We really loved the first four effects in JHS Pedals’ “Legends of Fuzz” series: the Bender, the Crimson, the Smiley and the Supreme. They’ve added a few more since, and we’re going to take a look at the Berkeley 1973 California today. With just two simple controls and a Mode switch, you can easily dial in vintage fuzz sounds with this black beauty… Grab a Berkeley 1973 California at Sweetwater:...
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Mixing different kinds of effects together usually pays off pretty damn well, and today’s pedal keeps that fine tradition going strong. The Humanoid Pedals Psychosis Tremolo Overdrive combines two of our favorites into one wild enclosure, complete with nutty graphics and thick, heavy driven and modulated sounds. This isn’t a light one, folks, so buckle up and let’s see what its all about… The Psychosis is the...
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Any time there’s a new release from our friends at Death By Audio, it’s always a very exciting time, and we’re always floored by the unique creations they unleash on the world. Today’s pedal is no exception: the Disturbance Lockable LFO Modulator combines Filter, Flanger and Phaser effects into one wild multi-modulation unit, showering the user with a slew of experimental sounds. As always, if you don’t...
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We had the pleasure of checking out the new Galaxy ’74 Tape Echo & Reverb from Universal Audio, and were (as usual) pretty blown away. Today, we’re looking at the next unit in their latest lineup releases, the Del-Verb Ambience Companion. Similar to the Galaxy in ways, but also a unique beast on its own, this pedal combines algorithms from UA’s wonderful Golden Reverberator and Starlight Echo Station....
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Each effects in the All-Pedal lineup is completely different, and that’s how we like it. Following in the footsteps of the Love Machine Octave Fuzz, Macrodose Envelope Filter and Steel Panther 1987 Delay Distortion, the Slamurai™ Overdrive has both a unique look and sound. Come along as we journey to the far east, discovering immense drive tones and amp-shaking dirt… With the Slamurai™, All-Pedal set out to make the most...
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Robert and the folks at Keeley Electronics have been making delay pedals for years, and we’ve had the privilege to check out just about all of ’em. From the Caverns to the DDR to the ECCOS and more, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. Today’s pedal keeps this wonderful delay tradition going, with the help of an excellent guitarist – come with us as we check out the HALO Andy Timmons Dual Echo,...
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If you haven’t heard about the fantastic gear coming from Heather Brown Electronicals, you must have been living under a musical rock. The Blessed Mother Overdrive burst on the scene a couple years ago, and was followed by the also-successful Sensation Fuzzdrive – two awesome circuits from an awesome builder. Today, we’ve got the latest effect in this lineup, the Spirit In The Sky Tremolo Fuzz, which mixes 2...
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After the Dream ’65, Ruby ’63, Woodrow ’55, Starlight, Golden and Astra effects units from Universal Audio were released, everyone was wondering what creations they’d come up with next for their stompbox lineup. Today, we’re proud to present the first of the next three pedals: the Galaxy ’74 Tape Echo & Reverb. Built upon award-winning UAFX dual‑engine processing and an unquenchable thirst for...
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We’ve had a working relationship with KMA Machines for close to a decade now, and have always loved the creativity and option-laden effects pedals they’ve produced over the years. Today, we’re checking out their Logan Transcend Drive, an overdrive pedal that will add immense tonal dimension and flexibility to anyone’s setup, all while preserving the natural characteristic and feel of your beloved instrument. Take a...
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It’s always amazed me how tone-shaping a one-knob effect can truly be – the simplicity seems like it might not have a lot to offer, but that’s usually not even close to the case. Which brings us to today’s pedal, the oddly-named beAst beWst Full Range Boost from EEIDI FX (Everyone Else Is Doing It), the brainchild of Will from Third Age Amplifiers. This hand-wired boost has a killer range, great tone and will...
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We’re headed back to familiar territory today, both in pedal company and pedal model. Poison Noises has just released The Crook Overdrive V5, the latest version of the pedal that put them on the effects map. We started with Version 3, and have loved to see the progression of this circuit over the last couple of years. If you liked the other Crooks, you’re gonna really dig this one… The Crook has more gadgets in its...
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The innovators at Boss as always really ahead of their time, and today’s pedal exemplifies that in leaps and bounds. Produced in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the PS-2 Digital Pitch Shifter / Delay is basically two pedals in one, offering wild pitch shifting and pristine delay capabilities. Yet another one for the experimenters, this blue box can be used for practice, gigs, recording and more… First off, the...
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Where do we even start with a rare, out-of-production and highly sought-after pedal like this? The Goatkeeper 3 GK3 Tap Tremolo Sequencer has become a pedal of mystery and intrigue, not to mention hard to find and pretty expensive, too. Described as an analog tremolo sequencer, this big white whale is so much more, a giant tone machine just itching to be experimented with, and thanks to the genius minds at Lightfoot Labs, one that we...
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It’s Chase Bliss Day once again!! You all know what this one is: the MOOD MKII Instant Ambience, which builds off of the already stellar MOOD released several years ago. New features include stereo (YES!!), overdubbing, freezing, syncing, fading, filtering, balancing, blending, smoothing, etc, as well as polished up sound quality…but fear not! There’s a Classic Mode for those of you who prefer dents and dings. Let’s...
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Today, we’ve got a special treat from our friends at El Garatge: the WEX Wireless Expression Controller. Consisting of a wireless transmitter and receiver, the WEX system controls your pedal’s parameters, as well as having some tricks up its sleeve to awaken the sonic experimenter in us all. Consisting of a transmitter and a receiver, each device has some dip-switches to configure its parameters… WEX Features: Manual...
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Taking inspiration from Analog Man’s Prince of Tone overdrive, the Harby Pedals Noble Tone is based on the same schematic to give you the same organic-sounding tube distortion. Built in the USA with high-quality components. And the best part? No waiting list. A faithful replication of the original circuit board and schematics, the Noble Tone shares the rich sound that makes both the King and Prince of Tone so desirable. Compatible...
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After we saw the Autumn and Winter overdrive pedals from Fox River Devices in their respective seasons, it’s only logical that the next one in this series would be….SPRING!! The third member of the Seasonal Drive Series, Spring is a low to medium gain overdrive with a max gain of approximately 44dB. It can be used as a clean (or clean-ish) boost at lower gain settings and a subtle overdrive with the gain turned up…...
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Phasers are rad, plain and simple. There are those that might disagree, but they’re radically incorrect. But phasers that run in stereo?? Well, it just doesn’t get any better than that, as evidenced by today’s pedal, the Mr. Black Twin Lazers Dual Phase Modulator. Inspired by the long standing king of dual phase-shifters, this is true-stereo phase shifting at its finest. The Twin Lazers features two fully-independent...
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We’re back with yet another new pedal from our pals at Poison Noises! Today’s effect is the Gluttonous Maximus Fuzz, a ballsy beast who joins the ranks of the Glutnik, Glut Cheeks and Gluttonous Fuzz pedals from the PN lineup. Here to save the day, this red menace will spark your creativity and blow out your eardrums…in the best of ways imaginable. With the Gluttonous Maximus Fuzz, the Clipping control pulls diodes...
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When talking about the greatest chorus effects pedals to ever grace the planet, you always hear about the CE-2 from Boss, arguably the best one ever made. I own one and it is fantastic, no bones about it, but its little brother sometimes gets overlooked in the mix. The CE-3 might not carry all the prestige of the CE-2, but it has some great tones, as well as a couple tricks up it’s sleeve that you can’t get with it’s older sibling....
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We love today’s fuzz pedal, plain and simple. The Bun Runner from JHS Pedals is a sonic marvel, and one of the most versatile and useful fuzzes we have ever had the privilege of playing. With two quite different sides to this 2-in-1 pedal, many fuzzy tones are easily accessible, ranging from slightly overdriven to all-out crazy, gooey, fuzzy goodness. Let’s check out this rare, discontinued beauty, shall we? The left side...
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Last month, we continued our steak of reviewing excellent pedals from our friends at NUX, with the amazing Duotime Dual Engine Delay. Today, we’ve got another one from their impressive Verdugo Series of Stomboxes: the Queen of Tone Dual Overdrive. Bringing two different but extremely complimentary drive circuits to the table, this 2-for-1 gives you just about all the overdrive options you could need…and maybe a couple...
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Our third effects unit from All-Pedal takes a wild left turn from their previous 2 pedals we have reviewed, the Macrodose Envelope Filter and Love Machine Octave Fuzz. Inspired by the sounds of the ’80s, and made in collaboration with glam metal band Steel Panther, the 1987 Delay Distortion brings classic sounds of a decade long past right into your living room, practice space or gig. This delay and distortion is a fun one,...
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James Santiago Los Angeles, California Universal Audio https://www.uaudio.com/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar around 5 years old, and at around 15, I began working in professional working bands as musicians around town started asking me to play with them. I didn’t have a driver’s license back then, so I had to have my mom or other band members take me to band...
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Flanging. Players love it and players hate it, but it has had an effect (pun intended) on music since its inception decades ago, and we think it’s a great tool to use for musical experimentation. Sometimes, however, flange units can get too crazy, almost to the point of unusability for some genres – that’s why we really dig today’s pedal, the M152 Micro Flanger from MXR and Dunlop Manufacturing. With two simple...
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We’ve got an oldie but a goodie for you all today, coming in the form of the Nebula Phaser from Mojo Hand FX. This subtle beauty first came to us way back in 2014, and over the years we’ve had 2 or three different versions, finally settling on this black sparkled model. This phaser pedal is not a clone of the famous 2-stage vintage phaser, but rather a phaser pedal created to be the most user-friendly form for modern...
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Last year, we were fortunate to be able to review and demo the ENTIRE pedal lineup from our friends at Poison Noises. Well, they’re back at it again with a new release, The Lighthouse Photo-Vibe, which provides gorgeous vintage vibrato and phasing sounds from decades past. With intuitive controls and wonderful modulated tones, this is a classic-sounding effect that will get your creativity flowing… With The Lighthouse, you...
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The folks at TC Electronic have been pushing the boundaries of what music gear can do for decades, constantly inventing and creating new ways to spark new ideas and intrigue into our playing. Today’s pedal continues with that tradition: the Infinite Sample Sustainer lets you capture an auditory moment in time, then play over it and add more layers, until you’re bathed in a wash of ambience you won’t want to escape...
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Last month, we had the privilege to investigate the wonderful Raster 2 Digital Delay from Red Panda, and instantly fell in love with it. Today, we’re looking at a pedal that takes the delay effect genre and flips it completely upside down – the Particle 2 Granular Delay gives you aspects of echo, pitch shifting, reverse delay and much, much more. Lots to this one, we’d better dive right in!! Particle™ is a granular...
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We’ve been enjoying the wonderful amps and effects made by our friends at Thermion for several years now, and are proud you bring you another one of their creations today. The Breakthru Overdrive lets you achieve the boosted ‘Blizzard of Nails’ British tones that influenced many guitarists and generations with ease. Two channels of mid-rangy overdrive that will upgrade your tone with a new dimension of punch and dynamics from...
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When we started reviewing effects pedals from the Walrus Audio lineup in 2014, the first distortion unit we saw from these guys was the Iron Horse, and it blew us away. Since then, we’ve come across the Red and the Melee, and we’ve got another powerful pedal for you today. Eras is a no apologies, high-gain distortion that’s ready to chug, shred, and palm mute with tight response and multiple clipping options…here we...
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It’s always a treat when a pedal from EarthQuaker Devices makes its way into the shop here at Pedal of the Day, and today’s effect keeps that streak rolling strong. The Astral Destiny Octave Reverb combines two classic and comparable effects into one pedal, making it easy to experiment and explore just how these two genres interact. Lots of knobs, lots of tone and lots of fun, let’s dive a bit deeper and see what...
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We recently had the chance to check out one of the latest offerings from Sentimental Bob Electronics, the Tephra Distortion, and it was gloriously dirty and loud. Today, we take things down just a little bit and move into overdrive and boost territory, via the Albert Overdrive. If you’re in the hunt for an OCD-style drive with a TON of sonic options, this might be exactly what you need… The Overdrive section of Albert is...
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We first heard about pedal makers Vongon back in 2019, when we reviewed and demoed an amazing MIDI controller designed specifically for the Moog MF-104M Analog Delay. Most recently, we checked out their Ultrasheer, an incredible Pitch Vibrato and Reverb pedal that will stop you right in your musical tracks. Today, we’re checking out their latest piece of gear, the Polyphrase Stereo Echo with Infinite Feedback Loop – strap...
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The Protein Dual Overdrive from Browne Amplification was one of our favorite drive pedals when we reviewed it last year, and we’re excited to bring you another pedal from this great company today. The T4 Fuzz is a seemingly simple fuzz with three knobs, like certain famous muff-y circuits from decades past, but is highly modified to maintain clarity while retaining mid frequencies. Let’s see what this one’s all...
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We’ve enjoyed the numerous effects units we’ve seen over the years from NUX, and we’re continuing that streak today with another wonderful pedal. The Duotime Dual Delay Engine provides TWO delay lines that can be stretched, tweaked, ripped, manipulated and more, leading to a wild, inspiring and creative piece of gear. Delay fans are gonna love this one…non-delay fans just might, too… Duotime is a real...
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As evidenced by our Klone Wars demo series on YouTube, we love a good replica of that infamously mythical circuit that only a few can now afford. The J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer, in all its iterations, has steadily been one of the go-to clone units since its release. Today, we’re proud to help bring the latest version, the Archer Select, to you and the rest of the world… The Archer Select is a uniquely functioning...
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A few weeks ago, we ventured into the Land of Bass when we reviewed the Gus-Plus Bass-Friendly Overdrive – today, we’re picking up that low-end instrument once again, this time in the genre of blistering fuzz and distortion. The Wren and Cuff Pickle Pie B Hella Fuzz strives to resolve many of the common quandaries bassists come across in their search for a fuzz that really works for their instrument and their playing...
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We’ve got another unique and impressive effect from TC Electronic for you today, folks – something that you don’t see everyday, or might not even think about as a key piece of your rig. The Mimiq Doubler takes the classic studio trick of doubling your guitar tracks to thicken up your sound, and squishes it into a compact, pedalboard-friendly unit. Turn yourself (almost) into Dimebag Darrell, Randy Rhodes or James...
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We’ve been loving the replication effects that Warm Audio has been creating over the last couple of years, starting with the Jet Phaser, then the Foxy Tone Box and, most recently, the Centavo Overdrive. Today’s pedal from these guys is the Warmdrive Overdrive, a tribute to impossible-to-obtain amps and a special Zen-influenced drive. Your amp and your ears will thank you for checking out this beautiful machine, trust...
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Distortion pedals are a finicky bunch – what sounds great to one player might sound like garbage to another. As with most pedals, personal preference always comes into play. But what if there was a distortion pedal that let you know it was focusing on high-gain tones, then gave you a slew of options to achieve your perfect sound? Well, the DSM & Humboldt Electronics Black Clouds High-Gain Distortion translates a clear...
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Every effect we’ve investigated from Studio Daydream Handmade Pedals has been high-quality, both in build and sound, and we’re always ready for more gear from these guys. Today, we’re looking at the latest version of their JRM-OD Overdrive, V5.0, which is based on amp sounds from the 1960’s blackface period. The 2-band EQ and custom 3 mode switching of the clip diodes can be used to create a wide range of...
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It’s been a hot minute since we had a pedal from Red Panda come through the office, but we’re excited to check out their Raster 2 Digital Delay today, courtesy of our friends at Sweetwater! This unit is a digital delay with a pitch and frequency shifter integrated into the feedback loop. Forward or reverse delay can be shifted once or have continuously shifted repeats. It delivers a wide range of sounds including modulated...
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Throughout 2022, we had a great time checking out the effects pedal lineup from our friends at Summer School Electronics, which ranged from overdrive to boost to delay to fuzz and more. Today’s pedal takes one of our favorites of theirs, the Gus-Drive Overdrive, and makes to more friendly to bass players and drop tuning guitarists alike. The Gus-Plus Bass Overdrive beefs up your low frequencies, while still maintaining punch and...
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Pedals that defy explanation or categorization are always some of our favorites, and today’s effect defies both in spades. The Boss SL-2 Slicer Audio Pattern Processor takes you on a wild ride from the moment you plug it in, unrelenting in its ability to astonish, inspire and bewilder. Taking your audio signal and morphing it in a thousand different ways, this little machine will flip your rig right on its…head. *Grab an...
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We’re excited today to be taking a bit of a detour from our regularly scheduled pedal reviews, and diving into a different type of medium. We love effects here at the shop, but music is also playing on a pretty consistent basis, and the folks at 1byone Audio sent over their H004 Hi-Fi Turntable with Speakers setup for us to check out. Needless to say, our small collection of vinyl is already growing after having this thing just...
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We’re gonna finish up our latest run of gear from Caline today, but with an item that’s a bit different from the previous batch. The CA-100 G Lorcan Mini Guitar Amp gives you a fairly bold sound, a couple of onboard effects, 2 legit speakers, interfacing/mixing capabilities and more. A perfect travel or desktop amplifier, this orange beast is full of surprises… The included 18V power supply lets you charge the...
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It’s New Release Day from our pals over at Walrus Audio, and by now you know there’s a good chance it’s going to be something special… well, you’re correct. Picking up where the Lore Reverse Soundscape Generator left off, the Fable Granular Soundscape Generator is a sampler/delay pedal spewing forth glitchiness, pitch shifting, time stretching, reverse sounds and much, much more. Step into this wild sonic...
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The genius minds at Strymon are responsible for some of the most famous and most-used effects pedals in the world, offering many options and secret hidden features that keep us all exploring for years on end. Their latest creation produces more of the same powerful, lush sounds you’re used to, but in a smaller, tidier package. The Cloudburst Ambient Reverb shows emphatically that you don’t need a hundred knobs and a...
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The crew at Thermion constantly pushes the boundaries of what is sonically possible in their pedals, and today’s effect brings classic rock tones to the table. The Heartbreaker Preamp Overdrive gives you two gains, three modes and six parameters to explore, providing dynamics, crunch and delicious overdrive in the ultimate preamplifier for classic sound lovers. If you’re on the hunt of a unique, mid-gain British drive...
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