gear giveaway

Effect Type

Countdown Audio Pneuma Drive

The Pneuma Drive is the first pedal by Countdown Audio Guitar Effects (aka CAGE), a brand new US pedal builder committed to great tone achieved through disciplined design and top-notch components. The Pneuma is a dynamic overdrive with amp-like quality that provides a natural distortion, and it shines also as…Click on the title for more

Countdown Audio Pneuma Drive

Electro-Harmonix 5MM Guitar Power Amp

Having a power amp the size of a pedal is a dream come true for all those guitarists who damaged their back carrying huge heads in and out of venues, although - of course - such a small item comes with power limitations. The question is: do you really need…Click on the title for more

Electro-Harmonix 5MM Guitar Power Amp

WMD Geiger Counter Pro

WMD (a name that plays with the two acronyms for Weapons of Mass Destruction and William Mathewson Devices) has been at the vanguard of the stompbox / Eurorack cross-pollination phenomenon, although in recent years they company has been mostly focusing on the modular synth side of things. In the late…Click on the title for more

WMD Geiger Counter Pro

Dropping Acid Pedal Etching #rip boost

Dropping Acid Pedal Etching is a small builder that, up until now, was mostly busy modding and recreating effect circuits made popular by other manufacturers. The #rip, an LM386 based Op-Amp distortion, is their first foray into creating a fully original circuit. This device can do different things but all…Click on the title for more

Dropping Acid Pedal Etching #rip boost

Maxon 40th Anniversary Catalinbread Modded OD808-40C

2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the granddaddy of all overdrive pedals, the OD808. Maxon (via their US distributor Godlyke) reached out to four industry stalwarts and newcomers alike to develop their unique take on the venerable OD808 circuit. Jamie Stillman of EarthQuaker Devices, Keeley of his eponymous company, our…Click on the title for more

Maxon 40th Anniversary Catalinbread Modded OD808-40C

Fender Lost Highway Phaser

For Fender, NAMM 2019 was the year of modulation pedals: they unveiled three of them, all sharing a few features with each other. Like a Rotary pedal, the Highway has two footswitchable speeds, each separately adjustable through separate rate and depth knobs. There are also controls for Blend, Feedback and Sens…Click on the title for more

Fender Lost Highway Phaser

Guitar Pedal Reviews: JAM Dyna-ssoR Compressor/Sustainer

They say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. For the past two years I've attended NAMM in Anaheim, CA and for two years I've been impressed by the hand-painted designs of Greek company, JAM Pedals. They offer hand-built, hand-painted pedals that use only the best components. They…Click on the title for more

Guitar Pedal Reviews: JAM Dyna-ssoR Compressor/Sustainer

Mr Black OD-503 Dynamic Amplifier Overdrive

Mini pedals aren't necessarily made in China with cheap components. As a matter of fact, several US-based boutique manufacturers have embraced the format and build them by hand with the best components without outsourcing; Portland's MR. Black is one of them. Their latest mini stompbox is the OD-503, a low…Click on the title for more

Mr Black OD-503 Dynamic Amplifier Overdrive

JHS Cheese Ball Fuzz

Some pedal circuits are able to capture the ear of guitarists (and in this case also bassists) in ways that others can't. The British Lovetone Big Cheese, one of the first hand-wired boutique fuzz of the '90s, had the ability to do just that for iconic personalities like The Edge…Click on the title for more

JHS Cheese Ball Fuzz

G-Lab Uproar Fuzz

G-Lab (aka "Guitar Laboratory") is a Polish company dedicated to pedalboards, Power Supplies, and also pedals, who just released a series of very streamlined line of effects called "Rebel" (divided in Analog Rebel and Digital Rebel). The Uproar Fuzz (also called UF-1) belongs to the analog side of things and,…Click on the title for more

G-Lab Uproar Fuzz

Magnetic Effects Electrochop Optical Tremolo

Here's a new version of the Electrochop by UK manufacturer Magnetic Effects. This is a tap tempo enabled optical tremolo with ten waveforms, including Ramp Up, Ramp Down, Square, Triangle and Sine. Pressing the WHITE button above the WAVE control allows you to select alternate versions of each waveform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F_LLIDPwUk…Click on the title for more

Magnetic Effects Electrochop Optical Tremolo

UME OverUnity Dynamic Drive

From Australia comes the UME debut pedal: the OverUnity Dynamic Drive, a hand-built, analog, uber-flexible overdrive-with-boost "designed to enhance your natural playing style by allowing for both greater dynamic expression and improved tone." It features an original circuit (file under the rare #notaclone tag!) with a range of gain…Click on the title for more

UME OverUnity Dynamic Drive