Updated May. 5, 2022 | by Paolo De Gregorio

best new pedals april 2022

It’s always interesting to look back at what happened in the recent past to take stock of the state of the “pedalverse,” and that’s exactly what this monthly appointment focused on new releases is here for.

We can say without the shade of a doubt that April 2022 was not as exciting as March, but it was still a pretty good month, in particular for dirt box lovers. Once again, there were very few digital releases, in all likelihood because of the ongoing chip shortage (although we are starting to wonder if there are other factors at play…).

We had some major players (JHS, EQD, Catalinbread, J Rockett and NativeAudio) drop new gain pedals that will make the tone seekers happy, while Keeley unleashed its first fuzz in a while.

Interesting new designs were unveiled by Subdecay and Kasleder, while a long list of builders including Carl Martin, KMA Machines, VS Audio, and Spiral Electric FX, updated existing designs.

Here’s the full pedal scoop for you in our interactive galleries. As usual, mouse over and first tap will open a pedal description, while click or 2nd tap will open a video.

Older monthly articles like this one can be found here.

Best New Pedals of April 2022 | Non Gain Pedals

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Subdecay PixelWave
$199 | an intense phase distortion synth based on Casio's semi-obscure synthesis technology from the '80s. It tracks your signal to generate a variety of 12-bit sounds. Oscillators can be offset over four octaves by half-step increments and fine-tuning to concoct epic lead or harmonized sounds. It features 3 oscillators with 10 different modes each and one sub-oscillator. To each of these can be assigned one out of 11 waveforms.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
819171315
VS Audio Alchemy MkII
$275 | A mono in/stereo out BBD analog chorus based on the re-issued version of the MN3207 delay chip. It offers tap tempo and six different presets and a delay control that sets the center delay time for the modulation. Each knob is controlled by a small microprocessor while the signal stays 100% analog. This allows to save and recall multiple modulated tones instantly.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
983289925
Carl Martin Honey-Comp Compressor
$199 | an updated version of the company's popular Compressor Limiter with an extra Dry knob and with automated Threshold and Response. A proprietary DC/DC converter circuitry enables the pedal to run internally at +-12V for extra headroom.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
1977772898
KMA Queequeg 2 Subgenerator
$129 | An update to this monophonic sub-octave pedal that adds an additional sub-octave and sports top mounted jacks and relay-based soft switching. The toggle switch lets you select the original voice (-I), the new one (-II) or both mixed together (-I/-II) which gives you a “thunderously massive wall of sound.” It works with guitar, bass, and synth.
Alt Seller | Reverb | Amazon
1192842666
Oopegg ORV-1 Reverb
$249 | a high-end, hand made, one-knob spring reverb pedal from Japan. The single knob deals with the amount of reverb, but internal controls allow to adjust decay time, output level and also to leave it 100% wet.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
1371066425
Animals Pedal Double Spy Mission is Impossible Filter
$99 | a classic auto-wah (aka envelope filter) with Sensitivity and Range knob, with the latter adjusting the filter’s bandwidth (the resonant mid-frequency) and the former finding the sweet spot for it to react to your playing. A Mode switch changes the direction of the filter, closing the filter, instead of opening it, when you pick the strings.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon

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Best New Pedals of April 2022 | Gain Pedals

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EarthQuaker Special Cranker
$99 | an all-discrete, analog distortion designed to give players a way to do all things gain, from boost to distortion without altering the original tone and the character of the amp, keeping mid-range definition without muddying the low end. A toggle switch lets you select Germanium and Silicon diodes, for a softer and more transparent tone or a brighter and more modern edge.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
More
Reverb Amazon
883920054
JHS Screamer 3 SERIES
$99 | based on an mid '10s JHS mod known as "Strong Mod," which improves on the original circuit with "more clean headroom, better usability as a boost, more versatile drive and tone controls as well as a more pleasing frequency response." The toggle switch provides asymmetric the clipping found in the Strong Mod, and the classic symmetric one produced by the original TS9 and TS808.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
More
Reverb Amazon
2963178071
j Rockett El Hombre
$199 | An overdrive base on ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons' tone. Born for blues, this is nonetheless a flexible overdrive that can get pretty angry at higher gain settings, and with a Bite knob that does what it promises. The three knobs (Volume, Gain and Bite) are highly interactive and can deliver a surprising palette of tones, from low-gain “on the verge of break up” to borderline Plexi-style distortion when pushed
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
More
Reverb Amazon
365056381
Catalinbread Tribute 
$179 | A low-gain overdrive with a parametric mids feature that allows to select which frequency to boost or cut in between 70Hz and 1.4kHz, a crucial range for electric guitar sounds, saturated ones in particular. The chosen frequency can be cut or boosted by 12dBs through the Tone knob. The Drive control affects two parameters at once instead of just one: clean blend and overdrive gain.
Zzounds | Sweetwater |
More
Reverb Amazon
2688583047
NativeAudio War Party
$189 | a RAT-style evolution running at 9-18DVC with remarkable dynamics and headroom, delivering asymmetrical clipping typical of tube circuits. Although it keeps the 3-knob layout, the circuit is merges RAT-style character with the company's Kiaayo touch sensitivity.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
1673635454
Kasleder VINTAGE KING
~$235 | a Fuzz Face evolution based on two rare NOS silicon transistors with a unique trick up its sleeve: a Beard knob that, by changing the value of the input capacitor, can gradually morph its tone into something closer to an overdrive or even a treble booster. This allows for a wide range of tones from the musical to the extreme.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
1903851193
Master Effects Transmission Preamp
$169 | a high quality pedal based on the preamp circuit found in the vintage Yamaha BB1200 basses utilized by New Order's Peter Hook. It replicates that instrument’s onboard design (Boost, High, Mid, and Low) adding power filtering for more seamless integration with other pedals and a switchable output boost to compensate for cutting EQ settings or take your amp to the edge of break up.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
371270687
Handy FX Minotaur Overdrive
$200 | A hand-built Klon that shares the simple 3-knob layout of the original, but allows for more flexibility thanks to two under-the-hood side sliders: one sets the circuit to True or Buffered Bypass, the other one provides a CENT mode tuned after the original and a higher gain and fatter bass mode labeled as MINO.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon

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Best New Pedals of April 2022 | Fuzz Pedals

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keeley Moon Fuzz
$149 | a variant on the fuzz circuit included in the company's Dark Side multi-effect, this is a rather simple, 3-knob + 1-toggle quad op-amp Muff-style fuzz with a massive low end. A filter section lets you pick among three filter shapes through the toggle switch in the middle of the case: Flat, Full, and Scooped.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
3597376443
KMA Fuzzly Bear 2
$199 | A hand-made variant of the Jordan Boss Tone fuzz, this is a silicon fuzz that delivers a more present low end than the original. The Bias control (named Skin/Meat) opens up a wider palette of tones, from a sharp and chunky overdrive to a thick wall of fuzz, in conjunction with the Gain knob, which sets the amount of saturation. The new version brings updated electronics, top-mounted jacks, and soft switch.
Alt Seller | Reverb | Amazon
2427753628
Spiral Electric Black Spiral II
$249 | a fuzz inspired by the Maestro FZ-1S, but based on the new Carbon clipping technology of the Nanolog N2. It includes user-selectable options (accessible through the 1,2,3 toggle switch) that use Germanium and Silicon diodes in series with the N2, for subtle textural changes. MkII introduces a wide-open Bias Control, a hybrid tonestack (mix of the Brute and Allora), and extra output.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
3020211492
Sundance Electric Clean Fuzz
$170 | a fuzz with a Clean knob that “controls the amount of clipping from the diodes, which sounds like adding clean signal on top of your dirty tone.” This allows it to deliver “not-exactly-clean” boost/overdrives, and also more touch sensitive fuzz tones. Can do Germanium (more compressed, great for noisier fuzz) and Silicon clipping (more open, good for boost and overdrive-like tones).
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
2723107382
Oopegg Fuzz OZZ-1
$245 | A two-knob fuzz built by a hi-end Japanese guitar maker, based on a BC549C silicon semiconductor. It produces smooth and roaring low-mids, and a defined high-gain sound with a spitty edge, long sustain and low noise. The overall gain can also be tweaked through an internal trim pot.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
4081329216
OCE Wrench FUZZ
$199 | an evolution of a 2021 2-transistor fuzz circuit, modded for lower noise and more modern build techniques. The 2N2222A transistors give it an aggressive sound that shines with humbuckers without losing the cleanup quality expected with classic 2-transistor fuzzes. An internal trim pot allows setting the effect’s bias for a spittier sound, with a default at 4.5v.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon
3091803617
Screwed Circuitz Irvine's Fuzz
$289 | an aggressive, creative lo-fi fuzz with a wide tone range and endless sustain. A second footswitch (Wobble) adds, before the fuzz circuit, a square tremolo/stutter modulation whose speed can be controlled through the Wobble knob. The fuzz sound is controlled by the classic Volume, Disto and Tone knobs, providing a wide palette of fuzz possibilities.
eBay | Reverb | Amazon

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Have a blast and see you next month!

The Folks at Delicious Audio

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