gear giveaway

GUP Tech Mad Chiou Double Boost + EQ

The GUP Tech Mad Chiou is a two-in-one pedal by a young, family-operated Quebecois company launched in the late '10s and laser-focused on releasing affordable and fun-looking gain pedals, including some variants on venerable vintage circuits. It's a combination of two of its most popular pedals: the GrndR and the…Click on the title for more

GUP Tech Mad Chiou Double Boost + EQ

Leyland Head Full Delay

Built by caring English hands, the Leyland Head Full is a creative lo-fi echo based on what's probably the most inspiring chip for delays, the PT2399. This device can create ethereal atmospheres, haunting soundscapes, and full-on walls of noise, but also more subtle analog-style delays replicating tape-style artifacts (aka wow…Click on the title for more

Leyland Head Full Delay

New Pedal: Retro Mechanical Labs 432k Rev2 Filter/Distortion/Fuzz

It's hard not to gasp at the sight of the Retro Mechanical Labs 432k Rev2 Distortion, a beast of a filter+distortion+fuzz pedal with enough controls to entertain even the most efficient knob fiddler for years! The circuit consists of two signal paths: A distortion circuit followed by an active hybrid…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Retro Mechanical Labs 432k Rev2 Filter/Distortion/Fuzz

Overdrive vs Distortion vs Fuzz: What’s the difference?

Click on the links for our coverage of recently released Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz pedals. For the beginner rock guitarist, a gain pedal is, in most cases, the third item on the gear-related shopping list (after a six-string and an amp). But, considering the wide choice of stompboxes out there,…Click on the title for more

Overdrive vs Distortion vs Fuzz: What’s the difference?

Pedal Update: Industrialectric Incinerator Deluxe

Now, some pedals have better names than others, but... "Incinerator"? We are tempted to say that's the best name ever given to a stompbox. That's how this beast by Canadian manufacturer Industrialectric is called. Built by hand in Toronto, the incinerator is a dual-channel Silicon fuzz integrated by two oscillators…Click on the title for more

Pedal Update: Industrialectric Incinerator Deluxe

Audiostorm Quad Screamer Overdrive

The Audiostorm Quad Screamer is a fascinating Tube Screamer variant made in the UK. It gives you four push buttons that allow you to mix and match LED, MOSFET, Silicon and Germanium diodes, and then alter the resulting overdrive through 5 controls, including two unusual "Bright" and "Dirty" switches placed…Click on the title for more

Audiostorm Quad Screamer Overdrive

Cunningham Amps MK 1.6 Fuzz (Ge)

The Cunningham Amps MK 1.6 Fuzz is a high-quality, vintage-voiced fuzz made by hand in New Zealand that blends the line between a MK 1.5' Tone Bender and Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face. The Attack knob sets the amount of fuzz and Level controls the overall output, which ranges from soft…Click on the title for more

Cunningham Amps MK 1.6 Fuzz (Ge)

New Pedal: Craftros Trident Overdrive

The Craftros Trident is a high-end, solidly built transistor-based drive made in Japan that delivers amp-like tones from low to high gain - there aren't any diodes in the circuit. The company is relatively new and currently has three dirt boxes on its roster. The controls are pretty straightforward, with the…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Craftros Trident Overdrive

New Pedal: Victory V4 The Sheriff 180w Amp

The Victory The Sheriff V4 180w Amp is part of a series of 5 power amp pedals able to power pretty much any cabinet (although you may want to be careful with 16 Ohms ones!). It is the Plexi version of the bunch and features cab sim circuitry courtesy of Two…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Victory V4 The Sheriff 180w Amp

15 Inspiring/Wild New Boutique Pedals

In the pedalverse we cover daily in this blog, small builders, often comprised of just one person or a family, represent the pulsating heart of circuit experimentation. Unlike bigger operations with dozen of employees, these small enterprises don't have the pressure to deliver devices that will sell in big numbers…Click on the title for more

15 Inspiring/Wild New Boutique Pedals

Gecko Geckoplex EP-5 V2 Delay/Reverb

The Echoplex tape delay machine has inspired a lot of echo pedals - as a matter of fact, most of the ones included in our guide to the best tape-style delays on the market. The Geckoplex EP-5 by Eugene, OR's Gecko Pedals, is a high-end reinterpretation of that circuit, with…Click on the title for more

Gecko Geckoplex EP-5 V2 Delay/Reverb

Joyo JF-14 American Sound Tweed-Style Drive

$40 | The build might not be the finest out there, but at under $40, the Joyo JF-14 American Sound sells like candy and gets 4.5 stars out of 5 on both Amazon and Reverb. An amp-in-a-box pedal with a large gain range, it emulates a classic ’57 5e3 Deluxe.…Click on the title for more

Joyo JF-14 American Sound Tweed-Style Drive