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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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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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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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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Over the course of the next week, we have FIVE pedals that all come from right where we live: beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. Some new companies, some old, all local and all amazing. We’re starting this little run with a unit that isn’t an effect, but an extremely useful piece of gear for any FX Loop-equipped tube amplifier. The Master Volume Box Attenuator from Asheville Guitar Pedals allows you to crank your...
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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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If you know even the slightest bit about effects pedals, and you know what reverb is, there’s a 99% chance you’ve heard of the Strymon BigSky Reverberator. One of the most popular reverb pedals ever created, it set a new bar across the board for how reverb could sound. Today, we’re so stoked to bring you Strymon’s brand new take on this pedal, the BigSky MX – the new pinnacle of what a reverb pedal can be...
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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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We loved the Germanium Fuzz pedal that Silktone Amps put out a couple years ago, and we’re excited to have their latest effect creation for you today! The overdrive+ is an original circuit with a whole range of both familiar and unique tones – from low gain always-on tonal enhancer to ripping high gain lead machine. Come along as we explore all the ins-and-outs of this beautiful amp-pushing machine, won’t ya? With a...
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Last month, we were able to check out the amazing Utopia Deluxe Echo Delay from Anasounds, and were floored by the amount of sonic options packed into such a compact enclosure. Today, we’re looking at another pedal with similar attributes, but switching gears as far as effect genre is concerned. The Sandman Double Overdrive combines two of Anasounds’ previous pedals into one unit, gives them some upgrades and crushes any...
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The folks at Stone Deaf have never shied away from intriguing, boundary-busting effects creations, and today might be their most ambitious yet. The Rise & Shine Fuzz Octave Tremolo not only combines those three effects into one box, it changes the way you will forever hear them moving forward (in the best of ways). Big tones, bold sonic creations, unusual pairings – this pedal has go it all… Elevate your musical...
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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. Today, we’re continuing our exploration into their Core Series of pedals (the Tape Core Deluxe was amazing, BTW) as we check out the Verb Core Deluxe, a vast-reaching, wide-ranging ambient powerhouse that brings your favorite reverb sounds up from the depths…let’s dive right in, shall...
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After checking out the newest pedals in the Keeley Electronics’ lineup recently, we’re going to head back a little ways to review a classic 2-in-1 effect from our friends in OKC. Combining two popular Keeley circuits into one pedal, the Parallax Spatial Generator Delay Reverb brings ambience and shoegazing right to your feet. Lots of control parameters and a wide range of tonal options here make sure you can create the...
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After going 3-for-3 on heavy dirt pedals so far from our friends at Asheville Guitar Pedals, we’re moving into our favorite genre for today’s creation: Delay. The Follower Delay is a digital delay with a barebones control system, but one that provides big, bold repeats and beautiful echoes for days. It looks good, it sounds good – what more do you need? The Follower Delay Pedal is the ultimate tool for musicians...
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It’s always exciting when we get to check out new pedals from companies for the first time, and we’re stoked to welcome Artisanal Effects into the mix today. Their Toneshaper Drive EQ Overdrive pedal combines the oomph of an overdrive with the frequency-sculpting of a 6-band EQ, for a well-rounded sound that can fit with ANY setup. There’s a lot of history on this one, so lets hear from the builder about how it came...
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We’ve always loved the effects pedals that Ryan and the Dr. Scientist crew have sent our way over the years, and we’re happy to have another wonderful creation from them for you today. The Sunny Day Delay provides oodles of choices, blending vintage and modern delay tones together in one glorious machine. If this pedal doesn’t brighten up your day and put a smile on your face, you might want to get some help…...
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We’re continuing to dive into the world of Tone City pedals today, with a 2-in-1 that will quench even the most snobbish shoegazer’s thirst for the ultimate ambient effect. The Heavenly Lake Delay Reverb brings two of our favorite effects into the mix, smashes them into one beautifully aqua enclosure and adds a bunch of knobs to twist and turn as we see fit. If you like either of these genres of effects a LITTLE BIT,...
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The folks at Line 6 are no strangers to crafting gorgeous effects, especially when it comes to multi-effects units. Today, we’re going to find out what’s going on with their latest release, the HX ONE, a compact but extremely powerful stereo effect processor that fits right in with any setup or rig. Grab your headphones and put on those reading glasses – we’ve got a lot to get into with this wonderful...
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We’re switching gears a little bit today, bringing you two devices that aren’t technically pedals, but incredible music makers just the same. The Dubreq Stylophone BEAT Drum Machine and GEN X-1 offer affordable ways to showcase your creativity and bring exciting new sounds to life. Plus, two is always better than one, right…?? Let’s see what these fun little units are all about… The Stylophone BEAT is a...
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A good pedal with distortion mixed into some fuzz is always a welcome treat here at Pedal of the Day, and we’ve got a real wicked scorcher for you all today. The Cosmodio Instruments Pet Yeti Distortion Fuzz has elements of both of these musical genres, but with some additional tweakability and sonic prowess. If you like to turn knobs, flip switches and make a beautiful racket, this pedal is just what you’re after…...
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We’re looking at another wonderful pedal from Boss today, kiddos, one that gives you access to a couple of classic circuits and some amp-pushing glory. The BP-1W Waza Craft Booster / Preamp gives you three different boost and preamp tonal options, each with its own characteristics and sounds. This pristine beauty is a boost, overdrive and preamp rolled into one, and we think it sounds pretty amazing… Grab a BP-1W...
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