Robert Keeley keeps making great effects, it’s no secret, and the White Sands Luxe Drive is yet another shining example. This is Keeley’s take on a low-gain overdrive, and it really makes your guitar sing and sparkle with ease. Not too pushy, not too mild, the Luxe Drive is a perfect compliment to any rig. Let’s start with the basics: Drive, Tone and Level. Standard fare for most overdrive pedals, yet a surprisingly...
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Let me begin with, “WOW!” The L.R. Baggs Para DI Acoustic Direct Box & Pre-Amp can transform the sound of any acoustic guitar/instrument that you put through it. Once I first plugged into the pedal I knew this was going to be great because the sound of my guitar instantly cleaned up and everything became less jumbled. Each string was more distinctive and pure. That was without messing with any of the knobs and going...
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I bought the Blackeye Effects Gold Pine Overdrive pedal on a blind buy, there was not any demos or anything. All I knew that it was a low gain version of the White Pine. This pedal did not disappoint. It is awesome. It has three controls on it; gain, volume, and presence. The Gain knob. It does what any gain knob does, but what I love about this pedal is that the controls are not sensitive so you can really dial in the tones you like....
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The G2D Cream-Tone is by far my favorite overdrive pedal that I have ever used and I have once owned The Pearl, Sick As, King of Tone, and a few JHS overdrives. This pedal offers so much. Its great for a blues player, P and W music, or rock and role. The pedal is sensitive so by strumming light you get a warm light overdrive but then when you dig into it and you get thick, rich creamy overdrive sound. It also has a few toggle switches...
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The Nova Delay from TC Electronic was actually my first delay pedal. I bought it because it’s just what my friend told me to get. But I’m incredibly thankful I did. Eventually I’d grow tired of it and move onto the Timeline, because everyone knows since the Timeline is more than twice the price of the Nova Delay it has to be better, right? False. If you’re looking for crystal clear, U2/ Early Hillsong .8th...
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It’s no secret that Analog.man chief Mike Piera has an ear for tone. His famous King of Tone overdrive can be found on a laundry list of star guitarist pedalboards, and his company builds top-quality offerings in most categories of effect types. I have been particularly drawn to his fuzz pedals; in fact, all of the fuzz on my board bears the Analog.man brand (Astrotone, Dark Peppermint, and Sunbender). Each of the pedals excels at a...
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Opening the box to the SwirlPool Tremolo/Vibrato from Amptweaker was immediately daunting. So many knobs and switches, 2 effects loops, a weird fat switch right in the middle: what had I gotten myself into? Turns out, looks can be deceiving…but not really in this case. This pedal has a learning curve, for sure, but it’s super fun to figure out, and even more rewarding when you get there. Right off the bat, I had to dig up...
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The JHS Twin Twelve is based off of the legendary Silvertone 1484 amps in the 60’s. This is the first ever all analog pedal to replicate the pre-amp and overdriven tones of the Silvertone 1484. To help achieve the weight and power of the original design, the circuit internally converts your standard 9V DC Negative power up to 18 volts. This conversion gives you more punch, a better dynamic range, and overall a true amp like...
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I dig it when I get to review a bunch of pedals from the same builder all at once, and the crew over at 6 Degrees FX is making some pedals that I am going to have a lot of fun testing out, the first of which is the Millie Fuzz. This pedal just looks cool, like some kind of race car from the mid-70’s, and it’s a big, thick piece of metal, with nice big knobs and easily accessible footswitches. Not to mention is sounds...
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Another overdrive? Well, it’s true, but this is a fun one…well, let’s face it, they’re all pretty fun! Today’s fun-time stompbox comes to you all the way from Finland via Darkglass Electronics, and they’re tasty pedal is the Microtubes Vintage Overdrive. Four knobs seems simple enough, and it basically is. Level adds or subtracts more or less overall volume output from the pedal, Drive controls the...
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The name Behringer is not known for its boutique music gear but this little guy sure surprised me. I had purchased the DD400 for $25 USD from my local Guitar Center as a backup delay. I ended up using this delay more often than I thought. With a very easy to use layout, anyone can dial in a great delay! The Behringer Digital Delay has a very warm and full sounding delay to it. The echoes sounded true to tone and did not die out...
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First things first, I’d like to say how slick the pedals being produced over at Will Sledge FX look, all scuffed up but classy, very minimalist but bold. Dig it. Anyway, the real reason we’re here is to talk about one of their awesome pedals, the small but powerful Slim Drive. The latest in our review crop of space-saving pedals, the Slim Drive features 2 control knobs and a bypass switch (the one I’m reviewing also...
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The Keisman Thunderbird is a “must have” on my pedalboard. It provides you with two overdrives that bring a variety of flavor to your tone. On the righthand side of the pedal we have the Earlybird pedal, also sold separately, that brings you a light overdrive. It’s very nice to do as a “always on” drive or a stage one drive. If you’re wanting to stack drives and add a medium gain into your sound,...
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I bought the TC Electronic Corona Chorus pedal used off a gear page. I have had about every chorus pedal you can imagine…Strymon, Boss, Visual Sound, Earthquaker Devices, Digitech…you name it. I was floored at the quality of tone coming from the TC. Fantastic tweakability. Their “Tone Print” feature is pretty killer as well. Strongly recommend getting one of you like chorus in your sound. Specs: TonePrint 3...
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Well, this is a unique, intriguing and awesome pedal idea right here. Dave over at Seafoam Pedals has come up with a way to take three of our favorite pedal add-ons and fit them into one enclosure (well, two of them at a time, anyway). Most of us use at least one, if not all, of these 3 extras in our effects setups: Volume, Expression and Tap Tempo. Sometimes, there’s just not enough room on your board to have 2 expression...
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Chances are, you’ve seen the classic RAT or RAT2 Distortion pedal on a board somewhere in your lifetime. Perhaps you currently see one on your own board, as many of us do, or have an old classic version you pull out once in a while to really rock. As well known as the RAT pedals are to players around the world, the small black boxes are not the only story. Today we’re going to check out the newest member of the RAT...
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The JHS Morning Glory is a discreet/transparent overdrive based off of the legendary Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit but with 2x more headroom and gain. This pedal, which some consider to be the one that brought JHS into the mainstream gear spotlight, is a transparent light to medium overdrive that brings life to any rig. With only three knobs for volume, gain, and tone and a bright cut switch, this simple pedal packs a lot of options...
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This being my first foray into the world of Mad Professor pedals, I was excited to see what their Simble Overdrive had to offer. Having seen their gear around for a long time, I knew they had a great reputation for making some killer pedals, and the Simble was an excellent way to delve into their huge catalog of effects. Not too heavy on the drive, great tones and some new controls to boot, this is one fun pedal. You should know what...
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I think the Digital Delay line of stompboxes from Boss are all great in their own right, and the DD-7 just might be may favorite. Loads of options, tons of control and all the delay time you’ll ever need, this thing gets it done with a small footprint and loads of fun. The DD-7 features many functions that are present in all of today’s “sought-after” expensive delay pedals, but at a fraction of the cost. Effect...
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I’m sure many of you have used a Tube Screamer or a TS-style circuit before. Have you ever said, “Man, I wish this TS-style pedal had an adjustable knob that controlled low mid frequencies and also had a toggle switch that added more gain when engaged! And can I get it in blue?” Well, you have specific wishes. And they have been answered with the Blue Note OD from J. Rockett Audio Designs. Let us start with the...
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I have used this pedal since the first ver maybe 6-7 years ago. I currently have ver.3 on my board and i could not be happier. It is a two channel overdrive/distortion pedal. A footswitch to switch between the green and red channel. I am mostly on the green channel and only step to red for searing leads. It has a very open sounding nature to it and compression starts to set in in the higher gain setting of the red channel. It sounds...
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Where to begin… Lets start with washy, wobble, and crinkle. So much tape goodness in one awesome pedal. Ive owned the El cap for about 7 months, and it still keeps me guessing what corner of the unknown universe i will be carried to next. But I digress, lest my rambling be in vain. The El Capistan can really make a huge array of sounds. Ambient, ethereal, nostalgic are obvious and easily attainable, but I really just love it for...
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XAct Tone Solutions based out of Nashville, TN not only builds rigs and pedal boards for the players for the stars, but they also make an incredible line of pedals. The Precision Multi-Drive is an overdrive pedal with more options and combinations for the serious tone tweaker who seeks versatility in one stomp box. The XTS Precision Multi-Drive is similar to the XTS Precision Overdrive but with switches for more flexibility and...
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The Ekko 616 Dark Delay from Malekko Heavy Industry is my first real foray into the “dark” delay territory, and this is a cool way to start. There are a lot of option in this really nicely-sized pedal, and it looks sinister as hell, too. It even took me a minute to figure out which controls were which, as I couldn’t really see their labels on the deep, glossy black background. The first main control is Time, which...
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Here’s another installment of the Digital Delay stompbox series from Boss: the DD-5. This is a great delay in it’s stock version, but I got my hands on one that has been modded by our friends over at JHS Pedals to add in a bit of analog flavoring. Let’s check it out! Let’s go through the basic functions of the DD-5, then we’ll get to the mod. Lots of modes here, starting with 4 delay modes. These range in...
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I recently purchased the Monoprice Flanger Mini Pedal as a gift for someone else… Of course I couldn’t help myself, reaching for my guitar instead of the wrapping paper, and had to try it out. Based on the layout and comparing it to online audio samples, it’s most likely – if not definitely – the same exact circuit as the Donner Jet Convolution and the Mooer Eleclady, both of which are reported to be clones of vintage...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Vendetta Overdrive from Taurus Pedals. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s YouTube channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle YouTube, Instagram, Twitter
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The definition of the Italian word Sfocato is: blurry, vague, fuzzy. Vague I’m not so sure of but, this pedal is definitely fuzzy. I’m not the most coordinated guy in the world, so I have put off buying a wah pedal. I’m doing good to get the right hand working with the left as it is, so the thought of mixing my foot in there didn’t sound appealing at all. When I saw that Keeley was introducing the Sfocato...
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Last year when I was reconfiguring my pedalboard for sessions and touring, a friend recommended this pedal to me, and I will say up front, it has become one of my favorite “go to” pedals. The Sweet Honey Overdrive (SHOD) is a light to mid gain overdrive based on the BJF Honey Bee design and is one of the most dynamic and touch sensitive pedals I’ve ever used. Three knobs (Volume, Drive, Focus) where the Focus knob is...
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I have played through a LOT of drive pedals, especially in the last year, and for the most part, they’re all relatively similar in control knob setup. That said, I always enjoy it when a pedal comes across my desk that has a new, interesting knob I have to look up to find out what it does, and how it can make the pedal (and me) sound better. Such is the case with the SPAM Drive from our mates down under, Spencer Pedals. The SPAM...
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Here we go again! This time, our Boss Delay-of-the-day is the DD-3, probably the simplest of the lineup, and one of the easiest to control. This pedal does not take a degree in physics or electrical engineering to figure out (though, it would be cool to have those) – the DD-3 is extremely user-friendly, with a couple of basic knobs that tell you exactly what they do, all you have to do is turn them until you hear something you...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Hold – Reverb from Z.Cat Pedals. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s YouTube channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle (YouTube), Instagram, Twitter
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The Rain is my favorite pedal on my board. It is weird and does such a wide range of things that I always find a new use for it. The Rain is a super tweaked clone of an EchoBender by Polish Power Pedals, the best of the best of small pedal builders. The settings include modulation, delay, two different decay settings, the wet effect and amount of dry guitar, as well as “feedback/shit” as labeled in the manual Nathanael put...
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Coming at’cha from Saint Paul, Minnesota, it’s the Green Zapper Auto Filter from Henretta Engineering! This little green box has tiny dimensions (2″ x 2″), but lots of heart to make up for it. Great for space-saving and adding a little funk into your playing. The Green Zapper is touch-sensitive, so the harder you play, the more effects you get. I found it to work much better for chords as opposed to individual...
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Envelope filters love to bring home the funk, and the Neutrino from Keeley Electronics does as good (if not a better) a job as anything you can find out on the pedal market right now. Lots of control options to really make your sound unique, or to be able to easily dial in your idol’s 70’s porn music setting – whatever you prefer. The retro soundscapes are vast and extremely prevalent here, let’s see...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Polyoctaver from Z.Cat Pedals. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s YouTube channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle (YouTube), Instagram, Twitter
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Overdrive² from Bigot Pedals, all the way from France!. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s YouTube channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle YouTube, Instagram, Twitter
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Mesa/Boogie has long been known for the incredible amplifiers they have been producing for decades, and it seems as if they’re trying to figure out how to capture their classic overdriven amp sounds and put them into a nice, neat and tidy effects pedal. The first one of these I’ve had the pleasure to test is the FLUX-DRIVE™ Overdrive+, a simple but stunning-sounding stompbox that will rock your world. There’s nothing...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Q-Mod Multi-Effect from Z.Cat Pedals. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s YouTube channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle (YouTube), Instagram, Twitter
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The old tube tape echo machines are responsible for some of the greatest sounds ever put on tape, with works by artists such as Chet Atkins, Miles Davis, Eric Johnson, Randy Rhodes and Andy Summers, to name a few. The Magnetic Echo from Keeley Electronics aims to recreate those classic echo tones, and actually studied an old Echoplex EP-3 and a Roland RE-301 Space Echo to tap into the sounds of those 2 great machines. All housed in a...
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As with all awesomeness that comes out of the Devi Ever factory, the Big Distortion Sound Machine makes noises that no other pedal does, which really is the brilliance of the company. Now paired with Dwarfcraft Devices, Devi Ever’s latest sonic destruction box will have you laughing, crying, barfing and possibly jumping for joy, depending. It hurts in the best way possible when cranked, and can soothe your wrecked eardrums a...
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Based on the 1960’s classic Dan Armstrong Orange Squeeze Compressor, the Analogman Juicer has built a reputation as one of the best compressors on the market today. This little orange box features one knob for overall volume and a bias trim pot inside to adjust the compression. About 8db of gain is available with the factory bias setting. This pedal comes with NOS N25457 transistors, germanium diodes, and JRC45582 On-Amp Chip....
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The PettyJohn Electronics PreDrive is a pedal that refines and defines your tone. A great pedal for studio and/or live performances. The PreDrive is designed to be the first pedal in your chain preserving and improving the sound quality of any instrument plugged into it; either a guitar or a bass-guitar. It also has another function, which is a boost that gives you the extra body to your sound; again, playing live or in a studio....
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Big Reverb from Z.Cat Pedals. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s YouTube channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle (YouTube), Instagram, Twitter
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The PB&J Delay from Danelectro packs quite the punch and capability. A lot of delays, I feel, lack the ability to switch patterns with out either kneeling down or having to invest some extra dough to get a multi-channel delay (Flashback, Etc.) But what I love about this Dan Electro is it is the exact opposite. It was what I needed in the sense of two delay options (Long and Short) which is what the button to the left is...
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Ok, delay pedal lovers, here is another one: the TC Electronic Nova Repeater. This pedal is pretty self-explanatory, but for the sake of the whole Pedal of the Day review…let’s dive on in! First, let me say, if you are going to purchase this, use a true isolated power supply, don’t daisy chain this one. It will add white noise and hiss that will haunt your dreams. Ok, the delay sound out of this is amazing. The only...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Big Crunch Overdrive. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s YouTube channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle YouTube, Instagram, Twitter
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Well, if you’ve ever played with any T-Rex Effects products, you’ll know they are good quality tools. Or perhaps I have just been lucky with the ones I’ve had. Anywhoo, today i bring to you the Comp-Nova!! This is an always on tool for me. I used to be just a guitar and amp guy for like 15 years or so, and the past few years I’ve jumped on the pedal craze wanted to get my hands all that’s out there. This...
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It turns out I was a lucky fella: 1 of only 20 people on the planet who secured the latest “Top Secret Mission” pedal from our friends over at Spaceman Effects. As it turns out, this mystery pedal is an unlabeled (and therefore, extremely rare) version of the Voyager 1, an optical tremolo that was just released. This one is WAY cooler, however, as it has no labels and no indication of how it works – even the...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Hold-Delay-Chorus from Z.Cat Pedals. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s YouTube channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle (YouTube), Instagram, Twitter
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