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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Over the years, the effects units we’ve examined from the mad scientists at Discomfort Designs have wowed, excited and perplexed me, in all the greatest of ways. We’ve got their latest creation for you today, and this one takes off into outer space the minute you plug it in. The Phantom Limb Delay Looper combiners two of our favorite effects, while adding a bunch of sonic manipulation into the fold… Phantom Limb is a...
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Being able to control all aspects of your sound on stage is a key ingredient to a good gig, and the more options you can utilize, the better. Today’s pedal doesn’t create any cool effects or distort your favorite amp, but it is an important piece to any musical puzzle. The Cloudvocal EverSync is an in-ear monitor system, one which allows multiple users and routing options in a pedalboard-friendly size. Often times, we...
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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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Whenever we get a device sent in by ezhi&aka, we know it’s time to get crazy and indulge in our wildest musical explorations. Today’s pedal from them is the Polarized Flutter + Echo, a newly revamped version of the original Polarized Flutter we checked out a couple years back. With a couple of new control parameters and a wide range of wackiness on tap, this was a fun one to dive into, for sure… The Polarized...
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We love the two-knob effects pedals in the Verdugo Series Stompbox lineup from our friends at NUX, and we’ve got a sweet front-of-chain unit that will transform your tone. The NBK-5 Masamune Booster & Kompressor features two effects in one box, as so all the Verdugo series, changing your initial input signal in the best of ways. Bring the funk, boost your volume, breakup your amp – they’re all possible with this...
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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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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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Taking all the elements of an amplifier and squishing them down into a box that can fit onto any pedalboard is a pretty amazing feat, and I always love when a new one comes through our shop. Several years ago, we reviewed an amazing piece of gear called the Zero Hybrid Amplifier, from our pals across the pond at Thermion. Today, they’re back with a smaller, more powerful amp-in-a-pedal, the Freeway, and we can’t wait to...
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A couple of days ago, we unleashed the power of the Dual Phase Jr Double Phaser from Artisanal Effects. Today, we’re looking at another one of their creations, but in a entirely different effects genre. The Magic Delay is a brand new, hand-built clone of a rare and somewhat obscure digital delay from the late ’90s. Just three knobs on this one, but great sounds and amazing tones just come pouring out here… The Magic...
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Well, it’s time for another sonic adventure as we journey down the wonderful rabbit hole that is Chase Bliss. Their latest offering is the Onward Dynamic Sampler, and it may be one of the most impressive and experimental pedals they’ve done – and that’s saying something. Sampling your input signal and then twisting it, wrenching it, looping it, destroying it and more, this pedal is full of excitement, wonder...
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A couple of months ago, I checked out our first pedal from Artisanal Effects, the Toneshaper Drive EQ, and was quite impressed. When Warren told me recently he had a couple other pedals to send my way, I was naturally stoked, and the frist one we’re gonna check out is the Dual Phase Jr. This is a slimmed-down version of AE’s Double Phaser, but there’s no tonal or functional loss with this amazing unit. Let’s...
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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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It’s been a couple of years since we had any pedals from Italian pedal builder Dophix in the shop, so I was excited when today’s pedal arrived and I plugged it in. The Medici More Fuzz offers you a fuzz pedal..AND MORE! With two circuits that sound great alone or even better combined, this silver fox will get your blood pumping and the crowd rockin’… Medici is an innovative fuzz pedal that let you adjust the...
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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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Analog delays have long been revered for their warm, sometimes dirty and always iconic tones, but typical parts availability and circuit designs have led them to incur some limitations from time to time. Today’s pedal, the Suhr Discovery Analog Delay, has so many features and options packed into it, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more easily maneuverable and great-sounding effects unit on the planet. Of course,...
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I love a good phaser effect, don’t you? It can add subtlety, or depth, or get into out-of-this-world modulation territory, letting you express yourself and experiment with your music in so many different ways. Today, we’re taking a look at a reimagining of a vintage classic, with the Warm Audio Mutation Phasor II. This nod to one of the most recognized phaser units in history looks and sounds amazing, so let’s dive...
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The Octave effect genre adds a layer of sound to your tone that can turn heads and perk up eardrums in any musical situation. Whether it’s an up or down (or mix of both) octave, it will beef up you tone and add dimension to any song, riff or lead part you’ve got. Today, we’re visiting with our friends at Asheville Guitar Pedals once more, to check out their simple but simply rad Analog Octave Up effects unit…...
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Taking models of all different kinds and building effects pedals out of them are the bread and butter for our friends at VVco Pedals – from the Batmobile to a certain time-traveling DeLorean to Hello Kitty, Darth Vader and many, many more. Today, we’re going to take a look at one of their newer circuits, housed in a model enclosure from the popular animated series Bob’s Burgers. The “I Can’t Believe...
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There are Boost pedals, and then there are BOOST PEDALS. Some give you more volume, some help shape your tone, some push your amp into breakup territory, and some, like today’s TWO pedals, are modern takes on a classic, world-renowned circuit. The Type 14 and Type 32 Custom Shop PNP Boost pedals from MMK Electrics are just that, taking a vintage circuit and turning it upside down and inside out… These Boost pedals are...
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Ring modulators are either really loved or really disliked, I’ve come to find out. I’m up for anything experimental that pushes the boundaries of what music can do, but some folks seem to think these pedals just make noise. The Dr. Scientist Phreak Ring Modulator aims to squash that theory, giving us a fun, playful effects unit that, while it CAN make weird noises, can also sound musical and add a spin onto any track or...
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The crew at Vongon has always release wildly innovative musical effects units, like the Ultrasheer Pitch Vibrato & Reverb and the Polyphrase Stereo Echo. Today, we’ve got another marvelous creation from these sonic wizards: the Paragraphs Resonant Low Pass Filter. This is a low pass filter the likes of which you’ve never seen, or heard, and we’re gonna do our best to explain this crazy machine to you all…...
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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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When the crew at Lerxst Amps sent us the two pedals they designed with Alex Lifeson of Rush, we were, needless to say, stoked. The By-Tor Overdrive Boost was the first one, and it turned out to be an incredible amp-driving powerhouse. Today’s effect is the complimentary (if you know your Rush songs) Snow Dog Octave Fuzz. A completely different pedal and sound from the first one, the Snow Dog gets really dirty, adding elements to...
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Today we’re checking out the fourth Adam Adventure Series pedal from ALABS Audio, after already having been impressed by their Orbital Stereo Pitch Shifter, NovaDrift Stereo Modulation and TimeSlip Stereo Delay effects. The CETUS Stereo Reverb features nine modes of glorious reverberation, along with some fun built-in options that will shape and sculpt your tone like never before… Grab a CETUS Reverb from Amazon –...
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Well, well, it’s Keeley Electronics time once again! We’ve been checking out a bunch of their gear recently, and today we’re going back a little ways to check out the Dyno My Roto. Aside from the awesome name, this pedal is a 3-in-1 modulation machine offering some classic sounds in a pedalboard-friendly little package. From tone-shaping chorus to vintage rotary speaker emulations to out-of-this-world flanging, this...
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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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Today’s pedal marks FIVE local pedals IN A ROW, after we saw some gear from Asheville Guitar Pedals and Asheville Music Tools – that’s a first here at Pedal of the Day, and we love supporting all things Asheville. This one is a collaboration between Cascade Pedals and our favorite instrument/amp/pedal/repair shop, Heyday Music, downtown on Lexington. The Heyday Fuzz takes two classic circuits and tied them together...
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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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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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The anticipation that comes when a new Boss pedal arrives on the doorstep is always big, period. Whether it’s a Delay, a Distortion, some wild Modulation thing or any of their other excellent creations, there’s a pretty decent chance it’s gonna crush. Today’s pedal does just that, but in a different sort of way – say hello to the IR-2 Amp & Cabinet, which makes dialing in and transporting your...
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We’ve been reviewing and demoing effects units from NUX for over six years now, and they just keep getting better and better. After checking out the Verb Core Deluxe a couple weeks ago, we’re excited to bring you all the Time Core Deluxe MKII Stereo Delay, the latest in NUX’s Core Series of pedals. With seven delay modes and a built-in looper for mode eight, this one has a lot of options, sounds and vintage...
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There’s just something about the reverberated sounds coming from old recordings, that’s not only iconic, but a lot of times hard to modernly replicate. That’s all changed with today’s pedal, the Keeley Electronics Memphis Sun Lo-Fi Echo Reverb Double Tracker. Using three different modes to celebrate a wide range of reverb tones, this pedal instantly transports you back more than a half century, to a simpler...
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We all tend to sometimes overlook pedals that don’t make SOUND, but often those are the ones that add the most to our rig. Today’s pedal is of the Expression variety, and presents a new, unique way to control the effects on your board. A kind of 2-in-1 expression and switcher, come along as we check out the Hotone Ampero II Press Expression Pedal… Ampero II Press adds a switching function on top of its expression...
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Although we’ve never had the pleasure of playing through an actual amp from Science Amplification, today’s pedal is as close as we can get right now to the real thing. Based on the circuitry from the amplifier of the same name, The Mother Preamp Pedal is a recreation of its dual channel tube-powered namesake, but refined into pedal format. Just like the full-fledged amp, it’s a modern take on the vintage high-wattage...
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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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Today, we’re excited to be teaming back up with an awesome pedal maker, and helping to introduce a new/old collaborative release. Frost Giant Electronics is excited to announce they have teamed up with Dave Davidson of Revocation to bring back his Eidolon pedal. A true “desert island” in modulation, bringing you a beautiful digital delay, reverb, and a clean boost to help clear up your board for solos and those looking to expand...
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After being pretty blown away by the Orbital Pitch Shifter and NovaDrift Modulation pedals from ALABS Audio, we were excited to check out the next pedal in their Adam Adventure Series, which happens to come from our favorite effect genre. The TimeSlip Stereo Delay features loads of echo modes, options and exploration into all things delay, with a wide stereo field to engulf your audience. Lots of knobs and switches here, let’s...
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The lineup from Summer School Electronics has just gotten better and better with each new release, and today’s new pedal might just be their best one yet. The Class Reunion Overdrive Fuzz Distortion combines all elements of those three effect genres into one beautiful and still pedalboard-friendly enclosure, for a wide range of awesome, dirty sonic prowess. Lots of knobs and switches here, let’s see what this one is all...
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It’s been a little while since we’ve heard anything from the folks over at Danelectro, but today’s pedal suddenly appeared in the mail a couple weeks ago, and what a wonderful surprise it was. The Nichols 1966 Distortion Fuzz brings back the very first circuit created by fOXX pedals founder and current Danelectro owner Steve Ridinger, which has been elusive since the 1960s. This unique sound is gonna be loved by...
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On this lovely 4/20 morning, we’re continuing our journey exploring the lineup of effects from our local buds Asheville Guitar Pedals. Today, we’re looking at their Echo Machine Delay, a little mini pedal with simple controls and the perfect amount of delay for those just getting into the genre, or seasoned echo vets who want to enhance their sound. You can dial in a great tone is literally seconds, let’s see what...
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It’s always a thrill to get gear from a pedal company for the first time, and today’s effects unit is sure to get the commenters talking. Combining a mythical circuit with a familiar-looking enclosure, the Attic Audio Transparent Overdrive brings you the best of both worlds. Designed to be a little tongue-in-cheek, this drive/boost provides incredible tonal punch, along with being an excellent conversation starter…...
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Well, it’s Benson Amps time again, folks!! It’s always a pleasure when their effects make it to our office, and this latest gem is sure to get everyone talking. The Germanium Preamp builds on the first pedal that Benson ever released, the aptly-titled Preamp Pedal, but with some tweaks and new circuitry options along the way. The result is a slightly lower gain, but richer sounding and feeling...
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