My Name is Colin Croy, I am the Owner and Engineer at CroyTone Audio Effects Pedals based out of St Louis, MO. Our website is www.CroyToneAudio.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been a musician for about 15 years. My dad was a jazz guitarist and my family and family friends were largely musical so there was always music being played around me. I initially started out playing bass...
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You know that feeling you get when you hear that first Dm chord and opening lick of ‘Shakedown Street,’ or the first few funked-up keys at the start of ‘Superstiton?’ Well, you might not, but if you do, today’s pedal is right in your wheelhouse. The Disco Terrapin from Hochstrasser Electronics is a super funk machine, an envelope filter and auto wah conceived with numerous options and a wide range of...
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We have enjoyed getting to review and demo a bunch of pedals from Michael over at Vick Audio, and we’re excited to bring another one to you today! Combining the best aspects of two of his favorite pedals, the Zendrive and the OCD v3, Mr. Vickery has taken overdrive sounds into another realm of possibility. Although simple in appearance, the Tree of Life Overdrive is a truly versatile little stompbox, one that will get you many...
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Johnny Balmer Location Chicago, IL Together, with my wife Victoria, we operate Alchemy Audio www.alchemy-audio.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been playing electric guitar since I was 14. Victoria has played bass for a couple of years. Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present? I was a metal kid in the 80’s. Therefore, when I started playing guitar, it...
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Michael Vickery Gilbert, Arizona Vick Audio VickAudio.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I got a late start when it comes to guitar but I have been playing for almost 25 years. I started as a musician by taking piano lesson when I was a kid. I took lesson for about 4 years but it never really clicked with me. I think piano teacher have a tendency to try to make kids classic pianists...
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Matt Olson Onalaska, WI Mattoverse Electronics mattoverse.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I have been a musician for about 22 years now. I started playing guitar when I was 14, after a close friend and future bandmate suggested we pick up guitars and put down the Nintendo Game Boy. Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present? I was born in 1981 and grew up in...
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As if Joel Korte and the crew at Chase Bliss Audio hadn’t done enough over the last couple of years to enhance and electrify the effects pedal world, here they come again with another sick auditory creation. The Brothers™ is a Boost, Drive and Fuzz pedal, but, as they say, not necessarily in that order. Full of the patented control layout we’re all used to, plus the classic dipswitch array found on the top of all CBA...
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Discovering new and exciting pedal builders has always been a great thrill for us here at Pedal of the Day, and the effects we’re checking out today embodies that to a big, fat “T”. Mattoverse Electronics was an unknown company to us not too long ago, and after checking out the Swell Delay, we’re glad that we can witness what they are capable of. A delay/echo/reverb pedal and beyond, this thing is going to put...
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Joel Korte Anoka, MN Chase Bliss Audio chaseblissaudio.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar when I was 15 or so (17 years ago). I’d like think I have been a musician for much longer. I’m biased of course, but I remember composing some pretty cool music on “Mario Paint” for Super Nintendo (they had a cool little music making tool on that). I think I’ve pretty much...
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Andy Fuchs Fuchs Audio Technology/Plush FX Pedals Div. 407 Getty Ave Second Floor West Clifton NJ 07011 973-772- 4420 www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started messing with a broken old Eminee plastic guitar I found in the basement of my families music store when I was about ten. I guess around 14 or 15 years old I’d been playing flute in the school band...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Christian E. – you can find him on Instagram (@chriespiritu) or on his band’s Facebook page (Story Of April). The AMT Electronics P2 is a guitar preamp in a pedal sized stompbox designed to emulate the tone, gain structure and nuances of the Peavey 5150/6505 amp that we all love. Amazing, right? The pedal is built like a tank: it has a great solid steel chassis and I can assure...
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While not technically an “effect” pedal, today’s featured piece of gear is essential to certain setups (ours included), especially when running your rig in stereo. The Anole from Red Eft Electronics is both a passive signal splitter and a summing box, allowing for one of the most discrete passive signal routing options in today’s market. Here at Pedal of the Day, we use the Anole for all of our demo videos (except...
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There’s just something so unique and inviting about each pedal we’ve reviewed from Hudson Electronics, and today’s featured pedal is no different. The Sidecar Overdrive is a special take on a classic “green” overdrive circuit, with some added elements and quality components, to make it a drive that will contend with anything you put it up against. We recently reviewed the Hudson Broadcast Pre-Amp, and...
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We here at Pedal of the Day had the pleasure of reviewing the PreDrive from PettyJohn Electronics last year, and finally got to see what all the hype has been about. Continuing in the tradition of innovative and exquisitely built pedals, they have now brought us a completely different beast altogether, one that is destined to become a classic, just like their first flagship pedal. Let’s take a look at the PettyDrive, alright? As...
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Some pedal companies (well, a lot of them, actually) are small, unique and hail from a different country. I always like to see what other countries and cultures are doing in the massive pedal world, to see what influences they are using, and how their ideas about pedal building differ from the ones here in the U.S.A. I’ve recently been in contact with Fuse Electronics, all the way from Chile in South America, and they sent a...
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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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Where to start with this pedal? There are so many options as far as sounds are concerned when using the Harmonic Decoder from Sunsine Audio, it’s a little daunting to know where to begin. A true single oscillating analog synthesizer, this beast can be a fuzz, an octave, a filter, a wah and much, much more. I’ll do my best to describe to you the power that is held within this little black box. The controls are easy to read,...
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Putting a modern twist on the classic 2290 Delay, TC Electronic has produced the Flashback Delay, which offers many delay modes and options, plus a couple of cool added bonuses. The selection of delay modes on this compact pedal are really quite impressive, 11 all together, making your sonic spectrum broad and far-reaching. The 2290 setting is one of my favorites, and emulates the sounds (I would imagine, having never heard an...
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The Ditto Looper from TC Electronic is a 1 knob, live musician-friendly pedal! It has a simple configuration of a playback volume knob to set how loud you want your loop to be. Then it has a soft touch on/off switch, which is brilliant because most looping pedals have a standard stomp switch which does produce a significant amount of noise which if you have a delay on that pop of the pedal can be heard in your loop. So the soft touch...
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If you’ve never had the pleasure of playing a DRV Overdrive Distortion, you should make it a priority to do so. While that pedal has a lot of meat and potatoes to it, today’s pedal from 1981 Inventions is a bit calmer, but still brings beautiful tone to any rig. The LVL Full-Range Overdrive Preamp Boost has just 2 knobs, but inside this circuit there’s a huge range of sounds waiting to be discovered… LVL is a...
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Delay…elay…lay…ay…y… We just can’t get enough of it, and today’s simple yet extremely impressive pedal shows just why that is. The Mythos Pedals Oracle Analog Echo pays homage to classic Japanese echo pedals, but is a unique circuit and not a direct clone of anything in particular. Don’t let the 3-knob layout fool you into thinking this is a regular old delay effect – ’cause...
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We’ve got something special for you all today, a dual post featuring an effects pedal AND a guitar…from the same company. Sometimes, all you need is one good pedal with one good guitar (and an amp, of course), like the Dunable Guitars Eidolon Boost Delay Reverb and the Cyclops DE Series guitar. Both add key ingredients to a successful and tone-filled setup, each adding their own bits of flavor to compliment each other, and...
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Clint McDuffie Gadsden, Alabama Deep Space Devices deepspacedevices.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? For myself, I’ve been playing for around 13 years, which I would’ve been 12 or so when I began learning to play. I started out playing bass and, just like anyone else, I transitioned into guitar, but at the end of the day, I’ll always be a bass player at heart. At the time, friends were...
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Joe Anastasio San Marcos, Texas Lone Wolf Audio www.lonewolfaudio.bigcartel.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Been messing around with guitar and bass for over 20 years, but only really got serious after high school when I bought a high end P bass. Then I started playing guitar shortly after, so I play both. Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present? This is a...
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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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We recently had the chance (in collaboration with Sweetwater) to check out the first couple of pedals from PRS Guitars, the Horsemeat Transparent Overdrive and the Mary Cries Optical Compressor. Today, we’re taking a look at the third and last pedal in their current lineup, the Wind Through the Trees Analog Flanger. This modulation machine provides 2 flanger circuits in one pedal, broadening what you thought was possible with...
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We recently had the privilege of testing out our first effects pedal from PRS Guitars, the Horsemeat Transparent Overdrive, and it was an absolute hit. Today, we’re looking at a 2nd pedal from Paul and crew, moving in a different direction sonically, but keeping that PRS quality and tone intact. The Mary Cries Optical Compressor is everything you want in a compressor pedal, if you use them, and everything you never knew you...
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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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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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When musical gear companies collaborate on a project, it usually ends up being something pretty special. When THREE companies team up with one of the most iconic bands in history, something REALLY special is gonna happen. Today, we’re looking at an effects pedal from the Sweetwater Exclusive Beach Boys Limited Edition collection, which teams up JHS, Keeley Electronics and Benson Amps to celebrate the release of “The Beach...
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We’re continuing our “Asheville Week” here at Pedal of the Day today, with the last of three effects from a company focused on 100% analog sounds. The Asheville Music Tools ADG-1 Analog Delay utilizes a pair of Xvive™ high voltage BBDs, this delay features up to 700ms of harmonically rich, perfectly floating echoes with an extensive and fully analog control set unprecedented for a pedal of its size. From a bright...
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We’re continuing our “Asheville Week” here at Pedal of the Day today, with the second of three effects from a company focused on 100% analog sounds. The Asheville Music Tools ACV-1 Analog Chorus Vibrato is a time warp modulator, featuring a reissue Bucket Brigade Delay line to deliver classic Chorus and Vibrato sounds with the most natural modulation possible. The onboard Low Frequency Oscillator and sophisticated...
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We’re continuing our “Asheville Week” here at Pedal of the Day today, with the first of three effects from a company focused on 100% analog sounds. The Asheville Music Tools AFG-1 Analog Dynamic Flanger is a Whooshless Resonant Comb Modulator, featuring a reissue Bucket Brigade Delay line to deliver classic Flanger and Chorus sounds with the most natural modulation possible. The synthesizer-inspired control voltage...
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After we got our hands on a GHOST Stereo Effects Processor from ENDORPHIN.ES last month, we couldn’t wait for their next creation to head our way. Well, we’ve got just that for you today: the GOLDEN MASTER Multiband Mastering Processor. Used at the end of your signal chain, it gives everything in your chain a polish, and edge, a sparkle, and with a ton of options and sounds, it’s a unit you didn’t know you...
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There are a lot of effects pedals out there shrouded in mystery – vintage units that have little public info about them, pedals only made for a short time, or reclusive builders who keep their secrets, well, secret. The HP-1 Harmonic Percolator is most definitely one of these pedals, a weird fuzzy distortion creation that creates an extremely unique sound. The effect we’re looking at today is a Harmonic Percolator Clone,...
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We’ve been powering effects pedals in our shop with help from Voodoo Lab for many, many years, as they’ve become a go-to staple in the power game. But what about the actual pedals themselves? Thankfully, they make those, too, and the first one we’re looking at today is the awesome, vintage-tinged Superfuzz. The rare Jordan Electronics Bosstone (circa 1968) is considered by many to be the ultimate vintage fuzz. The...
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You obviously need to connect your instrument to your amp or interface, right? Sometimes, long cables just get in the way, dampening your creativity and stiffling your workflow. Well, today we’re going to check out a cable-free way to sound amazing in any room or situation – let’s take a look at the NUX C-5RC GHz Guitar Wireless System! C-5RC is designed for wireless connection of electronic musical instruments with...
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(This article comes from our friends at GuitarTricks.com – check out their site for tons of guitar-related tips and tricks!!) The History of the Flanger By Shawn Leonhardt for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer, the original platform for online guitar lessons. The Flanger guitar pedal has an interesting background that involves both science and a lot of luck! Like many guitar and music effects it stems from early experiments with...
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(This article comes from our friends at GuitarTricks.com – check out their site for tons of guitar-related tips and tricks!!) Favorite Pedal Brands for Specific Pedal Types By Shawn Leonhardt for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer, the original platform for online guitar lessons. Of course many guitar effects unit builders create pedals that provide a variety of methods to change the signal. If you like sticking to one brand, that...
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After checking out the Berkeley 1973 a few weeks ago, we were excited to dig further into more new Legends of Fuzz pedals from JHS. Today, we’re taking a look at the Plugin 1973 California, which again features just two simple controls and a Mode switch. Don’t be fooled, however: there are a TON of sounds just waiting to be unleashed here… Grab a Plugin 1967 California at Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/3ej7ey...
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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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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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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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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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The recent revival of the Maestro brand has brought a couple of great pedals our way. We recently had the chance to check out the FIVE newest pedals in their Original Collection, and today we’re heading back a bit to check out one of their earlier releases. The Fuzz-Tone FZ-M features three knobs, one switch and a ton of tone to shape and sculpt your favorite vintage and modern fuzz tones to perfection…sounds pretty fun, right??...
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Hi, I’m Josh Gardziel, I’m from Halifax West Yorkshire (UK) and I play guitar in L.O.E (Last Of Eden) Facebook: https://facebook.com/weareloemusic Instagram: https://instagram.com/weareloemusic Twitter: https://twitter.com/weareloemusic Bandcamp: https://weareloemusic.bandcamp.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I have been playing guitar for 21 years. I started when I was 14 which...
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Today, we’re going all in, taking a look at not ONE, not TWO, but THREE new effect boxes from our friends at Sundance Electric. The Cassidy Drive + Boost, Clean Fuzz V2 and Harmonic Incubator each bring a different flavor of unique dirt sounds to your pedalboard, featuring wide-ranging sounds easily conjured up by simple control sections. Lots to explore, let’s see what they’re all about… The Cassidy Drive +...
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The recent revival of the Maestro brand has brought a couple of great pedals our way. We recently had the chance to check out the FIVE newest pedals in Maestro’s Original Collection, and today we’re heading back a bit to check out one of their earlier releases. The Ranger Overdrive features three knobs, one switch and a ton of tone to shape and sculpt your favorite distortion and overdrive sounds...
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We’ve had a blast checking out the lineup of pedals from the newly-revamped Maestro brand, and have a BIG surprise for you all today. They’ve just released FIVE new units, and we have got them all in one place for you. Today, we’re looking at the Orbit Phaser, Mariner Tremolo, Titan Boost, Arcas Compressor Sustainer and Agena Envelope Filter – 5 effects building on the first 5 pedals they initially released...
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