gear giveaway

Distortion Pedals

ProCo RAT2 Distortion

The ProCo RAT2 distortion pedal is an update on a classic from the early 1980s. With an appearance similar to the footswitch of a Marshal Amplifier, the pedal’s sound is reminiscent of the dirty channel on those British tube amps. However, Rat2 also features a thinner crunch characterized by solid…Click on the title for more

ProCo RAT2 Distortion

Pedal Line: Catalinbread Elements

The latest trend among boutique builders seems to be to release... lines of pedals, a bunch at a time! Following (probably) JHS's lead, the Catalinbread Elements is a new line of rather inexpensive yet hand-made one-knob pedals comprising - for now - three devices: Fuzz, Distortion and Overdrive. While we'll…Click on the title for more

Pedal Line: Catalinbread Elements

Lauren Audio Mustang V2 Preamp

Run by a recording engineer, Lauren Audio is a one-man builder based in California that offers custom amplifiers and preamps and, also a bunch of pedals, among which a preamp stompbox emulating the most legendary channel strip, the Neve 1073: enter the Lauren Audio Mustang V2. The Mustang has a…Click on the title for more

Lauren Audio Mustang V2 Preamp

New Pedal: LPD Pedals Mach I Distortion

The LPD Pedals Mach I Distortion is the latest pedal by a small builder that seems to be specializing in amp-in-a-box pedals. In this case, the "boxed" amp is in the Bogner/Boogie/KittyHawk style, producing think tones with lots of midrange heard in many '90s alt-rock records. The controls in this…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: LPD Pedals Mach I Distortion

Berry Pedals Double Doom Fuzz

Notwithstanding its innocuous appearance, the Berry Pedals Double Doom Fuzz is, in a word, evil. Hailing from Australia, this baby feeds a fuzz into another fuzz, with demonic results, in particular if you stack the two pedals together. It's a dual-channel version of the company's Doom Fuzz, which is already…Click on the title for more

Berry Pedals Double Doom Fuzz

Westminster Effects 2716

Westminster Effects have collaborated with Seth Morrison of Christian Hard Rock band Skillet to create the 2716 signature distortion pedal. Meant to emulate Morrison's live setup, the 2716 takes cues from classic high gain tube amps such as the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Rev F, creating professional tight high gain…Click on the title for more

Westminster Effects 2716

Berry Pedals PHAT Distortion

For those who just can't get enough RAT in their system, the Berry Pedals PHAT might be exactly what their inner doctor ordered: a dual RAT with a 3-way EQ section instead of the Filter knob. Needless to say, the EQ provides a wider sonic palette than the original, while…Click on the title for more

Berry Pedals PHAT Distortion

NativeAudio War Party Distortion

The NativeAudio War Party is a hand-made, 3-knob distortion pedal developed from the company's Kiaayo dynamic distortion, but with a definite RAT-style tone and lo- to high-gain flexibility. The filtering and clipping characteristics of the Kiaayo, combined with the 9-18DVC operation, make this a RAT-style pedal with remarkable dynamics and…Click on the title for more

NativeAudio War Party Distortion

JHS PackRat Distortion

We were wondering if the novel YouTube star Joshua Scott of JHS Pedals was still actively working on new stompbox designs, considering how important (and presumably, time-consuming) the video channel appears to have become for him and his team. The release of the PackRat multi-mode distortion answers that wonderment with…Click on the title for more

JHS PackRat Distortion

Valco KGB DIST Distortion

Valco, is arguably one of the most interesting pedal companies to emerge in the second decade of the new millennium, and the new Valco KGB DIST Distortion looks and sound like another device worthy of attention. The second release in what we can now assume is a "KGB" pedal series…Click on the title for more

Valco KGB DIST Distortion

Fender Hammertone Distortion

The Fender Hammertone Distortion is one-ninth of the new affordable line of pedals released by the electric guitar giant in early 2022. The US company's 2018 Pugilist distortion was very well received (and it's currently on top of our article about the best distortion pedals) but we don't know if…Click on the title for more

Fender Hammertone Distortion

Mosky Black Rat Distortion

The Mosky Black Rat Distortion is a very affordable mini OEM RAT clone, it uses the same LM308 Op-amp as the original. It also comes with “vintage” and “turbo” distortion voicings. You'll find identical models by Eno, Mosky and Donner. We added it to our article about the best Rat…Click on the title for more

Mosky Black Rat Distortion