Danish pedalmaker T-Rex Engineering is kicking off the new year with three new guitar pedals which we are looking forward to meet “in person” at the NAMM convention. Facelifts have been given to their Twister Chorus/Flanger and Reptile Delay pedals, and their affordable Tonebug line now includes a sustainer.
The Twister 2 ($369) can be used as either a Chorus or a Flanger, with adjustable depth, rate, and a tone control that dials back the high frequencies. The Regen knob controls the amount of feedback when using the Flanger, and there’s also a gain knob on the side of the unit that allows you to avoid overdrive distortion. A nice feature to have when recording in the studio is the optional stereo output. The unit has had a hardware and software update for this version, which promises a greater tonal range and more vintage-sounding chorus effect.
The Reptile 2 Delay ($369) has also been given some new features, namely a tap tempo button and more controls in the ‘flutter’ section. Borrowing from the signature sound of the popular T-Rex Replica pedal, the Reptile has enough adjustability to create a variety of delay effects – from a classic slap-back, to big and bold repeats, or the quirky wobbling sound of vintage tape delays. The Flutter controls are designed to help to create those irregular frequency variations that were caused by mechanical motion in early tape delay units. Sometimes described as a “warbling” sound, you can hear it taken to the extreme in this audio example featuring the Reptile 2.
The ToneBug line by T-Rex includes a number of affordable pedals that feature the company’s signature sounds with easy to use controls. The newest addition is the ToneBug Sustainer ($129), which will be available in early 2011. With compress, sustain, and attack controls, you’ll have no excuse for getting confused when adjusting your settings – especially since the attack setting is either ‘tortoise’ or ‘hare’. –Mike Bauer
