This is an interesting one, as the Halo Core was originally released as a Limited 300 Unit Run. That version had one less mode on it, as the general release candidate now adds the Dotted Eighth format. There have been some slightly circuit tweaks, but to most intents and purposes this is the limited run version with an extra mode! And the very slightly different logo in a slightly different position (offset versus centred)! You can play spot the differences against the original limited run ...

So we had the usual cryptic clues that something was about to happen - with various glimpses of the Dirt Bird pedal, as well as an older version of the Ayahuasca Trem-Fuzz. So even more cryptic than usual - while it increasingly looked like we would be getting a new variant of the Condor pedal.

When the reveal happened it all got a bit more complicated as this smart Mystery Box festive promotion was world-wide - where everyone pays the same $299 and equivalent for their mystery box (free ...

So OBNE has souped up its former compact Dark Star Pad Reverb - where you previously had 3 separate and independent modes of operation - Pitch / Delay / Crush.

For this new enlarged Stereo edition OBNE allows you to use all those textural elements together - with more options and a far higher degree of granularity. This really is a very distinct Reverb sound, and all the more special now with having the ability to mix up those different elements to your own preferences - where on the other ...

So the Katana-Mini X sits between Boss’s Katana Mini (7W) and Katana-Air (30W) both in girth and output levels. The Mini is 230mm wide, the Mini X is 287mm wide, and the Katana-Air is 350mm wide, while the Mini X is the tallest - at 200mm, compared to the Katana-Air’s and Mini’s Height of 181mm.

There are several points of interest to this new amp. I feel that Boss got the balance here between feature set and simplicity wholly spot-on. And besides having a superb sounding 5 Inch 10 Watt ...

John Snyder seems to be consistently the hardest working man in this industry - and features on so many brand collaborations that sometimes it feels like he’s responsible for half of everything out there!

I’ve had this article in mind for a while, and over that period we’ve seen many a limited colourway editions for this pedal - where I’ve seen versions in green, and copper, silver, and white even I believe. I still feel that the original black take is a beautifully balanced creation - with...

You got to love Filipe Pampuri’s innovative streak - always finding new and interesting spins on different circuit categories. And this time around it’s the turn of the humble Phaser - where Filipe doubles down on the flavour, and allows you to transition and morph between 2 different settings in a variety of interesting ways.

In terms of the layout and topology it’s of a similar nature to the previous Seabee and Zzombee pedals, but much simpler from a control perspective - with pretty much...

I have the earlier version of this - in fact the earliest 2021 V1 version I believe. Since then I think there have been 3 further editions. The online manual refers to V3, while that is already out of date - so presumably this latest version is a V4. Very much confirmed as a V4, the V3 was out in February of 2023. Those where smaller, mostly cosmetic refinement - while the V4 is really quite significantly different.

For this Ultimate Edition, Polarbear’s Darko has essentially absorbed his ...

When the original version of Walrus Audio’s Mako Series I [M1] emerged back in 2022 I wrote that there was much to like, but I kind of missed the absent Flanger and Dimension algorithms which are core to a couple of my other favourite Multi-Modulators (Terraform & Synesthesia) - and which I use a lot. I also use the 16 Modulations on my Eventide H90 - which has most everything I need, but lacks a Dimension Chorus too.

In fact the most expansive pedal in that category is the GFI System ...

So in the wake of my ’9 Notable Brazilian Guitar Pedal Brands’ article I had a lot of people contacting me (as intended!) to tell me I’d overlooked this and that brand. The first mentioned was obviously Cachalote Audio which I liked so much that I did a separate article on that.

While altogether we had another 9 notable brands suggested - to include in this separate feature. In fact there are even more - including StarDust Electronic Art - where I’m waiting until I get enough suggestions to...