TWA's Triskelion 3.0 Harmonic Energizer is a superb take on that mid-70's Zappa Favourite Band-Pass Frequency and Gain Shaper
So back in and around 1975 there was a large aluminium box with red and black graphics made by Systech, and which had an open 9V battery bay built right into the front facia. It had just 3 controls - Bandwidth, Center Frequency, and Gain - which were instrumental in delivering the classic Frank Zappa sound of that era! The Gain knob sweep was fairly expansive, but not too heavy on the breakup until later along the taper - rather an amplitude control for most of the sweep - although it did climb...
The Heavy Water serves beautifully as a superb always-on Tone-Enhancer which delivers exceptional added harmonics and texture
While there will be one more Heavy Water feature on the final Monday of this month, that will be more of a roundup and last-minute reminder. So this is the last therefore of the main feature articles.
Most of you will be familiar with the 29 Pedals EUNA Elite Unity Amplifier / Buffer - which combines a Buffer, Harmonics & EQ, High Headroom, and a very unique and potent Power Management circuitry. It’s core mission of course to make your effects chain sound better. The EUNA is a front-of...
Boss unleashes a Bass Edition of its Killer ME-90 Multi-FX pedal alongside a potent new Katana 500 Watt Bass Head with matching C112B Cab
Boss has really been showing Bass Players a lot of love recently - with superb dedicated devices for the lower range of playback. For April we get a Bass Edition of the ME-90 - wholly re-designed with Bass Players in mind and the precise effects they favour in their rig. There may be some superficial similarities to the ME-90, but the ME-90B has been wholly re-engineered for Bass. In my describing all the effects, features and functions - it’s almost overwhelming just how much you get on the ...
Oliver Brennan's Obie Audio makes an impressive debut with its really rather useful Great Raven 3-in-1 Full Spectrum Gain Platform
The Great Raven is Obie Audio’s very first pedal, which you could rather reductively describe as a super extended-range modified TS808 overdrive with additional features - as that is the very initial origination point. But this is a rather more expansive evolved gain platform - allowing you to cleverly combine and stack a +20dB Pre-Gain Clean Boost, Classic Overdrive, and Post-Gain Active EQ section.
The TS808-derived core Overdrive is that soft-clipping classic green screamer style - but ...
Line 6 releases ingenious 'My First Fisher-Price' style Beginners All-in-1 Multi-FX Box - the POD Express
I was a touch critical about the HX One - possibly overly so - as it’s really decent for what it delivers and how. While I could not be more effusively positive about this new POD Express!
For anyone starting out in guitar effects - you get everything you need in one smart little box - with intuitive and mostly surfaced control (vs Noise Gate).
If I was thinking of buying in my very first guitar effect pedal - then I don’t think I could do better than this. It contains 7 Amp & Cab ...
Chase Bliss reissues the Condor in new HiFi edition - which delivers lower noise floor, smoother breakup, and more headroom
I’m not sure any of us were really expecting the return of the Condor. A lot of us are rather waiting for a stereo Dark World, the assumption was that the Condor was largely obsoleted by the Automatone Preamp MKII.
Yet here we have a new and improved version of that well loved format - and whether this is exciting news depends largely on how you mostly use this pedal.
If you mainly use the EQ and Filter elements - then the newer lower noise, smoother breakup and higher headroom HiFi ...
Vox releases second quartet of NuTube-powered Valvenergy Pedals - an EQ, Compressor, Treble Booster, and Tube Overdrive
So a couple of years after the Valvenergy Series launch - Vox has 4 more NuTube candidates for your consideration, where the template has supposedly been somewhat refined and simplified. I believe the first 4 were originally priced at around £169 (c. $215), where currently they go for £119 / $129.
The original quartet consisted of VE-CD Copperhead Drive Distortion (Plexi), VE-CE Cutting Edge Distortion (Tight Metal), VE-ME Mystic Edge (AC30), and VE-SD Silk Drive (Fender Black Face). Of ...
Boss's brand new VE-22 Vocal Performer Effects Processor massively improves on 2009's VE-20
We’re steadily seeing the Boss 20-Series pedals being replaced now, and the VE-20 is the latest to get a very significant upgrade. The new VE-22 moves things on pretty massively and completely revamps and enhances the form factor, switches, knobs and overall control interface - with 3 core switches now in place of the former 2 - and really smart dedicated controls for each of the core functions - all served by a highly visibly and usable LED screen.
If you’re a singer or vocal performer of ...
End of Year Pedal-Chain Update - Final Formation - Class of 2023
The final arrangement for the year - all the pedals that impressed the most!
The Final Pedal up for grabs in KMA Machines's 10 Year Anniversary Celebrations is the One-Off Christmas Red Tyler Deluxe Advanced Frequency Splitter
Hot on the heels of the Purple Guardian of the Wurm, Lilac Moai Maea, Glow-in-the dark Queequeg, and Gold Fuzzly Bear - we have the suitably seasonal Christmassy Red - One-Off Edition of the Tyler Advanced Frequency Splitter.
Every distinct one-off pedal will be signed by KMA’s founder Enrico Preuss, and will have the winner’s name UV printed on the backplate. NOTE that these special pedals will NOT be made available for sale - ever! So they really will be unique One-Off single items.
As ...
