29 Pedals new FLWR Gain-Staging Overdrive is their most accessible Pedal to date and also delivers cool Distortion and Fuzz flavours
Hitherto Jesse Honig’s 29 Pedals is best known for its exceptionally smart EUNA and OAMP Tone Enhancing Buffer style pedals which both come with the really smart ’Whatever’ power circuit which can handle any input Voltage from 7.5 to 35V - both AC and DC.
The Whatever power circuit is also onboard the FLWR - which is even more pedalboard-friendly than it looks - as it is only 90 x 85 x 52 mm in size - which is significantly smaller than say Strymon’s mid-size boxes which are at 114 x 102 x 44 mm. Where I would probably switch the FLWR in - in place of my Riverside - which overall has a similar function for my rig.
The Riverside comes with 3-band EQ and a couple of switches, while much of the EQ / Output Shaping of the FLWR is handled by 3 x 3-way toggle switches - which control the 1st Gain Stage, while the mini Gain knob controls the 2nd Stage Gain, and we have a master output Level mini knob too. My only quibble with this pedal being that there are no white indicator lines on those knobs - meaning I would need to paint in my own! I’m also surprised no one does any cool metal knob toppers for those Mini knobs yet - surely it’s about time we had some of those! In any case you have 27 variations across the different switches. Where Jesse recommends you start on 3-B-0 - or Flat Minimal Low Gain with No Clipping!
Controls - 2nd Stage Gain, Output Level, Shape : 3 Min Gain / 2 Max Gain / 1 Low-Pass Filtered Max Gain, C Bright Medium Gain / B Flat Low Gain / A Shaped High Gain, Clip : 1st Pair / 0 No Clipping / 2nd Pair.
Note that default Clipping Pairs are 6 x 1N4148 as Pair 1, and 4 x Schottky diodes + 2 x LED for Pair 2. The clipping is entirely customisable via a switchable sub-assembly Module which clips into the circuit - such that you can have several different ones that you alternate. The above picture is the default Clipping Module in all the current pedals - there will be further Modules available at a later stage - some will be collaborations with other notable pedal-builders, and there will be a blank one even for you to customise yourself.
Jesse states that the default Clipping Pair are relatively subtle in their clipping profiles - later versions of Clipping Module will undoubtedly be more aggressive and starkly different.
The circuit's Output range here spans to an immense +45dB which can massively drive the front of your amp. And depending on what combination you set your switches on - you can also achieve some great Distortion flavours - even touching on Fuzz.
The EUNA and OAMP have already sold bucketloads, while I feel the much more pedalboard-friendly FLWR will sell even more. For many people I believe the size of EUNA and OAMP mean that many find them challenging to accommodate in their rigs - it's certainly the case for mine. While the FLWR should slot in with the minimum of hassle.
Jesse definitely has set his own aesthetic here - which is very much sort of based on utilitarian industrial design while being quite smart and somewhat retro-modern. It's really quite distinct now and very much a signature look for the brand. Interestingly the FLWR appears to be a somewhat similar shade to 'Hospital Green'!
I've always liked pedals which have a simple / structured switching approach to tone shaping versus scanning various fully-granular dials - like looking for an output sweet-spot being similar to tuning in and seeking out your favourite radio stations on a wireless. So there are certain pros in usability for this particular more on-rails approach.
The FLWR is @ $269.99 and available right now from the 29 Pedals / Believable Audio Webstore. Also available in the UK via Andertons - for £285. So my comparison with the Strymon Riverside was a reasonable premise across several similar criteria!
I really like the look of this one and am definitely considering adding it to the roster - it will probably require some negotiation - so I am not sure how quickly this will happen. I certainly have a slot for it - where I would switch in / alternate with the Strymon Riverside that I've used for so long in a similar core Multi-Gain-Stage role.
How about you dear readers - who among you are considering adding a FLWR?
Demos
