2 x Mad Professor longterm targets have landed - the Sky Blue Dumble style Overdrive, and the Double Moon Analog Chorus, Flanger and Vibrato

Jan 23, 202616:00 by

Stefan Karlsson

BoostBoost and OverdriveChorus and VibratoDumble Style OverdriveFlangerMad Professor EffectsModulationOverdrive+-

You may recall that the last time I did a Mad Professor roundup I still had 3 long-term targets remaining - that I was hoping to land somewhat opportunistically.

And just recently my good friend Joe Light had a pristine second-hand Sky Blue available on his Joe’s Pedals store - which I snapped up at a great price. And while looking around for my other 2 active Mad Professor targets - I was given an offer on a near pristine Double Moon too - at a price that I could not refuse. So in quick succession 2 of my active Mad Professor targets were snapped up in the same time frame.

As for the 3rd one - there is currently no trace of a Mad Professor Bluebird Overdrive Delay to be found anywhere - long since discontinued and I’m guessing not many were made - I don’t recall encountering one in the wild recently - certainly not for the last couple of years. That quest still carries on - for the one remaining long-term Mad Professor target for me - as you can see per the below visual.

The Sky Blue is a very unique take on the Dumble Overdrive Special HRM Hot Rubber Monkey Edition. It's quite distinct from the other Mad Professor Dumble - the Simble - and features 2 really unusual combination controls 'Z' which increases input load / impedance / low-end, and the Texture control - which is a mix of Compression and EQ. Most compressed FCCW, and with a sort of Treble Booster kicking in high up in the other direction.

The Sky Blue is quite a different 'Dumble' - a little fiddly on the dial-in, but still a very intriguing proposition with a fairly distinct signature breakup. And the Double Moon is just one of the very best Chorus / Flanger / Vibrato Modulators out there with 11 smart modes - including my favourite and unique DC3 2-Speed Dual Chorus, and FC Flanger-Chorus - both those offer really distinct textured modulations. And all the other ones are brilliant too - but the DC3 and FC really stand out.

Intestingly both these pedals were €269 / $289 / £269 when new and I acquired them both for significantly under £200 - or around £175 each. By contrast the recent Hand Wired Mad Professor pedals are at €330 / $380 / £330 - which makes my Sky Blue acquisition exceedingly good value - now just to hunt down a Bluebird! All three of those pedals are long since discounted and mostly in short supply - while there do seem to be some very pricey Sky Blues in Japan - each going for around £350+ - with the dearest one currently priced at £589 - which is somewhat mental!

I am wholly delighted to have acquired both Sky Blue and Double Moon in such a rapid and opportunistic fashion - very much the epitome of high quality / high value / pristine second-hand acquisitions!

Further details on each pedal below, with demos etc.!

Sky Blue Dumble ODS HRM style Overdrive [discontinued] - €269 / $289 / £269

Controls - Volume, Distortion, Z (Input Load / Impedance), Texture (More Compressed > Treble Boost).

This one is somewhat unusual for sure - and one that ramps up compression almost via every dial. The Distortion, Z and Texture controls all pile on compression in different directions - making the dial-in a little challenging at time.

I get the best results with Volume @ 3 o'c Distortion @ 10 o'c, Z @ 8 o'c, and Texture @ 4 o'c. The Treble Booster comes in very rapidly between 3:30 and 4 o'c!

As I mentioned in the intro this is a very distinct take on a Dumble Overdrive Special Hot Rubber Monkey Amp - with Z contributing Impedance, Compression and Low End unless fairly cranked down, and the Texture control combining a Max Compression CCW and a Treble Booster at the other end. The controls are very interactive and combine to impact the character / timbre, and EQ of the pedal - takes a wee while to get used to.

Where it rewards patience and due diligence. You also need somewhat safe-cracker finesse on the dial-in!

Double Moon Analog BBD Chorus, Flanger and Vibrato [discontinued] - €269 / $289 / £269

Controls - Speed, Mode : C1 / C2 / C3 / DC1 / DC2 / DC3 / F1 / F2 / DF / FC / V, Depth, Tone, Variable Control : LFO Waveshape / LFO Waveshape / LFO Waveshape / LFO Waveshape / LFO Waveshape / Relative Speed Difference / Regen / Regen / Regen / Regen / LFO Waveshape.

LFO Waveshape is Sine > Triangle > Square - with in-between combinations too - that is what the 'Control' knob adjusts for most Modes, while for DC3 Control determines the relative Speeds of the Dual Chorus, and for the various Flanger Modes - Control is Regeneration / Feedback.

All modes sound superb - especially the DC3 2-Speed Dual Chorus and FC Flanger-Chorus - where the modulation texture is very distinct and whole glorious. Mad Professor has totally nailed each of those Mode variations - as they're all valid and each sounds compelling.

There are few pedals that do Chorus / Flanger / Vibrato quite so well in such a compact enclosure. Of course for something a little larger and stereo - you have the excellent Hamstead Soundworks x That Pedals Show Redwing Analog Stereo Multi-Modulator - which is superb too.

I was genuinely blown away by the quality of this Analog BBD Modulator - which is imbued with the perfect control interface - and is supremely easy to dial in!

11 x MODES