2022 June Pedal-Chain Update - Episode VI - Thorpy Milspec Precision

So for the month of June we have 10 new pedals in the collection, including of course the ThorpyFX Scarlet Tunic Analog Amp Emulator, and Deep Oggin Analog Chorus. I also picked up my long-awaited King Tone Duellist, 20th Basic Audio Kay Octave Fuzz, and the Reeves Zo Zonk finally landed!

A pretty cool month all-told - and particularly heavy on Modulation and Modulated effects!

2 new favourites for sure and both superbly versatile - and destined for legendary status! :

• King Tone The Duellist 2022 Silver Edition
• ThorpyFX Scarlet Tunic Analog Amp Emulator

I've really not had too much time with these - in fact I've still to play the Basic Audio Kay and SGFX BC183 MKII - so they will likely feature more strongly next month! I did get to have a proper session with the Zo though - which is superb really - another Markus Reeves classic! :

• Basic Audio Kay Octave Fuzz
• Reeves Electro Zo Silicon Zonk II
• SolidGoldFX If 6 Was 9 BC183 MKII

And so June has become largely about these Modulation types - 3 of which are straight on the board - Zzombee, Screen Violence, and Deep Oggin of course. I had a fair session with the Glowfly Retroflect too, while I've still to really put the Futura through its paces :

• Beetronics Zzombee Filtremulator Analog Multi-FX
• Glowfly Effects Retroflect Lo-Fi Tape Style Modulator
• OBNE + Chvrches Screen Violence Stereo Saturated Modulated Reverb
• Paradox Futura Multiparametric Envelope Chorus
• ThorpyFX Deep Oggin Analog Chorus

Obviously June is Thorpy Month - and all 14 of my Thorpy's are in the mix. Where there are actually just 4 properly new pedals in the chain - 5 if you include the Deep Oggin. Slots #4, #5. #8. #9, #10, #11, #12, #15, #19, #20, #21, #23, #24, #27, #30, #31, #32, and #34 are all impacted - or 18 of 41 slots have been impacted.

This is not the first time I've done a Thorpy theme - while there are significantly more pedals in the collection this time around. I will continue to do specifically themed months at major release junctures - depending of course on how serendipitously they might impact the chain. Of course I need to be have suitable numbers in order to achieve such aims - which does limit the rollout a touch. For sure I now have 20 Basic Audio pedals - but they're all fuzzes! Which means they can only impact gain pedal slots - possibly Spaceman might be next!

Still early days on the Beetronics Zzombee Filtremulator Analog Multi-FX - it's only just fairly recently pitched up, and its fair to say I've not fully got to grips with it - but it's impressing me so far!

Of course the star of the recent Multi-Bender rundown - the ThorpyFX Boneyard Germanium Multi-Bender Fuzz truly is a thing of wonder - so congrats to all who got their hands on one. I fully understand that Germanium fuzzes don't always have universal appeal and some don't like their temperature sensitive temperament - while for me that's all part of the fun!

A near permanent feature in the chain - the ThorpyFX Heavy Water Dual High Headroom Boost still continued to do the business for me - just a superb 3-in-1 texturizer - which really enhances the core tone and texture of the chain.

Probably already my favourite ThorpyFX Overdrive - the Scarlet Tunic Analog Amp Emulator's impact is pretty much instant - just really phenomenally dynamic and easy to dial in - a truly fantastic and versatile Preamp / Overdrive.

My former favourite ThorpyFX Overdrive - the Peacekeeper Low Gain Overdrive still has a fixed place in the chain - it's slightly tricker to dial in that the Scarlet Tunic - but can yield similarly rewarding results for all low-gain applications. I mostly used it as a Soft Klone - which it really excels itself at!

Thorpy's supreme Utility Pedal - the Team Medic Buffer, EQ, Boost and Boost+ is best at carving out particularly frequency clusters, and being deployed as a tone-enhancer - while it's a decent and articulate overdrive on its own too!

Thorpy's take on the Rat format - the Warthog Distortion takes you into uncharted territory for that type - just a much greater range, where the Calibre dial really helps you fine-tune the pedal's nuances. This is a superbly versatile overdrive / distortion with all manner of uses. Lots use this as an all-rounder Overdrive / Distortion pedal.

I had kind of wanted one of these for a while - King Tone The Duellist 2022 Silver Edition - where the new 2022 editions with all those external options made this finally a must-have for me. I've had it for a while now - but have mostly had Covid for that period too!

My very first Thorpy acquisition - the Fallout Cloud Triangle Muff Fuzz is still one of the very best of that type. Coincidentally Triangle is my favourite variety of Muff and I have a number of favourites in that area.

Thorpy totally nails the classic Veteran Fuzz Face plus RangeMaster Boost formula - exactly the right number and variety of controls for maximum impact!

The ThorpyFX Field Marshal Big Cheese Fuzz is probably his most versatile fuzz to-date - incredible range on every one of its dials, and it makes the JHS Cheese Ball sound very ordinary indeed!

My only disagreement with Thorpy to date is that for me his Gunshot Overdrive is more Plexi than JCM800, where officially Gunshot is JCM800 and The Bunker the Plexi variety. Generally the Gunshot has more gain overall, but also goes softer and warmer than the Bunker which for me is slightly sharper. Together they give you every Marshall flavour you would need - with a degree of overlap. Would be interesting to here if you use your Gunshot more as a Plexi of JCM800 type - and what you then do with The Bunker!

The Bunker JCM800 Intermodulation Distortion, based on the Lovetone Brown Source - presumably 'Brown Sound' variant - which was actually designed to go into already driven amp. For those purposes you would somewhat temper the output of The Bunker, while for us pedal platform guys - we go in clean and hard - and to my ears this comes off more as a JCM800 with that mode of use. A fantastic companion pedal to the Gunshot - which I still very slightly prefer owing to its greater range.

I don't really need an excuse to bing back in one of my favourite high gain pedals - Redbeard Effects' Red Mist MKIV Orange Distortion - indeed another Thorpy-made classic!

I've often said it - the ThorpyFX Camoflange Analog Flanger is the very best Vintage style Flanger you can get - it just has that magic sparkle!

Thorpy's Pulse Doppler Analog Phaser / Vibrato / Tremolo beautifully completes his analog modulation trifecta - each of these is stunningly textured and versatile, and the Pulse Doppler is uniquely capable as an Analog Phaser - and can take you into unusual territories like no other!

Thorpy's Deep Oggin Analog Chorus is best described as effortless elegance - a really pristine vintage style chorus which is incredibly easy to dial in.

Another very recent arrival - the OBNE + Chvrches Screen Violence Stereo Saturated Modulated Reverb is a perfect Shoegazer stye pedal for me, and all the better for being Stereo. While I've not had too much time to explore it yet - it promises great things though!