This Z1 is more of a tour-grade build using a vintage spec Phenolic resin PCB populated with 3 killer Mullard/Philips BC108C Silicon Transistors.
This Z1 is quite different to the existing ZO - which previous model is rather based the MK2 Zonk - the ZO is quite a bi...
The most famous Stereo Tremolo Panner to date is Boss’s PN-2 Tremolo/Pan from 1990. The fact that the Supreme Balloon is in a not too dissimilar hue of green to the PN-2, leads me to believe that said pedal is one of the initial inspirations for this project.
The PN...
Readers will know that I’m a huge fan of the Gen 3 Katana Artist, with a stock one of those as my Left-Hand Amp Channel of choice (Marshall style EL34 emulation!).
For the 10th Anniversary of the Katana Amps - Boss has rolled out exclusive Special Blue Flame Maple V...
This project started back on July 12th, so it’s taken a while to complete and get shipped over the Atlantic from sunny Brazil. I had come across a superb Instagram demo back in May - https://www.instagram.com/reels/DXu12wSjyv1/ - which sounded fantastic to me with a really...
So this was a limited batch release in 4 colourways - just 2 or 3 available in each colour - Mint / Black / Red / Gold. I believe the Mint and Black editions were already sold on pre-order - I was on the site on the millisecond of the release, and those 2 models were alrea...
The Keeley Compressor Plus is Keeley’s all-time bestselling pedal - said to have sold 132,000 units by early 2024 - which is an average of 5,500 units p.a. - so surely up to around 140,000+ by now.
While this is unlikely the bestselling compressor of all time - whic...
The above pictured pedal appeared a couple of times in my Insta feed - and I was immediately struck by its super modern and elegant aesthetics - particularly the cool manner in how the central LED lights up, but also the pedal’s smart controls - and how you manipulate the ...
Former Specialist Dental Technician and master wire fabricator Tom of Talisman Audio has crafted an absolute masterpiece here. Never one to do things by half - he’s created a very unique one-of-a-kind take on the Big Muff Pi - here with core Soviet / Sovtek era components ...
The Boss HM-2 is rightly associated with the Swedish Death Metal / Chainsaw sound - as favoured by bands including Entombed, Nihilist, Dismember, Bloodbath, Converge and Carcass. While there are a number of players who use it in a more tempered manner - most famously David...
Jackson Brooksby in his below demo is totally right in describing this as the perfect first-time fuzz. This 3 x mil-spec Germanium CV type Transistor Fuzz is one of the easiest fuzzes to dial in - almost every setting yields superior sounds. And the pedal liberally purrs a...
Boss has an intriguing inner hierarchy of Effects - where currently the much loved and much-celebrated Dimension phased chorusing effect can only be found on the DC-2W stand-alone Waza Craft pedal, the MD-500 Modulation Workstation, and this PX-1 - where it was included in...
I’m a huge fan of Modulations - and this latest Snack Series Edition combines 3 of the best in the one unit, with some versatile and variable controls / parameters and including fairly unique ’Magic’ Mods for each of the 3 Modulation types.
There’s obviously some co...
We have an interesting selection of new pedals here - all pretty much shrunk-down versions - and all smaller variants of already existing Warm Audio Pedals.
There are myriad compact Klones out there already, while not so many Compact CE-1 variant takes - I can...
The third in Strymon’s analog Series-A - following on from the Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive, and Canoga Vintage Silicon Fuzz. I did not cover the Canoga - as Silicon Fuzz Faces are bread and butter for a thousand small builders, and for me a straight up 2-knob take i...
I really loved the Tuna Fuzz - really simple, compact and potent 3-transistor fuzz - it sounds fantastic. So I generally have an appreciation for this format, and its blisterpack packaging - everything about this is just so cool!
I do have a slight concern though ov...
A very unusual month for me.
My work situation changed very significantly as relates to my now mostly former other day job.And in the same month my darling Mother Eileen died rather suddenly and unexpectedly - along with one of her best friends Sigríður - who ...
I’m very proud of this project - which had some influence from yours truly, while new friend Attila of Pause & Effects did all the heavy lifting.
On our first encounter back in March of this year, I noted that while his pedals looked very neat and elegant - ther...
This is quite the ramp-up - as the original 33 Boost was just a simple single knob boost - and now we have 3 knobs per channel, 7 knobs in total, 2 footswitches, and 2 side slider-switches as part of the Amp Channel Controls.
This is obviously a highly optimised hig...
So here we have the 5th of the larger Tubesteader Double Twin Triode Dual-Channel Preamps, following on from the Beekeeper, Sunkeeper, Magnezium, and Gainlord, and the 3 Compact Single Twin Triode Preamps - Eggnog, Lightkeeper, and Roy. So there’s 8 of these in total now -...
I’m a huge fan of Germanium Diode Clipping - and indeed, already have such on my board courtesy of the ThorpyFX Heavy Water - it add harmonics and texture to everything and makes is sound richer and more luxurious.
This ’Clipping’ is like a redux version of Poly Eff...
The original standard / stock Tone Oven had the Bass Cut and Comp controls as internal dip-switches. While for this Custom Edition those have been externalised via toggle-switches - for more on-the-fly versatility. The Bass Cut applies to both Start and Grill Modes, while ...
For me - Fender CEO Bud Cole and Ed Sheeran have been on a similar journey - both entirely on the wrong side of history - and still carrying on digging themselves a deeper hole! Both blaming everything and everyone bar their own actions or lack thereof.
I’m actually...
The original MXR flanger/doubler Rack Unit which emerged in 1976 - used a Reticon SAD1024 BBD chip for the Flanger effect, and a RD5101 chip (4096 Stages) for the Doubler. It had a ±12V power supply or a 24V swing as such. It also had a Vactrol / Light-Dependent Resistor o...
This has been a long time coming, and dates all the way back to the end of May, when I very first received my V7 unit. That then came with DM 1510 knobs - which I didn’t feel did the pedal full justice (you can see those in the below demo). And so my friend Nikola set out ...
One of the best sounding and most flavourful Wah Pedals since 2008 - gets further improved, with some really neat touches.
The gorgeous multi-coloured Wah-li-gator artwork remains, while it gets a new JAM Custom Designed Inductor based on the classic 60’s TDK Induct...
Boss delivers a really fantastic Multi-FX Pedal here - which has a super intuitive and visually appealing interface - and which is a joy to deploy. I’ve had this pedal for the best part of a month now, and I’ve really enjoyed the experience.
I feel that Boss has tak...
The Crosstown Fuzz is a Hybrid Fuzz Face - utilising one Germanium, and one Silicon Transistor. At one stage these used to be the Ge AC187 and Si BC109 - while Mojo soon ran out of the AC187’s - as those are long since discontinued and in very short supply.
Supposed...
This is quite a notable period for me as I picked up 3 Germanium Devices within a month, while one of those probably won’t land until next month. Alongside this killer Germanium Transformer Boost, there is also the PigDog Germanium Overdrive, and then the Martian Sound Cyd...
Mad Professor has just announced preorders for its new Handwired Germanium Fuzz - while it doesn’t really provide too many details beyond the below statement, the nature of the control topology, and a picture of the insides from a jaunty angle!
"Milestone is a germa...
When the Big Time was first announced at the end of April, I wasn’t sure it was for me. I needed some further convincing - which took the form of Doug Tolley’s Big Time Tour - where he travelled to 4 locations in the UK, including Hanwell in West London - where interested ...
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