand TC Electronic is the evolution of the old single. This new model home TC Electronic has within twelve delay mode, a looper, four slots for many TonePrint, all downloadable for free from the official website and of course the possibility of having three types of delay ready for use thanks to the three stomp A, B and C. This is the general overview of the features of this pedal, but now...
Read More
Pedals that are rare and difficult to find information about can be frustrating, but kind of fun in the same way. Since there aren’t a lot of reviews or praise or negativity about a pedal, it makes it easy to clear your mind and write a truly unique review from one lone perspective: your own. One of these such pedals is the Shadow Boost/Drive from Morgan Amplification. 2 sides, 2 separate footswitches, 2 different tonal options....
Read More
There are space-saving pedals for your pedalboard, and then there are the pedals from Henretta Engineering. How they even got inside this box to wire up the Bluebird Fuzz is beyond me, but the result is fairly astonishing. To be able to pack this much sound and dirt into an enclosure that measures 2″ x 2″ is an incredible feat, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing. The controls are simple: none. Well, that’s...
Read More
Some pedal companies (well, a lot of them, actually) are small, unique and hail from a different country. I always like to see what other countries and cultures are doing in the massive pedal world, to see what influences they are using, and how their ideas about pedal building differ from the ones here in the U.S.A. I’ve recently been in contact with Fuse Electronics, all the way from Chile in South America, and they sent a...
Read More
The Analog Man Beano Boost is a great pedal for guitarists looking to boost certain frequencies in their tone. This pedal can drive an amp into distortion, add mid bump for lead work and add fatness to single coil pickups. The Beano Boost specs are as follows: – True bypass stomp switch / Status LED – 9V adaptor jack – Volume knob (Which if purchased as a mod can operate as a push/pull switch for Treble boost)...
Read More
Devi Ever FX has been one of the leading companies in effects pedal fuzz now for years, especially since our friends Dwarfcraft Devices bought them a few years ago. I have reviewed a number of their pedals here on POTD (Big Distortion Sound Machine, God Zilla, and I love each one differently every time they appear on my doorstep. One of my favorites is the Soda Meiser (it’s one of Nels Cline’s as well), and just when I...
Read More
Vibe effects are some of the funnest, most intriguing and awe-inducing pedals in the world, especially when it comes to tremolos. They can be simple, one or two knob deals, or complex machines with expression jacks and toggle switches out the wazoo. The Trembulator from Gojira FX falls somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, with a relatively simple control layout and loads of great tones to be heard. Four basic knobs make up...
Read More
Chorus pedals are a touchy subject for me. I find most of them to be disappointing. Usually, either they are too subtle (EHX Small Clone) or when you try to make their effect more pronounced the depth is too extreme and makes the guitar sound out of tune. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the new Blue Hippo MK II from Way Huge/Dunlop, is an exception. With the depth close to max and the rate around 9 o’clock some great...
Read More
Over the years, I have played a LOT of fuzz pedals, and they have definitely become one of my favorite overall effects. Sometimes, you run across one that really inspires and excites you, to the point where you just want to sit down with it for days and figure out all it’s magic and possibilities. The Zeygot Optical Noise Fuzz is one of these pedals, and features an option I have never before come across, one that’s sure...
Read More
I have never built my own pedal, but I hear that if you want to do that sort of thing (which I definitely would at some point soon), BYOC is the place to go for a kit. At Build Your Own Clone, you can order whatever kind of pedal you’d like, get all the parts shipped right to your door, along with instructions, and go to town. Since they’re relatively inexpensive as well, you won’t feel too terrible if you absolutely...
Read More
With so many pedals saturating the market these days, especially in the Overdrive category, pedal builders are really having to come up with inventive new designs and pedal layouts to keep the public coming back for more. One company that has no shortage of innovation is J.Rockett Audio Designs, and with the Allan Holdsworth model Overdrive/Boost, they have just stepped up the game once again. This drive consist of two sides, which...
Read More
We recently reviewed the 24K Reverb pedal from our friends at Outlaw Effects,and today we have the pleasure of testing out another of their rad little creations, the Quick Draw Delay. This thing is little, but as usual with these types of space-savers, don’t let the size fool you. This delay packs a wallop and will destroy everything in its path…well, not really, but it’s a great delay nonetheless. The Quick Draw...
Read More
I review a LOT of overdrive pedals. A LOT. While the majority of them sound awesome, once in a while I will plug one in and it blows me away right from the get-go, one that I immediately say to myself, “You have to find room for this on one of your pedalboards NOW.” One of these pedals is the Sucker Punch Distortion from Greer Amps, so let’s check it out! As soon as you unleash this thing onto your favorite amp of...
Read More
Man, I have been digging these space-saving pedals lately! I’m constantly floored by how much gets packed into such small enclosures, and they seem to keep getting better and better. Case in point: the Little Fuzzy Drive from E.W.S. Now, this little grey box might look small, weak, wussy, whatever you want to call it, but I am here to tell you you’re wrong. Dead wrong. There are some great fuzz tones to be had from the...
Read More
I immediately noticed some funky graphics, odd switches and absolutely ZERO labeling of the controls on the Wave Cannon MkII Superdistorter when I pulled it out of the box, so I instantly knew I was onto something special. If nothing else, the hand doing the rock/devil/whatever sign as a label for one of the control knobs told me I was in for a treat, and this pedal did not disappoint. The Volume, Gain and Tone controls were...
Read More
Looking for a great analog delay pedal? Check out the Seymour Duncan Vapor Trail. It offers a wide variety of delay options and can even give subtle chorus and rotating speaker tones when tweaked properly. The specs of the pedal are as follows: – Mix knob – Repeat knob – Delay knob (Includes tempo LED) – Rate knob – Depth knob – Status LED – Input and Output jacks – 9V adaptor plug...
Read More
For many bassists, an essential pedal in their arsenal is going to be a compressor. It keeps your output consistent, helps cut through a mix, and can eliminate any dead spots to allow for a smooth, even attack. There are a wide variety of options to choose from, and Pigtronix offers a compressor specifically tuned to the lower frequencies of a bass that is quiet, easy to use, and affordable. The Philosopher Bass, based on...
Read More
In case any of you were wondering, I’m actually a drummer. Yep, since I was 8, and still going strong (as evidenced by the guitar playing on our YouTube videos). I love playing the guitar, and love reviewing pedals, as you know, but my first music love will always be percussion, and that’s part of what makes today’s pedal so exciting for me – the BeatBuddy Drum Machine pedal from Singular Sound. First off, it...
Read More
Rainbows and Unicorns are known to be magical, especially in the realm of musical instruments (no duh). But let’s not get caught into rainbows at the moment… Unicorns, yes unicorns can often be found in the wild land of “Hendrix,” but the Unicorn can be tamed and domesticated for much subtler uses too. JHS has produced a modern *Uni-vibe* device which is reviving the nearly “extinct” species. With...
Read More
The Mu-Tron III is considered by many to be the end-all, be-all of envelope filters, and for pretty good reason. It’s classic sounds can be heard on funk records the world over, and although there have be many attempts to copy that sound, not all have been successful. Today’s pedal, the Moody Sounds Mewtone, is one that bucks that trend, however, and manages to stay true to the original sound while adding in some modern...
Read More
