Second Phase of Pedal Movie Tie-ins delivers somewhat Odd Assortment!

So Reverb.com has just announced which limited edition pedal collaborations go on sale today - Tuesday 23rd February - to further celebrate the imminent release of ’The Pedal Movie’. The first two pedals went on sale last November and sold out pretty instantaneously. 1000 of Chase Bliss Audio + Zvex collaboration Bliss Factory Fuzz, and 1000 of Death By Audio + EarthQuaker Devices collaboration Time Shadows Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator.

Both pedals were rather original concepts as such - new creations never before seen - albeit the Bliss Factory was heavily based on Zvex’s Fuzz Factory. I thought the whole point of this exercise was that these pedals were original collaborations between two idealogically complementary builders.

In fact such was the fevered demand for the Bliss Factory in particular - that Joel Korte eventually consented to doing a follow-up release of 1000 more, now in black colourway enclosure. That second batch will surely get snapped up near enough just as quick as the first. I’m glad I snagged an original silver one, but I would be just as happy about getting the black edition.

What we have next then are actually neither collaborations, nor exactly new pedals as such. With Walrus Audio on its own releasing an admittedly pretty cool and compact BB-enclosure combination pedal - which sits the Warhorn Overdrive next to the Ages 5-State Overdrive - and gives you either-way order toggle in addition.

Finally Jeorge Tripps’ Way Huge releases on tis own - simply new enclosure designs for two of its classic pedals - the Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz - here labelled as ’effect pedal’, while the Saucy Box Overdrive has been liveried and rendered as ’Beer Overdrive’.

I’m not a fan of ’limited edition’ pedals at the best of times - but surely this is just new money for old rope? And while I feel there is plenty of merit in the collaborative pedals here - I see little or no merit in most of what’s being released in the second batch.

I’m actually very glad to see more versions of the Bliss Factory as it’s a truly great fuzz and I would love for more players to get their hands on one. My same proviso stands as before though - in that far too many buyers really don’t know what they’re acquiring here. And just like the first batch - there will be a large number of these being fleeced on the second-hand market soon enough.

For me the Bliss Factory is a must have, the Time Shadows is a nice-to-have - I decided on the day that I din’t really want to get into another bunfight - and I probably would not use that pedal enough to do it justice.

As for the other 3 - I’m not sure I really see the point - they just appear to be wholly inconsequential cash-grabs and seemingly out of sorts with the collaborative spirt of the Pedal Movie endeavour.

The first two releases were wholly justified and actually rather grand - the second batch in comparison looks somewhat out of place.

Are any of you readers in the slightest bit tempted here by anything other than the Bliss Factory? - and if so - which one/s are you considering?