2021 November Pedal-Chain Update - Episode XI, Penultimate Shuffle

So 2 highly versatile Overdrives from the wishlist backlog - where obviously the Condor is much more than an overdrive - but that is how I will principally be using it! The Heisenberg is something of an acquired taste as I explained in that review - where the NPN Transistor Fuzz Flavour is my favourite voicing - while for this early edition Molecular Junction device, the output is always going to be somewhat glassy :

• Chase Bliss Audio Condor Analog EQ / PreAmp / Filter
• Dr Scientist Heisenberg Molecular Overdrive

2 fantastic Fuzzes - the FZ-1W really is the perfect Silicon Fuzz Face - with a huge range available via 4 controls. The Hizumitas is one of my favourite Big Muff types - its unique Tone Stack makes it really stand out. For sure two of my favourite fuzzes this year.

• Boss FZ-1W Fuzz
• EQD Hizumatis Fuzz Sustainar (Elk BM Sustainar / Super Fuzz Sustainar)

3 of these went right into the chain - as you can see from the top visual - all those are favourites for the year - as is Joseph Demiurge's Brainbox Dual 250 Channel Distortion - a smart compact replica of the discontinued EQD Grey Channel  BB-sized pedal. Exactly the same features and it sounds immense. I will be updating my DOD 250 Distortions article - per the above visual - where I now have 5 of those extended-featured 250-types, while I'm still yet to acquire an original. Grey box prices are frankly ridiculous - I'm trying to get one of the earliest Yellow Box 250 varieties which had identical circuits to the greys!

• Demiurge Brainbox Dual 250 Channel Distortion (Compact EQD Grey Channel Clone)
• Electronic Audio Experiments Dagger Opamp Distortion
• JHS PackRat 9-Circuit Rat Fuzz/Distortion
• Kuro Custom Audio Exegol

A good mix of modulations here - obviously the big story for the month is Steve Demedash's superb T-60 Analog Modulator. I also finally got around to getting the MXR Phase 99 - which I had been intending to do for a while - this being the year of the Phaser it made sense to have it within my overview selection - alongside the newcomer Deep Phase Mini.

Joseph Maxwell also sent me his brand new Professor Quackers Auto-Wath / Envelope Filter pedal - with those 5 rather smart controls - really cool quacky sounding filter - with a lot of warmth actually. Controls are Release, Attack, Level and Blend, with a Normal / Pushed toggle switch - which is where I prefer to live. Obviously Normal is more subtle - and indeed the moniker is highly apt here, while I don't find the artwork quite as charming as the Doomy O. The Professor Quackers is a highly responsive and elegant auto-wah - while not quite up to the spec of my two existing favourites - the Flower Pedals Hosta, and Dr Scientist Dusk which have rather a wider remit.

• Demedash Effects T-60 Analog Chorus/Flanger/Vibrato
• Demiurge Professor Quackers Envelope Filter / Auto-Wah
• MXR Deep Phase Mini Phaser
• MXR Phase 99 Stereo Phaser

So I was lucky to get one of the 170 Satellite Cards that Tom Majeski released after he folded Cooper FX. I had been aware of this DigiTech XP-300 Space Station inspired card since Tom told me around Easter - in fact he promised to send me one along with the limited edition Ambient Endeavors card. However, and what with the move etc. it must have slipped his mind as I had to jump on this like everybody else. Shame on those scalpers again who are selling these for around £500 equivalent when they only cost $50 at release. So I will be doing a feature article soon here the above image - referencing the demos and the 8 particular algorithms Tom went for on this occasion. Note that there does seem to be some discrepancy between settings onscreen and those mentioned in the manual! My notes are per actual use!

As mentioned - a relatively slow month, but 10 changeovers nonetheless - to slots number #4, #5, #12, #20, #21, #23, #24, #26, #27 and #33. Mostly newly arrived pedals featured this month - the 2 Blackhawks that came in earlier but I hadn't covered yet, and the Kuro Custom Audio Exegol - which I'm just teasinng here - demo video should be ready finally sometime this week!

Highlights of the month were the new Boss Fuzz, JHS Packrat, EQD Hizumitas, and Demedash T-60 - while all are worthy and quality candidates here - while some will inevitably get longer innings / rotations than others. I feel the Exegol and and T-60 will stay on for quite some time - while the Exegol will likely move to slot #20, and the Blackhawk Sauron come back in on #26.

I've already done my Class of 2021 arrangement - or version thereof - while there are a couple of slots I'm still deliberating on - as always it's very tight deciding on which was the overall favourite for the year on each of those slots!

As mentioned in the Modulations overview - the Demiurge Professor Quackers arrived during November and went in on slot #4, and has stayed there for now - really elegant controls were you control the onset / attack, decay / release, level and blend. There's a toggle at the centre which I believe kicks in a transistor or similar for extra mid-range punch. This is a lovely warm, suitably quacky auto-wah filter - with a lot of delicacy and nuance. It doesn't do as much as my Flower Pedals Hosta which is the mainstay on this slot - or the Dr Scientist Dusk - which is the understudy - while it's a great sounding pedal of this type - very simple and elegant, and smartly calibrated - and of course at a great price. I don't find the artwork here anywhere near as endearing as the cutesy Doomy O))) - but there is no doubting the pedal's output credentials! No demo currently alas!

It was great to be part of the FZ-1W launch - which I dare say I prefer even to the formidable TB-2W. The FZ-1W really is that perfect Silicon Fuzz Face - straddling both Type II and Type III varieties or say BC108/9 and later warmer and more Germanium-like BC183. The FZ-1W can get incredibly rich and warm - with good cleanup and great dynamics. And the Modern Mode then gives it more Midrange Punch and sustain - to really cut through in a band mix. This Fuzz is incredibly shapable and very well behaved - and quite different in tone and timbre to the FZ-3 - which is biased quite differently and has much more of a Tone Bender II sharpness about it!

I didn't think that the Fjord Fuzz Embla was going to be switched out quite that quickly - while John Snyder's Dagger Opamp Distortion definitely deserves a rotation or two. The Low EQ is particularly important here in the gain breakup generation - and for the Shift switch set to Thick - you get something in the range of a Rat style Fuzzy Distortion - but not that exact character, while in the Tight mode it overlaps more with an OCD. Obviously the 2-Band EQ makes it more versatile than either of those and it's not meant to be a replacement in those areas really - those are just the nearest similarities for frame of reference. Beautifully textured pedal - with plenty of Range!

A long-term target here for sure - which I wasn't sure I was ever going to find in the right combination of price and condition. While reader / friend David G - offered me up his for a price that I could not really refuse. This is an incredibly versatile pedal and quite distinct in its texture and tonality. The very first device using Molecular Junctions in place of conventional diodes - to break up the signal. Here you get a smoother and glassier output - with not quite the richness of artefacts that those Mojo Diodes can create. Nonetheless texturally very interesting, and well worth having in the reference collection!

The JHS PackRat 9-Circuit Rat Distortion has been a very evident runaway success - not really much more to say - it's a magnificent technical achievement and execution. And all those flavours sound pretty authentic to me - it's the LA Metal flavour that's my current favourite - while there is an embarrassment of riches really with all circuits sounding pretty great - and each sufficiently different!

Blackhawk's Valhalla V3 Deluxe Fuzz is another great extended-range Silicon Fuzz Face - with a clever Mids bypass on a second footswitch. I think it needs just a touch more volume - which is often the case with Fuzz Face circuits - other than that everything is up to expectation an it sounds fantastic - richly textured and full-frequency!

Blackhawk's Mithrandir Octave Fuzz is a smart evolution of a Super Fuzz - where the initial inspiration was not to do a Boss FZ-2 variant - which Brooks always felt was a little harsh and strident. So instead we have a more mellifluous Super Fuzz with Clean and Octave Blend - and where the Octave can be switched out via second footswitch. As I noted in the review - you need to be careful how you set the Octave Blend as if much above mid-way you can get fairly significant volume-drop. I feel this variety could also have done with a little output volume - as I have Volume maxed out on both the Valhalla and Mitrhandir. When dimed it sounds about right - it doesn't quite go to 11 though! I would quite like just a touch more. D note that there don't seem to be any YouTube demos of the Mithrandir currently.

I'm just teasing this Kuro Custom Audio Exegol here - Giulio Favaro's superb take on the xxxx xxxx xxxxxx xxx. Full review coming as soon as demo is finally ready - this is just an immense sounding and incredibly lively pedal - with astounding dynamics and feel - and of course a huge range of tones! More will be revealed imminently!

This is my first Elk BM Sustainar variant of Muff - and boy do I love it! - a very distinct flavour of Muff - with a really cool balance of sustained High and Low frequencies. I so like this that I'm definitely getting Wren and Cuff's White Elk too - would want one of these with some additional EQ controls to get even more out of the circuit - possibly a mids control and bass / low mids boost would do it - as there's plenty of Treble available throughout!

I totally love the T-60 too - particularly the warbly modulations it's capable of  - I just love that slightly random movement - works incredibly well with the Boss SY-200 too - makes that sound analog! I didn't get on particularly well with the Stereo output which felt a touch underpowered on some settings - for Mono output though this is just magnificent - and a perfect mix of classic and otherworldly Chorus, Vibrato, Flanging and Step-like Filtering!