Since 2015 NEW PEDALS EVERY DAY! Over 3000 REVIEWS!
I use other reviewers vids & then critique from them __ If a pedal appears killer I buy one __ I try it out & update the Post__ If the pedal is SH@T I literally say so!__ I publish the street price a no brainer but few do. __ I save you time finding the best pedals & you get a second opinion. __OVER A MILLION VISTORS__
NO ONE OWNS ME___ I MAKE ZERO $ FROM THIS
A Canadian company that started in 2014 with a mission to make great handmade pedals that were both fun to look at and reasonably priced.
In this they succeeded. They are both.
Yes S.D. does look cool! It is in a standard B box. My fav ...it is not so big it eats up space on a board but not so small as to be wobbly or hard to read. I love chicken head knobs they are easy to see where you set them even standing on a dark stage.
As for the price ...well not cheap but not pricey either.
The S. D. is a straight out Metal pedal. It does 2 things players want in a Metal pedal better then any one I have heard to date. It is tight but fat at the same time!!!
Did I remember to tell you that it is TIGHT & FAT AT THE SAME TIME!!!
Finally it impresses me the most because it is tight and fat at the same time.
LOL
CONCLUSION
Keep in mind if you are not using a Metal sound on your amp you may not want this.
Some guys. (like me) keep all their pedals at unity gain and leave only a great clean sound on their amp.
I would lean towards the Revv Amplification G pedals if you do that.
LAWRENCE PETROSS DESIGNS LPD SEVENTY 4 A '74 Plexi and it sounds like one too. It is fat, rich and sumptuous with the LPD tradition of maintaining all
the detail in the harmonics and overtones. Many makers
do not take the time nor use the audiophile parts to capture even half this detail.
The layout is just like the amp that it so beautifully emulates, with an EQ of high, mids and lows and presence. If you see the gain as your preamp volume and the level as the master it is all there.
Trust me I have owned 2 Plexi's and I own one now. This pedal is the real deal!
Better still it acts just like the amp too. It is not hard to tweak it to match your rig and the results are a dream sound you have heard on records but never played yourself!
In short ...this is ...IT !!!
I will have to use both the prototype video and one made spontaneously just a short while ago.
I expect more will come from reviews soon.
The 'Tone King' is an LPD convert. Some of you guys find this New Jersey boy a bit too rough. But trust me ...I have exchanged many, many letters with him and you will not find a nicer guy. What is more you can discuss some pretty heavy sh@t with him and he can hold up his end as well as any University Prof. He finances most of his show out of his own pocket. In short he can not be bought!
The guy has a lot of depth.
NEW VID !!! Check out the Keven Eknes video. If ya never heard of the guy then your mental list of killer players has a major 'oops' on it that you can fix right now. LOL The guy is an 'original' with a Metal style ...modern but all his own. The only modern Metal guy I like instead of merely respect!!!
CONCLUSION
I have two boards linked together as one ...with 66 pedals on them ...mostly all high end boxes too.
I use 23 OD's and 1 Fuzz pedals. This is certainly good enough to be one of my 3 best. It is a keeper ...big time keeper!!! To get an idea of how good my OD's are ...I sold both my Friedman BE-OD and my Dirty Shirley because they were not good enough. Seriously!!!
So it is a very modified Tube Screamer so what is the big deal?
Well years ago ...yes 1993 to be exact when the ODR S (Overdrive Special) came out a few found there way to Nashville and now the only piece of gear that is more abundant there is a Tele. LOL
Yes modern country has for some time had a dirt pedal on every record that I suspect came via current players being brought up listening to The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd at High School.
Over time the special morphed into the ODR-1 which was even more special and now both the '1' and the Mini are available
$90.00 USD
It is Captain Lee Anderton's go to pedal. (But not Chappers LOL)
The original '83 the Overdrive Special ...is now selling at over $400.00 USD.
CONCLUSION It is meant for a ts type purpose where you can push a crunch into high gain or to back off the guitar volume and clean up the sound. It is designed to allow you to play busy or very full cords and still get a nice clean and tight sound. The new mini does this very well. The ODR-1 is fatter but is a bit muddy too. A Noble is not the pedal to get for heavy dirt where the choice of what and how you play needs a Plexi or similar. It works and works very well and if the tone is not exciting ...well OK but it does not have a lot of annoying artifacts that dozens of low gain pedals have either. So it is if nothing else a well made well designed and well priced problem solver! Yes ...2 thumbs up for Nobles!
Kor like Brunetti is also made in Italy but they are strictly into pedals I will have to check out their other boxes.
Kor say that it an original concept that they have made a dirt box with a 3 stage distortion. Of course many have done so.
It all gets down to giving you a hands on access to manipulating the stages either with knobs or switches. Some makers say nothing and make the gain knob simply a full range sweep from low to high gain.
Kor uses a switch to choose crunch or distortion. The
voice knob controls the mids hence the scoop on it in the video.
In the end it's the sound. Hobbyists may have fun with lots of bells and whistles but pro's want to either set up a pedal for the whole night or only have to tweak it occasionally.
It is possible to either scoop or boost the mids which is not the case with the Mercury.
CONCLUSION I like them both. The Mercury is fatter but I really like that bit of scoop that the Oracle has.
This Italian gourmet amp and pedal maker have been around plodding away and selling there very fine gear for years.
Totally under the radar with I expect a very regional market.
The Mercury box is a take on their Mercury amp. The cool thing is that has a great but personal tone because it is NOT a Brit pedal.
Considering how excellent it is finding it has been around for 10 years is quite a surprise.
Sorry for using a comparison video but the others suck.
Check out the Kor Oracle Post.
It too is worth a look.
LAWRENCE PETROSS DESIGNS LPD EIGHTY 7
This is a second visit. I did a Blog in Jan. 2017 when it came
out. A lot of readers passed it over. LPD are fast becoming the 'NEW' Friedman!!! The same kind of pedals but noticeably better.
For one thing they are both designed and each one is built by Lawrence himself with state of the art parts.
Friedman is designed by a committee..uses good but standard parts and is mass produced.
So recently LP's reputation has snowballed and he can not make the 87 fast enough.
Check out this new video. Then get your order in asap!!!
Not a new idea but it is becoming the new norm
to build an OD that clones all aspects of the original
amp and replicate it in their pedal.
In the late 60's players put a Rangemaster treble booster
on top of their Plexi & left it always on. It did boost the highs ...but mainly pushed up the missing upper mids in their Marshall Super Lead 100. The amp would be set to a healthy crunch and then slammed it with a Tonebender Fuzz.
So the Mad Prof put in the upper mid boost when they voiced the pedal. They even put the Fuzz in the box.
Oddly enough Fuzz maker Deep Trip make the Hellbender Fuzz where they did the opposite. They added the amp's sound to the box. LOL
Damned if they did not pull it off though.
I've waited 6 months for my Hellbender and it arrived at the airport yesterday.
The L&P does sound very good ...but it was not what I expected so I was disappointed.
What happened to that huge fat sound with lots of balz???
CONCLUSION
The Mad P. is a very nice sounding Plexi style pedal but if you want a Plexi with the kind of detail in the tone I suggest you check out Lawrence Petross Designs. He gives you quite literally a selection of different Plexi models made over the 11 years that the Plexi was made.
You must listen to the Hellbender. A Fuzz? Yes. Big But!!!
I bet many of you were expecting the Loud 'n Proud to sound like the Hellbender. I was :-(
Have we found the ultimate Klon clone.
I will get to the point. Some Klon's sound great by using the concept of the design but use or add different parts and additional circuits in an attempt to improve the pedal. Some wish to duplicate the sound and sound so close it is hard to tell.
This one is both and when you wish to capture the original sound it is either dead on or impossible to tell.
Or to the point ...in use on a tune you would not want to wager you can tell the difference.
CONCLUSION Close. It is about 99.999999999999999999999999999999999% there. :-) I think that v.2 will have it nailed. Let's wait. OK I had my fun. I listen to it about a dozen times. I can hear a very, very micro nano scoop in the Klon mids or a subatomic boost in the Nordvang mids. Seriously. You must keep in mind that most of the parts in pedals were never designed for audio or audio only they could end up in circuit for a garage door opener, LOL The parts need only meet about 90% spec to be consider OK. In short take 10 of the same part and get out your VU meter and you will get 10 different readings. This of course means that no 2 real Klons are the same too. Point is ...if you want an authentic Klon sound ...here it is!!! I have my Wampler Tumnus ...it does it's Klon thing in a pleasant and musical way. Besides with 23 other OD's on my board it has to wait it's turn. lol
In spite of all the bells and whistles it is primarily a high tech knock off of the 50's Binson Echorec that now goes for prices in the $6000.00 USD range.
$400.00 USD
It could be just a 'fashion' thing but there are many making pedals that do impressions of the antique mechanical tape and disc type of delays. You can pay anything from $90.00 USD to $450.00 USD. One cool thing is they all sound good ...some sound noticeably better ...some are just basic delays and some have more switches and knobs and other dingles & dangles coming out at every angle. LOL
$450.00 USD This is the unit missing from the comparison. The Gurus Echosex 2 This is a new Ltd. Ed. The standard model is painted black.
It is exceptionally true to the real Binson in tone helped greatly by using a tube in the preamp but it does not have all the modern extra features.
$115.00 USD
Gurus designed the Foxgear Echosex Baby...check out the Post.
If all you need is the basic features of the original Binson you just
can not beat it!
The tone is frighteningly close to their Echosex but the price is only $115.00 USD.
CONCLUSION I have to agree with the 'Pedal Show' guys the Volante is like all pedals not perfect but considering all the features and a great sound you do get your $400.00 USD worth. As for me it is enough to use my Empress EchoSystem with a pair of delays in it if I want to add anything 'trippy'. My music is deliberately song focused and there is room for some ambient things but not a lot. I just need a good slap back and a classic echo for solo things. I already have 3 delays (including the Foxgear) and hope to add the F-Pedals Echo Bandit ($90.00 USD) a mini pedal tape style delay. Keep in mind I use 70 pedals on 4 loops and each loop is treated as a separate board with all you need including it's own FX. I wish the comparison video had the Foxgear in it as I am certain you would be amazed that the sound quality is as good as the others. You do not get any bells and whistles just an incredible take on the Binson sound.
This is a unique Envelope Filter Follower ...better
known as an auto-wah. Popular with funk players
on both guitar and bass. West Co do one for both.
For an auto-wah as to be effective the unit must follow the dynamics of your pick attack. The filter opens in accordance to how hard or light you hit the strings.
If you put on a Fuzz or heavy overdrive in front of it the dirt pedal compresses your sound making the every note triggering the wah effect the same. In short the dynamics become ineffectual.
West Co got around this by running a side chain of the clean sound to trigger the filter and force dirt to simply go along for the ride. Briliant idea!!! To my mind it allows for a very expressive synth like sound that can push this sound into style's other then funk.
But at $330.00 USD that will take some time. lol
Sorry there are no pics of the product the only pictures are on their site and they can not be copied.
F-PEDALS ECHO BANDIT
A little killer Delay. A mini pedal designed by Francesco Sondelli
who formed F-Pedals in 2011
.
The Echo Bandit was premiered at NAMM in 2016.
It is a vintage Tape style delay sounding analog pedal.
The layout covers speed, mix, tape and feedback.
It runs on 9 or 18v. Extra headroom from an 18v on a delay
can add another level of clarity.
Reviewer Phillip McKnight's fist impression left him feeling he was dealing with a $300 plus type gourmet pedal. It is made in Italy and has the classic high end packaging and box candy.
In the end he was blown away by the sound and price!
The sound has a full mid sounding mildly distorted but bright sound.
It is now referred to as the 'Gold' as there is a new 'Silver' that is cleaner
and a little flatter response. Still the Gold is still the hot one and is frequently out of stock. I am a big believer that if it 'ain't' broke don't fix it.
It's hard not to like the look with it's nod to Steam Punk styling. The led is in the skull's eye socket. Perfect for a guitar player who will never grow up ME :-)
CONCLUSION
With 69 pedals running on '4 loops' my clean/ low gain OD loop is the only one without it's own delay. I was looking for something modest ...in size with basic functions to use for little spice from time to time.
I was expecting to try and squeak in a better Chinese mini pedal like perhaps a Mooer.
I checked out all the usual suspects and simply stumbled on this accidentally. Killer!!!
Wow I was not expecting a pedal like this for so cheap.
So did I order one??? HELL NO!!!
They are out of stock LOL
Soon then :-) FEB. 22/19 So I found one. Best Buy ...yes the electronics consumer goods store. lol I should have it in a week ...and will be back with a hands on :-) Feb, 28/19 HANDS ON So mine arrived today and I had it up and running on my board in minutes. It is very warm sounding. The echo's are much fuller then most units I have tried at any price. It is rather subjective to say if it is a convincing take on a real tape echo ...but in the end it gets down to this ...it sounds excellent ...totally pro and you can not beat the price. Throw in that it looks great and it is very quiet. THE BIG SURPRISE There are a few company's that take the preamp design from the second generation Echo Plex tape echo and sell it to you as a preamp because it has an unusually sweet sound. I do not know if the pre in this pedal was trying to do the same? BUT!!! You can put this pedal on and dial in a signal repeat and make it as close as to be more of a reverb with a bit of pre delay and BINGO ...you have a sound to die for. Unreal!!! and free with every purchase! LOL The Foxgear Echosex Baby delay is not much more at $110.00 USD It is has a very convincing disc echo sound. Where as I find the Echo Bandit very neutral sounding the Echosex jumps right out at you with a 'look at me' attitude I am glad I have both because sometimes an effect is exciting when it takes center stage but sometimes you want it very ambient like doing it's thing in the background. Either way you have a pair of winners!!! MAY5/19 TIESCO DELAY A heads up on a new delay. It covers the ground of both the Echosex and the Echobandit. If the budget can stretch to $150.00 USD it is the way to go. It is considerable fuller sounding. It is easily better sounding then anything I have heard over $225.00 USD and blows away most others more then that for sound quality but not features. Check out the Post :-)
Tone City is J. Wong's company. For years he designed pedals for Joyo, Mooer etc. He got P'd off that they would not spend a few extra bucks to make their passable pedals ...gourmet pedals.
So he quit and started his own Made in China handmade gourmet pedals. On the whole they are quite good.
Not killer but easily worth twice the money.
Dunable are primarly a custom guitar shop ...but they sell one amp and 3 pedals. A bit odd but
what the ...
This is their take on a Marshall JMP which is a very late model Plexi but with a master volume and 6550 tubes instead of EL34's.
It is noticeably harder and more raw and aggressive sounding then a standard classic Plexi.
It is really a much different amp. So you get a much different pedal.
Unfortunately we will have to wait for a few serious reviews. This shows off it's deep growl but not much else!
it has been all about Fuzz boxes lately. This little gem sounds more like a killer OD. It is fat and nasty with an absolutely exceptional sustain.
It just begs for you to shred, shred. shred!!!!
It starts with classic Muff type sound but gives you a lot of control across the whole mid range. You can tune in your frequency and cut or boost anywhere you like. It also has a switch for 3 different voices.
Damn impressive dirt pedal. It could bump a lot of OD's off a lot of guys short lists even if they thought they were not into Fuzz boxes.
In spite of all the tricks and gimmicks Dwarfcraft give you a great Fuzz that is as useful as a serious OD. It is like cross between an OD and a Synth. On solo work it has plenty of definition so you can do chords ...hence accompaniment parts in a tune.
The company has a rep for well made hand crafted pedals.
This is their best yet.
KSR are all about handmade gourmet amps. They like others are getting into the pedal thing. Perhaps it is to do everyone else one better but they have gone for a full 3 channels.
KSR are big with many Modern Metal players. So the kind of sounds they go for are fat, full tight very high gain and in your face.
The channels are not the expected 3 levels of gain but instead they are a take on their 3 best selling amps. The Colossus, Gemini and Artemis.
The black is the standard colour but for $50.00
they will paint it just about any color you can think of.
CONCLUSION
It sounds very, very good but it is a lot of coin. You could get the Red or Blue Revv $230.00 USD
It is best to have a sound for your crunch and a second for shredding but they need not even be the same brand.
Early era's in Metal did not have such a high gain so a lot of the harmonic content was left in tack.
It was much easier to judge the richness or detail in the tone. With modern metal the harmonics are practically fused into a single sound like lava ...the sound is so smooth that if done well a clearly define difference is not there. Once you gave the pedal a score for fat, tight and a long sustain you have checked the boxes. With KSR and Revv they are about even.
But if you can hear that little extra in either ...go for it!!!
HENNING PAULY GIVES US THE WHATS GREAT AND WHATS TOTAL BS ABOUT FENDER'S 2019 GUITAR'S
GODIN INVENTED THE IDEA From a Tele to a Django Jazz they have had it covered for years Sting even used his for recording ...so attention has been spent to get a decent tone from these guitars. Add to that decades of making them and immediate access to the actual trees that contain some of the best wood on the planet. Henning has it nailed. Make the Acoustasonic Tele in Mexico and get the price down to around $600.00 USD.
PETTYJOHN CHIME MKII
The MKII is not the real news it is that PETTYJOHN after years of
$280.00 USD
being a direct sales gourmet handmade audiophile maker is at the 2019 NAMM show.
PETTYJOHN pretty much make only OD's in fact 13 of them.
They have always gone their own way.
The results are mixed but always impressive.
The CHIME was meant as a VOX AC30 type sound. Whether you feel they nailed it or not the pedal sounds damn good anyway.
This is their biggest seller. They did not so much change it but gave you more control over the sound and added a whooping 36 volts of headroom.
The pedal has not had a single review yet so to give you an idea
of the sound we will listen to the original. The original is still available and a bit cheaper at $230.00 USD.
CONCLUSION
Well the original pedal sounds damn good to me
but why not wait and see what the new one sounds like?
The originals brought back as standard ordinary everyday guitars ...at your local dealer store guitars. Not as limited editions or pricey Custom Shop models.
Before you have a heart attack about the 2000 watts keep in mind it is peak power.
A hand held cheap radio has 100 watts peak power. lol
What you need to know is RMS wattage. My 50 watt Marshall is 50 watts RMS
with everything dimed it puts out a tinnitus level of 104 db. but to be fair this little sucker puts out 125db. lol
The point is it is loud enough for serious stage volumes.
It is not a toy.
It was designed to power the all bells and whistles modeling preamps
that they make ...and so do many others. The best of these by the
competition are perhaps 10% better but 3 or 4 times more. Bottom line
is that this is an entry level PRO product.
Guys that get all there sound from pedals can buy a modest pedal preamp and their whole rig will set them back the price of one of the better OD's.
I have been toying the idea of buying 2 and running my effects in stereo but the actual guitar sound thru my Marshall. The guitar already sounds awesome but then it would also sound beyond huge!!!
It is obviously very small. You can use it like a stage monitor..put it on a chair or it even allows you to pole mount it.
They also do it as a 12" for $300.00 USD.
CONCLUSION
An excellent product well worth considering. At $200.00 USD it is a damn cheap gamble if it doesn't work out. For me in my trio just getting it as a back up is ideal ...cheap and small with no compromise to the level it can deliver. In short it can not be drowned out by a very loud drummer. In fact it will ...if dimed wipe out the drummer. lol My Marshall set to the perfect sound is 100 db and it can wipe out a drummer. So I have to use a power soak on my amp to turn it down. lol
