FRACTAL AM4 Amp Modeler
WHY BUY IT ??? WHY NOT ???
See PT. 1 from Nov.25. 2025
In short if you make a list of every amp you always wished you owned. It is in here. It is also a dead
$700.00 USD
match to that real amp. Or at the very worst gets
a 9.9 for accuracy.
If you just want to have a short learning curve
and get on with playing. Done!
If you need more ...then prepare to not have a life.
If you LOVE more ...then get a job as a product
specialist with one of the big companies. LOL
FROST GIANT ELECTRONICS
MourningStar ⃣
A Metal Overdrive/Boost pedal that is not new. Many companies that specialize in Metal have taken the Tube Screamer as the starting point
$190.00 USD
and added onto it more gain and better EQ to fit a specific genre or
in this case one that dials in the goods no matter what your genre is.The layout is Volume, Gain and Baxandall EQ for the Bass, Mids and Treble. A toggle gives you a Tube Screamer and a BOSS SD-1 voice
and a custom voice with even more gain.
CONCLUSION __
Just stack this on your tube amp or easier still on a good Amp-in-Box pedal and you get instant magic!!!
Baxandall allows for far less smearing caused by phase distortion where bass crosses into the mids or the mids
cross over into the highs. Even more important with high gain as distortion exaggerates the overtones and can kill the attack and destroy the separation and definition of
the notes. The thing that separates this pedal from
the pack is the attention to refinement in the
smallest detail so it can work around any
problems with your rig.
$110.00 USD iStingor
Super Overdrive OD-1
For 10 years I have not seen a MIC Boss OD-1. So Joyo, Caline, Mosky and Mooer are not the obvious source.
Add to that I have never seen a casing like this which appears to be a battery compartment at the heel of
the pedal. Maybe we have a new brand ???
The layout is Volume, Gain but the Tone unlike a Boss comes from a separate Bass, Mids and Treble. A toggle can switch on a mid boost poke.
CONCLUSION ___The revue sucks. Unless you hear the pedalthru a dead clean sound with each knob demoedto show its full range you know zip all.
Superficially it sounds good. It claims to be using
FETS. The transistors that sound like a tube.
The Boss pedals are all simple OpAmp pedals &
the Boss OD-1 only had volume and gain knobs.
A new Boss SD-1 that replaced the OD-1 is $70.00 USD.
$250.00 USD J. ROCKETT AUDIO DESIGNS
Aqueous chorus
The company has a good rep for a quality build but the pedals
have often been hit or miss for sound or value for money.
The Layout is Preamp, Tilt EQ, Speed, Mix and Depth.
CONCLUSION __
It covers all the bases. The sound is full &with excellent clarity. It does however lacksome character & harmonic detail or richovertones. The company does not boast oreven mention that it is analog so I expectits shortcomings are because it is digital.
The WTF!
GUITARS of 2025
The best in every range and the worst at any price.
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$295.00 USD
RENATO EFFECTS
RENATO FuZZ SILICON
The builder does not say but this either started out as a
Fuzz Face or a later Tone Bender circuit like a Colorsound
Fuzz.
The Layout is Volume, Gain and Resolence which appears
to control another level of gain.
CONCLUSION __It looks great. It sounds rich & fat. It has good
dynamics. It can clean up by pulling back
on guitars volume knob or by how lite or
heavy your touch is. Even for a good
hand made etc. It is $50 too much.
behringer
$120.00 USD
Meatball |
The usual treatment of a very close to dead on
sound at a cheap price. With 10 knobs I would
have to type out the manual to do the Layout
so just read it when to buy one. Or not😇
It is a take on a Lovetone pedal. The enclosure
is near identical and so are the graphics to the
antique UK version... It is damn near a total re-pro.
CONCLUSION __
Go for it if its your thing.
Too much bow wow for me.
 |
| ...does it look like this Lovetone? |
C O U C H E L E C T R O N I C S
BLUE WHALE
 |
| $260.00 USD |
For a start in spite of the shape of the enclosure
this is a mini pedal. It is their take on a BB. That
said they did their own thing to it. They seem to
find it convenient not to say what. WTF!!!
The layout is Volume, Tone and Gain.
CONCLUSION ___
The real Marshall Blues Breaker looks cool
too. Same box but bigger and if the sound
was not great, why does every one clone it?
Add to that, it is $60.00 USD cheaper.
electro-harmonix
BIG MUFF Pi 2 Duel Op-Amp Fuzz
$125.00 USD This week the JHS/E-H showed a full sized model of this Fuzz designed
by JHS in the large old style enclosure & was announced for sale but
as a Ltd. Ed. (see the Dec.11/2025 Post)Basically the first Big Muff was designed by Bob Myers now in his 90's.
He later designed a double OpAmp Muff that did not get made. Josh White researching E-H pedals for a book interviewed Bob and saw the Blue Print for it and made one. Josh approached Mike Mathews who agreed on the plan which included a board friendly budget model.
The layout is a simple old school Volume, Tone and Gain.
___CONCLUSION ___This makes the old and there-issue Billy Corgan modelssound lame. It is serious
sh@t for a reasonable price!!!
K E E L E Y ELECTRONICS
NOCTURNE Andy Timmons
Just 3 voices but zero compromise in making them 110% usable.
$270.00 USD The Nocturne ethereal type, Plate and Spring.The layout is a button to choose which type of Verb, Tone, Reverb
level, Decay and Modulation.
___
CONCLUSION ___It is typical Keeley. High quality sound, high quality build, no useless extras, value for money and my favorite. F.ing easy to program.
thefineprint_The Hotone Verbera uses a tech where they can nit just give you the perfect spring but one from a vintage
Fender where if you asked they could give you the serial number of the amp they captured from.
If you wanted a Cathedral sound you could have Canterbury's or Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Or maybe you want a Plate and you get the EMT 140 or Abbey Roads etc. At $300.00USD you get a lot more for your 30 extra bucks!!!
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