gear giveaway

Boost Footswitch

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)

New Pedal: CGI Brutalist Distortion

God City Instruments is the brainchild of Kurt Ballou, guitarist of yesteryear's metalcore band Converge and producer and owner of a studio in Massachusetts under the same GCI namesake. While the GCI Brutalist is not his debut pedal, it proudly stands as the first creation that has undergone over a decade…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: CGI Brutalist Distortion

Thorpy FX The Dane MkII Overdrive

Originally built to meet the tone requests of Danish Pete of The Andertones, the Thorpy FX The Dane evolved into a flexible low gain overdrive + boost pedal that can meet the needs of a wide range of guitarists. The new MkII condensates the same circuit into a compact, black…Click on the title for more

Thorpy FX The Dane MkII Overdrive

Zvex Box of Rock

Designed to nail the sound of a dimed Marshall JTM45, the Zvex Box of Rock was one of the early Plexi-style pedals (it was released in the mid aughts), and is still one of the best-selling ones. The controls couldn't be simpler - Drive, Tone, Volume, and a single volume…Click on the title for more

Zvex Box of Rock

Updated Pedal: PedalPalFX PAL 800 Gold Overdrive V4

The PedalPalFX PAL 800 Gold Overdrive is one of those ever-green pedals that keep getting better and better with each new version. This Hot Rod JMC800 in a box was recently updated to V4, and the new features are relevant enough to push it up in our comprehensive article about the…Click on the title for more

Updated Pedal: PedalPalFX PAL 800 Gold Overdrive V4

Palmer The Solarist Fuzz

With two channels based on the venerable Fuzz Face and Rangemaster, the Palmer The Solarist is a bona fide fuzz + boost on steroids. The pedal offers 3 clipping options per channel: on the Fuzz side you can choose between a pair of Germanium diodes (GT404B transistor), Silicon ones (NTE123),…Click on the title for more

Palmer The Solarist Fuzz

New Pedal: Intensive Care Audio Life Support

Hailing from London, UK, the Intensive Care Audio Life Support is - to quote the manufacturer's playful description mocking medical language - an "all analogue overdrive and distortion pedal for the treatment of Bland Guitar Syndrome and Excessive Aural Dryness." Or, to put things into perspective, an overdrive + boost.…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Intensive Care Audio Life Support

Revelation Effects Revenant Preamp & Boost

The Revelation Effects Revenant is the first pedal by a Canadian company best known for its cables. It's a moderately tweakable, high-headroom preamp & boost circuit with a separate boost footswitch and a 3-band EQ. Working internally at 18v, the Revenant is designed to interact with your amp in order…Click on the title for more

Revelation Effects Revenant Preamp & Boost

Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe

The Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe is all the sizzle and spice and everything you love about Plexis in a cool-looking pedal - with a few crucial improvements over its smaller yet older sibling. The Preamp and Master gain act like they would on your favorite old British amp and…Click on the title for more

Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe

Origin Effects DCX Boost

Despite its name, the Origin Effects DCX Boost is a lot more than just a boost pedal, but rather, as its "subtitle" suggests, a studio-grade preamp able to shape and overdrive your tone. The DCX follows a path recently embarked on by the British company linked to the designing of…Click on the title for more

Origin Effects DCX Boost

New Pedal: LoFiMind Effects Reverberador

Hailing from Spain, the LoFiMind Effects Reverberador is a pedal inspired by a vintage spring reverb mixing console (something like this) and, just like the original, it features a real spring inside the case, hence its sizeable dimensions. It also features a separate boost circuit with its own footswitch packing…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: LoFiMind Effects Reverberador

TC Electronic Ampworx 550, Jims 800, and Dual Wreck

Recent advancements have made it possible to achieve lifelike amp-style tones within compact pedal enclosures. The array of choices available for tailoring your sound-shaping tools, whether through physical, virtual, or hybrid setups, has significantly streamlined the process and made it more cost-effective for guitarists to bring their envisioned sounds to…Click on the title for more

TC Electronic Ampworx 550, Jims 800, and Dual Wreck