EarthQuaker Devices rolls out its own line of handy utility pedals - buffer, splitter, a/b, a/b/y, and flexi loops
So in a move that is slightly reminiscent of OBNE, EarthQuaker Devices has rolled out its own utility pedals line - mostly small in stature with simple yet useful topologies.
I typically like for my buffer to be foot-switchable, but don’t mind that the Buffer/Preamp here is an always-on type. The 2-way Buffer Splitter is another handy always-on utility - before we come to the 3 switchable ones. A cool mini powered A/B box and larger passive ABY variety. And then the dearest one of the bunch...
9 Favourite Jackson Audio Compact Pedals Capsule Collection
Considering my well documented fallout with this brand - this is a slightly odd article for me. I might not get along with said brand name head honcho - but Jackson Audio still make some very decent pedals. They’re not necessarily always the best sounding overall, but in terms of their format innovation, build quality, feature set and usability they’re still a formidable force.
Pedal industry relationships are always complex - as they don’t just involve the builders, but distributors and ...
The Heavy Water serves beautifully as a superb always-on Tone-Enhancer which delivers exceptional added harmonics and texture
While there will be one more Heavy Water feature on the final Monday of this month, that will be more of a roundup and last-minute reminder. So this is the last therefore of the main feature articles.
Most of you will be familiar with the 29 Pedals EUNA Elite Unity Amplifier / Buffer - which combines a Buffer, Harmonics & EQ, High Headroom, and a very unique and potent Power Management circuitry. It’s core mission of course to make your effects chain sound better. The EUNA is a front-of...
Ground Control's UwU Virtual Pet Buffer is a unique multi-functional sort of Tamagotchi style Opamp Buffer with interactive features
There seems to be something of a trend now to incorporate interactive computer graphics into pedal displays - and this UwU Virtual Pet Buffer kind of takes it a step further than most.
It’s obviously part novelty device - while it of course serves a proper core function. The thing is - the OLED screen is way too small to mean anything from a standing / floor-based stompbox position. So if you want to use the extra functions it really means deploying this in a table-top arrangement - as you ...
Boss harnesses the legendary RE-201 and CE-1 Preamps in a singularly impressive all-analog 3-in-1 BP-1W Waza Craft Booster/Preamp also with Clean Boost Mode and Dual Buffer options
One of the key elements to both the 1974 Roland RE-201 Space Echo, and 1976 Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble was their fabled preamps which were so instrumental in enhancing the output of those legendary devices. Here exactingly recreated in compact analog circuit format.
Boss’s engineers have done a superb job of fully capturing those two core characteristic preamps - with the RE-201 instantly Fat and Warming, while the CE-1 is Brighter and Chimier - and becomes grittier as you turn it up on ...
Jam Pedals unleashes its more refined and honed Boomster MK2 - Buffer, Booster and Volume Pedal
A really simple utility pedal here - but ever so useful and versatile - combining several tone-enhancing functions in an incredibly streamlined format.
At the root of this compact wonder is a hi-fi-grade Burr Brown OPA 2132 Chip which delivers ultimate fidelity across the Boomster’s 3 key function.
Controls - Level (up to +16dB of Boost), 3-way Range Switch : Up for Attenuating Highs / Middle for Flat Full-Range Response / and Down for a Mids Boost.
You further have :
- Selectable
2023 April Pedal-Chain Update - Episode IV - Future Past Perfect
So this was truly a full-throttle month - with so much activity this month and a really busy NAMM release schedule. We also had a couple of JHS Faux Hist this month - some real and some not so much.
The month saw my most popular article ever on Instagram - the Iconic Pickup one - with currently 17.6K likes - still growing as the number of followers surpassed 8,000. It’s been a really grad graft slowly making my way up that slope - but some of the recent Guitar Elements posts have really ...
Sitek Guitar Electronics' pristine Cristal Signal Buffer delivers superior tones equal to its refined looks
This is essentially the significantly re-engineered Nudist Buffer - with even greater high fidelity and signal preservation and an overall more refined experience.
Buffer’s are essential utilities for preserving higher frequencies in particular - which otherwise get diminished in an among your guitar and pedal cables. For every meter of cabling you will likely suffer an equivalent degree of signal loss - particularly in the upper register.
A buffer very much boosts the fidelity of your...
A Range Overview of Netherland's Finest Guitar Pedal Maker - GuitarSystems
I’ve actually known about GuitarSystems for a few years - since I first came across them on LoopersParadise.de I think it was. And I’m pretty sure I started on an article around that time, but obviously got distracted or something and the brand kind of slipped from my memory for a while. There’s so much ongoing activity happening in the world of pedals - that it’s quite impossible to keep tabs on everything - and so easy to overlook certain brands now and again. I’ve said before - that I ...
12 of the Best Evolved Tone Enhancer Pedals
Readers have been asking me to do this rundown for a while now - although in terms of like-for-like comparison there’s quite a broad basis for what an ’Evolved Tone Enhancer’ is.
Traditionally boosts have always been seen to be tone enhancers - while the new paradigm means that it’s more of a combination of several different ’enhancements’, just being an Echoplex or Space Echo style preamp / boost is no longer enough - so for the purposes of this article you typically need 3 separate ...
