Canada's Fish Circuits are now available at Joe's Pedals in the UK
The small but intriguing Québec-based team of Mike and Simon has been experimenting with guitar pedals for 15+ years now, where they created Fish Circuits in 2021 to launch their first official pedal - the Model One Classic Natural Overdrive. The Brand name is derived from Mike’s surname - Poisson, which of course is French for ’Fish’!
I first contacted Mike and Simon in October of last year, the last communication from Mike was ’Yeah that works, I’ll send you a pedal once I can clear some ...
Joe's Pedals in the UK stocks the full range of True North Pedals - including the recently arrived Tweed Drive P.I.O. and Tweed Drive Junior
I meant to report on this a lot earlier - about how I love that two of my good friends have connected - and that those fantastic Canadian True North Pedals are available in the UK. I have two of those to-date - which I got direct from mr True North - Sheldon Ens - my Tweed Drive dates back to 2018, and I snagged the Rocky Mountain Fuzz a year later - when that came out - both fantastic pedals.
The Tweed Drive - wrapped in that signature Tweed Amp style fabric is a beautifully balanced and ...
I'm delighted to report that the King of Compressors - Becos FX is now stocked by Joe's Pedals in the UK
Readers should know by now that Becos FX is my favourite compressor brand - where their flagship compact CompIQ Stella Pro Blackmer VCA Compressor has been on my board for several months now.
I’ve known Costel Burlan for quite a few years - where I also have his phenomenal Ziffer Mini Tube Screamer, and discontinued Mini Solo Boost - which I’m trying hard to encourage him to revive!
There are 4 compressors in the range - which in Stella and Twain editions are the closest you’ll come to ...
Lastgasp Art Laboratories Pedals are now finally available in the UK - courtesy of Joe's Pedals
An interesting fact is that this collaboration almost happened several years ago, but evidently the timing wasn’t right then for various reasons. This time around though there was an added ingredient in the mix - ’Yours Truly!’ - and I was somewhat instrumental in bringing the two sides together and finally making this happen!
It’s great news for us Brits - as these Lastgasp Art Laboratories Pedals have always been somewhat beyond our reach until now.
I obviously recently covered my 9 ...
Bearfoot FX Bone Bender 1 Fuzz vs BJFE Bone Bender 1 Fuzz
So I acquired my Bearfoot FX Bone Bender back in 2020 (Reverb.com) - and really enjoyed it’s somewhat Face-Bender-ish output - capable of both Fuzz Face and a variety of Tone Bender shades - but not exactly MKI. When I saw and heard Joe Light’s demo (Joe’s Pedals) of the BJFE version - I just had to have that too!
The very original BJFE Bone Benders consisted of 3 x NTE103A NPN Germanium Transistors while for subsequent versions Björn (Juhl) found he achieved better results with a JFET @ Q1...
Björn Juhl's BJFE ODS34 is one of the very best Dumble Style Overdrives - particularly in Compact Enclosure Format
It seems a long time since I did my Howard Alexander Dumble in memoriam article back on January 26th. At the time I voiced that I would very likely add a few more - and for sure they would include the ODS34, Menatone Dumbstruck - and probably MXR Shin-Juku Drive. There are certainly some great examples of the genre and back in January I had actually just 5 - the Cornerstone Gladio SC, Custom Tones Ethos Clean Fusion-II, Demon Pedals Kondo-Shifuku, Mad Professor Simble, and Wampler Euphoria.
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2022 FX Expo Highlights
Best Stand in Show by Indifferent Engine (above)
The Inaugural FX Expo Show has been quite the adventure - 2 years in the making owing to Covid! - It’s so much a major occasion to have this many prominent and promising independent UK pedal builders all under the one roof. And it could not be helmed by a better man than Alex Millar - who has the strength of will and dogged determination to see it all through.
I obviously did the Show Preview a while back now - and while ...
Exactly One Month until Alex Millar's FX Expo takes place at The Bonded Warehouse in Stourbridge on June 19th!
A key reason for why there were somewhat fewer pedal brands at the recent Birmingham Guitar Show is that many had elected to participate in June 19th’s FX Expo instead. While there are quite a lot of brands that appear at both - Bleak District Electric, Fredric Effects, James’ Home of Tone, Pedal Patch, and Ritual Devices among them.
FX Expo has been in planning for a long time now - and where Covid scuppered an earlier incarnation of this event. It is a ’noiseless’ show - where all sound-...
The Ever-Compelling Mu-Tron Vintage Silver Range of Analog Effects is Now Available at Joe's Pedals
I am already quite the fan of Mu-Tron and in fact acquired both their original compact revivals - the Micro-Tron III Envelope Filter, and Octavider Dual Analog Up/Down Octaver (as pictured immediately below) - back when they were first released around 2018/19. So I’m delighted to see that my good friend Joe Light of Joe’s Pedals fame now stocks this brand. ...
End of September Pedal-Chain Update - Episode VIII - Starry Eyed Surprise
And so as my 7th month of isolation draws to a close - the frequency of new product releases has begun to accelerate again after the lull of summer. The month started on fine form with the slightly surprising snap arrival of he new Jackson Audio El Guapo, next we had the Walrus Audio Julia that always should have been - in the guise of the new and improved Julianna Chorus, then the Zander Circuitry Compact Siclone, Boss OC-5 Octave, somewhat delayed Big Ear Albie, the EHX Pitch Fork+, Red Witch...
