gear giveaway

Parametric EQ

Updated Pedal: Walrus Audio Voyager MkII

The Walrus Audio Voyager MkII is the complete redesign of the Oklahoma-based company's very first pedal, launched in 2011. Like for many other young pedal companies, it was a Klon Centaur's clone. The Voyager MkII takes the "Klone" concept to the next level, with a multi-voice approach thanks to a…Click on the title for more

Updated Pedal: Walrus Audio Voyager MkII

JHS The Violet Distortion

The JHS The Violet is a Lari Basillo signature distortion pedal featuring a 3-way pre-distortion EQ with sweepable parametric mids. This allows for the creation of both mid-scooped and mid-heavy tones, although the pre-gain placement in the circuit delivers subtler changes. The Treble and Bass EQ controls are instead placed…Click on the title for more

JHS The Violet Distortion

Most overdrive and distortion pedals are based on pre-existing circuits if not downright clones of stompboxes that have stood the test of time. That can't be said for the JHS Hard Drive, a high gain distortion publicized by the brand as their first attempt "at a full-blown and respectable modern…Click on the title for more

JHS Hard Drive

Chase Bliss Condor HiFi EQ

The Chase Bliss Condor HiFI is an updated, limited edition version of the company's non-HiFi version, an uber-tweakable, 3-band EQ pedal with parametric mids released in 2018 and discontinued after just three years. While the functionality remains the same, this new version features an improvement in sound granted by a…Click on the title for more

Chase Bliss Condor HiFi EQ

Empress ParaEQ mkII (+ Deluxe Version)

When we put together this article about the best EQ pedal earlier in 2022, we couldn't believe how much interest there was in a discontinued pedal by Empress Effects, the ParaEQ, and wondered why it was out of production... enter the new Empress ParaEQ mkII and mkII Deluxe, two compact…Click on the title for more

Empress ParaEQ mkII (+ Deluxe Version)

The Best Filter and EQ Pedals for Synths

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdjFXND-yb0 Equalizers are a type of effect often overlooked by musicians. They are comprised of normally between 2 and 6 frequency filters configured in one way or another - you can read our guide to the different types of filters here. Since frequencies are the foundation of any tone, EQ…Click on the title for more

The Best Filter and EQ Pedals for Synths

New at NAMM 2023: Sunnaudio R2D3 Helion Preamp EQ

At the NAMM 2023 Show, Marc at Sunnaudio showed us and played for us the prototype of the company's new Sunnaudio R2D3 Helion Preamp EQ, a bass-oriented, high-end Swiss army device that works well also on guitar and any other instrument with a pickup. A 3-way parametric EQ section lets…Click on the title for more

New at NAMM 2023: Sunnaudio R2D3 Helion Preamp EQ

New Pedal: Muir Audio Design Morphtone EQ

Hand-built in the UK, the Muir Audio Design Morphtone EQ is a peculiar and powerful take on the dual parametric equalizer pedal designed for guitar and bass players. The basic approach here is to have two very different parametric EQ stages that operate in parallel on a wide range of…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Muir Audio Design Morphtone EQ

KMA Machines Wurm 2 Distortion

The KMA Machines Wurm 2 is an update of the Berlin-based company's high-gain flagship distortion pedal, featuring a circuit based on the BOSS HM-2 but with lots of extra features - or, in the words of the builder, "taking it much further and pushing the envelope of how destructive it…Click on the title for more

KMA Machines Wurm 2 Distortion

New Pedal: Spaceman Effects Equinox

The Spaceman Effects Equinox is here to remind us that a great-sounding EQ is an essential tool on any pedalboard. Even more so if it's a recreation of the most legendary studio EQ of all time: the vintage Pultec EQP-1a, currently selling for anywhere between $8k and $16k, with new…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Spaceman Effects Equinox

Catalinbread Tribute Low-gain Overdrive

The Catalinbread Tribute is the new low-gain overdrive from the Portland-based company and - if memory doesn't betray us - the first device in their roster featuring a parametric EQ since the VariOboost, the very first pedal released by Catalinbread, a now-discontinued boost pedal that inspired this new model. This…Click on the title for more

Catalinbread Tribute Low-gain Overdrive

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