Ever hear an effect on a recording and not be able to place exactly what it is? Especially with songs from the 70’s, when funk and soul ruled the world? Well, there’s a good chance that what you heard was the classic Seamoon Funk Machine, a highly sought-after piece of gear that fetches crazy high prices on the used market. But have no fear! The Funk Machine has been resurrected by Seamoon FX and Neil Jason, session bass...
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HOT DAMN! It’s our second tap tempo tremolo pedal in one week, and boy, are we stoked! Nothing beats the pulsing, racing, ebbing and flowing of a good tremolo, pedal OR amp, and today’s featured effect covers just about every base you will ever need. EVER. The Semaphore from Catalinbread features the coveted Tap Tempo functionality, as well as a slew of other options that make it a well-rounded, amazing and essential piece...
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You gotta make your mark in this industry, right? With so many companies and so many pedals on the market, if you don’t stand out, you’re not gonna last. Well, today’s pedal is the first in a lineup of not only aesthetically-pleasing effects, but ones that have the power, grit and usability to make them contenders for years to come. We always love to discover new(er) companies, or ones that might not have a...
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TC Electronic has been putting out some amazing delay effects for decades, ever since the TC2290 was released in 1985. Since then, they’ve enjoyed much success with the likes of the Nova Delay, Flashback, numerous rack units and more. Their latest delay endeavor is the Flashback 2 x4 Delay, one of the most option-filled mega delay pedals we’ve ever come across. Utilizing their unique TonePrint preset system, numerous...
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A little while after we started this crazy Pedal of the Day adventure, we came across a new effects company that we knew were going to go places. Starting with their first Boos-tah Preamp, the crew at Beetronics has made a big name for themselves, and is now recognized as a true powerhouse in the pedal world. Today, we’re going to take a look at their Overhive Overdrive, a mid-gain rocker that brings a round, warm tone to...
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We all love pedals, but if you have a bunch of ’em that you use together, you’re nothing without a good power supply. There are small ones, medium ones, HUGE ones, skinny and fat ones and more, coming in all colors, shapes and sizes. The smallest one we’ve come across so far has been the PB-107 Power Box Lithium, from our pals over at Big Joe Stomp Box Company. Well, they’ve topped themselves, and have released...
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It’s Bass Time Again! Today, we’ve got a killer bass pedal from an extremely bass-influenced company from Preveza, Greece: dpFX Pedals. The pedal in question is the oddly-named FuzZ-2, which is an explosive fuzz with a bit of octave madness throw in for good measure. Your bass will never sound the same after you play it through this pedal, let’s dig in and see what it’s all about. The FuzZ-2 Bass is a massive...
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Sometimes, we stumble across a company that doesn’t have a lot of information pertaining to them on the old interwebs, making it a tricky puzzle as to if they’re still in business or not. Today’s pedal comes to us from AboveGroundFX, whose pedals are available at Vintage King, but who don’t appear to have a social media presence or an updated website to their name. Regardless, the Tone Control Booster is a nice...
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If you use pedals, chances are you have a boost, overdrive, distortion or fuzz on your board….or maybe all of them, or many multiples of all of them. But what if you had a pedal that could do ALL of those things, that was built for classic and contemporary tones and was as versatile as can be? Then you’d probably want to check out today’s featured effect, the Odyssey Intergalactic Driver from Hamstead Soundworks. Not...
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We’ve long been fans of the gear that Diamond Pedals has been putting out for years, and they’ve been big supporters of Pedal of the Day since our inception. We recently got the chance to check out their Vibrato, which is hands-down one of the best we’ve come across – today, we’re going to switch it up and go into a bit of dirt territory. The DRV-1 Drive is is based on the J-Drive Mk3 from Diamond, but...
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Who says a great pedal has to be wicked expensive? Well, as evidenced by some of their newer pedals, TC Electronic says you can have a good balance of affordable and pricy intertwined in one company. After the exciting success of the JUNE-60 Chorus, we wanted to check out some more pedals on TC’s budget-friendly line, and came across The Prophet. A digital delay with studio quality sound, this gem produces some outstanding...
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Another delay is upon us, friends, and this one has got some crazy features, interesting textures and gorgeous sounds throughout. The Oblivion Vintage Delay comes to us from Alexander Pedals, and is an “exploration of what exists in the darkest corners of the sonic universe.” Able to span decades in a single pedal, this glorious echo brings vintage sounds, warm delays and even a tasty bit of modulation along on its...
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The T-Rex Effects Replicator Junior Tape Echo was one of our favorite delays that has ever come through the office, and we were excited to see if there were any more delays made by this fantastic company from Denmark. As luck would have it, we stumbled across today’s pedal, the Replay Box Stereo Delay, an extremely small but wicked powerful straightforward delay, with stereo options and 3, count them THREE, seconds of delay...
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If you dig effects pedals, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard, seen and/or played something from Mantic Effects. If you have ears, there’s also a good chance you’ve come across an artist named Jack White….many, many times, some probably without you even knowing it. Jack’s record label Third Man Records and Mantic have teamed up for today’s featured pedal, the Flex TMR PLL Monophonic...
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“Wait a minute, Doc. Ah…are you telling me you built a time machine…out of a DeLorean?” Thus begins one of the greatest time-travel adventures ever to be created for the big screen, Back to the Future. Not only is this a personal favorite here at Pedal of the Day, but to millions of movie-goers across the globe. You may be asking yourself, “Why is a pedal review talking about a 30+ year-old movie starring...
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Ask anyone who loves pedals about some of the most innovative effects to come out in the last couple years, and you’ll hear the name Meris time and time again. Continually innovating the industry with their option-laden, size-friendly and sonically adventurous pedals, they always seem to be at the forefront of the conversation. We’re gearing up to take a look at their latest today, a quirky, pitch-shifting delay pedal...
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WE LOVE PHISH. Said it, not sorry, deal. Now that you know that, know this: we were SUPER excited to have a Helping Friendly Box Overdrive Compressor from Hochstrasser Electronics appear on our doorstep, and here’s why. This particular pedal harkens after the setup that Trey Anastasio from Phish used for many years (and still does occasionally), where two differently-gained Tubescreamers were followed by the famous Ross...
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It’s a real treat to stumble across and discover new pedal companies that might not be in the major spotlight, as we love to review and demo effects from a wide spectrum. The little guys are making some incredible effects pedals, and we’ve got another builder today to showcase that flies under the radar, but has some great gear to offer. The Sunn Model T Overdrive from Kenny B Pedals in Winnipeg, Canada, is based on the...
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We love a good synthesizer pedal when they come through the shop, and we love the effects that Robert and the crew at Keeley Electronics put out, so the combination of both of these was a welcome announcement. The goal was to create a synth sound that took you from unnatural fuzz noises to pseudo-harmonic, random glitchy counterpoint, and boy, did they ever succeed. The Synth-1 Reverse Attack Fuzz Wave Generator lets you create...
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For all the pedals we’ve had the pleasure to peruse from our friends at Free The Tone, we’ve never come across a bad apple, and there’s no reason for that to change now. Their latest endeavor is a wonderfully exploratory delay unit, rivaling the Flight Time delays, but with a new, unique sound. The FF-1Y Future Factory RF Phase Modulation Delay “succeeds in creating a new modulation sound with a unique method,...
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Today we’ve got the third and final installment in our “Walrus Week” that featured new effects pedals from our friends at Walrus Audio, and we’re headed back to revisit one of the pedals that put them on the map in the first place. The Deep Six Compressor has been a staple in the compression market since its release in 2012, and this particular version, Number Three, continues to build on that solid foundation....
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Brandon “Taz” Niederauer tazguitar.com @brandonniederauer @NiederauerMusic How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I have been playing guitar since I was eight years old. I became fascinated with my father’s album and video collection and was listening to The Allman Brothers and other guitar and jazz music. When I went to my first concert at eight, I knew I wanted to play. Who...
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Trey Anastasio. For those of you who don’t know (or don’t care), Trey has been a HUGE guitar influence on us for almost 3 decades, and today’s pedal encompasses some of the best aspects of his tone. From his use of the famed grey Ross Compressor at various stages of Phish’s career, to his consistent use of different variations of Tube Screamers, his tonality and superb sustain give him an unmistakeable and...
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We love a clean, tasty, tone-enhancing pedal around here, and compression, while not for everyone, has come to be one of our favorite effects. Today’s pedal is a classic sound from a classic series – the Ibanez CP10 Compressor Sustainer is a high tech, studio quality effect in a compact case, with a VCA circuit and clean compression and sustain. Keeping the control panel light and easy to use, this is one little funk...
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With the weekend rapidly approaching, many of you will be exploring new gear and trying to figure out which new, tasty pedal to order while you relax on your off days. If you’re in the mood for something that will warp your mind, bend your soul and spark outrage in your neighbors, then you have definitely come to the right place. The Super Weirdo from our noise-happy German neighbors across the pond, JPTR FX, is the ultimate in...
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There’s no mistaking the bright red glory that comes with every single effects pedal we see from Sioux Guitars, which should make it no surprise that the bright red beauty we’re checking out today comes straight from Sioux City, Iowa, as well. The Flood of ’53 is aptly named after a huge rainfall that hit and flooded the town those many decades ago, and just like the big waves and ripples through the city, this...
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We love a gritty, dirty preamp boost overdrive pedal, because who doesn’t? The Dirty Boy from Massive Unity Ltd. is just that, a powerful, clean-looking but dirty-sounding effect that is powered by T.A.E. (proprietary tube amp emulation) technology. Based on the amp used by legendary guitarist Blues Saraceno, which was built by his dad, this pedal features two different modes, a bunch of options and a whole slew of sounds that...
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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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After the wallop our ears got with the last effort from Mistweaver Effects, the Serpent Fuzz, we were excited and slightly terrified to see what lay in store for their next offering. Fortunately for the decibels, but not the tone quality, the Forestry Overdrive dials it down just a tick, with plenty of gorgeous dirt on tap to bring any amp to its full potential. With a fairly extensive control section and sounds that work in any...
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We are just loving the effects pedals coming out of the FEA Labs camp right now, and we are once again fortunate enough to be able to bring another review and demo of one of them to you today. The DE-CL is a Dual Engine Compressor Limiter, with a lot of control knobs and tones abound, perfect for guitar, bass and more. Utilizing advanced, adaptive release circuitry, clean, boosted power and two sidechain control engines, this is one...
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Ah, the Klon….such a mysterious, magical and ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE piece of gear. Now, we love a delicious overdrive, and have even grown to love boost pedals over the last few years, but really, enough is enough. Since we have no money (or desire) to spend over $1500 on one singular item, especially when it’s an EFFECTS PEDAL, we’re glad there are companies like Rock Your Repaired Amp, or RYRA, as...
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Reverb. Oscillation. Bit Crushing. These three effects aren’t usually found on the same pedalboard, much less crammed into ONE PEDAL. The folks at AC Noises decided that the marriage of these three needed to happen, and the AMA was born. Meaning “love” in second person imperative (tu, ama! = you, love!), this deceptive gray pedal is one of the funnest noise creators we’ve come across recently, producing...
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We’re always interested in what our gear-making friends across the pond are up to, and today we’ve got a new company that we’re checking out for the first time. Jānis lv Effect Pedals are straight outta Birzgale, Latvia, and have both a unique look and sound to their effects. With just a couple pedals in their lineup so far, we’re excited to check out the first one, the Miesnieks, a powerful...
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It’s been a minute since we had a new pedal from JHS Pedals come through the shop, but they’ve reappeared with a brand new effect that sure to get the tremolo/vibe folks salivating. The Kodiak is a Tap Tempo Tremolo pedal, complete with a ton of bells and whistles that will suit anyone looking to add a fat, bold, pulsing effect to their lineup or board. Boasting subdivision note control, 4 differing waveform choices,...
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Tattoos and music have gone hand in hand for decades, so it only makes sense to add effects pedals in and make a killer trio, right? Our new pal Joe Halliday from across the pond in the UK has managed to successfully fuse all three of these things together, to create a company offering reasonably-priced effects that look and sound great, perfect for the working musician and up-and-coming bands throughout the globe. Today, we look at...
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Tremolo pedals are always welcome here in the Pedal of the Day office, as each one seems to have its own personality, features and tones, regardless of how many knobs, bells and whistles it may have. Today’s featured pedal leans towards the high end of that spectrum, with a ton of tonal options and sonic parameters waiting to be explored, and unleash all of their glory onto any recording or unsuspecting crowd. The Quaverato from...
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Have you ever been truly, genuinely and pleasantly surprised by an effects pedal? Recently, we had the chance to check out a pedal from Danelectro’s Billionaire lineup, the Big Spender Spinning Speaker, and it really threw us for a loop (in a good way), so we were super-excited to test out another in this series of effects. The Cash Cow is a simple overdrive pedal (or so it seems) with an easy to use control section and small,...
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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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Oooooohhhhhhh…..NEW DELAY DAY! We love ’em, and are super-stoked about his one, people. The Temporal Tap Machine from MAK Crazy Sound Technology not only has one of the longest combined names we’ve come across, but has killer delay tones, a ton of sonic options and fantastic sounds to heighten and excite all of your guitar-playing endeavors. With so much packed into a small enclosure, there’s a lot to chat...
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The World of Compressors here in effects pedal land has really come on strong the last couple of years, with some incredible, studio-quality stompboxes coming out into the fold more and more. Today’s featured pedal is no exception, using an expected control section to produce not just excellent, high-quality compression, but a gorgeous clean boost sound if you need it as well. Straight from our friends at Analog Alien, the Alien...
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We’ve got something a little different for you today, something that’s a brand-new design, and just may totally change the MIDI landscape in the effects world. POLY Expressive is a MIDI foot controller, but one like you’ve never seen before. Using specific direction, position and pressure commands, all executed hands-free with your feet, this genius invention allows you to really open up the MIDI capabilities locked...
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Cross-company collaborations are always a fun excursion in the effects pedal world, and today’s featured piece of gear is from two of the best. Robert Keeley and Keeley Electronics have partnered up with Dan and Mick, from the hugely popular YouTube series That Pedal Show, to create an overdrive/boost combo pedal that features a wide range of tones, spanning the full spectrum of overdriven glory throughout its many options and...
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Straight-up, no-frills, to-the-point effects pedals are becoming somewhat of a rarity in today’s crazy market, so we were pretty excited about today’s featured piece of gear, a simple-to-use and extremely easy to dial in fuzz pedal from across the way in Slovenia. The MindFuzz from Surfadelic Soundwaves has a bare minimum control section, but is absolutely jam-packed with tone, power and, of course, FUZZ. The little...
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The Narwhal Distortion Fuzz from PLBR Effects is one of the funnest fuzzes we’ve seen come through as of late, so we were pretty stoked to try out its bug brother, the Maritimus Distortion Fuzz as well. Taking similar controls from the Narwhal and expanding upon them, the Maritimus allows you to further shape your tone and create magnificent walls of distorted fuzz. There’s a lot to get to in this pedal, so let’s...
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Let’s face it: there’s not really a ‘Maybe’ vote when it comes to compression on your pedalboard – you either dig it or you don’t. Around here, we can’t get enough of it, and always look forward to another pedal sending us into the realm of sustain and tone-balancing, and we’ve got another one for you today. The R-Comp Compressor from Vick Audio recreates one of the most famous comps in...
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When we recently had the opportunity to review the DB-CL Dual Band Compressor Limiter from FEA Labs, we were blown away by what a compressor could truly be, and were excited to check out some more of their gear. Luckily, the Photon Fuzz II arrived and we were able to scratch that itch rather quickly. This fuzz is extremely versatile, with options and tones specifically designed for BOTH guitar and bass, and makes each of them sound...
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The Klon. There might not be a more easily-recognizable, more debated-about effect on the planet. And since they are rare and pricy, there are a LOT of copycats out there, but how to choose the right one? Well, the quest for the perfect clone may have just ended – welcome in the Centura Professional Overdrive from Ceriatone Amplification. Aesthetics aside, this beast sounds spot on to its original counterpart, made with...
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Today’s post, while not technically “pedal-related,” is still an exciting discovery on our part (maybe we’re just late to the party, who knows?). Though we don’t cover a TON of acoustic pedals here, we have had our fair share, and are, of course, always looking to improve the sound of ALL our instruments, not just the ones that are loud and ROCK. Coming across the website FU-Tone.com was a bit daunting,...
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Joey Lewis Buffalo, NY Funktional Flow www.funktionalflow.com facebook.com/FunktionalFlowMusic youtube.com/user/funktionalflowmusic/videos How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? From what I can remember, a man in our neighborhood growing up gave an acoustic guitar to my older brother Justin and he quickly lost interest in it. That’s when I swooped in and nabbed it lol. But it was ok...
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One of the best parts of this gig is discovering new pedal companies that are doing innovative, exciting and non-traditional building in the effects pedal world, and today’s pedal and company both have captivated us in the best of ways. The DB-CL Dual Band Compressor Limiter takes all you thought you knew about compressors and turns your brain upside down, spins it around and sends it into a musical abyss from which you’ll...
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