My good friend Panos first teased this Jangle Master pedal at the London Synth and Pedal Expo - which took place in the middle of March. Back then, the prototype had the same black knobs as the Platinum Preamp, while the production model features new custom commissioned magenta knobs - which really raise the profile of the pedal.

Getting the new knobs in caused the biggest delay to the launch - but for sure it was worth it.

The pedal is kind of split into 3 sections :

Controls : TOP...

Here we have 3 variations on the same theme - each with a slightly different timbre and character. Similar to when you talk about fragrances - where you have ’Flankers’ that are variations on a classic signature scent. And that’s exactly what we have here - the Silver Bee and Blue Bee are ’Flankers’ to the core main Honey Bee. Where the Silver Bee is more Modern, Punchy and Super Tight - it has a slightly harder edged and denser texture, while the Blue Bee is kind of softer around the edges, ...

So despite this being a relatively quiet month for releases - I was somehow manically busy throughout!

The month started with custom editions of ThorpyFX and Empress pedals, and I then did 2 massive articles for the Glou-Glou Flancher Series of Stereo Analog Delays / Modulators, and in-depth coverage of Henrik Nordvang’s excellent 1590B3 Series. I’m not sure people realise just how much works goes into those kinds of articles!

Also this month - Mini Pedals were a major feature - all ...

Gerry Pope’s G.P. Electronics’ Harmonic Generator is considered by many to be the first UK Fuzz Pedal - some still say Gary Hurst’s Tone Bender was the first - while there is some evidence that a version of Harmonic Generator was actually the first to materialise 1965 - just ahead of the Tone Bender.

This fuzz was famously advertised as having ’4 Semiconductors’ - which has led to confusion on occasion. While it seems those 4 Semiconductors were always 3 Germanium Transistors and a ...

As narrated by John Snyder (presumably) :

"The Prismatic Wall emulates the Resonance of Sympathetic Strings, producing an effect which is somewhere between a synthesizer and reverb... The Prismatic Wall is what’s known as a Physical Modelling Synthesizer - a type of audio processor that emulates the vibrations of real objects. Here we’re using a variation on a technique called Karplus-Strong Synthesis - which uses a filtered delay line fed back upon itself to recreate the behaviour of a ...

There’s quite a few One-Knob HM-2 Death Metal Distortion Pedals out there - but this is NOT that! Rather the Death Knob is just the Twin Peaks HM-2 EQ Frequency Profile - such that you can bring that flavour to your current amp - in front, and into the FX Loop. You can also combine it with a variety of Distortion Pedals to deliver that HM0-2 Death Metal profile - or combine with other pedals - to bring elements of that flavour to bear. Once again - this does not contain any facet of the actual ...

As soon as I saw this intriguing new Artifakt format I immediately thought that it looked like some sort of hybrid crossover between Chase Bliss and Red Panda Labs. Source Audio has really gone to town here - covering off all the essential Lo-Fi manipulation elements in a single pedal - and in Stereo too! So it obviously gets a lot of love from me.

There are 7 different Effects Engines - where you really need a manual on hand for this pedal as there is so much going on, and most of the ...

As is often the case - just after I complete my annual Full Metal Racket Rundown - we all of a sudden have another handy candidate or two!

It seems like these days everyone is looking to jump on the High Gain Bandwagon - with JHS just the first of many of this new wave. Supposedly J Rockett has a High Gain candidate fairly imminent, and there are several others sort of waiting in the wings!

In many ways this is also a tribute to recently passed JHS Head Engineer Cliff Smith - for whom ...

I need to start off by mentioning how much I love the Krozz Devices Airborn Flanger - that was an instant hit for me - such a smart combination of features and functions within the perfect form factor - and exceptional sounding of course. I really love everything about the Airborn - which is just as well really - as much the same philosophy is carried across to the Krakenheart - including the right-hand Max Speed Footswitch - albeit with some further additions.

I’ve had the Krakenheart for ...