After checking out the DEL-mini Digital Delay a couple weeks ago, I was stoked to see another overdrive from Nobels was next on their new release list. Having loved their ODR-1 and ODR-mini drive pedals, I knew the ODR-mini2 was going to be a special piece of gear. This little green monster brings all that you know and love about the original, squishes it down into a compact enclosure, and adds in some new modern developments, all...
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Hey Hey!! Excited to be back again today with another unique piece of gear from our friends at Animals Pedal. This one is a little different than our usual effects forte, but I love when a rad bass pedal comes through the shop, and this is a good one. The Surfing Polar Bear Bass Overdrive features just three knobs, but trapped inside is an angry low-end beast waiting to be unleashed on the world…oh, and it has an adorable bear...
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The first Boston album is a masterpiece, let’s all be completely honest with ourselves. It’s loaded with catchy hooks, ’70s-tinged riffs and that signature Tom Scholz sound. Speaking of which, he’s kind of the main focus of today’s pedal, the brand new Rockman X100 Analog Tone Processor from MXR. If you’ve been looking for that particular arena rock tone, with a bunch of different options to...
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After checking out the Final Cut Preamp Booster EQ from FTelettronica Pedals last month, I was excited to see what was next from this Italian company. Moving in a slightly different direction, today we have for you their Dystopian Fuzz, a remake of a classic pedal in a smaller, more modern footprint. With three different fuzz/drive modes, and EQ section and a whole lotta output volume, this gray beast seeks to destroy everything in...
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I’m excited to bring you all yet another collaboration pedal today, this time it’s Eventide and Third Man that are teaming up on a wild and crazy sonic adventure. With guitar god Jack White on board as well, they’ve all created the Knife Drop Sub-Octave Fuzz & Analog Synth, a completely over-the-top-awesome sonic noise machine that channels your favorite fuzzy synthesizer sounds, along with some new ones...
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Luis over at Lefa Pedals makes some of the most unique, noisy, innovative and often downright scary pedals on the market today (see the I DEEP THFUZZ and Destroy The Day for past examples), and I love ’em all. Today, they’ve sent over their Retardante MKII, an updated version of one of their popular units, one that combines distortion, delay, drones and more into one raucous effect. This pedal is loud, is obnoxious and it...
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First impressions of pedals have always been a big thing for me – as a graphic designer, I love seeing the myriad of different patterns and aesthetic layouts that different companies come up with. Today’s pedal, at first glance, looks sophisticated, classy and like it is hiding some real sonic secrets. Turns out, my initial thoughts were pretty spot on, as the Whitman Audio Decoherence Drive brings gorgeous sonic power to...
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It’s been a couple of years since any pedals from ADAG Audio have appeared in the shop, but I’m happy to bring yet another of their creations to you all today. The Clamour Mark II Distortion brings familiarity and exploration to the forefront of your sound, conjuring up powerful, amp-crushing tone to any rig you can throw at it. And with three different modes of destruction on tap, there’s plenty of delicious audio...
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Intriguing knob placement and original graphics are two things that can instantly draw you to a pedal, and today’s piece of gear has both. At first glance, The Bomber Overdrive from M2 Labs somehow feels both modern and vintage, and that sentiment continues once the effect is engaged. Bringing a wide range of sounds to the table, this pedal is the result of two people united by a common dream and a relentless pursuit of...
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In the past, the pedals we’ve reviewed and demoed from our friends at FTelettronica Pedals have been pretty complex, with lots of buttons and switches and knobs and exploration involved. Today’s pedal from them, the Final Cut Preamp Booster EQ, dials things back just a bit, with 4 simple knobs and a no-frills approach to a very specific sound. Sometimes, you just need a simple setup to get amazing tone, and that’s...
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Let’s get 2025 off to a proper rockin’ start, shall we? The lineage of Boss Distortion pedals goes back decades, and I’m excited to bring you one today that seems to be somewhat overlooked in general conversation. The DS-2 TURBO Distortion is just that – a blistering, amp-crushing powerhouse meant to destroy eardrums and amp speakers simultaneously. This one isn’t for the faint of heart, kiddos, so...
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Along with the Olinthus Cicada we recently reviewed, today’s pedal continues a wild new trend of shrinking effects pedals down several sizes. The Couch Electronics Baker’s Dozen Overdrive is a bit bigger than its predecessor, but still manages to defy expectations and crush preconceived notions with ease. With a true bypass relay circuit with optical switching and an internal power-up state switch, there’s a lot...
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I love a good mini pedal, for sure, but the creation we’ve got for you today takes the concept of “tiny effects” to an entirely new level. Like something out of a late-80’s Rick Moranis movie, the Olinthus Cicada Overdrive is quite odd upon first sight, but it quickly grows on you, if for nothing else but hilarity at how small it is. However, once you plug it in, you come to find that this green beast is NOT...
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We’ve been checking out the ever-growing lineup of effects units from Animals Pedal since way back in 2017. Although it’s been a couple of years since the last one, we’re excited to bring you FOUR of their newest creations to you over the coming weeks, starting with today’s Push & Pull Distortion. Reminiscent of a classic sound from 5 decades past, this three-knob gem instantly vaults your guitar sound...
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We love a good musician/pedal company collaboration, and today’s brings you three different effects in one very pedalboard-friendly package. Designed specifically to famed guitarist Jack White’s specs, the Triple Threat is a multi-effect collab between Donner and Third Man, bringing three of Jack’s favorite sounds together in a beautiful way. Combining distortion, phasing and echo into one pedal, we ask: what more...
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The pedal creations that come from Supercool Pedals are always great-looking, great-sounding and creative, all the things you want from an effects unit. Today, we’ve got their latest release, a take on a classic, but with their signature Supercool spin on it. The Barstow Bat Distortion is reminiscent of a certain small, black box from the 80’s, with a couple twists and turns to bring a vintage circuit into the modern...
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Although we don’t review bass pedals around here a lot, I always love when they come through, as it forces me to step out of my usual zone and work on something I should be putting more effort into on a regular basis. Today’s pedal, the Trondheim Audio Devices SkarBassOne Analog Bass Compressor EQ Overdrive, wraps three pedals into one, giving you a perfect tone shaper with a little bit of bite if you need it. You can tell...
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My buddy Anthony from Marla Amplification gave me a huge bag of pedals to check out, and one of the many gems I discovered inside was the Dunn Effects Deceiver Distortion. Now, I can’t hardly find out squat about this pedal on the interwebs, so it must be really rare, or a one-off, or discontinued or something…either way, it looks slick and sounds amazing. Let’s jump in and see what this familiar-ish layout has to...
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The good folks at StewMac carry just about every item you need to make your musical dreams come true, from luthier tools to parts & hardware to amps and yes, even Pedals. Today, we’re looking at their latest pedal kit, the International House of Overdrive. You’ll step right into the world of classic overdrive tones, and learn a thing or two about what goes into making effects pedals along the way…c’mon!!...
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Old, vintage, not really talked about effects pedals are usually some of the coolest, and today we’ve got one for you all that I had NEVER heard anyone talk about. A fellow drummer friend of mine had it laying around at his studio, and I took it home, plugged it in and was WOWED. This Morley MOD-DDB Deluxe Distortion looks like it has been through the ringer and back, and both the sound it produces and the beat-up aesthetic make...
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Pedal of the Day, Port City Amplification and countless other people and businesses here in the Asheville, NC area (and elsewhere) have been greatly affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene – if you’re able, please consider making a donation to BeLoved Asheville, or volunteering, or asking people affected by this tragedy if they need any kind of help. Every little bit helps, and any effort to help heal and...
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There’s just something special about plugging in a good distortion pedal and just cranking it to the max, right? Today’s pedal lets you do that, and so much more, with a wide range of gain tones and an EQ section to fit any rig perfectly. We love the pedals we’ve seen from Humanoid FX in the past, and we’re excited to bring you their Apparition High Gain Turbo Distortion today… The Humanoid Pedals...
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The first two pedals we checked out from SviSound (several years ago), the SiMosFuzz and the Germanium Mini, both leaned towards the Fuzz side of things. Today’s pedal, the DistoZoid-3EQ Distortion, brings a different sort of sonic palette to the table. Five simple knobs create a recipe for amp and eardrum destruction – come along as we explore this beastly, sci-fi-looking, pedalboard-friendly creation… The DistoZoid...
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What else can we say about the wonderful world of UAFX from Universal Audio? Well, not much, except that we’ve got ANOTHER one for you all today. Based on extremely expensive and rare model amplifiers from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, the UAFX Enigmatic ’82 Overdrive Special Amp brings what could cost you hundreds of thousands (yes) of dollars onto your pedalboard at a cost that normal folks can actually...
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I’m always excited to take a look at effects pedals from another new (to me, anyway) company, and that’s what we’re doing once again today. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Blank Electronics has a passion for audio electronics, mostly amplifiers and effects pedals, sharing their hobby with those interested in fun and sometimes wonky effects. The first pedal of theirs we’re looking at is the massive Wizard Sleeve...
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We love checking out new companies here at Pedal of the Day, and we love a good distortion pedal, too. Today’s effect checks both of these boxes, as we explore the Tavysh Effects HARM Distortion. Coming to you all the way from Serbia, this dark machine features more switches and knobs than you could ever need, which allows for a multitude of sonic options to experiment and create with… HARM is the essence of all the...
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We’re always excited for a new Death By Audio release, and today’s latest sonic creation from them focuses on the Low End of all things muscial. The Bass War Bass Fuzz Distortion builds on a classic DBA circuit, gearing it in a different direction and for a different set of players. This silver fox is a louder, wider-ranging, earth-shaking bass fuzz that can get more oomph than any other pedal we’ve ever heard… Grab...
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We always love checking out pedals from new companies, and we’ve got a real gem for you all today. The DPE Pedals Chromosome Dual Overdrive brings 2 classic circuits, complete with some great additions, into the mix, to drive your amp and alter your tone…in the best ways. Having 2 drive circuits in one pedal is always a blast, and when they sound this good, it’s that much more fun… The Chromosome is a dual...
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A good overdrive is always a welcome sight, or sound, and when it’s a collaboration with a great guitarist, that can make it even cooler. Today’s pedal comes from our friends at TC Electronic, in the form of the MojoMojo Paul Gilbert Edition Overdrive. Building on the MojoMojo circuit, with some twists an turn via Paul, this versatile yet simplistic effects unit is easy to dial in and sounds just fantastic… Grab a...
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Following in the footsteps of the awesome DS-1W Waza Craft Distortion we saw a couple weeks ago, we’re excited today to bring you its sort-of sister pedal, the SD-1W Waza Craft SUPER OverDrive, from the fine folks over at Boss. The bright yellow SD-1W gives you the same type of vibes as the bright orange DS-1W does, and, not surprisingly, they sound great together. This is another update of a classic, oft-used pedal that was...
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A couple weeks ago, we had the pleasure of checking out another great little portable amp from Caline, The Blacksmith CA200G 20W Bluetooth amp. Today, we’ve got another portable amplifier from these guys, one that’s a bit bigger and a bit bolder: the Scuru S8G Bluetooth Guitar Amp. With two speakers, built-in effects, Bluetooth connectivity and more, this little orange beaut will change the way you think about small...
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The Verdugo Series of pedals from NUX have been some of our favorites over the years, and we’ve got our EIGHTH one for you today. The NDO-5 Ace of Tone Dual Overdrive has 2 channels, with each one harnessing the auditory glory of a classic overdriven circuit, with NUX’s special spin on it. Easy controls, lots of routing and bypass options and incredible tone are what you find here – let’s dive in and see what...
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We love it when a new UAFX creation gets released from our friends at Universal Audio, and we’re stoked to help release their latest one today. The UAFX ANTI 1992 High Gain Amp is a Stereo amp and cab emulation pedal with six famous mic/speaker pairs, built-in boosts, live and preset modes, and customization with the UAFX mobile app. This crimson gem gives you ALL the heavy tones you’re after, in one place, with tons of...
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It’s NEW JHS PEDALS DAY here at Pedal of the Day once again, and we’re checking out their latest original circuit offering. 8 years in development, the Hard Drive Modern Distortion instantly transforms your sound into the heavy, amp-crushing tone you’ve probably been searching for years for. A simple but effective control section lets you dial in the perfect sound for any rig…let’s jump right in and see...
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The crew at Harby Pedals put out some really good drive and dirt pedals, there’s just no doubt about that. From the Centauri to the BMF to the Noble Tone, they know what sounds good, and what will push your amp. Today, we’ve got maybe their heaviest pedal yet to explore, the Pi-7C* Modified Distortion Sustainer Fuzz, which takes a classic sound and gives it a wonderful modern update… The Pi-7C* Modified Distortion...
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I’ve really loved all of the Waza Craft pedals that have come my way from Boss, and was super excited when today’s pedal arrived in the mail. Possibly the most-recognized effects pedal in existence, the DS-1 Distortion has been heard on countless records since its release in 1978, having become the benchmark in distortion pedals over the last 4 1/2 decades. Today’s pedal is the DS-1W Waza Craft Distortion, which...
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We have checked out a LOT of pedals from Caline over the years, and have found them to be one of the better affordable effects brands out there. This month, we’re turning in a slightly different direction, as Caline has sent us a couple of their new amplifier to review and demo, starting with today’s CA200G The Blacksmith 20W Bluetooth Guitar Amp. With some decent power for such a small amp, and a couple of built-in...
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We recently had the pleasure of building our very own Klon clone, courtesy of JHS Pedals and their NOTAKLÖN DIY Overdrive Boost. Today, we’re doing it again, this time via the Hagerman Amplification TUBEKLØN Mythical Beast Tube Overdrive Kit. Here, you can once again build your own pedal with pre-fabricated parts, but this one has a REAL tube inside, for some of the warmest Klon-type tones we’ve ever heard…
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Last year, we were honored to help with the release of the TONEX Pedal from IK Multimedia, a dazzling amp, cabinet and effects modeler unit that broke new sonic ground. Today, we’ve teamed up with our new friends at Vintage King to bring you all IK’s latest creation, the TONEX ONE Amplifier/Cab/Pedal Modeler, a smaller version of last year’s wonderful concoction. There are a TON of options, sounds and wonder trapped...
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As evidenced by yesterday’s pedal, the Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz, it’s always a treat when two pedal companies team up to create something new and special. When a pedal company and one of your favorite guitarists collaborate on a pedal, that might be slightly cooler. Today’s third effects unit of our Electro-Harmonix weekend brings the signature sound of the front man for Dinosaur Jr. into the mix – let’s...
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It’s time for another EHX pedal, kiddos, and this one just happens to be a collaboration with another of our favorite pedal companies. The Electro-Harmonix / JHS Pedals Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz Distortion brings together an original circuit with some vintage tones, for an affordable, amp-crushing effects unit. We love it when pedal companies join together for new creations – let’s dive in and see what they’ve...
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After a bit of a break, I’m excited to have another wonderful creation from Pigtronix back for you all today! Compressed overdrive is a sound you can get from your amp, or from pedals, with many variations in tone depending on what order those pedals are in. The Philosopher’s Tone 2 is a compression sustainer with optional grit, kicking it into high gear when you need it the most. Building on the original design, this one...
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Last month, we checked out our first pedal from Shnobel Tone in quite a while, and the Ratatouille Distortion definitely didn’t disappoint. Today, we’re looking at a newer version of their flagship pedal, the Daily Driver, the first incarnation of which we saw way back in 2020. This new version, the Daily Driver Boost, combines the original with a boost circuit, enabling you to push any amp you’d like into the sweet...
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I’ve been playing PRS Guitars in some form for about 20 years now, and they remain, hands-down, the favorite guitars I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning. From my first early 2000s Santana SE all the way up to my gorgeous Special 22 Semi-Hollowbody, each one creates its own unique tone, and they have all played as smoothly as can be. Today, we’re venturing into another section of the PRS world – PEDALS, and...
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There’s not a lot that’s better than plugging in your favorite Overdrive pedal, cranking up a good amplifier and hitting an E, G or D chord of your choice and letting it ring out, is there? Well, the short answer is YES, if you have a pedal like the AmpMojo Sol Drive Responsive Tube Overdrive. This one has an ACTUAL TUBE inside, bringing warm and inviting drive sounds anywhere and everywhere you need them to be… The...
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Not being an engineer, or particularly skilled in the ways of electronics creation, I have never built an effects pedal. I love how they sound and what they can do, but their innerworkings completely baffle me, and I’m not alone. For all of us who want to tinker and experiment a little, without having to do too much actual work, Josh and the JHS Pedals crew have created the NOTAKLÖN, an effects unit based on that certain...
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The pedals we’ve reviewed from Studio Daydream Handmade Pedals have continually gotten better and better, providing different, unique overdrive and compression effects around every corner. Today, we’re bringing you their FETBOX Custom V8 Preamp, a compact pedal that simulates the pre-amp of a boutique 30W tube amp. With 2 channels of gorgeous tone available at a moment’s notice, you’ll easily find a sound to...
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Roman Belonozhko over at Shnobel Tone has been making great demos for a long time now, and in the past couple of years, has also taken the plunge into the world of effects pedal building. His first pedal, the Daily Driver, was an original and unique drive circuit that gives you a rich sound full of harmonics and an amp-like response. Today, we’re gonna take a look at the Ratatouille Distortion, a rodent-inspired black box with a...
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It’s always exciting diving into pedals from a company you’ve never worked with before, but when those pedals are a collaboration with one of your guitar heroes, that makes it just a bit more special. Today, we’re looking at the By-Tor Overdrive Boost from Lerxst Amplification, which pairs MojoTone with Mr. Alex Lifeson of the prog-rock band Rush. Seeking to exact his specific sounds on amps, cabs and now pedals,...
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After checking out the Big Rumble Overdrive Boost and the Heavenly Lake Delay Reverb from Tone City, we were excited to see what was coming next from the TC camp. Enter today’s pedal, the Holy Aura Distortion Boost, a powerful, space-saving beast of a distortion with a little extra push if you need it. Simple and user-friendly, this unit is made to get the most out of your tone… The Tone City Holy Aura Distortion pedal...
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