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Can a stompbox truly capture the sweeping, atmospheric weight of modern post-rock right at your feet? Developed in close collaboration with Torsten Kinsella of God Is an Astronaut, the Tubesteader SUNSTEAD is a dual-channel, high-voltage tube preamp and overdrive engineered specifically for the sprawling dynamics of indie, post-rock, and shoegaze. Rather than relying on simulated voicings, the circuit runs dual 12AX7 vacuum tubes at full plate voltage, delivering the authentic, organic compression and touch sensitivity of a real British alternative-rock stack. The architecture is divided into two distinct, highly flexible characters: Channel I: Spans a broad gain landscape, moving fluidly from moody, transparent cleans to harmonically complex, touch-responsive overdrive. Channel II: Steps up the aggression with heightened upper-mid presence and higher gain, pushing effortlessly from crunchy rhythm textures into dense, saturated distortion. Both channels feature independent gain and volume controls for seamless level matching, backed by a passive 3-band EQ and a side-mounted Tone Cut switch. This clever switch lets you optimize the output: drop it down to roll off highs and reduce output for front-of-amp running, or flip it up for full-bandwidth frequency response when driving an effects return, power amp, or cabinet simulator. Equipped with a 3.5mm TRS […]... Click on the title for more
What happens when you take the sprawling workflow of a desktop DAW and distill it down to a rugged, floor-ready chassis you can pilot with your shoes? Bridging the gap between traditional looping and full-scale production, the Polyend Loop shrinks complex studio power into a pedalboard-friendly workstation. Rather than treating looping as a simple utility act, Polyend has engineered a complete, loop-based audio ecosystem that invites genuine composition and full-scale world-building right under your feet. At its core, the unit centers on four independent loop tracks, offering up to 52 seconds of mono or stereo recording time per channel. Playback is deeply flexible, supporting forward, reverse, ping-pong navigation, and varispeed timing. What separates it from conventional loopers, however, is the integration of a four-track drum machine running alongside your loops, stocked with over 500 drum kits, 350 rhythms, 2,000 samples, and 180 pre-made loops loaded via microSD. Per-Track FX Architecture: Every single loop channel features discrete, assignable effects—including deep reverb and delay options, classic modulation (chorus, phaser, tape echo), waveshaping overdrives, filters, and spatial panning. Granular Step-Sequencing: Program and customize over 15 distinct drum parameters independently on every step, chain patterns into extended arrangements, or live-record your own samples straight through […]... Click on the title for more
For players who love the tactile footprint of individual stompboxes but occasionally need an entire ecosystem under their feet, the BOSS EX-4 Effects Expander bridges the gap. Rather than demanding a wholesale layout redesign, it slips onto a board as a high-utility problem solver, packing a staggering library of 120 historic and modern BOSS algorithms into a compact, dual-footswitch chassis. At any given moment, the EX-4 lets you run up to four simultaneous stereo effects from BOSS’s massive pool of familiar algorithms, spanning everything from staple overdrives and lush delays and reverbs to quirky catalog oddities like the Slow Gear and Slicer. Navigating the unit feels refreshingly immediate thanks to a vivid 2.4-inch color LCD and dedicated FX buttons whose backlight colors dynamically match your active blocks. Depending on what you have highlighted on the display, the three parameter knobs map dynamically to whatever three functions correspond to that specific row on the screen (such as Drive, Tone, and Level, or Rate, Depth, and Feedback). They give you immediate, hands-on control over your active sound without forcing you to dig through nested menus. The dual multi-function footswitches can be custom-assigned to several operational roles—including tap tempo for delays and modulation, effect block […]... Click on the title for more
The TAMPCO Tone Oven Custom is a limited edition of an overdrive celebrated for its warmth and transparency. While the original design required cracking open the enclosure to tweak internal trimmers, this special release relocates those crucial Bass and Comp controls straight to the front panel for effortless adjustments on the fly. Designed to cook your tone without choking your natural low end, the pedal features a streamlined, intuitive control set: Core Knobs: Curiously named standard controls for Fan (output level), Temp (shaping high frequencies), and Time (dialing in the warmth and saturation) provide a transparent, organic foundation that preserves your instrument’s core character. Grill Mode: Engaged via a dedicated footswitch, Grill mode layers on a second, more aggressive saturation circuit (inspired by hard-clipping architectures) to instantly cook your tone, add a crisp crunchy edge, and push your guitar straight out in front of the mix for solos. Front-Panel Tweaks: The updated exterior layout gives you immediate, hands-on access to a dedicated Bass-Cut toggle to instantly tighten up low frequencies in a live mix, alongside a headroom switch to tailor the compression profile of the Grill circuit. Whether you are using it as an always-on warmer to push the front […]... Click on the title for more
Designed less like a traditional stompbox and more like a high-end studio preamp for your instrument, the Westerlund ONE treats your core tone as something to elevate rather than replace. Built around three unique FET-based op-amp gain stages and a FET tone recovery stage, it captures a remarkably authentic, tube-like feel with massive headroom and exceptional touch sensitivity. The pedal’s versatility stems from a deeply configurable architecture: Flexible Clipping Modes: A 3-way toggle lets you choose between Hard clipping, Soft clipping, or disengaging clipping entirely (“Amp Mode” for clean, transparent boosts), while a dedicated switch lets you select between Germanium or Silicon diodes to tailor the grit. Pre-Gain Boost: An independent, adjustable boost circuit sits before the gain stage, making it easy to jump from a subtle volume lift straight into rich, amp-like saturation and compression. Sculpted Tone Controls: Features a musical, responsive 3-band EQ (Bass, Middle, Treble) alongside a global Bright/Dark tone switch to help the pedal sit perfectly with any guitar or rig. Whether you need a pristine, high-headroom line driver, a touch-sensitive overdrive, or a roaring preamp to punish the front end of your amp, the Westerlund ONE provides a polished, professional-grade foundation that honors your natural […]... Click on the title for more
Building on the original design in collaboration with guitarist Doug Weiand, the MORE v2 Harmonic Enhancer is a fully tube-driven box designed to elevate your entire rig without altering its core identity. Rather than serving as an overdrive or distortion, it functions as a genuine thermionic preamp stage. Running on a true high-voltage internal supply of around 340V—completely avoiding starved-plate compromises—it pairs a carefully selected NOS 12AV7 with a 12AT7 tube to infuse your signal with organic warmth, depth, and touch sensitivity. The pedal operates as an always-on enhancement tool: Harmonic Enrichment: Adds natural upper-harmonic richness, sustain, and clarity, making clean tones more dimensional and driven sounds tighter and more focused. Bass Cut Switch: Allows you to effortlessly tame low-end bloom and tighten up extended-range or high-gain setups without stripping away essential body. Flexible Integration: Wide-bandwidth tube circuitry preserves the full frequency spectrum, letting it sit comfortably in front of an amplifier, inside an effects loop, or at the end of a digital modeler and IR rig. Because it operates on authentic high-voltage tube power, the MORE v2 requires a robust power supply delivering at least 600mA at 9–12VDC. It isn’t built to fix a flawed signal chain; instead, […]... Click on the title for more
To mark a decade since their very first release, UK-based Flattley Pedals has revisited where it all started. Built as part of their handcrafted Platinum Range, the new Flattley Reaper 10 AE takes the op-amp core of the original 2016 Reaper and evolves it into a much more aggressive, rodent-inspired distortion machine. Rather than relying on a complex rotary feedback loop, the anniversary edition utilizes a straightforward three-way toggle switch to jump between three distinct gain architectures: Hard Clipping (HC): Employs vintage glass-envelope germanium diodes for an aggressive, biting crunch. Boost (BST): Bypasses all clipping stages entirely, serving up a high-headroom clean boost capable of pushing a tube amp preamp into natural saturation—or dialing up the gain control for its own organic push. Soft Clipping (SC): Uses asymmetric clipping paired with an LED and a conventional silicon diode for a smoother, touch-sensitive overdrive. Beyond the circuit, Flattley’s meticulous UK-handcrafted build shines through in the details. It features custom-etched 20 mm black anodized aluminum knobs, a matching purple-etched foot topper, and a signature stage-friendly purple halo light ring designed to diffuse glare under dark venue lights. It’s a thoughtful, beautifully finished nod to the company’s roots, packed with enough versatility to […]... Click on the title for more
Before shrinking their ecosystem down to the floor, Positive Grid built a massive reputation on software modeling and desktop practice amplifiers, most notably pioneering the BIAS amp-building software and the wildly popular Spark series of smart practice amps. Folding that same powerful technology into a portable floor processor, the Positive Grid Spark Pedal packs an entire guitar rig into a compact, gig-ready enclosure. Driven by the same HD Tone Engine found in Spark 2 Amp, it delivers everything from pristine boutique cleans to modern high-gain tones right out of the box. At its core, the pedal combines powerful amp modeling, EQ, and effects with hands-free performance tools designed to get you from a musical idea to a finished sound instantly. The control layout and feature set are organized as follows: Direct Onboard Controls: Five tactile knobs—including an Amp Type selector alongside Gain, Bass, Mid, and Treble—provide immediate, old-school tone shaping without needing a screen Dedicated Effects Section: Independent knobs for Drive, Mod, Delay, and Reverb allow for straightforward, hands-on adjustments to your spatial and gain textures. Dual-Mode Footswitches: Three heavy-duty steel switches operate in two distinct modes—Preset Mode grants instant access to six saved tones across two banks, while Looper […]... Click on the title for more
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The Asheville Music Tools Analoger APH-12 is the North Carolina company's take on Jimi Hendrix's favorite modulation effect. True to its name, this fully analog phaser with the unique feature of offering up to 12 stages of phase-shifting, selectable via a 12-position rotary knob.... Click on the title for more
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