THE BEST ???
THE STATE OF THE UNION
It is in many ways the Golden era of Rock Music Gear. In spite of the endless moan about inflated prices anyone can find a serviceable guitar for a couple of hundred dollars. Fifty years ago that got you a breadboard for a body with a warped baseball bat for a neck and PU's that were thin noisy and microphonic and things that looked like tuners but did not actually tune. The cheapest of these cost the average citizen an entire paycheck for a week. Today's entry level guitar if used through the same gear as a guy with a Gibson Les Paul or an American Strat played by a competent player will produce a sound in a blindfold test equally as pro sounding.
It is the same with entry level pedals. Yes better pedals and guitars in most cases create subtleties you can literally feel from your fingertips but a better sound being perceived by the listener is all but non existent.
Pedals sold for $30 for the most part have limitations not with build but parts. Double to triple the price and you are still under a hundred and a killer pedal can easily be made by using high tech equipment in countries where both the wages and just as important the cost of utilities and infrastructure are cheap.
The coolest thing I've seen happening over the last year is a small but noticeable increasing number of Asian companies starting making gourmet pedals at affordable prices. That took place in the '90's in the States. It started by making 'clones' with improvements. That indeed is what is happening in Asia.
HOT NEW PEDALS for 2021?
I went to other sites and soon noted they were discussing the best pedals to them were judged on sales over 2021. Hence the Tube Screamer and the Boss SD-1 and the usual MXR and Electro Harmonix classics were among them.
Most of the pedals that impressed me over the last year were not introduced this year but over the last 10 years.
The bulk of what was on offer this year is digital. Strymon's tech is now 12 years old and still used on some of their still best pedals. These chips sound great and are now cheap enough even for budget Asian pedals. The problem is you can make some cool things with delays and reverbs but you really only have modulation, envelope filters and pitch to work with. In short Strymon did it all 10 years ago, so for all the hype and total bullsh@t we are not getting anything new. Add to that most of these pedals are gimmicky toys. Choose 10 people at random to ask you to play their favorite tune and not one of these wonder toys can be turned on as it would turn your chord changes into electric farts.
Yes it is great to have choice and better value for money. BUT! WTF!! It's the same old sh@t.
PEDALS, PRICE & VALUE
First and obvious is the sound. Great sounds can show up at any price point. A pedal only needs one sound. Why pay for more when at a gig you can not access them, nor can you use those other sounds in the same tune. If a pedal dies or needs an upgrade you have a smaller investment in it. Selling it is quicker or dumping it is less painful. Sooner or later you need a switcher & a board. Big pedals take up too much space and more that one footswitch is redundant. Mini pedals are great but not if they need nano knobs. Ideally the standard 2.5" Hammond B style box is an ideal size. Big enough for regular size knobs that are easy to use and to read. Wide enough not to use the footswitch without moving or falling over.
WHAT IMPRESSED ME
...only 4 pedals that are new for 2021
made my list
For $100 you get a verb that simply sounds killer. In lower settings it will take the place of an always on verb in the same way you would use a spring reverb.
In the highest settings you get an excellent ambiance 'shimmer'. Everything in between is not just usable but equally great sounding. In short I find the pricey sh@t like buying a Maserati to deliver pizzas. Unnecessary to get the job done in a pro matter.
In short, it has it all covered! Hell it is even Made in America :-)
COLUMBO AUDIO ELECTRONICS PLEXI BREED There are 2 basic amps that totally define Rock.
The Fender Deluxe Reverb and the ...
Marshall Super Lead (model 1959 100 watt).
ALL else that matters is derivative from those 2 amps.
If I take the best analog pedal of a Fender
Deluxe amp-in-box on the planet and we plug
it into your rig with the real amp beside it
to match the sound the results will be laughable.
If we did that with the Plexi Breed and
your amp you will have a very big WTF
moment! In short it nails it!
It also does a JTM45 and the 50 Watt
(model 1987) Plexi in more than convincing
manner. But I did not buy it for the
horderve and the dessert.
REVV G8 NOISE GATE
It is simply noticeably better than any
gate that comes in a pedal you can buy.
If you play modern Metal and had it for
a few days it would be like driving your
car for years with only having 3 wheels
on it and bolting on the fourth.
ELECTRO HARMONIX Nano MEMORY MAN It is analog but has the clarity of a digital delay. Like all analog delays it tends to not clutter or cause dischord to your sound and always lays back in the mix.
It nails the sound of the original by using new analog chips designed
to mimic the originals. At $200 it is a good deal.
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The fine print
There are lots of killer pedals still in production
for years that are worthy of our attention to buy.
Unfortunately this year all we got were things
that were at best the same. If they were marginally
better or the same but much cheaper they would be
here.
UPDATE
The current run has more than few NFG pedals.
One guy exchanged his only to get a second dud.
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