gear giveaway

Distortion Pedals

Matthews Effects’ Conductor and Cartographer

In an industry overflowing with boutique pedal manufacturers, Matthews Effects has delivered two very interesting products with with their Conductor Tremolo and Cartographer parametric overdrive pedal. The Cartographer is capable of delivering everything one could want in an overdrive pedal – clean boost with the gain down and tube amp-like…Click on the title for more

Matthews Effects’ Conductor and Cartographer

New Pedal makers: McCaffrey Audio

Wisconsin' s McCaffrey Audio may sound like a new name in the world of guitar pedals, but the company's CEO and founder Ryan McCaffrey is not a novice to the manufacturing game, having been running RJM Effect before starting this new adventure in 2014. The company's goal is to create…Click on the title for more

New Pedal makers: McCaffrey Audio

JHS Twin Twelve Channel Drive

The smooth buzzsaw. The cloak of delicious grit surrounding a perfectly balanced warmth. The 1963 Silvertone 1484 Twin Twelve is a classic pawnshop amp now rare and coveted. A favorite of many, including Beck and Jack White, this amp's unique tonal qualities are now accessible at a reasonable sum (and…Click on the title for more

JHS Twin Twelve Channel Drive

DOD Boneshaker Distortion by Black Arts Toneworks

There's a new tendency in the pedal manufacturing world we really dig and encourage: we are referring to mainstream companies like Dunlop and DigiTech assigning some of their pedal designs to "emerging" boutique manufacturers. One of the new products of this kind of interaction is the DOD Boneshaker distortion, which…Click on the title for more

DOD Boneshaker Distortion by Black Arts Toneworks

Pedal Reviews: Amzel Electronics’ Cheshire Cat Tone Evaporator

Now here’s a clever pedal that was a blast to demo. Frankly, the Amzel Cheshire Cat Tone Evaporator is just a great idea in terms of a new way to think about distortion. To visualize how this pedal works, start off by imagining a traditional sound wave as a starting…Click on the title for more

Pedal Reviews: Amzel Electronics’ Cheshire Cat Tone Evaporator

Some Overdrive pedals at the BKLYN Stompbox Exhibit

There will be waaaay more! More info about the Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit 2014 here. Facebook Event here.Click on the title for more

Some Overdrive pedals at the BKLYN Stompbox Exhibit

Metal Pedals unveils the Johnny Hiland Signature Stompbox JH-3

New Jersey based pedal manufacturer Metal Pedals does more than pedals for Metal, as their new signature stompbox named after blues and country legend Johnny Hiland testifies. This is a distortion pedal that delivers flexible amp tone complete with deep EQ tone shaping features, thanks to Bass, Mid, and Treble Knobs. But…Click on the title for more

Metal Pedals unveils the Johnny Hiland Signature Stompbox JH-3

An overview of the MojoHand Magpie Overdrive

There is such a thing as too much overdrive. Sometimes you want a chime instead of the church bells. The pedal known as Magpie - by Texan manufacturer Mojo Hand FX - is a new Overdrive for those looking for a refined, transparent crunch that maintains the original tone of the guitar…Click on the title for more

An overview of the MojoHand Magpie Overdrive

Review: Klon 3 aka KTR

I’ve always wanted a Klon. I played the first Centaur in the late 90's at a friend’s studio in San Francisco and by then they were already over $600. Somehow I missed the second model. I must have given up on being able to afford one by then. But a…Click on the title for more

Review: Klon 3 aka KTR

New Pedal Manufacturers: Lone Wolf FX

Any guitarists out there looking to sculpt a tone for a niche sub-genre of metal, post hardcore or noise rock should take a deep, hard look at boutique pedal manufacture Lone Wolf Audio. This Austin-based shop (run by Joe Anastasio of now defunct Enormous Door Pedals) has been ramping up…Click on the title for more

New Pedal Manufacturers: Lone Wolf FX

Pedal Review: BOSS MO-2

When Boss introduced their line of new pedals last year with “Multi-Dimensional Processing” (MDP) technology, I admit I was a bit skeptical. The technology, created in tandem with Roland, sounded like flashy marketing but based on the verbiage alone it wasn’t entirely clear what MDP actually did. To paraphrase Boss’s…Click on the title for more

Pedal Review: BOSS MO-2

New Pedals: Amzel Electronics’ Cheshire Cat Tone Evaporator

In the eternal search for the ideal distorted guitar tone, Groveland, MA based Amzel Electronics definitely belongs to the group of manufacturers who choose to try new paths rather than limit themselves to recreating vintage circuitry. The small upstart has just unveiled its debut, 100% analogue distortion pedal called Cheshire Cat…Click on the title for more

New Pedals: Amzel Electronics’ Cheshire Cat Tone Evaporator