From the Archer Ikon to the El Hombre to the Mr. Moto and beyond, the folks at J. Rockett Audio Designs keep finding ways to pack a whole lot of effect into a small enclosure. This wonderful trend continues today with the .45 Caliber Overdrive, a dirt pedal derived from the classic rhythm playing of Malcolm Young and the face-melting goodness of Pete Townshend. If you’re on the hunt for your next amp-in-a-box pedal, this might...
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Effects that come with a backstory, or some kind of accompanying literature, are always a hit here at Pedal of the Day (and elsewhere, we assume). Today’s pedal has a bit of mystical mystery to it, as well as sounding absolutely incredible. The Tulpa FX Tsathoggua Overdrive is rooted in dangerous adventure, but brings all the tone and power to back it up… In certain circles, Tsathoggua (also known as The Sleeper of...
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We’ve always been impressed with the modulation and delay effects that Pigtronix has put out into the world, but today we’re looking at a pedal that heads into a different sort of direction. The Star Eater Analog Jumbo Fuzz blends legendary old-school fuzz sounds with modern tone-shaping versatility, for an interesting and intriguing take on the genre. With simple controls and a wide range of tones, this one was fun to...
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Amp emulator pedals are always a delicate topic of conversation amongst guitar players, and while some of these pedals can be hit or miss, the three we’re checking out today from Universal Audio are completely legit, and more. Drawing inspiration from three classic amps first released many decades ago, the Dream ’65, Ruby ’63 and Woodrow ’55 allow you to easily lose yourself in vintage tone, and save your back...
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It’s always an exciting time when the folks at Death By Audio create a new pedal, and we’re honored to be a part of today’s new release. The Space Bender Chorus Modulator replicates and warps your signal into beautiful and organic transmissions from a dimension somewhere beyond linear time. Under the hood lies an array of dynamically modulated delay lines allowing you to craft subtle vintage sci-fi sounds, bending...
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It’s been a minute since we had a pedal from Cusack Music in the shop, but today’s effect from their lineup comes absolutely roaring back into action. The Meta Plexi Distortion Boost, as the name might suggest, follows in the footsteps of a certain hallowed, classic amplifier preamp, instantly transforming your tone and sending you back to classic rock and metal heydays gone past. Plug in, crank up, annoy neighbors, melt...
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I’ve always been a fan of compressors – I know, it’s a love/hate relationship with a lot of players out there, but they’ve always seemed warm and useful in the majority of pedalboard builds I’ve done. Now, what if you take an incredible compressor and add in a parallel gain stage, fo an incredible 2-in-1 unit? That’s precisely what the folks at Collaboration Devices have done with the aptly named...
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For those of us that really dig the vintage Uni-Vibe sound, but can’t afford to buy (or repair) an original unit, we all probably have a favorite pedal or two that gets that sound done really well. But, did you ever wish that it had something MORE, like maybe, I dunno…REVERB? The brand new J.Rockett Audio Designs Uni-Verb Chorus Vibrato Reverb takes these two gorgeous effects and smashes them into one reasonably-sized...
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You know who you are. You get a new fuzz pedal, turn the fuzz up all the way, set the tone, and never touch the knobs again. If you fall squarely into this camp, then you’ll love today’s pedal, The Big Mistake Fuzz from our friends at Discomfort Designs. There’s even less to do with this one, though, as it features one lone knob and nothing else, letting you produce blistering fuzz tones instantly… The Big...
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We’re honored to be a part of the story for today’s pedal, a special limited edition effect whose proceeds are helping those in need during the current horrible invasion of Ukraine. Rare Buzz Effects has taken their Snitch Distortion and re-branded it with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, as well as Ukrainian text for the control knobs. This is the Cyborg Ukrainian Distortion, folks… A little backstory: Cyborgs are...
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Since the Femtaur Boost Overdrive arrived here at the shop 3 years ago, we’ve had the pleasure of getting to check out a bunch of effects from Kink Guitar Pedals, located in Cranbourne, Australia. Each has been unique and exciting, but with a cohesiveness to the brand that makes them all work well as a group. Today, we’re taking a look at our 5th Kink pedal, the Atomic Spaghetti Overdrive Tremolo, which is exactly as fun...
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From the Zero Hybrid Amp to the Black Sun and Stone Age effects, we love the gear coming from the Thermion camp. Each piece is so unique and well thought out, not to mention adding a myriad of tonal choices to any rig. Today, we’re taking a look at their Gasoline Distortion Preamp, which combines classic rock, crunchy amps and a bit of heavy metal into a savory auditory stew… Gasoline is the tool that will make you set...
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The Love Machine Octave Fuzz from All-Pedal has been one of the funnest pedals we’ve tried this year, and we couldn’t wait to test out some more gear from these guys. Today, we’re bringing you the Macrodose Envelope Filter, a powerful and options-laden creation that brings the funk and expands your consciousness. Get ready for an adventure, here we go…. Created in collaboration with Brian Marshall of Subdecay,...
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We’ve been in the Kink Guitar Pedals camp since we first took their Femtaur Boost Overdrive for a spin back in 2019, and we haven’t looked back. Today’s pedal from Melbourne, Australia, the Dozer Fuzz, uses a deceivingly simple set of controls to create a HUGE wave of fuzzy tone, working with multiple instruments and crushing everything in its path. It’s about to get doomy in here, prepare yourself… The...
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The looks and sounds produced by vintage Maestro effects units have wowed musicians for decades – the Fuzz-Tone, Phase Shifter, Echoplex and more set the sonic bar high long ago. With those older effects being rare, expensive and full of maintenance, Gibson and Maestro have teamed up to release the ‘Original Collection’ of pedals, 5 different effects that lay the foundation for any rig or recording setup. Today, we’re going to look at...
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Aesthetics are a part of how we all choose pedals, let’s face it. While everyone’s tastes are certainly different, something that POPS out to us individually can sometimes sway our gear choices, which brings us to today’s featured effect. The All-Pedal Love Machine Octave Fuzz doesn’t just look incredible, it also sounds that way, so let’s dive right in and see what’s in store… As soon as you...
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We LOVE a good reverb sound, whether subtle or pronounced, slight or bold, rockin’ or ambient. It’s not often, though, that a device comes through here that actually has SPRINGS in the reverb, and that’s one of the many reasons we’re stoked to bring you the Surfy Industries SurfyBear Compact Reverb Unit. This true spring reverb has a wonderful control section, authentic sound and a stylish, well-built...
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A few months back, we reviewed and demoed the NUX Tape Core Deluxe, an excellent vintage tape echo machine, with a ton of features packed into a small pedal. Well, NUX decided that they wanted to give us all more of that classic flavor, so we present to you the NDD-7 Tape Echo. A tribute to the Japanese-made Space Echo from 1974, offers all the essential components from the old machines, plus some modern features, for an incredible...
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The looks and sounds produced by vintage Maestro effects units have wowed musicians for decades – the Fuzz-Tone, Phase Shifter, Echoplex and more set the sonic bar high long ago. With those older effects being rare, expensive and full of maintenance, Gibson and Maestro have teamed up to release the ‘Original Collection’ of pedals, 5 different effects that lay the foundation for any rig or recording setup. Today,...
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When the first iteration of Walrus Audio’s MAKO Series: D1 High-Fidelity Stereo Delay was released, we couldn’t get our hands on one fast enough. A brilliant, feature-packed machine filled with everything you could want in a delay, we didn’t think they could improve upon it, or would need to. Well, we were wrong, and are excited to bring you the latest Version 2 of this powerhouse pedal today. The meat and potatoes...
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We’ve been reviewing effects and amp pedals from our friends at Orange Amps for a number of years now, and are always excited to see what they’ve got in store for their next release. We’ve got the latest from them for you today, in the form of the Guitar Butler Dual Channel Guitar Preamp. This monster has been tailored to provide comprehensive, exceptional service to your signal chain, as a standalone unit or as part...
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We love a good tremolo pedal, especially one that’s rooted in both musical history and cultural heritage. That’s why we’re excited today to bring you the NativeAudio Rising Sun V2 Optical Tremolo, a vintage-sounding modulation monster that expands on the technology found in vintage amplifiers. With an intuitive interface, incredible sounds and a great story to go with it, there’s a lot to get into here, so...
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If you are looking for out-of-the-ordinary, mind-blowing, noise-creating machines, you should look no further than ezhi&aka. Made in extremely small batches and pretty hard to obtain, we’ve only had our grubby mitts on one other pedal of theirs, the Moomindrone T Drone Delay, until today. Let’s take a look at the Polarized Flutter Lofi Tapestop, a hard-to-define machine that utilizes a pad you “play” with...
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The pedals we’ve had the pleasure of checking out from Mozztronics have all been incredible, especially their Amp-In-A-Box lineup. Today’s effect continues in that realm, bringing you classic and hard rock sounds, and THAT tone you’ve been chasing since you picked up a guitar. The MS-1 Mehrschall will push your amp, your imagination and the limits of all things sonic and beautiful… Mehrschall is german for...
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Richard Fortus St. Louis Guns N’ Roses https://www.4tus.com/ https://www.gunsnroses.com/ Past bands – Pale Divine, Psychedelic Furs, Love Spit Love, Thin Lizzy, Honky Toast, Rihanna How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? Started on violin when I was 5 and studied the Suzuki method. Also started playing drums around the same time. Started on guitar around 12. My father was an accountant,...
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THE RAT. Few distortion pedals have as much instant recognizability, despite (usually) just bearing the colors Black & White. There are many iterations of this classic effect, but how could you possibly collect them all without breaking the bank? Well, as usual, JHS Pedals comes to the rescue, in the form of the PackRat Distortion. Taking different RAT circuits from the last 4 decades, from different manufacturers, this pedal...
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The sound of a vintage tape delay is one that has been heard on countless recordings over the last 5+ decades, and is sought-after by musicians the world over. Today’s pedal, the NUX Tape Core Deluxe Tape Echo Delay, brings us this particular delay sound, in compact form, with a slew of sonic options to choose from. Boasting 7 repro tape head combinations, plus a Sound-on-Sound feature, there’s plenty to explore with this...
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The effects coming from our Norwegian friends at Fjord Fuzz focus on, well, FUZZ, of course, but each unit has its own unique set of skills. After the BJØRN, BIFROST and ODIN V2, we didn’t know what to expect from today’s fuzz-filled pedal. Well, the BERSERK Fuzz (unsurprisingly) delivers once again, combining two vintage fuzz circuits with some modern updates, for a powerful and wide-ranging wall of fuzz… Taking...
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The fabulous crew at Free The Tone have been supporting Pedal of the Day for years, and we’re always excited when they send us new gear to review and demo. Today is no exception, except that there are TWO new effects we’re bringing to you, instead of just one. The SG-1C Silky Groove Compressor + CC-1B Crunchy Chime Booster are both excellent additions to the beginning of any pedalboard, providing enhanced, equalization and...
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The Univibe has produced a unique and classic sound for 5 decades now, and while the original units are expensive and require a lot of maintenance, we’re lucky enough to know some folks who build killer modern versions. The one we’ve got for you today is the RFO Electronics Real Vibe Chorus Vibrato, a great-looking and gorgeous-sounding vibrato and chorus pedal that gives you all the goods from the vintage units, and more....
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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Well, almost, but it’s close enough, right? Today’s spooky, end-of-October-themed pedal comes in the form of a vintage circuit, modernized for today’s differing climates. The Vaderin Pedals HP-X Harmonic Percolator takes after the original unit from Interfax, but with a couple differences to ensure years, maybe decades, of wonderful, fuzzy playability… The HP-X has been designed to capture the...
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When a dirt pedal can do more than one thing, that’s never a bad option. Today’s pedal, Berch Audio’s The Golden Axe, combines aspects of Fuzz, Overdrive and Boost into one medieval enclosure, sparking ancient imagery and conjuring up vintage tones with a quickness. The wide-ranging control panel ensures you’ll be able to get virtually any dirty sounds you want out of this beauty… The Golden Axe features...
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We continue forward with our Flamma Friday series, shifting once again in the realm of the Dirt Pedal. The Flamma Innovation FC07 Drive is a simple overdrive pedal, one that seeks to reproduce precise tones from classic tube overdriven amplifiers. With two separate modes and three simple controls, this one is a no-brainer to pump up your rig… As with many overdrives, the FC07 Drive features Volume, Tone and Overdrive parameters,...
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It seems like there’ve been a bunch of chorus and vibrato sounds coming through the office as of late, and more are actually on the way. Smack dab in the middle, we’ve got today’s gorgeous Univibe-esque piece of gear, the R WEAVER FX Violet Vibe Chorus Vibrato. Harkening instantly back to the late 60’s/early 70’s, this purple beauty oozes classic and vintage tones, with specs that honor the original...
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We eagerly await each new release from our pals at Strymon, as many of you do, and their latest is an absolute mindbender. The Zelzah Multidimensional Phaser, aside from having a wicked rad name, is a modulation pedal like no other. Focusing on phasing, it also sports elements of chorus, vibrato, flanger and tremolo, all while sweeping an enormous range of phaser tones, modern and vintage. Grab your headphones and strap in,...
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Welcome to our first installment of Flamma Fridays! For the next 8+ weeks, we’re going to showcase a different pedal from Flamma Innovation every Friday, running through their Mini FC Series lineup, as well as a couple from the classic FS Series. First up, the FC03 Delay, the first in this wonderful collection of small pedal, designed to fit anywhere without sacrificing any tonal quality. Mini pedals can sometimes lack in...
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Last year, we got our hands on a BloodBuzz Fuzz Overdrive from Eastwood Guitars and Valco FX. It was a BIG, mammoth of a pedal, with killer tones and a ton of options. The second offering from Valco FX comes your way today, in the form of the KGB Fuzz. This smaller (but still bigger than most) effects unit is a multi-function, tone-sculpting machine, with all the switches, knobs and sliders you’ll need to produce some incredible...
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Today we’re continuing down the path of Dual Enlightenment, thanks to the wonderful DCP Dual Series from our friends at Caline. The DCP-08 Nightwolf Overdrive Fuzz combines two of our favorite effects into one box, perfect for adding a bit of tone-shaping or completely annihilating your clean sound. These two classic effects make for a great team, let’s check out some more details! The Left side of the Nightwolf is a...
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Only one knob on today’s pedal, you say? How boring… Well, sometimes, that’s all you need to make a bold and loud musical statement. We’re taking a look at the Animals Pedal Dawn Ocean Meditation Boost, a clean booster that reproduces numerous vintage tones and powerful, classic style boosting to your signal… A collaboration with Matthew Holl from Wren and Cuff, the Dawn Ocean raises your...
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There are, apparently, still musicians out there who dislike the Phaser effect. Now, while we can’t necessarily understand why, it doesn’t stop us from bringing you all the best phaser pedals we can find, and we’ve got another new one today. The Mojo Hand FX Mister-O Phase Shifter is a modern recreation of a classic, the Maestro Phase Shifter, first released in the early 1970’s. With vintage tones and some...
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Many moons ago, we had the pleasure of sitting down and exploring the wonderful Gurus Amps Echosex2 Echo Delay. Reimagining the famous Binson Echorec, and with a real 12AX7B tube inside, this delay was quite a stellar piece of gear. Then, a while back, Gurus teamed up with FoxGear and began creating a line of smaller, more affordable pedals. The first of these that we’re going to check out is the EchoSex Baby, a small version of...
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We’ve got a real treat for you all today, one of the most anticipated and highly-hyped effects pedals of the year…maybe the decade. A collaboration between Boss and Sola Sound, the TB-2W Waza Craft Tone Bender is a fuzz pedal that brings vintage tone into the modern world. Based on the classic Tone Bender MKII, the TB-2W has been painstakingly scrutinized and researched, to bring you possibly the finest Tone Bender...
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Much like the Boost pedals we were talking about in the other day’s review, there are certain pedals that you sometimes don’t even know you need. Today’s pedal is one of those, hands down, and it’s hard to even describe why. When a piece of gear works, sometimes it just works, without explanation. However, we’ll try our best to tell you about the 29 Pedals EUNA Elite UNity Amplifier…just be patient,...
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Analog Delay with Modulation – quite possibly the best four words in the effects pedal world. You know how we love our delays here, and today we are fortunate enough to bring you one of the best ever. The Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man Echo Chorus Vibrato is the fifth incarnation of the Memory Man Delay, which was first released in 1976. This version is from 1980, and boasts some features not available on previous models....
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We have loved every piece of gear we’ve come across from the Mu-Tron family, from the old 70’s Phasor all the way up through their newer line, like the Octavider+ and Micro-Tron. Today’s pedal is one we have been particularly excited about, as have many of you, patiently awaiting its release for a long time….the Bi-Phase II Phase Shifter takes Mu-Tron’s HUGE 70’s unit, makes some improvements,...
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The innovators at Source Audio are constantly pushing the sonic envelope, in terms of both sound effects and forward-thinking technology. We’ve got another wonderful pedal to check out from them today, a take on some classic, vintage tones with (as usual) some tricks up its auditory sleeves. The True Spring Reverb combines natural spring reverb sounds with a pulsing tremolo, making it a 2-in-1 effect that’s sure to conjure...
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We’ve all heard the classic Tone Bender Fuzz so many times, on so many timeless songs, whether we knew what it was or not. Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Mick Ronson, Pete Townshend…the list goes on of great guitarists who utilized this fuzzy effect. However, they are now rare and extremely expensive to obtain if you can find one, so many pedal companies have taken it upon themselves to re-create affordable (and updated) versions...
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We simply cannot get enough phaser around here, and when it comes from a vintage unit thats coveted by players across the world, that makes it even better. Today, we’re tasking a look at a simple but powerful phaser, one with a great history and even better tone: the Small Stone Phaser from Electro-Harmonix. While this particular iteration is a bit different, the Small Stone has been a go-to phaser pedal on many pedalboards for...
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The Simplifier Zero Watt Amp + CABSIM is a preamp, EQ, boost, overdrive, cabinet simulator and more wrapped into one tidy little package. The crews at DSM Noisemaker and Humboldt Electronics have created a machine which allows you to integrate your pedalboard adding full stereo routing directly to a PA System, Amps, Audio Interfaces or anything you need with its 4 simultaneous outputs (2 x XLR, 2 x 1/4 bypass-able outs), stereo...
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We love the weird and quirky when it comes to effects pedals around here, and we’ve got a wild one for you today (Happy Valentine’s Day, too, kids). The Way Huge Atreides Analog Weirding Module sounds about as eclectic as its name, making noises and tones that will shock and awe you instantly. Aimed directly at the heart of the sun, for all the experimenters out there, this is one you’ll want to keep playing again...
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