gear giveaway

Author Archive

New Pedal: October Audio MNTNS Phaser

Hand-built in Richmond VA, the October Audio MNTNS is an analog, OTA-based, variable stage phaser with vibrato and gain modes inspired by the classic effects heard in the best records of the '70s. While the two large black knobs allow controlling the circuit's Rate and Gain (i.e. a JFET op-amp…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: October Audio MNTNS Phaser

Catalinbread STS-88 Flanger + Reverb

The Catalinbread STS-88 is a flange + reverb compact pedal by the Portland builder, whose engineering team, apparently, has a true passion for flangers. The STS-88's circuit was created after countless hours spent researching and playing with the most established flanger pedals, with the intent of designing a pedal with…Click on the title for more

Catalinbread STS-88 Flanger + Reverb

Acorn Amps Solid State Preamp

The Acorn Amps Solid State Preamp is a compact version of the company's Peavy-amp-inspired Solid State power pedal without the 10 Watt power section. Peavy amps were solid-state guitar amplifiers from the '90s that were massively overlooked for a while (mostly for lacking the "tube" buzzword) but whose once popular…Click on the title for more

Acorn Amps Solid State Preamp

Benson Germanium Boost

Out-of-the-box thinking can lead to more than one ideas or discoveries. Chris at Benson Amps stumbled upon the circuit for the new Germanium Boost while working on his temperature-controlled Face Fuzz clone, also Germanium-based. Both pedals deliver uniquely consistent performance thanks to different ways to address the same issue: the…Click on the title for more

Benson Germanium Boost

Pedal Update: Poison Noises The Crook V4 Overdrive

Highlighted by the JHS show as one of the best new guitar pedals of 2021, the Poison Noises The Crook is a $99 (v3) and now $119 (v4) Mosfet overdrive made by a prolific upstate NY company that's rapidly gaining momentum. The device was updated to V3 in late 2021…Click on the title for more

Pedal Update: Poison Noises The Crook V4 Overdrive

Sonicake Tone Group Graphic EQ

The Sonicake Tone Group EQ is a new, sub-$50 entry in the world of graphic EQ pedals. There isn't much to say about this device, besides that it's fully analog and offers ±15dB of boost or cut for a total of 1- frequency bands, and an overall volume knob placed…Click on the title for more

Sonicake Tone Group Graphic EQ

New Pedal: Muir Audio Design Morphtone EQ

Hand-built in the UK, the Muir Audio Design Morphtone EQ is a peculiar and powerful take on the dual parametric equalizer pedal designed for guitar and bass players. The basic approach here is to have two very different parametric EQ stages that operate in parallel on a wide range of…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Muir Audio Design Morphtone EQ

Dirty Haggard Koffein Distortion

You could say that the Dirty Haggard Koffein distortion, born out of a collaboration between the Portland-based builder and Oak & Crow Coffee, is a caffeinated pedal - or, at the very least, that it can keep anyone awake. A loud creature at heart, this pedal has a plenty of…Click on the title for more

Dirty Haggard Koffein Distortion

Electro-Harmonix Slap-Back Echo Reissue

The JHS Show has become so influential that if Josh Scott declares in it that a vintage pedal should be reissued, it really makes little sense, for the original builder, NOT to reissue it. Enter the Electro-Harmonix Slap-Back Echo Reissue, the re-release, in mini format, of a vintage design from…Click on the title for more

Electro-Harmonix Slap-Back Echo Reissue

Jackson Audio New Wave Stereo Chorus

A multi-mode, fully Midi integrated analog chorus based on a MN3007 BBD chip, the Jackson Audio New Wave is the first non-gain pedal by a Houston-based builder that is widely considered one of the most interesting (and successful) new boutique pedal companies to emerge in the '2020s. While the market…Click on the title for more

Jackson Audio New Wave Stereo Chorus

Way Huge Red Llama MkIII (Smalls)

The original Way Huge Red Llama was the first pedal released by the Californian company in 1992, a mid-gain, crunchy, Tweed-style drive that found a solid fan base after it ended up becoming Tom Petty's go-to overdrive. After being discontinued for more than a decade, the company resurrected it in…Click on the title for more

Way Huge Red Llama MkIII (Smalls)

1st London Synth & Pedal Expo brings 1200+ Musicians to Hackney

This is the 2023 page of the Expo! Info about the 2024 edition is HERE. --- Our first London Synth & Pedal Expo, hosted on Saturday, March 18 at Hackney's Motel Studios, was attended by more than 1,200 visitors. You can see pictures of the event here (pedal room) and…Click on the title for more

1st London Synth & Pedal Expo brings 1200+ Musicians to Hackney