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10 Favourite Mad Professor Compact Gain Pedals

Best of BrandsBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveDistortionDumble Style OverdriveKlone and Transparent OverdriveMad Professor EffectsOverdriveTweed Style Overdrive+-
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I’ve long been a fan of Mad Professor’s gain pedals - which of course mostly owe a lot to Björn Juhl - bar the Simble Overdrive (Dumble) by Lassi Ukkonen. Which by coincidence happened to be my very first Mad Professor pedal several years ago - and in fact my very first Dumble style overdrive - of which I have several now.

 

So the Simble was my first Mad Professor - and the Custom Stone Grey Distortion the most recent - alongside the 20th Anniversary Royal Blue Overdrive. The Royal Blue came...

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My 9 favourite Greer Amps Compact Gain Pedals Capsule Collection is complete

Best of BrandsBoostBoost and OverdriveDistortionDriveGreer AmpsKlone and Transparent OverdriveOverdriveTimmyTweed Style Overdrive+-
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This is a project that has been going on for a while. I was just missing the Soma ’63 Vintage Preamp and the Sucker Punch High Gain Distortion - both of which I managed to source recently at relatively reasonable prices.

 

Out of this collection of 9 - quite a number are now discontinued - the Supa Cobra Overdrive and the entire bottom row - Hammer Distortion, Little Samson Overdrive / Distortion, and Sucker Punch High Gain Distortion.

 

I’ve always considered Nick Greer to be the King of ...

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My Sinvertek N5 MGAT-1 Golden Era DS99 Hyper Preamp has landed!

Blues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBrown Sound DistortionDistortionDriveDrive WorkstationKlone and Transparent OverdriveMarshall Style DistortionMetal DistortionMulti-DriveOCD Style OverdriveOverdriveSinvertekTweed Style Overdrive+-
2024-GPX-Sinvertek-N5-MGAT-1-GE-Detailed-700.jpg

Wow - what can I say! The original N5 MGAT-1 was already my favourite distortion of all time - so I initially thought that this was going to be a sort of sideways step from that with more specificity to reach certain key classic era Marshall tones more easily and more precisely - and it certainly does that. While Mr Wu has kind of blown me away again - as this is incredibly a further improvement over the already exceptional MGAT-1.

 

The MGAT-1 Golden Era seems a little bit more poised and ...

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Roman Belonozhko further improves one of my favourite Overdrives - the Shnobel Tone Daily Driver - with the addition of a Clean Boost

Blues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveDumble Style OverdriveHot Cake Style OverdriveKlone and Transparent OverdriveOCD Style OverdriveODR Style OverdriveOverdriveShnobel ToneTimmyTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style Overdrive+-
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I’ve waxed lyrical for a long time about the potency of the Daily Driver - where I originally acquired it based on how close it came to the tone and timbre of the Pete Cornish CC-1. The CC-1 can replicate / reproduce the tones of the TS808, Timmy, Klon and Blues Breaker with ease - and this new Boost addition makes it even more versatile.

 

The original had those 4 key corner knobs - and a single toggle switch for More Hi-Cut / None / Some Hi-Cut. Those 5 controls gave the pedal an incredible...

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End of Year Pedal-Chain Update - Final Formation - Class of 2023

ALABS AudioAmbient EffectsAnasoundsBig Muff Style FuzzBispell AudioBitcrushing and Lo-FiBixonicBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossBrown Sound DistortionChase Bliss AudioChorus and VibratoCompressorCoppersoundDecibelicsDelayDelay WorkstationDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionDouble TrackingDriveDrive WorkstationDual-DriveEchoverbElectric LoveEmpress EffectsEnvelope Filter and Auto WahEQEventideFjord FuzzFlangerFortin AmpsFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGated and Velcro FuzzGermanium FuzzGlitchGuitar Synth and SequencerHello Sailor EffectsHologram ElectronicsIntensive Care AudioJackson AudioJAM PedalsKernomKeyztoneKlone and Transparent OverdriveLo-Fi DelayLooperMaestro Style FuzzMarshall Style DistortionMessiah GuitarsMetal DistortionModulated FuzzModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-DriveMulti-FXNoise GateOctave FuzzOctaverOddball DelayOddball FuzzOddball ModulationOpAmp FuzzOscillating FuzzOverdrivePalmer Custom FXPastFXPedal ChainPedalPalFXPickup ModellerPitch-ShiftingPlate ReverbPoly EffectsPreAmpRack Style ReverbRainger FXReverb WorkstationReverse DelayReverse ReverbRing ModulationRotary SpeakerShimmer ReverbSilicon FuzzSpacey ReverbSpring ReverbStrymonSuper-Fuzz StyleSwellTape DelayTark AudioTC ElectronicThorpyFXTone Bender Style FuzzTremoloTubescreamer Style OverdriveTubesteaderTweed Style OverdriveUtilityVox Style Distortion+-
2023-GPX-Pedal-Chain-Update-Class-of-2023-700.jpg

The final arrangement for the year - all the pedals that impressed the most!

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2023 Best New Boost & Overdrive Pedals of the Year

Acorn AmpsAnasoundsBeetronics FXBest in ClassBispell AudioBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossCKK ElectronicsCrazy Tube CircuitsDecibelicsDriveDumble Style OverdriveElectric LoveFormula B PedalsGecko PedalsHello Sailor EffectsIntensive Care AudioJ RockettJHS PedalsKeeley EngineeringKlone and Transparent OverdriveMarshall Style DistortionMuir Audio DesignNordland ElectronicsODR Style OverdriveOhmless PedalsOPFXSOrigin EffectsOverdrivePoly EffectsREVV AmplificationTark AudioThorpyFXTone For PunkTubescreamer Style OverdriveTubesteaderTweed Style OverdriveWalrus Audio+-
2023-GPX-Best-Boost-and-Overdrives-700.jpg

And so to my roundup of the best gear of the year - apologies of course if I’ve overlooked one of your favourites - and note again that this year I’ve split out Boost & Overdrive - and Distortion separately - as there are so many new pedals that it’s tough to fit them all into a single summary overview. Some of these pedals are incredibly extended range - and if I’ve used them more on the distortion side - you will find those listed in the very next Distortion Rundown article - like say the...

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Beetronics' latest Babee Pedal is the sweet sounding sort of Tweed-adjacent Nectar Tone Sweetener Drive + Fuzz

Beetronics FXBoostBoost and OverdriveFuzzOverdriveTweed Style Overdrive+-
2023-GPX-Beetronics-Nectar-700.jpg

Beetronics has turned out another modern classic - this time kind of leaning into a Tweed style voicing - which produces superb Overdrive and Fuzz tones via a central mode toggle-switch. I’m a touch surprised that they’ve ditched the former double-click smart mode-flip function of the footswitch - which worked so well for the Vezzpa and Octahive V2 - and are now instead relying on an old-school manual switch - a step back really for me, but cost-saving I guess.

 

Price for the Standard ...

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2023-GPX-Wampler-Black-Tweed-700.jpg

I had both of these pedals on my wishlist back in the day, but never quite got around to getting either. If I still wanted them - now would be the prime time to real them in. The Black ’65 presumably the ’65 Deluxe Reverb, while it could also be a mix of that, the Princeton and Super Reverb - the details aren’t clear on that point. The ’57 Tweed is most likely a Custom Deluxe, but could also be a Custom Champ or a mix of both. Essentially you’re getting two of the most iconic Fender Amp ...

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An A-Z of less well known Japanese Boutique Pedal Brands

AlbitBanana EffectsBananan EffectsBig Muff Style FuzzBlackberry JamBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveChocolate ElectronicsDistortionDriveDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveEx-ProFlying TeapotFree Fall DiverFuzzGermanium FuzzGlitchKardian Sound TransplantKatanasoundKlone and Transparent OverdriveLeqtiqueLimetone AudioMarshall Style DistortionMASF PedalsMetal DistortionMinimichineModulationOCD Style OverdriveOctave FuzzODR Style OverdriveOrganic SoundsOvaltoneOverdrivePedal PlanetPreAmpRoshi PedalsShigemoriShinosSilicon FuzzSobbatSuper-Fuzz StyleTanabeTDC-YouTimmyTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveUmbrella CompanyWeedZenZero Electronics+-
2023-GPX-24-Japanese-Boutique-Builders-700.jpg

This article was originally suggested by my now good friend Henry Kaiser - leading guitar and guitar effects experimentalist and prolific producer and recording artist. He’s been a long-term friend of Toshihiko Tanabe - of Tanabe.TV fame and thought I should do one of my pedal roundups on Japanese Boutique Pedal Builders.

 

I had long intended to do a feature on Japanese Pedal Makers - but could not decide on the context or format - as there are so many notable brands. Upon Henry’s suggestion...

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2023 May Pedal-Chain Update - Episode V - Team Timmons

Big Muff Style FuzzBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossChampion LeccyCKK ElectronicsDelayDigital DelayDistortionDouble TrackingDriveDrunk BeaverEchoverbElectro-HarmonixEmpress EffectsEnvelope Filter and Auto WahEQFjord FuzzFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGreer AmpsHoopla PedalsJHS PedalsKeeley EngineeringKeyztoneKlone and Transparent OverdriveMarshall Style DistortionMetal DistortionModulationMulti-DriveOctave FuzzOpAmp FuzzOverdrivePedal ChainPickup ModellerRed Panda LabSinvertekSubdecay EffectsTape DelayTubesteaderTweed Style OverdriveUtilityXotic EffectsZvex+-
2023-GPX-Pedal-Chain-Update-May-Timmons-700.jpg

So May started with my posting the last of the NAMM Show stragglers, followed by an initial eclectic mix of different pedal types - while gradually leaning into ’Andy Timmons’ Month. I’ve always thought Andy to be a wonderful human being and a particularly fine journeyman guitarist. While it’s only in fairly recent years that he’s become somewhat more elevated in my affections as one of my all-time favourite guitar heroes. You will note that he did not feature in my last article on personal ...

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