A shrunken version of a 2019 pedal popular among shoegazers and any other guitarists inspired by the guitar tone of the ’80s, the Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick Jr. is a 3-in-one stompbox that (quite remarkably) combines delay, reverb and modulation into one compact enclosure.
Loaded with 6 reverb modes, 3 types of modulation and two types of delays, all inspired by classic effects from the ’80s, the Sidekick Jr. loses the modulation footswitch for space-related reasons but the effect can be assigned to either Reverb or Delay footswitch or triggered separately via the optional XT footswitch.
Another useful feature that’s lost in this compact version is the headphones output (together with a host of switches and outputs dealing with DI signal, cab sim, ground lift and levels), but not everything can fit in a pedal that’s already more than 50% smaller than the original, and that already boasts almost twice as many algorithms:
Let’s take a look at them (in the routing order):
Modulation
- Dimension (vopiced after the BOSS DC-2)
- Flanger
- Ensemble (voiced after the BOSS CE-5)
Delay
- Tape
- Digital (’80s inspired)
Reverb:
- Spring
- Gated
- Hall
- Plate
- Shimmer
- Exciter (a big-hall with almost infinite reflections and decay)
A nice addition is the power-up bypass/engage pre-set function for the onboard footswitches, which lets you select which state your pedal will go to when you plug the power supply.
Check out the videos!
Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick Jr., Builder’s Notes
The perfect companion now comes in a smaller package – meet Sidekick JR !
Taking inspiration from the senior unit we released back in 2019, our goal was to create a compact pedal that would combine the most widely used time-based effects and would fit into any gear setup lurking for 80s tones and beyond. From the jangly, ambient and shimmering sounds of New Wave, Shoegaze and Synth Pop to the soaking wet tones of Hair / Glam Metal. The new Sidekick JR features even more sounds / algorithm selections compared to the senior unit.
Modulation effect / algorithms were inspired by classic 80s stompboxes. “Ensemble” algorithm resembles warm and mild modulated chorus sounds while the “dimension” algorithm will enhance the 3D image of your sound but without the typical chorus warble. The “flanger” algorithm was inspired by a classic flanger pedal being set up as a slow chorus with mild feedback added for a more metallic sound.
Echo / delay section offers the sweet but vibrant sound of a tape echo with a freshly installed tape running through a colourful preamp or the pristine repeats of an 80s digital delay rack unit.
Reverb section was inspired by definitive examples of 80s reverb rack units and sounds and offers two algorithm banks. Bank A features all time classic reverbs sounds like “plate”, “spring” and “hall” while Bank B features signature 80s reverb sounds like “gated”, “exciter” (our trademark big-hall reverb algorithm with almost infinite reflections and decay) and octave up “shimmer”.
In order to provide full flexibility in the smallest enclosure possible we had to come up with a smart switching setup. As per standard onboard function, the delay and reverb effect sections of Sidekick JR operate independently from each other and the modulation is assignable to any of these sections. With the addition of the XT footswitch (sold separately) the modulation section becomes totally independent and can be switched on/off (true bypass) on its own.
Sidekick JR also features a power-up bypass/engage pre-set function for the onboard footswitches. That way you can select which state your pedal will go to when you plug the power supply. This function comes in especially handy to people that use remote pedal switchers / loopers as they only set the power-up state of the pedal once and then operate from the controller.
