gear giveaway

Special Features

Tubesteader Lightkeeper V2 D-Style Boost/Overdrive

Sometimes it feels like the world is giving birth to at least one drive pedal per day, but a quick glance at the new Tubesteader Lightkeeper - now updated to a compact V2 - was enough to understand that this is no regular overdrive. First of all, this hand-built baby…Click on the title for more

Tubesteader Lightkeeper V2 D-Style Boost/Overdrive

New Pedal: Matthew Effects The Technician

Described by some as a (Chase Bliss) MOOD "killer," the Matthews Effect The Technician is a rather complex but intuitive dual channel stereo delay+reverb with added modulation effects, and looper functionality. Aka - as per the subtitle - an "Auditory Manipulator." The pedal was released without fanfare at the end…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Matthew Effects The Technician

Catalinbread Soft Focus Deluxe

The Catalinbread Soft Focus Deluxe expands on the popular non-deluxe version of the pedal by adding delay and distortion to the modulated reverb + shimmer algorithms offered by the original version based on a recreation of a patch found on the Yamaha FX500, a digital rack effect of the late…Click on the title for more

Catalinbread Soft Focus Deluxe

NUX Amp Academy Amp+Cab Sim

It seems like amp and cab modelers have been getting better and more feature-rich by the day since the turn of the decade. The next challenge is to keep that quality and features and bring down the price, which is what the NUX Amp Academy, a $189 fully-featured device, is…Click on the title for more

NUX Amp Academy Amp+Cab Sim

KMA Machines Endgame Amp and Cab Sim

The KMA Machines ENDGAME is an amp and cabinet simulator that offers a range of features, including a foot-switchable stereo effects loop, dual cabinet simulation, ambience control, and a foot-switchable true double-tracker with a width knob. The pedal also has switchable tube power amp simulation, flexible internal signal routing, and analog,…Click on the title for more

KMA Machines Endgame Amp and Cab Sim

Silktone Overdrive+

From one of the most buzzworthy American boutique amp makers comes a new overdrive with a wide tonal palette, some interesting features, but mostly, a tone likely to seduce many electric guitar connoisseurs. Enter the Silktone Overdrive+. With an original analog circuit utilizing a combination of JFETs, op-amps and a…Click on the title for more

Silktone Overdrive+

Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker

The Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker is a stompbox that continues in the Greek company's mission to forge uber-tweakable pedal versions of legendary dirt-box + amp-in-a-box combos, a trend launched with their Unobtanium pedals and continued with the recent Hi Power. This time the devices being paid homage are the Schaffer-Vega…Click on the title for more

Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker

Soldano SLO Plus Dual Channel Overdrive

Seattle via L.A. high-gain amp maker Soldano entered the pedal market not long ago with the SLO overdrive, a stompbox version of the (loved by many) Overdrive channel of their two-channel SLO amplifier, based on a cascading gain design. The Soldano SLO Plus pedal reintegrates, in a slightly wider case,…Click on the title for more

Soldano SLO Plus Dual Channel Overdrive

Strymon Volante Magnetic Echo Machine

Strymon, an effect builder that will be remembered for breaking the guitarists' skepticism about digital technology applied to guitar pedals, unveiled their delay/looper pedal Volante in early 2019 - their first pedal release in two years. Featuring four delay playback heads with individual feedback, panning, and level controls, the Volante…Click on the title for more

Strymon Volante Magnetic Echo Machine

Wampler Catacombs Stereo Delay/Reverb

The Wampler Catacombs is the Martinsville, Indiana company's take on the multi-algorithm stereo Delay+Reverb combo, popular among ambient and shoegaze guitarists - something also evident by the name chosen for this device. As is often the case with this brand, the pedal's user interface is rather straightforward, and the emphasis…Click on the title for more

Wampler Catacombs Stereo Delay/Reverb

Old Blood Noise Dark Star Stereo Reverb

The Old Blood Noise Dark Star Stereo takes one of the most successful circuits of the Oklahoma City-based brand to its logical next level. The original Dark Star, released in the early '20s, is a 3-algorithm reverb. It became a go-to pedal for many ambient guitarists for its ability to…Click on the title for more

Old Blood Noise Dark Star Stereo Reverb

New Pedal: Anasounds Blues Believer DIY Kit

Fans of the Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit with a knack for soldering may want to check out the Anasound Blues Believer, available as a DIY kit for around $135 and a full kit for around $150. This is an evolution of the revered pedal that recreates the magical bright yet transparent…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Anasounds Blues Believer DIY Kit