gear giveaway

Distortion Pedals

Tsakalis Nerve MkII

Both thick and dynamic, the Tsakalis Nerve MkII is a dual high-gain, silicon-based distortion pedal for guitarists with a heavy tone, featuring two matched JFET stages that deliver an American-style distortion. A toggle switch selects between High and Low gain settings for Channel 1 for in-song dynamic shifts, while a…Click on the title for more

Tsakalis Nerve MkII

Crazy Tube Circuits Motherload Drive

The Crazy Tube Circuits Motherload is an intriguing take on the hybrid distortion/fuzz pedal that borrows from two iconic circuits (the Muff and the Rat) to offer at once some old and new sonic flavors. This is not a dual-channel pedal, but rather a one-channel dirtbox with a range of voices.…Click on the title for more

Crazy Tube Circuits Motherload Drive

Old Blood Noise Beam Splitter

The Old Blood Noise Beam Splitter marks the return of the Oklahoma-based company to larger, more tweakable and creative "organic" multi-effect pedals, after a 3-pedal foray into quirky compact releases (aka the BL Series). Although "quirky" and "creative" are part of this builder's identity. This very "knobby" unit consists of…Click on the title for more

Old Blood Noise Beam Splitter

Fortin Natas Distortion

The Fortin Natas Distortion is a pedal version of one the company's now disontinued, but very popular in the mid aughts, Natas guitar amp. Forting describes itself as "the heaviest company in the guitar world," and for good reason: their line of amps and pedals is geared towards heavy guitarists,…Click on the title for more

Fortin Natas Distortion

New Pedal: Bardic Audio Devices Rival Distortion

The Bardic Audio Devices Rival is an amp-in-a-box inspired by the Mark V (Mesa Boogie) line of amps. It's based on a circuit as complex as the one found in the original, modeling each vacuum tube stage through the use of JFET op-amps, and doesn't fail to feature the graphic…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Bardic Audio Devices Rival Distortion

Champion Leccy The Dunsh Distortion/Fuzz

The Champion Leccy The Dunsh is a new release by the British via Philly builder that started as a modification made to one section of the company's own Gett and the Bloody Gett fuzzes, two Black Russian Big Muff variants. That mod was named "Dunsh" and added a "loud, noisy…Click on the title for more

Champion Leccy The Dunsh Distortion/Fuzz

New Pedal: Electro-Harmonix Pico Triboro Bridge

These days it really feels like we write something along the lines of "a pedal that can deliver anything from overdrive to distortion to fuzz" on a daily basis. However, with the Electro-Harmonix Pico Triboro Bridge, we believe it's first time we write those words for a mini pedal. The…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Electro-Harmonix Pico Triboro Bridge

New Pedal: Tone For Punk Trebled Youth

The many punk-leaning guitarists among our readers might have found a stompbox that suits their nihilistic tendencies. Enter the Tone For Punk (name of the company) Trebled Youth (name of the pedal), a tweakable dirt box that can deliver anything from mildly dirty tones to the uncompromising fuzz that's at…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Tone For Punk Trebled Youth

Oneder Effects Red Ryder Distortion

The Oneder Effects Red Ryder is a RAT-inspired, made-in-Michigan distortion pedal with a few tricks up its sleeve. Hosting the LM308 chip found in the vintage RAT pedals, its compact case sports a series of controls that allow expanding the venerable distortion's tone in various ways. The pedal has a…Click on the title for more

Oneder Effects Red Ryder Distortion

New Pedal: Idiotbox Heavy Weapon

Those among you interested in heavy distortion pedals should take a look a the Idiotbox Heavy Weapon, a dual distortion/overdrive pedal described by the builder as "probably the HEAVIEST effect of all time." It consists of two existing Idiotbox circuits in one: the bop row of controls is the company's…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Idiotbox Heavy Weapon

New Pedal: Atomic Tone Saturation Triptych

The Atomic Tone Saturation Triptych is the debut, hand-made circuit by an emerging California-based builder, founded this very year 2023 AD. It can be described as a hybrid dirt box. As hinted by the name (for the unaware, the word "triptych" means "trio"), this pedal offers three modes via the…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Atomic Tone Saturation Triptych

Bixonic Axentrix A1 Distortion/Fuzz

Released as part of the relaunch of the Japanese Bixonic brand (creator of the cult pedal Expandora), the Axentrix A1 is a digital gain pedal with a series of innovative features that can deliver the entire spectrum of saturated tones, including fuzz. The fully analog Expandora, released in the mid…Click on the title for more

Bixonic Axentrix A1 Distortion/Fuzz