Redbeard's superb Bearded Vulture take on the Thermionic Culture Vulture Tube Saturator Rack Unit could very well be their most satisfying pedal to date!
So I’ve had this pedal for over a month now, and was totally blown away by it right from when it first arrived. It’s part Overdrive, part Distortion, and part Fuzz in its output - depending on where you set the Drive, Bias, and Timbre dials - which are all very interactive - and particularly the Drive and Bias.
I’ve been waiting for Mikey Demus to do a rifftastic demo of his pedal - which he originally told me he would have out the week after the Birmingham Show - now long since passed. He’...
Great Eastern FX significantly extends and evolves its original Hybrid Focus Fuzz, now a Deluxe Model with added Overtone Octave, and 3 super handy gain Modes
My good friend David already did a brilliant job on the original Hybrid / Ge Focus Fuzz - which I cited at the time as ’David Reinvents the Classic Fuzz’. He only had parts enough for 250 units back then with the MP38A particularly hard to get hold of. So alas there were several interested parties left out in the cold, and a couple of years of customer petitioning has resulted in the return of that grand pedal.
While David, ever the original, refuses to do things by half - and was ...
Hot Pink Colour Sync - The Return!
So I initially published an article on February 20th - where I gathered together 9 pedals which all had the same Hot Pink Colourway. It was originally inspired by the launch of Great Easter FX Co’s Obsolete Devices OD201 Preamp - so the article was a nod to that.
At the time of posting I had 2 of those in my possession - I guess you could say 3 - as I owned the Lightspeed too already - but not in that colourway - as you will have noted in subsequent references.
So this was mainly done ...
My Crazy Tube Circuits Venus Tube Driver has finally landed after quite the adventure
The Journey!
So this quest started at the tail end of January when the Venus was first teased at the NAMM show. I contacted Christos straight after the show and requested that I be fully in on the launch. I cover most every CTC launch - while typically it’s mostly just from the materials that Christos sends me - which are extensive.
I thought I had indicated that I wanted to be in on an hands-on deep dive review - but I’ve since read my statements and my meaning wasn’t always crystal clear...
Fuzz Imp Independent Fuzz Specialist - Introduction and Highlights
I’ve been meaning to do something with Fuzz Imp for a while now. I’ve actually been following Fuzz Imp’s Justus Gash for quite a few years - from early Fuzz advocate and enthusiast to fully fledged pedal maker - from his earliest grassroots beginnings up to a fairly mature profile now with a range of different pedals on offer - 16 or so varieties now all told.
It’s been a really interesting journey to witness, and I don’t think Justus has put a foot wrong yet! Hopefully my shining a light ...
Xotic Effects brings back its AC Booster Smooth Overdrive Pedal in improved V2 Edition with added Boost!
So the history of the slightly mis-named AC Booster is a really interesting and tangential one. The AC Booster was first introduced in 2002 - where the AC is a reference to the Vox AC30 amplifier. The AC Booster was Xotic Effects’ original smooth overdrive - where the RC Booster (Rig Conductor - supposedly) was a lower gain version for those who liked a lot of headroom.
Scott Henderson loved using the AC Booster with his humbucker-loaded guitar, and wanted a similar sound for his stock ...
Messiah Guitars bundles together 3 of its most essential everyday Mini Pedals - The Billini Germanium Drive, Lil Ed Session Drive, and Quigglini Octofuzz
I’m very familiar with the original signature Eddie Haddad BoostDrive multi-gain + boost pedal. Where the Lil Ed is the mini version of the V2 improved and refined BoostDrive follow-up - the Session Drive Edition. We then have the excellent Billini beautifully textured Germanium Drive, and searing upper octave fuzz - the Quiggling Octofuzz - all sound excellent!
The three pedals featured with their Controls :
- Billini Germanium Drive - Gain, Level, Low, High
- Lil Ed Session Drive - Gain,
IK Multimedia ToneX One Joe Satriani Chrome Edition Deep Dive
I was down for getting the original black ToneX One edition - one was offered to me, but never quite arrived. Which turns out I’m quite happy about in the end really as it was the much better looking Chrome Joe Satriani Edition that finally landed for me. So thanks to IK Multimedia for their assistance!
Considering I’m mostly a classic stompbox guy - then the ToneX One isn’t always going to be he most natural fit for me. While as a Multi-Gain / Versatile Multi-Drive and Distortion pedal - ...
Audio Cultivation Projects' Fourth Solid-State Distortion is a great take on those trashier sounding solid state amps - using a Hybrid Transistor + OpAmp topology
I’ve been wanting to cover this pedal since I first glimpsed it. Something about its elegant design really appeals to me - as does its Drive / Distortion output profile. It supposedly sits somewhat adjacent to the Music Man 112 RD, Epiphone Studio 10s, and the Silvertone 1464 solid state amps - for that kind of brasher garage-punk / rock sound.
It starts with a fairly conventional control topology of Output / Level, Gain and Shape (Bass EQ),
while it’s 3 toggle switches make it really...
Aclam's latest Vox Conqueror Go Rocky Go take further cements their reputation as the leading purveyor of Highest Quality Beatles' Vox Sounds
This lates Vox-Conqueror-inspired pedal covers the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour and White Albums. Interestingly ’Magical Mystery Tour’ is my brother’s favourite Beatles Album, while the White Album is my own second-favourite Beatles work. My favourite is of course ’Revolver’ - which is covered by Aclam’s previous Dr. Roberts pedal. And my 3rd favourite Beatles Album - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is ably covered by Aclam’s Mocker pedal.
Controls - Volume, Drive : Attack <> ...
