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EarthQuaker Devices Zoar Distortion

The EarthQuaker Devices Zoar is the Ohio company's take on the modern-sounding, transistor-based medium-high gain distortion. Moderately tweakeable thanks to the (passive) 3-way EQ section, which operates on the frequencies between 0 and 800Hz for Bass, 500Hz and 3kHz for Middle and 1kHz and 10kHz for Treble, the pedal also…Click on the title for more

EarthQuaker Devices Zoar Distortion

Greer Black Mountain Crunch Drive

The Greer Black Mountain is a new, British-style crunch overdrive by a Georgia-based boutique builder with a growing following, mostly because of the Lightspeed overdrive, a true "sleeper hit" of the stompbox industry. While the Lightspeed is a very transparent drive, the Black Mountain offers a definite tonal flavor reminiscent…Click on the title for more

Greer Black Mountain Crunch Drive

New Pedal: NRG Effects Gnawer Distortion

The NRG Effects Gnawer is a RAT-inspired dual-channel overdrive by a small British builder that has built a reputation for solid and tweakable pedal designs. Unlike original RATs and many of its variations, it has a very usable range of tones also at lower gain. Based on a NA5534P op-amp…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: NRG Effects Gnawer Distortion

New Pedal: Poly VERBS Reverb

Australian pedal company Poly Effect has never played the pedal game the way the other companies do, and their new stereo reverb is another demonstration of that. With its touch-sensitive controls (no knobs!) and convolution reverb capabilities, the Poly Verbs is a unique entry in the very competitive reverb pedal…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Poly VERBS Reverb

Holy Island Audio Deforming Delay

Hailing from the Wales, the Holy Island Audio Deforming is a delay built around the PT2399 chip with a peculiar, footswitch-triggered "warp" function that links the delay's time to an envelope, generating the classic "sound warping" effect you get when you turn the time knob while the guitar strings are…Click on the title for more

Holy Island Audio Deforming Delay

EarthQuaker Devices Aurelius Chorus

It looks like 2023 is going to be the year of the chorus! The EarthQuaker Devices Aurelius is the fifth effect of that type released this year by an established US boutique builder (after Jackson Audio, Beetronics, Old Blood Noise, and Walrus Audio, with the last two launched just yesterday!).…Click on the title for more

EarthQuaker Devices Aurelius Chorus

Bondi Effects Sick As Mk3

With a circuit inspired by the Klon Centaur, the Bondi Effects Sick As Mk3 is one of the most popular overdrive pedals in its category. It features a toggle switch that controls the amount of headroom and character of the drive, and an extra Bass knob for added versatility. Both…Click on the title for more

Bondi Effects Sick As Mk3

JAM Pedals Custom Octaurus LTD Edition

Hosted in a green suede enclosure reminiscent of the Foxx Tone Machine, the JAM Pedals Custom Octaurus is a limited edition, point-to-point fuzz by the established Greek company inspired by the sound of the legendary octave-up circuits of the '60s and '70s, but not necessarily voiced after any one of…Click on the title for more

JAM Pedals Custom Octaurus LTD Edition

New Pedal: Unsound Circuitry Kato Glitch Fuzz

It's quite rare to stumble upon a fuzz pedal that's crazy enough to make it into our article about the Best Crazy, Weird, and Unusual Fuzz Pedals, but the Unsound Circuitry Kato Glitch Fuzz (here's the link to the Icelandic builder's page) belongs to that list fairly and squarely. Presented…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Unsound Circuitry Kato Glitch Fuzz

Chase Bliss Audio Generation Loss MkII

We celebrated in this very blog several of the pedals by Cooper FX, a one-man "cult" builder whose devices were constantly sold out. One of the biggest fans of this manufacturer is Chase Bliss Audio's Joel Korte, who has never been shy about his affinity for the Cooper FX Generation…Click on the title for more

Chase Bliss Audio Generation Loss MkII

Fuzzrocious Lil Fella Overdrive/Distortion

Fuzzrocious is not only the pedal company with the best name out there, but also a family-run business with a mission to explore new ways to distort guitar (and bass) tone in new and inspiring ways. Their new release Li'l Fella continues this tradition with a circuit that updates their…Click on the title for more

Fuzzrocious Lil Fella Overdrive/Distortion

2023 UPDATE! Best Amp Modeling Pedal & Cab Simulators

November is normally a month full of exciting new releases, due to the impending shopping season, and this year was no exception. The big news was the release of a new pedal by Nashville's Hologram Electronics, whose previous pedal, the Microcosm, was one of the best-selling creative effects of the…Click on the title for more

2023 UPDATE! Best Amp Modeling Pedal & Cab Simulators