Author Archive

Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro and Filter Pro

unnamed (5)Pigtronix has been at the forefront of innovative guitar pedal design for quite some time, and even though the New York based company in recent years has been shifting a lot of attention and resources to their freshly acquired amp line Supro,  we are glad to report that the two new Echolution 2 stompboxes are nothing short of exciting and inspiring. One of the most versatile delay pedals on the market, the Echolution 2 is capable of creating the most intricate delay sounds around, so much so that even the Edge would continue to find new sonic ground to explore. The biggest update is to the firmware running the Echolution2 , and can be implemented into any of the company’s Echolution brand pedals. Augmented features include a freeze control (a looper-like function), MIDI sync, and pitch change options available via almost every effect parameter. Combin this with the already exhaustive parameters and you have a knob tweaker’s paradise... Click on the title for more

Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro and Filter Pro

New Pedals: Chuck Pedals Blue Dream

New Pedals: F-Pedals RobotHolic Distortion/Lo-Fi

robot If you belong to the category of guitarists who enjoy stompboxes that have the potential to inspire with their versatility and uniqueness, you should take a look at F-Pedals' RobotHolic. This is an interesting pedal that - quite surprisingly - manages to pack the following effects in a tiny (and truly good looking) 3.6" x 2" enclosure:
  1. Boost/Distortion circuit
  2. Analog-ringmod-resembling modulation effect
  3. "LOFI" mode - basically a high pass filter that emulates an old AM speaker
If that was not enough, the California based company's engineers also found room for a backlit mix knob and a connector for an external expression pedal, which affects the modulation's rate for cool sweeps and sci-fi tone shifts. Like all the other offerings by F-Pedals, the RobotHolic comes in an Wireless F-Powered version, which uses built-in, custom designed, rechargeable and replaceable battery that provides steady power to the pedals through magnetic induction for approximately 20 hours once its fully charged. Both F-Pedals and F-Board can be used with a conventional power supply for a seamless integration with users’ existing set-up.
... Click on the title for more

New Pedals: F-Pedals RobotHolic Distortion/Lo-Fi

Featured Pedals: HDR Amplification Bluerider

Bluerider_s1[1] Another interesting Tubescreamer variation has come out of HDR Amplification's labs, by the name of the Bluerider Overdrive. Offering the beloved mid-range warmth and classic bite of the venerable Ibanez design, HDR has expanded on the idea to create a slightly more versatile and far-reaching overdrive. The control scheme is quite familiar to pedal-junkies, with the standard 'Gain', 'Tone', and 'Level' controls. Also present is a gain switch to enable more harmonic content to pass through signal. While the Bluerider has plenty of saturation on tap, at cleaner settings it serves as a solid clean boost, coloring the signal in a very transparent way.... Click on the title for more

Featured Pedals: HDR Amplification Bluerider

TC Electronic Body Rez Pickup Enhancer

tc_electronic_bodyrez-tc-electronic-body-rez-acoustic-pickup-enhancer[1] Have you ever found your acoustic to be less than desirable-sounding when using your D.I.? TC Electronic has come up with a nice solution to restore some of the fullness in your sound that's inherently lost when going D.I. with your acoustic guitar, it's called the BodyRez stompbox. A very simple one knob design, this unique pedal idea works by using a number of filters and very fast compression to restore tone. The pedal also helps to suppress feedback as well, making it serve a variety of purposes, both live and in the studio. On top of doing great things for your sound, the pedal is extremely compact, rugged, and true bypass. If you feel your D.I. acoustic sound is lacking, the Body Rez from TC Electronic might be just what you're looking for. - Brandon Stoner ... Click on the title for more

TC Electronic Body Rez Pickup Enhancer

Unique pedals: Beard Custom Reverber

beard_custom_reverber_website[1] Russian guitar pedal manufacturer Beard Custom has designed a unique take on reverb, in the form of the Reverber pedal. While this stompbox can produce very pleasant reverb sounds like spring and plate, what sets this unit apart is the on-board effect loop. It's possible to get some crazy sounds from experimenting with different pedals in the loop. For example, looking for a shimmer effect? Run an octave pedal to produce those chiming tones.... Click on the title for more

Unique pedals: Beard Custom Reverber

A Urei 1176 on your board? Origin Effects’ Cali76 Compressor

76-C_1247[1] It seems like the new trend for guitar pedals is to go after the quality of high end studio effects... think about what Strymon and Eventide are doing in the stompbox department, or the genius idea JHS had with the Color Box - an analog recreation of a legendary, vintage Neve preamp...... Click on the title for more

A Urei 1176 on your board? Origin Effects’ Cali76 Compressor

New Pedals: L0/Rez’s Mona Lisa

l0rez-monalisaoverdrive-2[1]

We are always excited when we find out about a new pedal manufacturer based in our hometown, NYC - there aren't many! Enter L0/rez,  a north Brooklyn based company owned by engineer/designer Jared Hiller, that just introduced it second creation, the Mona Lisa Overdrive & Oscillation pedal.... Click on the title for more

New Pedals: L0/Rez’s Mona Lisa

Salt Cathedral and the creative process

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If you like the idea of parallel worlds, you should immerse yourself in the music of Brooklyn's (via Colombia) duo Salt Cathedral. Their gently impressionistic arrangements and celestial atmospheres, combined with Juliana Ronderos' angelic voice and melodies, might transport you to the closest thing to the seventh heaven you've ever experienced - or at least a dancey version of it. We asked Juliana a few questions about the band's creative process.... Click on the title for more

Salt Cathedral and the creative process

New Pedals: EQD’s Tentacle Octave Up

big_TentacleShopCart[1] Ohio's Earthquaker Devices has emerged in the last few years as one of the companies truly pushing the boundaries of the stompbox. They continue to come up with fresh ideas and innovations in the community of guitar FX manufacturers, and even though they normally don't disdain depth of features, one of their latest offerings is disarmingly simple but incredibly solid – the Tentacle octave pedal.... Click on the title for more

New Pedals: EQD’s Tentacle Octave Up

MXR EVH 5150 Overdrive

EVH5150Overdrive-11[1] The 5150 amplifier, originally designed by Peavey, is well-known in the guitar and audio worlds as one of the best-sounding amps around, capable of delivering a very wide range of tones. MXR/Dunlop and guitar god Eddie Van Halen have had a successful partnership for years, and their latest signature pedal idea is here: yes, the searing 5150 overdrive sound is now available in a stompbox!... Click on the title for more

MXR EVH 5150 Overdrive

Novation Circuit – Video from the BK Synth Expo

2-Circuit-Overhead_0_1[1] Novation's new 'groove box" Circuit pretty much debuted at our Synth Expo in early November. We caught the opportunity to take a rather in depth video demo of it, check it out!... Click on the title for more

Novation Circuit – Video from the BK Synth Expo