Built jointly by Summer School Electronics in Syracuse, New York and Supercool Pedals in Peterborough, Ontario, the Smoking in the Boys Room pedal can be easily classified as a child of our Synth & Pedal Expos, since these two brands attended several of them.
The circuit is a deliberate and artful transborder collaboration, built to channel the definitive sonic elements of 1990s grunge through a modern, hand-built lens. It directly fuses two iconic circuits (a Summer School Electronics take on the classic DS 1 distortion and a Supercool Pedals analog chorus inspired by the Small Clone) into a single, lore-saturated enclosure.
This is more than a simple pairing, it is a thoughtful integration. The distortion side delivers the requisite buzzsaw edge but has been revised with a more pronounced mid-range snarl for a contemporary cut. The chorus provides the essential watery, swirling modulation. Crucially, an external toggle switch allows players to instantly swap the order of the two effects ( a fundamental decision that defines the resulting cacophony ). Both circuits can be used independently or stacked for the full, flannelled wall of sound.
The pedal avoids the buffered bypass of its inspirations in favor of true mechanical switching. Complete with period-specific artwork and packaging, it serves as both a loving tribute to a specific era and a practical, high-quality tool for summoning its classic, saturated spirit.
