We’re not exactly sure why is happens or what the circumstances have to do with the outcome, but every time an amplifier company gets into the pedal game, chances are it’s going to be something pretty rad. Taking all of that electrical prowess and harnessing it into a smaller form is a tricky thing to pull off, or so one would think. Milkman Sound becomes the latest to attempt such a feat, and their solo flagship pedal is...
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Let’s face it: we all know about Chase Bliss Audio and their contribution to the effects pedal world by now, right? From their classic Warped Vinyl and Wombtone flagship effects to the uber-popular Tonal Recall and Thermae delays, as well as the most recent M O O D Granular Looper and a bunch of others in their lineup, the innovation and advancement they’ve brought to the table is quite stellar. In keeping with this slew...
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There are times when we receive a box in the mail here at the office, open it up and just say “WOW.” Today’s pedal did exactly that to us, in an awesome and slightly unnerving way. The Schumann PLL Analog Harmonizer from FTelettronica Pedals is an absolute beast, full of more options than any pedal probably should have, sending your signal into the far reaches of space and beyond. Taking the input, turning it into a...
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Jānis Altmanis Latvia Jānis.lv www.jānis.lv How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I have been musician for 15 years but I started to make effect pedals 9 years ago. I made my first band 2004 and haven’t stop playing since. I have played in many bands but now I’m playing in my own band “Skumjas” (translation from Latvian to English – “Sadness”) instrumental post-metal, sludge, atmosphere. There...
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Willy Porter Milwaukee, WI willyporter.com This is a pretty special interview – as some of you may know, I hail from the great city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I had the pleasure of seeing Willy play numerous times, in high school and beyond, before I moved away. It was a real treat to have been able to sit down with him here in Asheville and talk about music, Mil-town and life in general. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I...
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We’ve had the pleasure of checking out a couple of pedals from StoneFly Effects up in Canada, so we were pretty stoked when we heard that Marc-Eric was unleashing a new beast on the world. Even better, he was teaming up for this release with our friend Eric Calvert of Frost Giant Electronics and Switchblade Jesus fame, which peaked out interest that much more. The result is today’s complete monster of a fuzz, a RAT that...
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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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Patrick Garland Houston, Texas GARLAND FX garlandfx.bigcartel.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’m 33 years old, and started playing guitar at age 10 – so about 23 years. 20 on electric guitar. The first guitar I ever played was my mom’s Guild Madiera from 1970. My mom uses it for playing music to pre-schoolers – she’s quite talented and can play and sing. I also still...
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Joe Halliday Hampshire, UK Hello Sailor Effects hellosailoreffects.weebly.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been playing guitar for about 15 years, I always wanted to learn but never really picked one up until after I’d joined the Royal Navy, a couple of guys onboard my first ship started to learn and the rest is history. Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or...
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The effects company Montreal Assembly is an elusive entity in today’s modern world, with little to no online presence, just a basic website and little social media activity. Somehow, they’ve managed to make an incredible name for themselves, and we get to check out one of their now-discontinued creations today. The Positive Overdrive Distortion is just that: a driving force of gritty tone and crunchy distortion that leaves...
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Sometimes, you just need ONE knob to get some incredible tone out of your guitar and amp. Today’s featured pedal proves that in spades, bringing a wide range of tones and dBs to work with and apply to your sound, beefing it up with any coloration. The B1G 1 is a simple gain booster, but has been designed by and electronics guru, and brings true studio quality right onto your pedalboard. The B1G 1 is an all-analog gain boost with...
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We get pedals coming through the office here from time to time that are so fun and so insane that they’re difficult to write about. The Tesla Oscilador (Oscillating Tesla, for you English-speakers) from Lee de Forest is a synthesizer-fuzz-envelope-filter-harmonizer-laser-maker of a pedal – again, difficult to write about. While you’ll get the best idea of what this thing can do from the demo video below, we’ll...
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The resurrection and resurgence of the new Shin-ei brand of pedals started off with the stellar Vibe-Bro (click here for our review and demo), and continues to build and build with more pedals from vintage eras. The Screaming Sister is an octave boost based on the Prescription Electronics’ Clean Octave Boost (COB), a now rare (and crazy expensive) effect used by Doyle Bramhall II, Jonny Lang and more. This simple three-knob box...
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Bob Feldman Shin-ei Austin, TX USA www.shin-ei.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been playing guitar since 1965. That’s fifty-three years! Damn!! I had friends from school and the neighborhood that played guitar and other instruments. They got me interested in playing. I tried trumpet for about a New York minute but fell right into the guitar and haven’t put it down since. Who have...
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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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This is the Number 23 Fuzz from our friends at Vaux Flores. Small, purple, full of tone and killer in any setup, this fuzz-based beauty features a splash of upper octave cream and heterodyned, atonal artifacts with a sound few compare to. Not overly complex, but with enough gusto and tonal range to get the job done, and done well, let’s put this guy through the ringer and see what comes out on the other side, shall we? Upon...
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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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As it turns out, our first foray into the world of effects pedals from Bogner Amplification is a good one. The Burnley Distortion features a simple control setup, transformer design by one of the most famous audio pioneers in the business and an LED that reacts to your playing. What else could you possibly need from a slick, purple, monster of a dirt pedal? You’re correct: nothing. Assembled with a 100% analog circuit, the...
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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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Chris Marlon Jennings Northampton, Massachusetts Sun Parade http://www.thesunparade.com/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? When I was 5, I took some guitar lessons for a little, until I ran away from a lesson. So I guess I started when I was about 12, after I broke my foot during the baseball season and then asked my dad to show me bar chords. I also saw a Sum 41 music video on MTV of them...
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Woodroe “Woody” Weatherman Corrosion of Conformity COC How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? We started the band in 1982 while still kicking around in High School, we just wanted to make our own sounds. Had no intention of it lasting this long at the beginning. Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present? I’m a huge Billy Gibbons fan, really dig the solos...
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Ben Deane Overland Park, KS (Kansas City Metro) Monarch Musical Devices https://reverb.com/shop/monarchmusicaldevices How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve always had a connection with music. From my dad’s outlaw country vinyl LPs to my mom’s affection for artists like Paul Simon and Billy Joel, music always spoke to me and I wanted to speak back. I had a couple of years of piano lessons...
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Hand made and hand painted pedals just have something special about them – you can really see how much time and effort goes into each creation, and how dedicated those folks making these effects really are. The Fat Gett Suboctave Fuzz is the first pedal from Champion Leccy that we’ve had the chance to check out, and it did not disappoint. A fuzz with an octave twist, this thing will open your eyes and ears instantly, and...
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Michael Weavers Christchurch, New Zealand Flux Effects www.fluxeffects.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar and drums when I was 15. We had a crappy nylon-string acoustic guitar with a cracked neck lying around which I began playing around with. I’d try to play U2 songs off the Joshua Tree album with the 3 chords I had learned. In my late teens I bought a...
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Michael Parker Seattle, WA – The People’s Republic of the USA I play guitar & keys in the band Pickwick www.pickwickmusic.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 in the 8th grade on a whim. I had a friend who was a drummer and needed some people to jam with. He recruited me basically because I was in the room and had nothing better to do. He...
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Kevin Wilson Guilford, Indiana Wilson Effects www.wilsoneffects.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I started playing guitar in the 4th grade and dropped it for a while. I picked it back up when I was around 17 and have been playing ever since. I was an 80’s metal thrash kid so Metallica, Slayer all contributed to my willingness to pick it back up. Ultimately Pearl Jam became one of my...
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Efren Castro Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico Paradox Effects www.paradoxeffects.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Since I was 11, I’m currently 30. I started playing bass on my own and then got together with a few friends to play some Misfits covers. I think one of the reasons I got through most of the days playing instruments was to keep myself away from the streets of my hood,...
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Clayton Donofrio Pittsburgh, PA American Wizard Toneworks americanwizardtoneworks.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I think I was 12 or 13 when I got my first guitar, but I always wanted to play. Growing up my parents always had a great record collection (Black Sabbath, CCR, Led Zeppelin, Queen, etc.) so Rock n Roll was in my blood from the beginning. My mom in particular was very...
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Our first foray into the world of AC Noises effects came about a couple weeks ago, when we had the opportunity to check out their Vola Preamp/Overdrive. Well, we’re back at it today, bringing you a review and demo for the next pedal in their lineup, the Esplora Fuzz. Meaning “explore,” this baby blue beauty is a timeless fuzz effect, offering a ton of tonal variety within a complex yet easy-to-use control section,...
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Lance Seymour Atlanta, GA Gear Talk www.gear-talk.com www.youtube.com/GearTalkChannel iTunes: Gear Talk Podcast Instagram @GearTalk Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/geartalk (one of dozens of Gear Talk groups on FB) How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I have been a musician for over 20 years. Not near professional that long. LoL. I started playing drums and piano. In high school, I moved on...
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Joshua Scott Kansas City JHS Pedals www.jhspedals.com Instagram @jhspedals Twitter @jhspedals Facebook @jhspedals How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I got into guitar when I was about 14, I think. I can’t remember the year, but I was young enough to be in junior High. My brother, who is ten years older, had the biggest cassette tape collection on God’s green earth. I was at his apartment,...
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Discovering new companies, especially ones that are overseas, is always a thrill for us here at Pedal of the Day. Today’s featured pedal comes to us from Italy, where a couple comprised of a music composer and a photographer/illustrator have combined their talents to produce a new and exciting collection of effects pedals. The Vola is a Preamp/Overdrive, with simple controls and a lot of sounds packed into its enclosure, so...
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Jamie Stillman Akron, OH EarthQuaker Devices www.earthquakerdevices.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been a musician since I got my first drum set around 5. I didn’t pick up playing guitar until I was about 12. I’ve always been into music as long as I can remember. A couple of my uncles were musicians and taught me some basics and I just took it from there. Who have been some of...
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We are suckers for aesthetics here at Pedal of the Day, and today’s pedal just jumps right out at you (plus it look sweet in a group of pedal, too). A collaboration between the crews at SolidGoldFX and The Tone Mob, the Model 001 Fuzz Generator is an aluminum fuzz masterpiece, a pedal that is expressive both visually and sonically, and one that’s sure to make you take a step back in wonder the moment it’s engaged....
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The first time we ever heard about the Black Cat Vibe, it was doing research on the rig of Trey Anastasio, who used to keep the original half unit in his on-stage rack (known then as the Custom Audio Electronics Black Cat Vibe). Since those particular units were pretty rare and pretty expensive, we never got to fully appreciate and play with the sound we came to know and love. Recently, however, we acquired the newer pedal version of...
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Sef, lead guitarist in the band Your Favorite Enemies. Montreal, Quebec, Canada www.yourfavoriteenemies.com www.facebook.com/yourfavoriteenemies www.instagram.com/yourfavoriteenemies www.youtube.com/yourfavoriteenemies www.twitter.com/yfeofficial As you can see in some of the pictures, we have the crazy privilege of living in a former catholic church that we turned into our own professional studio a couple of years ago. It’s pretty...
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Sean Wright Traverse City, Michigan Co-owner of Lollygagger FX www.lollygaggerfx.com info@lollygaggerfx.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I first started out as a frustrated drummer who would keep time like a broken clock….at least twice during the song I’d be in time. I think I was 16 when I started playing an instrument. A year later we moved into an apartment and that was...
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Our first encounter with New Zealanders Flux Effects was with their Liquid Ambience pedal, a super-reverb drenched in ambient awesomeness that has had very few competitors to this point. So…we were pretty excited when Michael said he was going to send us a Liquid Tremolo to review and demo – needless to say, we were extremely happy with our second encounter as well. This tremolo has a boatload of options, too many sounds...
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It’s always a surprise when you open a box from EarthQuaker Devices, and in our experience, always a positive one. Today’s featured pedal is no different, and has actually vaulted to near the top of our list of their overdrive effects. The Gray Channel, based on the classic DOD 250 Preamp Overdrive, is a dual-channel dirt box with so many options it’s dizzying, and more tones than you can shake a guitar at. Clean,...
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Fuzzzzz…..we dig it, as do a lot of you players out there. While fuzz might not be for everyone, those of us that like it like it a LOT, and today’s featured pedal is a fuzz to end all fuzzes (if that’s actually possible). You probably know the name Scotty ProAnalog, and we’re going to take a look at his MkII Fuzz V2 pedal, which replicates everything from timeless 60’s British fuzz tones to medium-gained...
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A couple of weeks ago, we took a look at a pedal from our friends at Celestial Effects, the Virgo Rock Overdrive, and found that it was a rocking little purple beast. Today’s featured pedal is the Virgo’s older, grown-up and more powerful brother, the Capricorn Rock Distortion. A versatile Boost/Overdrive/Distortion pedal, this creamy creation boasts two gain stages and broad spectrum of tones on tap. Volume starts things...
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Mike Beigel Mu-FX Encinitas, CA www.mu-fx.com [Mu-FX by Beigel Sound Lab is a division of Beigel Technology Corp.] facebook.com/BeigelSoundLab How long have you been a musician? How did you get into musical effects in the first place? My main musical training was classical music on clarinet, but I also played Saxophone for a local high school dance band (“The Crescendos”), and for some local rock & roll bands and guitar just for...
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Matt Johnson Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Tortuga Effects www.tortugaeffects.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been playing guitar and bass for 26 years, but started as a musician on cello, three years before that. I remember wanting to play cello because being in the school band meant you had to blow into things. I didn’t want to do that. I also didn’t want to sit in my classroom during...
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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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Mike Hranica Chicago, IL The Devil Wears Prada God Alone www.tdwpband.com www.godaloneband.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I’ve been playing guitar for about twelve years now – whether that comes with the “musician” label, I’m not sure. Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present? Rowland S. Howard, Duane Denison, Steve Albini What drew you to using...
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Many, many moons ago, when we were first getting started here at Pedal of the Day, one of the first companies that took a chance on us and helped us get going was Vaux Flores, a small company from Baltimore, Maryland, who continue to create some super-unique pedals at super-affordable prices (check out their Gold Standard Fuzz we reviewed). Today we look at the Pejibaye Overdrive, a simple but powerful pedal that unleashes beautiful,...
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Leon Wright Portland, OR Pelican NoiseWorks www.pelicannoiseworks.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Music has always been a part of my life. My dad played piano and guitar ever since I can remember. He passed away when I was 8. After that I inherited his guitar and set out to figure out how to play. Since then, it has been a constant thing in my life, not that I have ever actually...
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First of all, Welcome to 2017, everybody! Hope you all had an excellent and safe holiday season – now let’s get back into some pedal reviews! Today’s “pedal” is really a power supply, but one that is new, unique and innovative, and will surely become a standard use supply in the years to come. The Power Box Lithium from our friends at Big Joe Stomp Box Company is small, powerful, easy to use and essential...
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Jeremy DePoyster Chicago, IL The Devil Wears Prada www.tdwpband.com How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I got my first acoustic at 10, and have played ever since. I took a quick interest in keyboards, synths, and sequencers and have been making music with them since around the same time. I started with a KORG Polysix running a curly cable into a Fender Champ Amp. Who have been some of your...
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Chris Michetti Raq www.facebook.com/raqmusic/ Conspirator www.conspiratorband.com/ Michetti michetti.bandcamp.com/ How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Around thirty years. Was obsessed with drums as a youngster, progressed from there. Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present? Anyone who plays the guitar incredibly… SRV, Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Trey Anastasio, Chet...
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