Well, after four other great pedals and a tone of different tones, our “Fly Boys Week” has comes to an end. Finishing off the lineup of Totally Wycked Audio’s Fly Boys lineup is the FB-05 Metal, a huge powerhouse in a tiny and shiny enclosure. As with the FB-02 Overdrive, the FB-05 Metal has a toggle switch that lets you select from a couple different modes, three in this case, to further expand the possibilities of...
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There are a lot of overdrive pedals out on the market at the moment, and there have been for years and years now. Hi-Gain, Transparent, Low-to-Mid, etc…there are many sub-categories of overdrives, too, and sometimes you have to play a LOT of them to figure out which sound is best suited for you as an individual, and your personal style of music. The Howlerr Classic from SFG Music Supply up north in Canada is an instantly smooth...
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If you’re searching for a pedal to add some fatness and volume to your rig, the Pigtronix Class A Boost will help solve those problems. Pedal specs: – Input and Output jack – Gain knob offering 20db of volume boost – 9v/18V adapter jack (The pedal includes its own apapter) Upon taking the Class A Boost for a test drive, this pedal lived up to it’s reputation as being a clean boost while adding a nice...
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We recently introduced you to Fuse Electronics, a pedal company creating some great gear out of Chile, and they’ve got another line of pedals as well: Humboldt Endemic Pedals. These extraordinary pedals are made with recycled woods from Valparaiso and Santiago de Chile (check out the video about their process HERE), and are wildly unique and creative. Their first offering is the Regainer Hi-Gain Overdrive, which we’re...
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A couple weeks ago, we reviewed a rad little fuzz pedal, the Muzz Fuzz, from an upstart company based out of Chile called Fuse Electronics. The fuzz was a pleasant surprise, being from such an unknown builder, and they sent us another pedal to test out as well: the Smooth Drive. This golden box keeps in theme with most other 3-knob overdrive pedals, as far as the controls are concerned. Level (Volume) adjusts the overall output of the...
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The previous pedals we’ve reviewed from our friends over at Center Street Electronics have been some of the most innovative and fun pedals we have ever delved into, and they all had a common theme: heavy. Fuzz, Drive and Distortion was the name of the game with those other pedals, so the new and improved StellarVerb was an interesting transition, and a nice and inspiring one at the same time. The new version of this classic...
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Some pedal companies (well, a lot of them, actually) are small, unique and hail from a different country. I always like to see what other countries and cultures are doing in the massive pedal world, to see what influences they are using, and how their ideas about pedal building differ from the ones here in the U.S.A. I’ve recently been in contact with Fuse Electronics, all the way from Chile in South America, and they sent a...
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Devi Ever FX has been one of the leading companies in effects pedal fuzz now for years, especially since our friends Dwarfcraft Devices bought them a few years ago. I have reviewed a number of their pedals here on POTD (Big Distortion Sound Machine, God Zilla, and I love each one differently every time they appear on my doorstep. One of my favorites is the Soda Meiser (it’s one of Nels Cline’s as well), and just when I...
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I immediately noticed some funky graphics, odd switches and absolutely ZERO labeling of the controls on the Wave Cannon MkII Superdistorter when I pulled it out of the box, so I instantly knew I was onto something special. If nothing else, the hand doing the rock/devil/whatever sign as a label for one of the control knobs told me I was in for a treat, and this pedal did not disappoint. The Volume, Gain and Tone controls were...
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Have you ever heard of the Jordan Bosstone Fuzz? Me neither, until I started doing a little research for today’s pedal review. Turns out, it was this cool little black box that plugged directly into your guitar’s output jack (unless you had a Strat, then it wouldn’t work) and made some incredible fuzz tones. Well, the genius builders at KMA Machines built a take on the Bosstone, aiming to get that classic sound with...
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Here at Pedal of the Day, we’ve reviewed a couple of pedals from our friends over at Taurus Pedals, and they were some heavy-hitting monsters! The 90 LB Hamster Distortion and the Pi Fuzz were beasts, forces to be reckoned with (in the best of ways, mind you), so it’s quite a welcome shift that they have decided to delve into the world of delay, and have sent us their first offering to check out: the Acid Reflux Delay....
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There are some pedals that can do a lot of different tricks, and a lot that can do them all very well. When these pedals present themselves, I’m always astonished how the builders manage to pack so many options into such a small area, and how they came up with the ideas in the first place. Today’s pedal is a prime example of this feat, and holds nothing back as far as options and tonal joy: the Butch Fuzz/Overdrive/Boost...
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Distortion pedals have always been sort of hit-or-miss for me – a lot of them are too harsh, too bold, too piercing or just not really my style. To each their own, of course, it just takes a pretty rad pedal to get me super-stoked about pumping some high gain through my amps. However, plugging in the Supernaut Distortion from Center Street Electronics turned my head around almost instantly, and the rest of the time testing out...
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Sometimes, you want an overdrive pedal to capture ONE sound, and ONE sound only. While the different controls allow for some slight variation on this theme, certain drives just have “that sound” you’re after, and that’s all they’re really gonna sound like. The folks over at Big Joe Stomp Box Company had just that in mind when they worked in collaboration with the great Johnny Winter to create the Texas...
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The Lumpy’s Tone Shop 7 Series Lemon Drop Overdrive is a fantastic but unusual overdrive. It’s great for what it does but it’s not for everyone. There are so many overdrives out there; it’s very difficult to figure out the difference between each, let alone which to choose. Broadly speaking, the most popular categories of overdrives are (there are definitely other categories but I’ll keep it simple):...
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I’ve seen the Swollen Pickle Fuzz pop up around different guitar forums and stuff, and it always seemed to have a pretty good reputation, so I was eager to see what all the hype was about. This big, fat, green beast is one of those pedals that you plug into and turn on, and are instantly blown away. I immediately loved the fuzz sounds coming through my amp, and I hadn’t even adjusted any of the knobs yet, which is always...
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Rarely am I at an immediate loss for words when plugging in a new pedal for a review, but that was absolutely the case with the Grizzly Fuzz from Stonefly Effects. This is one of the fuzziest, quirkiest, glitchiest fuzz pedals I have ever come across, and getting it to play nice was an awesome challenge. First off, there’s no power input: battery only. That should give you a hint as to how this pedal was conceived, and what it...
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This pedal is a one off custom job from Trevor at TSW Pedals, and is one (well, 2) of my favorite drives combined into one pedal. This is definitely my coolest pedal as it has my signature image laser engraved right onto the front panel. He takes his Dragon Slayer, which is a take on “plexi in a box” and combines it with his Infinite Drive (similar to a tube screamer but with a smoother tone control and more gain on tap)...
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The Vilan Family is a small pedal company making “homebrewed guitar pedals from Mother Russia!” Their first offering sent to me is a take on a distortion pedal, but it’s actually much more than that. Hand-painted and enclosed in a cast silumin enclosure, the Seaside Monster Distortion has wide range and dirty tones. Upon opening the pedal up, I discovered that the insides were extremely minimal, with a small circuit...
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First things first, I’d like to say how slick the pedals being produced over at Will Sledge FX look, all scuffed up but classy, very minimalist but bold. Dig it. Anyway, the real reason we’re here is to talk about one of their awesome pedals, the small but powerful Slim Drive. The latest in our review crop of space-saving pedals, the Slim Drive features 2 control knobs and a bypass switch (the one I’m reviewing also...
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Chances are, you’ve seen the classic RAT or RAT2 Distortion pedal on a board somewhere in your lifetime. Perhaps you currently see one on your own board, as many of us do, or have an old classic version you pull out once in a while to really rock. As well known as the RAT pedals are to players around the world, the small black boxes are not the only story. Today we’re going to check out the newest member of the RAT...
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This being my first foray into the world of Mad Professor pedals, I was excited to see what their Simble Overdrive had to offer. Having seen their gear around for a long time, I knew they had a great reputation for making some killer pedals, and the Simble was an excellent way to delve into their huge catalog of effects. Not too heavy on the drive, great tones and some new controls to boot, this is one fun pedal. You should know what...
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I recently purchased the Monoprice Flanger Mini Pedal as a gift for someone else… Of course I couldn’t help myself, reaching for my guitar instead of the wrapping paper, and had to try it out. Based on the layout and comparing it to online audio samples, it’s most likely – if not definitely – the same exact circuit as the Donner Jet Convolution and the Mooer Eleclady, both of which are reported to be clones of vintage...
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If there one thing i’m picky about, it is how my drive sounds. Some pedals add too much color, some are just too harsh…We all have that sound we like that’s pleasing to our ears. The Yellow Drive from T-Rex Effects makes sounds pleasing to mine. This is a two-in-one drive pedal with channel A and channel B. Both channels have their own Level, Gain and Tone controls, so you can tinker with the sound to your liking....
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I was born a synthesist. I didn’t know it until long after I had given up playing keyboards and spent years learning how to play bass and then guitar, but it’s true. My calling is not to be John Entwistle or Jimmy Page, but to be Suzanne Ciani or Edgar Froese. That probably explains why I’ve spent my entire musical life goofing around with funny little boxes on the floors of practice spaces. Being a huge fan of...
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The pedals that are being created by Hartman are really tantalizing to the eyes (and, as it turns out, the ears as well). Today’s reviewed pedal is no exception to that rule: the Vintage Germanium Fuzz looks as old school and classic as they come, and the sounds are just the same, only using modern, reliable and excellent-quality parts to re-create the sounds of the past. Three knobs make for easy controlling of this fuzztastic...
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I can’t get over the fuzz tones coming from the pedals over at Hudson Electronics. I recently reviewed their standard BUZZ pedal, which was incredible, and today’s gem is the Buzzard, another killer fuzz from the UK. A blendable 2-transistor fuzz, this little blue triangle is a force to be reckoned with. If you want a light-hearted, Valentine’s Day, Nicholas Sparks fuzz, you better look somewhere else. Fast. Deep in...
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Seafoam Pedals are a small company based out of Mobile, Alabama, making all hand-wired pedals with some interesting designs and layouts, mainly doing Tap Tempo and Expression-type pedals in pedalboard-friendly sizes. Their first foray into an actual effect pedal is the Low Tide Overdrive, a small, 2-knob transparent drive that features smooth sounds and just enough grit to make it interesting, while keeping your guitar’s tone in...
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The LoLo Optic Double Speed Tremolo comes to us from MRB Pedals in Venezuela, and is truly a unique tremolo beast. It features 2 separate speed controls, which you can set independently, and then choose which one you’d like to use on the fly via a footswitch. 2 different LEDs that blink simultaneously, 2 footswitches for Speed and On/Off and 2 different color knobs to control the unique Rates of the independent tremolo speeds. A...
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The Darkest Driving Overdrive pedal from Fuzzrocious Pedals is a tank, with more options than you’ll know what to do with, and a plethora of distorted soundscapes to play with until the cows come home…and then a little bit more. 3 footswitches, 3 toggles and 4 control switches might seem a bit daunting at first, but once you get the hang of this beast, it’ll blow you and everyone who encounters it right out of the...
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When you see the control knobs and toggle switches on The Elements Overdrive pedal from Dr. Scientist, you might be immediately overwhelmed, scared, frightened and perhaps cry a little, but not to worry: this monster IS tamable, and you’re going to have a great time doing so. Don’t let the 6 Control Knobs and 4 Different Toggle Switches haunt you in your dreams… Right off the bat, you’ll notice that 3 of the...
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The Firefly from JHS Pedals caught my eye well before it’s release, and I was just itching to give it a spin in the old home studio. Low and behold, it finally appeared on my doorstep, and I was anxious and excited as I tore the package open. Looking sleek and sophisticated from the get-go, I knew the Firefly was gonna win me over about 3 seconds after I plugged it in. This is JHS’ take on the Tonebender MKIII, a classic...
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Man, this is a hard company to track down information about! While I would have liked a little more info on this pedal, the Smilodon Fuzz from Aethan Electronics is an all-out, buzzsaw, balls-to-the-wall, ass-kicking fuzz pedal, and with only a few (who knows the actual number) of these ever made, it is a RARE find, one that will not be leaving my side anytime soon. The pedal itself isn’t much bigger than a standard Boss...
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One of my favorite things about effects pedals are when companies design something new, fresh and innovative, especially when it combines multiple effects into one unit. Sometimes, though, these things are over-the-top, with a manual that takes 3 days to read and a month to figure out how to use properly. The Quantum Leap from Diamond Pedals incorporates a number of effects possibilities, while making them easily accessible and fun to...
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Compressors have always been hit or miss for me, and I haven’t really been able to keep one on my board for longer than about 2 months, before I got frustrated with it, or thought it was just taking up space where another pedal could thrive, or any number of reasons I concocted in my brain. That all changed when I met the compressor of my dreams, the Deep Six from Walrus Audio. The best function in my opinion on this fantastic...
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I love this fuzz, I gotta say. The Bun Runner from JHS Pedals is a sonic marvel, and one of the most versatile and useful fuzzes I have ever had the privilege of playing. With two quite different sides to this 2-in-1 pedal, many fuzzy tones are easily accessible, ranging from slightly overdriven to all-out crazy, gooey, fuzzy goodness. The left side of the (now-discontinued) Bun Runner is the (now discontinued) JHS Astro Mess Fuzz,...
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Walrus Audio’s Voyager Overdrive has 3 control knobs, making it an easy pedal to maneuver and dial in. The tones that this high-quality piece of gear produce are outstanding as well, as we’ve come to expect from great companies like Walrus Audio. Sturdy enclosure, great switches and knobs and the guts are a thing of beauty as well. The real standout for this drive pedal to me is the amount of Tonal Range that you have to...
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The Hi-Volt Custom 1 from Lovepedal is a mid-to-high gain overdrive pedal that features a great active 3-band EQ and enough gain to blow the house down. Tons of low-end for those extra heavy, chunky riffs, and the highs will have your axe singing and screeching like it was headlining Rocklahoma. I love drive pedals that boast 3 equalization knobs, as opposed to one tone knob that usually just does highs and lows. You can’t...
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The Soda Meiser Fuzz from Devi Ever FX is an organic-sounding, smooth fuzz that can be amped up into dis-harmonic bliss with a turn of a knob. The Volume is a pretty easy knob to understand, but the range found in the Zazz (Gain) knob is extraordinary, going from light, Muff-ish tones to full-on out-of-this-world fuzzy bliss. With the Zazz knob turned all the way down, you get a really nice overdriven sound, with just a slight bit of...
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Who here is a regular user of Granular Synthesis? Exactly. No one. Well, the Particle Granular Delay/Pitch Shifter pedal from Red Panda wants you to know all about it, and (try) to use it to your advantage in your guitar playing. This is one of those pedals that is a bit tricky to describe on paper, as the sounds that come out of it are very rarely repeated, leading to a vast amount of random sonic gooeyness. Let’s start at the...
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Based on the legendary Orange Squeeze compressor from Dan Armstrong, the Hartman Compressor provides a nice, smooth squish to your tone, while also giving it just a smidgen of attitude. The Ratio knob adjusts the right amount of compression for your tone, while the Gain knob controls the level and growl of the pedal. Warm tones, pleasing to your ear, and very quiet as well, which is something a lot of compressors lack. 2 knobs, not...
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Versatility in an overdrive can be KEY to its performance, and the Jalapeño Overdrive from Pepper Pedals combines oft-present controls with a few extras to form a creative and outstanding overdrive. Your basic Level, Tone and Gain knobs make up the core of almost every overdrive pedal, and the Jalapeño is no different. However, two toggle switches allow you to truly customize your overdrive, and make it work for you and your guitar....
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The Signa Drive from CMATMods is a punchy medium gain overdrive with vast tonal possibilities. With three clipping options and tone, gain, and volume controls you can go from a bright, airy clean boost, a rich fat “in your face” tone great for rhythm, to thick creamy lead tones for those singing solos. An amazing stage two overdrive, great when stacked with other drives and a subtle delay or reverb. Specs: RC 4558p Chip...
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Godlyke, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of the Maxon Fuzz Elements – seven new models designed to reproduce the classic and unique sounds of the World’s most desirable vintage Fuzz pedals. Using modern software technology, Maxon has modeled and mapped the complex elements that make up the core sounds of these legendary effect units, reproducing them using advanced analog circuitry that is both accurate and stable. Each Fuzz...
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I had heard that the Hartman Analog Flanger was one of the best flangers on the market today, so I decided to check it out for myself, and see what the hubbub was all about. Needless to say, this pedal is all it claims to be (I think: I’ve never played through an original Electric Mistress, so I’m not 100% sure!). First off, the color of this pedal is rich and stunning, and it is built like a tank. Super sturdy, heavy...
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What the hell is an Underdrive? That’s a good question, and I’m gonna try to answer it today. The Snowjob from Lotus Pedal Designs is a unique design, a dual-mode underdrive, as they call it, which simply means the pedal drives from the guitar, NOT driving the amp. Very cool and transparent, adding full body to your signal, as well as being able to get a good amount of crunch. The knobs are unique as well: the left is the...
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We’ve got another VIDEO review for you today, and this PAIR of pedals comes to us from Russia, courtesy of Barkin Effects. Their featured pedals are the extremly unique Vibrofon and the wicked-heavy Nitro Fuzz. Look out for these two pedals, they are DIRTY and AWESOME. The video features demos for both… Click ‘PLAY’ and enjoy the show! Submitted by the guys from Barkin Effect,...
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The Jurassic Fuzz Deluxe is a hand built and hand painted tiny silicon transistor fuzz pedal. This is a vintage style fuzz pedal that uses a pair of high gain BC109 Transistors. It is much smoother and has longer sustain that its one knob little brother. You just use your volume knob to go from clean to full on saturated fuzz. It is a beautiful little enclosure as well, with point-to-point hand wiring and is hand-painted as well....
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For musicians who love their guitar and amp’s tone. The Pharaoh pedal, while its roots and DNA are classic fuzz, has a few twists. The Black Arts Toneworks Pharaoh has a wide range of clipping and tonal options. From a cleanish boost, to a light OD, all the way to saturated fuzz. It sounds clear and natural, strong and bold. Your guitar sound isn’t high jacked, and your amp’s tone is not destroyed. The Pharaoh utilizes a dual tone...
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