gear giveaway

High-Gain Distortion

Sinvertek N5+ Drive

A boutique Chinese manufacturer on the rise, Sinvertek offers a "more is more" approach to stompboxes by providing extremely deep functionality for each one of their product, with a price tag that is extremely competitive compared to similarly fully-featured pedals made in the US or Europe. Their latest drive, the…Click on the title for more

Sinvertek N5+ Drive

Haunted Labs Old Ruin Distortion

North Carolina's scariest boutique pedal company Haunted Labs just unleashed their first distortion pedal, the Old Ruin, which delivers a variety of tones from low-gain overdrive to terrifying howling distortion. The ubiquitous Gain and Volume knob are joined by a Texture knob that - to quote the builder - "summons sonic…Click on the title for more

Haunted Labs Old Ruin Distortion

Source Audio Ultrawave Multiband Distortion

After an initial limited batch sold directly through the manufacturer, The Source Audio Ultrawave is now widely available through all the shops that carry the Boston company's pedals. We also learned that there is a bass version of it. This is a multi-mode, multi-band distortion pedal presented as a "Stereo…Click on the title for more

Source Audio Ultrawave Multiband Distortion

Joyo Dark Flame R-17 Distortion

Metal guitarists in search for something new should take a look at the new Joyo Dark Flame, a high-gain distortion that doesn't break the bank (it's only $59!) featuring a 3-knob EQ and three different voicings (Stock, Bright and Dark). You can hear its aggressive tones in the videos below.…Click on the title for more

Joyo Dark Flame R-17 Distortion

Cult Overdrive Circuits: Clark Gainster Clones, and the Hoochee-Mama

The Story of the Clark Gainster Clones and the Hoochee Mama The Clark Amplification Gainster and Browntone Hoochie Mama are two overdrive pedals that are rarely mentioned separately. This might be due to the fact that the latter, although inspired by the former, is still able to deliver something different…Click on the title for more

Cult Overdrive Circuits: Clark Gainster Clones, and the Hoochee-Mama

BOSS IR-200 Amp and IR Cabinet Simulator

The BOSS 200 series welcomes another member to its growing family, the IR-200 Amp and IR Cabinet Simulator, an uber-comprehensive stereo device for performing, rehearsing, and recording without the burden of real amp and cabinets for both guitar (8amp types) and bass (3 amp types). We could spend all day…Click on the title for more

BOSS IR-200 Amp and IR Cabinet Simulator

New Pedal: Gojira FX Tanto Drive/Distortion

Hand-built in the UK, the Gojira FX Tanto is an aggressive yet versatile overdrive and distortion pedal offering a full spectrum of tones from overdrive to distortion to borderline fuzz. Notwithstanding the bright, Japan culture-inspired illustration, this is a pedal created with Doom and Metal players in mind. The unlabeled…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Gojira FX Tanto Drive/Distortion

IK Multimedia X-Drive Multi-Mode Gain Pedal

Italian powerhouse IK Multimedia, a multifaceted builder of hardware and software for musicians, unveiled four new, multi-mode pedals powered by the algorithms of their popular audio plugin Amplitube. This post will take a closer look at the gain pedal in this line, called X-Drive. This is a multi-mode, do-it-all kind…Click on the title for more

IK Multimedia X-Drive Multi-Mode Gain Pedal

Walrus Audio Iron Horse V3

We wrote just last week about the Walrus Audio Iron Horse, in the context of our article about RAT Pedals and their clones and evolutions. Today the company announced V3 of this LM308-based high-gain distortion pedal, featuring an intriguing new knob replacing the 3-way clipping toggle found in the previous…Click on the title for more

Walrus Audio Iron Horse V3

Bardic Audio Devices HM Demon

The BOSS HM-2 is a cornerstone (or rather a cornerTONE!) high-gain distortion for many guitarists into metal, but it's not without its weaknesses - at least according to some! The Bardic Audio Devices HM Demon is a distortion pedal that offers an improved version of this classic circuit. There's a…Click on the title for more

Bardic Audio Devices HM Demon

Maestro Invader Distortion

The Maestro Invader Distortion is one of the five pedals unveiled by Gibson in the relaunch of the legendary Maestro line. While some of the pedals in that group are at least in part inspired by circuits from the '60s (like the FZ-M), the Invader appears to be its own…Click on the title for more

Maestro Invader Distortion

Jet Pedals Lion Distortion

The Lion and the Lamb by Kansas City's Jet Pedals are two analog gain pedals with different characters but similar functionality - including presets and Midi compatibility. They pack a lot more functions than meet the eye, with three selectable distortion circuits and an extra boost. The Lion is an…Click on the title for more

Jet Pedals Lion Distortion