Seafoam Pedals are a small company based out of Mobile, Alabama, making all hand-wired pedals with some interesting designs and layouts, mainly doing Tap Tempo and Expression-type pedals in pedalboard-friendly sizes. Their first foray into an actual effect pedal is the Low Tide Overdrive, a small, 2-knob transparent drive that features smooth sounds and just enough grit to make it interesting, while keeping your guitar’s tone in...
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The Malekko Heavy Industries Diabolik Fuzz is one of the most adaptive fuzzes on the market. I’m usually not one for signature pedals, but bassist/producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen knows quality, and is a phenomenal musician. After playing far too many fuzzes, the Diabolik quickly became my go-to fuzz. There are a ton of tonal possibilities, and better yet, it doesn’t take up much room on the board. My favorite feature,...
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This pedal is a mammoth of an effect, both is actual size and sonic ability. Pigtronix has been leading the way in making some incredibly uncommon and exciting pedals for years now, and although the newer version has more bells and whistles, this first version of the Echolution Tap Tempo Analog Delay with Modulation is a beast in it’s own right, not an effects pedal to be taken lightly, or turn your back on, ’cause you...
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These pedals from Sublime Guitar Company are really rocking my world lately, and the Pep-Pep Delay is another awesome piece of gear from this Florida company. In our current world of massive, complicated and sometimes frustrating delays, the Pep-Pep is a welcome breath of fresh air, and while it might not be able to do everything those other delays can, it will add character and stunning texture to your guitar’s tone. This is a...
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The Wrath (w rat h) is a beautiful take on the famous, rodent distortion – the Proco Rat. What I mean by beautiful is far more than graphics. This “rat” crosses through tunnel ways from places like a light overdrive, a high gain overdrive, gritty and cool distortion, “open” distortion (if that makes sense), cool fuzz vibe (oh the vibe!), and lastly, full out fuzz. I honesty don’t think I have found...
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Mini pedals are everywhere! Space-saving, simple to control, great-sounding pedals are popping up from manufacturers across the world, and this one is a fantastic addition to the list. The Surf Drive comes to us from our friends PB&J Pedals in North Carolina, and is a great little overdrive pedal with a small footprint. There’s really not much to this thing, but it will make your amp SING. Enclosed in a gorgeous teal, ocean...
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Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Malekko Heavy Industries has been making effects pedals and synth modules since 2006, and have put out some fantastic gear along the way. The Sloika MkII is another fine example of a great guitar effect: designed by Todd Wolfgram, it’s an Analog Multi-Band Distortion pedal. Don’t let that word DISTORTION fool you, though, this little gold beauty has an array of sounds and functions for any...
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How do I put this? The Mantic Beef Bag is probably the single greatest effect experience in the history of ever! As a bassist, there is no greater joy than manipulating that sub frequency and shaking the building. Yes, building, not stage. This amazing sub hones in on the 35hz and 60hz range. 35 hz! The resonant frequency of a lot of cabs is 30hz, so be careful with this pedal! This is not subtle by any means. This is referred to as a...
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This is the Mad Pedal Gold Standard Overdrive. This pedal really lives up to its name and at its price tag most would expect a steep trend. This pedal really sounds like gold for what it is. It amazes me at how much grit you can get out of it. Anything from early Brian May, Angus Young, to any Christian artists lead tone can be dialed in. I haven’t found it to be a really boosty pedal, but it compensates with its cream and grit....
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Hudson Electronics in the UK are all about the Fuzz. Really, these guys make retro-styled fuzz pedals for fuzz players, and that’s it. And boy, do they do them well. I was lucky enough to get a couple sent my way to review, and I have to say I was pleasantly blown away by the sounds these guys are generating. Today, we’re going to take a look at a pedal they like to simply call FUZZ. This pedal is based around fuzz...
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The White Rabbit from our friends in the UK, RayGun FX, is an extremely versatile and easy-to-use fuzz pedal, with many small nuances and settings that can go from boost to blitzkrieg and all sorts of stuff in between. Simple controls with big range produce gorgeous fuzz tones here, let’s give it a run-through, shall we? The overall size and layout of the White Rabbit are perfect, with an enclosure that’s not going to...
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The King of All Octavers! The Boss OC-2 is one of the most sought after octavers. The original, the Octaver, was produced back in 1982. The name changed to Octave in 1984 and production moved from Japan to Taiwan. There is actually a difference in quality between the Made In Japan and the Made In Taiwan versions. The Made In Japan is a lighter shade of brown and the quality of the build seems to be better. The OC-2 doesn’t just...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Pop Corner Overdrive from Jonny Rock Gear. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle (YouTube), Instagram, Twitter GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES, CONTEST INFO, SEE OUR LATEST DEMO VIDEOS AND MORE: More info at:
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One-offs. Custom graphics. Scratch-N-Dent. One-of-a-kind pedals have a special quality about them that regular pedals just don’t, whether it’s a rehousing of an old pedal, a personal message or graphic, a banged-up enclosure…or a 2-in-1. This particular custom pedal comes to us from our friends Pepper Pedals in Atlanta, GA, and is a combo of their awesome Chipotle Distortion and Jalapeño Overdrive. Look out for this...
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Noisemaker Effects makes really nice pedals, and then sells them at a really nice price (I bought their 1/2-watt amplifier, too, and that thing rocks!). They’re built in sturdy, tough, metallic enclosures, sure to stand the test of time (and our foot abuse) and outlive us all. The Soda Pop Fuzz seems like another rad pedal from a cool company, so let’s check it out, uh? The graphics first catch your eye and make you crack...
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The Malekko Omicron “TREM” Analog Tremolo is part of their new miniature line of pedals with big sounds in small housings. The Omicron Trem is as simple as it gets: 2 knobs for Speed and Depth in a pedal that is True bypass and analog. Current draw is 50mA. Enclosure size approx. 3.6″x 1.5″x 1.2″. But it sounds huge! It fits nearly anywhere on any pedalboard. Prior to getting this pedal, my tremolo was offboard, on the...
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The Blue Moon is actually just the left channel of the classic Hungry Robot Pedals’ Hungry Robot Overdrive, but this is a standalone effect, as opposed to the Hungry Robot, which combines the Blue Moon and the Lou Drive in one giant enclosure. Sporting only ONE control knob, this pedal is easy to coax great tones from, as well as using the 2 toggle switches to express the true overdriven nature this little blue box has to offer....
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This pedal has intrigued me (and many others, I’m sure) for quite some time, and when I had an opportunity to pick one up, I didn’t hesitate for one minute. Only about 130 or so of these little gems were made, and JHS seems pretty adamant that there will NEVER be another run of them, so it’s a rare find, to say the least. While they have their fair share of dual switch pedals, the State Line is unique in that one...
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The newest offering from RayGun FX across the pond in England is the Soda Drive, a small, stylish pedal that can give you a little bit of the Blues or a whole lot of the Rock, and is my first foray into this super-friendly company from the UK. I’ve got a couple of their pedals I’m going to review in the near future, but let’s start it off with this great little Baby Blue drive pedal, shall we? The controls are...
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The Lightspeed Organic Overdrive from Greer Amps has been everywhere around the guitar community for the last year or so, and I had to see what the deal was with this pristine-looking (and, as it turns out, sounding) effects pedal from good old Athens, Georgia. I’ve been looking for a kind of Boost / Light Drive to push my signal a little bit up front, and it seemed like this just might be a perfect fit. There’s no Physics...
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First off, let me say that I love Emerson Custom Guitars’ EM-Drive as it is, being a wonderfully transparent overdrive with great character and warm, smooth tones. However, I also like my overdrives to have a little more BITE than the stock EM has got, and that’s where this fantastic mod from my friend Ásgeir over at Pedal Projects in Iceland comes in. Just wait ’til you see what he’s done now. The Pedal...
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Selah Effects out of Australia keeps putting out really, really good pedals; I recently reviewed the Scarlett Love V2, which was just awesome, and this time around, it’s the Feather Drive, which I can’t honestly see leaving my board anytime soon after playing it. This pedal is a true design marvel, with very simplistic layout and graphics, but those orange knobs really stand out against the black background, and the...
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The Prince Of Tone (POT) is a tube screamer style overdrive “half” of Analogman’s King Of Tone pedal (The King has 2 of these pedals in one housing). The Prince has 3 knobs (Volume, Tone, Drive), an external 3-way toggle switch to switch gain modes (Boost, Overdrive, Distortion), and it has internal DIP switches (D1 = Lo-Mid lift to enhance the tone of the lower strings, and D2 = Turbo switch for more compression and...
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The LoLo Optic Double Speed Tremolo comes to us from MRB Pedals in Venezuela, and is truly a unique tremolo beast. It features 2 separate speed controls, which you can set independently, and then choose which one you’d like to use on the fly via a footswitch. 2 different LEDs that blink simultaneously, 2 footswitches for Speed and On/Off and 2 different color knobs to control the unique Rates of the independent tremolo speeds. A...
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This is the MAD Pedals Panda Drive, a Klon on steroids with a mandarin paint job. This is a special pedal, for its close resemblance to the Klon Centaur but with a flare like wasabi at a sushi bar. Per Mad Pedals tradition this pedal is a custom one of one paint job, No pedal we build will ever be the same. The tone mojo circuit features 1% resistors, 5% capacitors, and special diodes from Europe. All this combines for a creamy smooth...
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Walrus Audio makes some pretty incredible effects, from straightforward rock boxes to off-the-wall Fuzz/Tremolo 2-In-1 units, and a bunch of cool stuff in between. Their first offering of a usually simple pedal is unorthodox and ballsy as well, as we’ve come to expect from Colt and Company. The Plainsman is a Clean Boost, but with a few twists and turns along the way. Here goes… This gray little box is tiny, a perfect fit...
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The Darkest Driving Overdrive pedal from Fuzzrocious Pedals is a tank, with more options than you’ll know what to do with, and a plethora of distorted soundscapes to play with until the cows come home…and then a little bit more. 3 footswitches, 3 toggles and 4 control switches might seem a bit daunting at first, but once you get the hang of this beast, it’ll blow you and everyone who encounters it right out of the...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Woody Drive from Garland Guitar Services. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle
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When you see the control knobs and toggle switches on The Elements Overdrive pedal from Dr. Scientist, you might be immediately overwhelmed, scared, frightened and perhaps cry a little, but not to worry: this monster IS tamable, and you’re going to have a great time doing so. Don’t let the 6 Control Knobs and 4 Different Toggle Switches haunt you in your dreams… Right off the bat, you’ll notice that 3 of the...
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On tap today is the Del Mar overdrive – the latest offering from the awesome guys over at Bondi Effects, makers of the well-known Sick As overdrive. So what’s all the hype about? As many know, the Sick As is based loosely around the mystical Klon circuit, and works great as a clean boost/light OD without coloring your signal. Wonderful. The Del Mar takes two equally renowned circuits, the Tubescreamer and Bluesbreaker, and...
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The Firefly from JHS Pedals caught my eye well before it’s release, and I was just itching to give it a spin in the old home studio. Low and behold, it finally appeared on my doorstep, and I was anxious and excited as I tore the package open. Looking sleek and sophisticated from the get-go, I knew the Firefly was gonna win me over about 3 seconds after I plugged it in. This is JHS’ take on the Tonebender MKIII, a classic...
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The Wave Pave Pre Amp from Adventure Pedals is pretty much a dirty buffer with gain, presence, and volume control. It’s features include a no lie bypass and low impedance conversion into or out of other overdrive pedals. Trust me, this thing is totally stackable for pedals that don’t give you enough gain. Submitted by Christian T, Website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
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Alchemy Audio is a small company based out of Chicago, and the majority of their work stems from performing great upgrades to some of the most famous guitar effects pedals ever created, such as the ProCo Rat, Electro-Harmonix Soul Food, a slew of Boss pedals and, of course, the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer. As most of you know, this pedal is a classic overdrive, used by countless artists since its release in 1982. A good pedal on...
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Have you ever wanted a pedal that will bring some funky attitude to your sound? How about this Aguilar Filter Twin: this is that one pedal that you can turn on for instant fun and especially funky vibe. Basically, it’s envelop filter with tons of versatility, meaning lots of options. Your signal will go high and low, soaring across a universe of funky tones (sound groovy enough for you?). This pedal is designed to work for bass,...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Fifth Gear Overdrive from Southampton Pedals! Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle
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Walrus Audio makes some really great effects pedals, and continue to push the boundaries with the new, inventive gear they’ve come out with recently. The Mayflower Overdrive is one of their staple pedals, and a favorite for anyone who wants to add a little crunch and beef to their sound. Like all Walrus pedals, the Mayflower is as tough, rugged and sturdy as you get, with a beautiful blue enclosure with more of the great graphic...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Doc Music Station Blackie Distortion! ProCo mojo with a twist! Si or Ge, either way you want it! Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle
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Alright, so maybe I wanted to test this pedal out because I thought the penguin looked cool, so what? The point is, not only is the Emperor from JHS Pedals aesthetically pleasing, it is sonically as well. A 2-In-1 Analog Chorus and Vibrato, the Emperor really boasts some gorgeous modulated sounds throughout all of its settings, and promises to make you want to keep coming back for more and more. Volume, Speed, Tone and Depth controls...
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Lately, it seems like I’ve been reviewing a lot of really simple overdrive pedals, and for the most part, they have all been surprisingly good at delivering fantastic drive tones and making my amps work for their money. The next example in this current line of simplistic but powerful stompboxes is the Earthrise VIII from our friends over at Epigaze Audio. Once again, only 2 control knobs make this pedal great, easy fun to dial...
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I got a surprise package in the mail the other day from Nick over at Greer Amps: the yet-to-be-released Southland Harmonic Overdrive, their newest killer pedal creation. I’d seen the pictures on Instagram and was excited to test this baby out, knowing it was gonna rock after previously testing out a couple of other Greer pedals. Well, let’s just say it did rock…and then it rocked some more! The Southland was...
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Well, this is a big one. The current reigning champion of the Delay world in stompbox manufacturing, the TimeLine Delay from Strymon. I gotta tell you, I was a bit skeptical about this pedal, and had gotten a little sick of seeing it everywhere, to be honest. Roughly 3 minutes after I plugged my guitar into it, I understood what all the hubbub was about. This moderately-sized gray enclosure seriously holds the keys to all your delay...
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This Digitech Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo/Rotary pedal is amazing, with 7 different modes it’s a blast to tinker with. 4 basic knobs: Speed, Depth, Modify and the Type Selector knob. The first two knobs are self-explanatory, but the modify knob does many different things depending on what setting you’re on. It either changes waveform, tone, secondary speed, dry mix, chorus or vibrato mix or phase. You can get amazing sounds out...
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I wasn’t sure what to think about the Joyo Ultimate Drive when I purchased it. I was new to Joyo and was wondering if a 40 dollar pedal would be a do or a don’t. My expectations were exceeded when I ran it through a telecaster into a Marshall. Amazing overdrive sounds and incredible transparency. At an extremely low gain setting, it’s a very Klon, Soul Food feel. As you turn up the gain, you get some of the best...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The RJM Effects Tite Line Compressor! Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by Kyle
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Immediately upon viewing the Fuzzrocious Pedals’ website, I knew they were doing some pretty inventive and creative things with their effects pedals, strictly from the artwork and amount of knobs alone. The Grey Stache is my first foray into their world of gear, and it is a monster. Plus, you can add any number of mods to make yours a custom job, and get it sounding exactly like you want. Let’s check it out! My demo...
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My first pedal experience with EC Pedals is with the EyeBall Compressor, a simple 3-knob comp that is easy to use and sounds like a champ. Level, Attack and Sustain controls are exactly what you’d expect from a compressor pedal, and they are all featured in this little stompbox. The EyeBall provides a nice, compressed tone, great for country/chickin’-pickin’ music, but also for heavier stuff, too. It sounds great...
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Man, this is a hard company to track down information about! While I would have liked a little more info on this pedal, the Smilodon Fuzz from Aethan Electronics is an all-out, buzzsaw, balls-to-the-wall, ass-kicking fuzz pedal, and with only a few (who knows the actual number) of these ever made, it is a RARE find, one that will not be leaving my side anytime soon. The pedal itself isn’t much bigger than a standard Boss...
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The Scarlett Love Overdrive (V2) from Selah Effects came to me all the way from Australia, and let me tell you, friends, it’s worth the wait. This is a big, thick, meaty pedal housed in a small enclosure, but will provide you and your guitar with all the gain and drive you can handle, and then push you a little bit further. Gain, Tone and Volume make up the control knobs on the Scarlett Love, and each has a considerable amount...
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The TE-2 Tera Echo from Boss is a fun pedal! Very different than any other pedal you’ll ever see. Hard to explain as well. Starts of with a great echo/ reverb effect that has a massive decay time. 4 knobs: Effect Level, Tone, Feedback (decay) and S-Time (spread time). The spread time knob spreads out the effect sound: Shorter S-Time sounds like a mix between a shooting laser and some sci-fi movie stuff, while the Longer S-Time...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today: The Doc Music Station Doc’stortion! Well rounded Distortion that goes from Blues to Rock really well. Symmetrical and Asymmetrical clipping options and really well built. Listen for yourself. Check them out HERE, and don’t forget to subscribe to Kyle’s channel after you watch the video! Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by...
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