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Updated Pedal: Vongon Paragraphs II Resonant Filter

Vongon is a rather new pedal (and now also synth) brand based in Oakland that manufactures very intriguing and creative stompboxes. The Paragraph II is the updated 2024 version of their very first product: an analog four-pole resonant low-pass filter with stereo modulation (the previous version was mono). A comparison…Click on the title for more

Updated Pedal: Vongon Paragraphs II Resonant Filter

New Pedal: Poly Ample Amp/Cab Sim Pedal

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia (a big geographical disadvantage for any musical instrument manufacturer), Poly is one of the handful of brands currently driving innovation in the stompbox realm. The Ample is their (stereo) take on the amp/cab sim pedal. A knobless and toggle-less device, the Ample offers 56 modeled guitar…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Poly Ample Amp/Cab Sim Pedal

Friedman IR-J Dual Tube Preamp (Jake E Lee Signature)

The Friedman IR-J is the third comer in the "IR" pedal tube preamp series recently launched by the US brand. The manufacturer is keen to stress that the two 12AX7 tubes inside the pedal aren't there just to "warm up" a digital or solid-state circuit, but are the beating heart…Click on the title for more

Friedman IR-J Dual Tube Preamp (Jake E Lee Signature)

Empress Effects Reverb

The Empress Effects Reverb is a multi-mode pedal stacked with tweakable features including some standard ones AND bizarre ones like “beer”, “sparkle”, and “ghost”. The combinations are nearly endless as there are four settings for the standard plate, room, hall, and spring reverb and then another 8 less conventional settings. The…Click on the title for more

Empress Effects Reverb

New Pedal: JHS Flight Delay

With the new Flight modulated delay, the folks at JHS make a little step closer to complexity, perhaps pointing to a future less dominated by their extremely successful "less is more" approach to stompboxes. Its digital and reverse mode also indicate an attempt to expand the brand's appeal to a…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: JHS Flight Delay

The 5 Best LoFi Pedals for Synths: Digital & Analog Fidelilty Reducers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qm8PmYSfe0 LoFi effects are a fascinating niche that can add some magic to any musical material, and perhaps because of that, an increasing number of pedal builders have started offering products of this kind. The history of recording and effects can be seen through the lens of a constant improvement…Click on the title for more

The 5 Best LoFi Pedals for Synths: Digital & Analog Fidelilty Reducers

New Pedal: KittycasterFX Mohair Fuzztortion

Hand-built in Portland, OR, the KittycasterFX Mohair is a high quality five-transistor fuzz/distortion that offers a modern take on the classic muff sound, providing thick, sustaining leads with a more open, responsive feel. It's not a direct clone of any specific design but is fine-tuned for a unique sound and…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: KittycasterFX Mohair Fuzztortion

Beetronics Tuna Fuzz

California via Brazil brand Beetronics built a pedal empire on devices with names playing around the "bee" theme. And then came the... Tuna Fuzz? Although the Tuna fuzz is a new release, it draws back to the days when company founder Felipe was living in Brazil, while teaching kids how…Click on the title for more

Beetronics Tuna Fuzz

Updated Pedal: Spaceman Spacerocket II Fuzz

The Spaceman Spacerocket II is a discrete silicon transistor fuzz reworked and reissued to celebrate the company's 15th anniversary. Extremely flexible notwithstanding the simple controls, this pedal can deliver a variety of sounds ranging from thick fuzzes to classic octave-up tones, thanks to the 3-way voice toggle. The new version…Click on the title for more

Updated Pedal: Spaceman Spacerocket II Fuzz

Origin Effects Halcyon Blue Overdrive

The Origin Effects Halcyon Blue Overdrive is the third release in the British company's Halcyon series, a line of pedals inspired by evergreen classics utilizing a proprietary system called Adaptive Circuitry that automatically tweaks the effect’s voicing in real-time in response to pick attack and volume changes, improving dynamics and…Click on the title for more

Origin Effects Halcyon Blue Overdrive

Meris Enzo Synth Pedal

Born from a rib of Strymon, LA pedal manufacturer Meris has been getting a lot of traction in the last year or so with imaginative stompbox designs (we wrote a profile about them here), and we are thrilled to find out that they have launched a brand new pedal called Enzo.…Click on the title for more

Meris Enzo Synth Pedal

New Pedal: Caroline Wave Cannon Zero Fuzzstortion

A revisitation of one of the South Carolina-based company's early unreleased prototypes, the Caroline Wave Cannon v2 is a bold distortion pedal that delivers everything from subtle crackles to heavy, chaotic, and even self-oscillating tones. Unlike pedals focused on subtle dynamics, the Wave Cannon v2 features intense gain and volume…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Caroline Wave Cannon Zero Fuzzstortion