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New pedals at SNAMM: Humboldt’s Regainer and Preserver

Guitar pedals with wooden enclosures are not an entirely unforeseen idea, but - at least as far as we know - in this field no company has taken things quite as far as Chilean manufacturer Fuse, with their new Humboldt line, handcrafted in Valparaiso and Santiago. Not only are these pedals made out of wood, but the mateiral used for the enclosures is recycled and hand picked from a variety of selected scraps. Because of this, each pedal varies in color and texture, which gives each stompbox its own character.... Click on the title for more

New pedals at SNAMM: Humboldt’s Regainer and Preserver

Teenage Love’s Gear and Creative Process

You shouldn't let go of an ideal band mate: Katy Gunn and Anna Lidell found each other, and not even an ocean in between is slowing down their collaboration, that goes under the name of Teenage Love: the Brooklyn/Copenhagen based duo's beautifully textural 'Gold' EP is out today (July 7th, 2015), and, besides bright musical talent, it showcases a playful approach to gear and musical technology, which is surely also crucial in keeping this long distance relationship alive. We asked Katy and Anna a few questions about their gear and creative process.... Click on the title for more

Teenage Love’s Gear and Creative Process

EZTV Ezra Tenenbaum’s pedalboard (or lack of thereof)

Ezra Tenenbaum used to write about guitar pedals for this very blog. We were pleasantly surprised to see his new band EZTV signed with super buzzworthy Brooklyn label Captured Tracks (home to notable artist such as Mac DeMarco, DIIV, Widowspeak and Wild Nothing among others). Since we had his email, we thought it was time to ask him a few questions about his favorite pedals...... Click on the title for more

EZTV Ezra Tenenbaum’s pedalboard (or lack of thereof)

NashPedals presents two new pedals at the SNAMM Stompbox Exhibit

New stompbox manufacturer NashPedals has a bit of a dual namesake as it was founded by Nash Probst in early 2011 and it also happens to be based in Nashville. Nash began in the early days by focusing mostly on true bypass loopers, other routing pedals and auxiliary pedals before expanding in to the full range of overdrives and boosts offered today. Nash is gearing up for the future with big plans on the horizon, “We will be previewing two new pedals at Summer NAMM 2015,” founder Nash Probst described via email - and they will do that at our Summer NAMM Stompbox Exhibit! “We have a new hybrid transistor fuzz called Sudden Impact and a stereo version of our beloved Bronco Billy boost pedal (check out the demo of the mono version below). And then after the first of the year, we're planning to cater to our bass playing friends and maybe work our way into some modulation options.”... Click on the title for more

NashPedals presents two new pedals at the SNAMM Stompbox Exhibit

Stompbox Exhibit at SNAMM 2015 – List of Manufacturers

The Stompbox Exhibit's booth from SNAMM 2014[/caption]We've been taking our Stompbox Exhibit concept to the NAMM shows since 2013, mainly with the purpose of allowing emerging manufacturers to be able to showcase their products at these important conventions at a fraction of the price. At this year's Summer NAMM, scheduled for July 9-11, we've had an overwhelming number of requests, which forced us to get - for the first time - two 10x10 booths. Here's the full list of participating manufacturers; Summer NAMM attendees will find us at booth #1348. Adventure Audio Big Ear n.y.c. DLS Effects Fairfield Circuitry Fuse Electronics Hotone Main Ace FX Malekko Heavy Industries Nash Pedals Neunaber Audio Effects Outlaw Effects Red Panda Lab ScreaminFX T-Rex Effects Tribute Audio Valeton Effects The Stompbox Exhibit peeps... Click on the title for more

Stompbox Exhibit at SNAMM 2015 – List of Manufacturers

The Life Electric’s Gear and Creative Process

<a href="http://thelifeelectric.bandcamp.com/album/heartbeat">Heartbeat by The Life Electric</a>Active since 2011, Boston's The Life Electric play rather aggressive but always melodic rock'n'roll, with psych and disco influences. Their personal guitar sound is crafted through carefully chosen stompboxes, so we decided to ask them a few questions about their gear and creative process - check out the Q&A below.... Click on the title for more

The Life Electric’s Gear and Creative Process

New Pedals: Black Cat N-Fuzz

Our friends at Black Cat Pedals just released a new fuzz stompbox called N-Fuzz based on an N-Channel transistor (hence the name). This box is based on the Fuzz channel of the OD-Fuzz, but with Japanese components and an extra wide ranging Bias control that allows you to dial in a sweeping array of fuzz tones and timbres. The original N-Fuzz, designed by Fred Bonte was made in limited numbers between 2001 and 2003, and was only available in the Asian market. The circuit was based on a modified Fuzz Face, with an additional toggle switch for high and low output. This new version replaces the toggle switch with a variable bias control pot, allowing for more versatility and in-between options, offering many different tones and timbres of fuzz.
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New Pedals: Black Cat N-Fuzz

New Pedals: DLS Effects’ Rotospin

DLS Effects is offering the guitar world a new 'spin' on a classic and timeless guitar effect – the rotary speaker effect. Long used paired only with a Hammond organ, early guitar players and recording engineers discovered that the rotary effect sounds ridiculously good when used on electric guitars.... Click on the title for more

New Pedals: DLS Effects’ Rotospin

Red Panda Raster Delay

It’s not really fair to classify the new Red Panda Raster Delay as just a delay pedal. The Raster is actually more of a Leatherman type multi-tool effect, as it not only has all your standard digital delay needs covered (up to 750 ms and three delay modes for standard, continuous, and reverse delay), but it also has both a built in pitch shifter and phase shifter.... Click on the title for more

Red Panda Raster Delay

Bowmont’s Gear, Synths and Creative Process

Bowmont is a Brooklyn based trio that's been delivering beautifully textural and atmospheric synth-pop since the beginning of the decade. It has the luck of having a GRAMMY award winning engineer among its ranks (Jeremy Loucas), who also happens to be obsessed with synths. The two other members, Danish lead vocalist Emil Bovbjerg, and German guitarist Elias Meister, are accomplished musicians who also share a passion for musical toys. We can't think of a better band for a Delicious Audio interview about gear and the creative process.... Click on the title for more

Bowmont’s Gear, Synths and Creative Process

Skreddy Kusanagi Fuzz

The Tone Bender is one of the most legendary effects in guitar history, and for good reason. The signature fuzz sound it produced inspired a generation of burgeoning rock guitarists. It was a notoriously fickle design though, using rare components and positive ground connection (almost all effects are negative-ground power). Skreddy Pedals has introduced a fuzz pedal, called Kusanagi, that remains true to the original circuit design while including additional, updated features. Many of the esoteric electronic components are included, such as larger carbon resistors, axial capacitors and germanium transistors.... Click on the title for more

Skreddy Kusanagi Fuzz

Big Knob’s Wah Fix

Big Knob Pedals, out of Studio City, CA (interesting name!), recently introduced the Wah Fix filter pedal, a stompbox that allows guitarists to lock into the sweet spot of the frequency sweep of a wah pedal - a trick Frank Zappa, among others, used quite frequently. Controls are simple enough – featuring potentiometers to control volume, Q, and wah. Volume controls overall output volume, Q determines the width of the frequency sweep, and the wah control allows for dialing in the amount of 'wah effect' in the signal (a sort of blend control). Additional features include hand-wiring, a compact and sturdy all-metal enclosure, true bypass switching, and on/off LED indicator. The Wah Fix can be powered via 9v battery or power supply. If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional treadle-based wah effect, or want to integrate a unique EQ/filter effect into your rig the Wah Fix is definitely worth a look. - Brandon Stoner
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Big Knob’s Wah Fix