gear giveaway

Effect Type

Empress Effects Echosystem Multi-Mode Delay

One of the brand new pedals that were on display at the 2017 first Montreal Stompbox Exhibit was the Empress Effects EchoSystem, the Canadian company's take on the "large-ish" multi-function digital delay pedal concept (its release date of May 4th, 2017 was just two days before our event!). The stompbox…Click on the title for more

Empress Effects Echosystem Multi-Mode Delay

KittycasterFX Groovy Wizard Fuzz Driver

If a touch-sensitive Fuzz Face-inspired fuzz that can interact beautifully with your amp interests you, you may want to check out the KittycasterFX Groovy Wizard Fuzz Driver. Much more than a fuzz, this is a hand-made (in Portland, OR) pedal that can deliver anything from transparent clean tones to dynamic…Click on the title for more

KittycasterFX Groovy Wizard Fuzz Driver

Flatley Pedals Valkyrie Vintage Chorus

The Flatley Pedals Valkyrie Vintage Chorus is the British company's take on the vintage, analog modulation (chorus and flangers) pedals from the '80s, improved with a wider depth and sonic range. The LFO is a fixed triangle wave, while the depth at zero applies modulation without pitch shifting, increasing the…Click on the title for more

Flatley Pedals Valkyrie Vintage Chorus

Line 6 HX One MultiFX Pedal

Line 6 just unveiled the smallest sibling in the Helix family: the HX ONE. Just like the other members of the family, this is a stereo device featuring a variety of effects (over 250), plus a host of other features belonging to the Helix DNA like Midi compatibility and presets.…Click on the title for more

Line 6 HX One MultiFX Pedal

Best Phaser Pedals in 2024 | a Buyer’s Guide

Welcome to our super-thorough buyer's guide to the best phaser pedals, organized by features and price. You may also be interested in our separate articles about the best Uni-Vibe clones and variants - the two effects are very similar - or the one focused on multi-modulation pedals, most of which…Click on the title for more

Best Phaser Pedals in 2024 | a Buyer’s Guide

Cornerstone Nero Fuzz

The Cornerstone Nero Fuzz is a hybrid fuzz/overdrive circuit designed by an Italian builder that's been churning out a series of impressive overdrive pedals, but no fuzzes until today. One of these overdrives is the company's bestseller Gladio, an amp-in-a-box inspired by the rare line of Dumble amps. That circuit…Click on the title for more

Cornerstone Nero Fuzz

2024 Best Plexi Pedals & Marshall-Style Distortions: a Buyer’s Guide

(Almost) everyone familiar with the electric guitar loves the sound of a cranked Marshall amp. From Eric Clapton and Angus Young to Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads, Plexi amp and their later, higher gain reincarnations from the JCM series have been used by many guitar players over the years…Click on the title for more

2024 Best Plexi Pedals & Marshall-Style Distortions: a Buyer’s Guide

Volta 1987 PRO Hot Rod Plexi Drive

The Volta 1987 PRO is the "deluxe" version of the company's 1987 overdrive, a hand made dual Plexi-style pedal (read, it sounds like a Marshall Plexi amp) by an emerging Italian builder that has turned heads and years in the last few years. As specified in the "subtitle" the pedal…Click on the title for more

Volta 1987 PRO Hot Rod Plexi Drive

Formula B Fuzz Rangers

Hand building their pedals in the small town of Todi in the beautiful region of Umbria (Italy), Formula B specializes in anything related to gain, in stompbox format. Their brand new Fuzz Rangers was born from an interaction with the company's user base that was asking for a pedal that…Click on the title for more

Formula B Fuzz Rangers

AC Noises Ricorda Granular Reverb

The AC Noises Ricorda (which means "remember" in Italian, but sounds a lot like "recording" in English) is a stereo digital pedal that extends the concept of granular synthesis popular in digital delay circuits to the realm of ambient reverb. Granular synthesis consists in a digital memory that reorganizes more…Click on the title for more

AC Noises Ricorda Granular Reverb

Meris Hedra Stereo Rhythmical Pitch-Shifter

Of the (many) new pedal companies that have been popping out in the last few years, Meris has been the most well-received by musicians and critics alike, thanks to a series of releases that marry inspiring circuitry, elegant design, and innovative ideas. After launching the still hot polyphonic synth pedal…Click on the title for more

Meris Hedra Stereo Rhythmical Pitch-Shifter

Line 6 POD Express

Those who've been around "long enough" will have fond memories of the day in 1998 when they saw, and then heard the very first Line 6 Pod. It was the first mass-produced device to deliver, in a rather small package and rather faithfully, the tones of a myriad of different…Click on the title for more

Line 6 POD Express