2025 Electro-Harmonix Capsule Collection and Future Intended Targets

In my 'Bread and Butter' feature I included EHX for its Nano Big Muffs - I selected the Violet Ram's head varieties as they seem to be the most perennially popular - while my favourite Big Muff variant has always been the slightly more aggressive original Triangle circuit!

Just one more Big Muff to get here (the Hardware one!) - which pedal has fluctuated in price significantly - yet not really fallen significantly within my threshold. Will be interesting to see which one of those 6 targets falls within my grasp first!

Here is the full listing of 25 pedals all-told, 19 in the collection already, and 6 to go - probably with a couple more of those newish Pico variants too. And I'd quite like a version of the Micro POG also - as that is supposedly the best sounding variant that everyone goes for! :

• Attack Decay Swell/Reverse - $156
• Attack Decay Swell/Reverse Pico Mini - $137
• Big Muff Pi Triangle JHS Illuminati Mod - $113
• Big Muff Pi V2 Violet Ram's Head Alchemy Audio Mod - $114 + MOD (+$30-50)
• Big Muff Pi V2 Violet Ram's Head J Mascis Edition - $132 + MOD (+$30-50)
• Big Muff Pi OpAmp JHS Pumpkin Patch Mod JHS Mod - $96 + MOD (+$30-50)
• Big Muff Pi Green Russian JHS Moscow Mod JHS Mod - $109 + MOD (+$30-50)
• Big Muff Pi Nano JHS Moon Pi Mod - $87 + MOD (+$30-50)
• Metal Muff Nano - $84
• Big Muff Pi Hardware Plugin (Ram's Head) - $329
• Deep Freeze Pico (Mini) - 193
• Nano Deluxe Memory Man Delay (Compact) - $213$
• Flat Iron Distortion [Rat] - $85
• Intelligent Harmony Machine - $242
• LBP.3 Linear Power Boost - $129
• Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz - $99 > $37 (sale)
• Mainframe Bitcrusher - $203
• Operation Overlord JFET Allied Overdrive - $101
• Oceans 12 Dual Channel Reverb - $270
• Pitch Fork Polyphonic Pitch-Shifter - $198
• Nano POG Matthews Effects Dual / Favourite Mod - ±$300
• Ripped Speaker Fuzz - $116
• Satisfaction Fuzz JHS Can't Get No Mod [discontinued] - $99 + MOD (+$30-50)
• Satisfaction Plus Fuzz - $99
• Soul Food JHS Meat & 3 Mod - $89 + MOD (+$30-50)

I do quite like the larger formats - say the new POG3 and Oceans Abyss - but they're a little too much on the large side for me - and not at all easy to accommodate within my rig - which is set up to showcase the maximum optimal amount of pedals every month!

Had I a different setup I would be able to make better use of those, but with the current context - those alas just aren't practically suitable - despite how great they sound. As I keep mentioning - the task is to showcase as many different pedals as is practically possible - not streamline the board down to fewer and fewer pedals - I am by nature a maximalist - and I like having constant access to to the Full Spice Rack!

Individual details below as usual :

Controls - Poly Mode, Sensitivity, Presets 1-3, HARMONIX > Volume, Tone, Gain, MAIN } Volume, Blend, Attack, Decay, Harmonix / Preset Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.

I've always loved this - and it gets me those Sigur Rós / Jónsi tones with ease - and without using a bow. This version is packed with features, including a separate Harmonix section, and a Send/Return FX Loop for integrating other pedals within that circuit. One of the most distinctive and unique pedals EHX makes - and well worth consideration. In fact I so like this that I bought the smaller one recently - as below!

Controls - Green (Mono) / Orange (Poly), Volume, Send, Attack, Decay.

The mini version of the Attack Decay - with not quite as rich a feature set as its significantly bigger brother - but still marvellous has all the core features in tact - and delivers and equivalent cello-like sound - in how I best like to use this circuit!

Controls - Volume, Sustain, Tone + MOD } Left-side 3-way Gain Structure Switch, Right-side Mids Knob

So most of these I've bought as JHS Mods - which typically add fiurther voicings and say a Mids knob to the interface. I tend to like all my Big Muffs with Mids Controls - so I can either Scoop or Boost those - I actually don't really like Muffs when flat - it needs to be either vintage scoop, or modern mids prominence! The Triangle is my favourite variety of Big Muff typically - and this JHS Modded variety is pretty great!

Controls - Volume, Sustain, Tone + MOD } Left-side Mids Knob, Right-side Bright Switch.

The Ram's Head is a little more Focused and not quite as aggressive as the Triangle one - here helped by the Mods to gear up different Gain Structures - while the extra knob is handily a Mids control. I've surmised that the Ram's Head is seemingly the most popular variety of Muff - and seems to be mostly the default take from the overall wider category. This one plays very nicely for me - and both Mods really help. For those that are new to Mods - they just give the pedal extra abilities - you can still switch down to the core unmodded defaults - and you can of course also raise your game up a gear or two. By the time this one came out - JHS has stopped doing Mods - so I grabbed one from Alchemy Audio instead - which wholly continues JHS's form here. Alchemy Audio did all my Xotic Effects Mods too!

Controls - Volume, Sustain, Tone.

I felt a little bit conned by this one at the time - and in fact this version is priced a little higher - even though if you were to take it apart - you would find the internals identical to the original Violet Ram's Head. Literally the only difference is the paint job for which J Mascis gets a royalty - and hence the higher price tag. At the time of launch this was billed as the Signature J Masics pedal - as if he's had some input in its creating - in fact a similar thing that happened to the Electric Mistress vis-a-vis Andy Sumner - which was retried - and then issues in newer more expensive livery with the circuit otherwise untouched - very much an exercise of new money for old rope therefore! I feel that unless you're a really staunch J Masic fan - you should be buying the identical where it matters - original version!

Controls - Volume, Sustain, Tone + MOD } Left-side 3-way Gating Switch, Right-side Mids Knob.

The classic Smashing Pumpkins / Billy Corgan legendary Siamese Twin sound - or at least a big part of that signature sounds. Once more the MOD adds different Gating Voicings - alongside that super handy extra Mids Knob. This is for sure many people's favourite - and hits slightly differently to the transistor varieties. I really love them all - and Mike Vickery of Vick Audio fame is the one that mentored me on all the different Big Muff types - and what made them different and distinct from each other. I genuinely like all varieties of Muff - in fact it's the largest part of my Reference Collection with will over 110 Buffs. I like the OpAmp type - but I feel Triangle is my favourite - also the Japanese Sustainar varieties that are based on that sound - just ahed of the Ram's Head variants.

Controls - Volume, Sustain, Tone + MOD } Upper Left-side Gain Structure / Synth Fuzz, Lower Left-side Intensity Switch, Right-side Feedback Knob.

I love the slightly lower gain Russian Muff - where this and the Civil War are typically the most popular from the Soviet Era, with the Black Russian more rarely featured. And of course when we mention Big Muffs - we can't forget Kit Rae and his fabulous work on that subject - every way the world's leading expert on Big Muffs. I have several Green Russians - EQD and Loe Sounds both do brilliant versions of that - mixing in Germanium Transistors too!

Controls - Volume, Sustain, Tone + MOD } Left-side Gain/Voicing Switch, Right-side Gating Knob.

I think this variety is John Frusciante's favourite variety as far as I'm aware. This brings the circuit back close t the aggression of the Triangle and Ram's Head varieties. The Mods add something slightly different here - different Gain Voicings on the left, and a variable Gating knob on the right. Many players seem to favour this variety too!

Controls - Volume, Gate, Distortion, Treble, Middle, Bass.

The Higher Gain Metal Muff variant - with full 3-Band EQ. Some are not particular enamoured of this somewhat compressed voicing. But it's another one hat I really rather like, You need to be very diligent on the dial in - as you can otherwise get inoptimal tones. Due patience and careful application of the 3-Band EQ is what's needed to ge this one in line - works really well as far as I'm concerned. I guess not everyone is patient or diligent enough to lie this one - there's seem to be an odd number of naysayers our there - while I really like this Metal Muff  and feel it hold up pretty ell all-in-all!

Controls - Direct Monitor Switch, Headphone Level, USB > DAW output Gain with clipping monitor, ’Panic’ USB Connection Reset Button, Volume, Sustain, Tone Bypass Switch, Tone, Wicker (High Boost Switch), Preset Rotary 1-10, Preset Scroll Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch, Full Stereo Ins and Outs, Full-size 1/4" Headphone Jack, USB B.

I've wanted this one since it first came out in 2022 - essentially a Ram's Head Big Muff with extended controls and 10 Presets onboard. It's principally designed to interface with DAW's and the like - to deliver an authentic Analog Fuzz into your Digital Signal Processing. While I would be using it entirely within the analog realm - as a Stompbox Big Muff with a few more flavours on call. It's a really cool format. And unfortunately for me it's rather holding its price currently. I'm waiting for this one to fall within my threshold - I'm happy to take ex-demo and fairly pristine used pedals. This one hasn't been around for too long - and it's obviously doing OK - or they would have lowered the pricing already!

Controls - Mode : Green (Latch) / Orange (Momentary) / Red (Auto), Dry, Effect, Speed / Layer, Glass.

This is my preferred format of the EHX Freeze - actually more powerful and more expensive - by about $40 versus its simpler but larger Nano sibling. This is of a type I call a Sample Repeater / Sustainer - great for delivering interesting pads for you to play over - or just to accentuate the appropriate musical passage or movement!

Controls - Blend (Dry>Wet Mix), Feedback (Repeats/Oscillation), Delay Time (30ms - 550ms), Level (Input Gain), Rate (Modulation : Chorus at 9 o’c, Vibrato at 2 o’c), Depth (Modulation).

I'm not sure this one fully reaches the heights of its illustrious forebear - one of the most legendary and iconic modulated delay - with a sound beloved by most. Beautifully warm and expressive with the perfect note decay. A really lush delay therefore. I often talk about finding your own lane / speed - and this one is exactly the right format for me. It seem that with EHX - the larger pedals often sound a little more special! It's not the case with brands like Decibelics - who specialise in extracting the most full fat flavour at those diminutive sizes - and using fully THT components. I would imagine EHX like mos of the mainstream brands have mostly assimilate the SMT production techniques by now - where you don't always get the same mojo output - but for some you do! This one has been on the cards since it first materialised - just waiting on the right opportunity to snag one. It's a little lesser of a priority for me as a Mono device - but it has sufficient legacy and provenance to substantiate its acquisition!

Controls - Volume, Filter, Drive.

I held out so long for this one - in the expectation that JHS or maybe Alchemy Audio would offer up some MODS up for this circus. But no! I waited years and none materialised - and then in my last big Rat pedal roundup - I finally swooped one of these up. I have some many extraordinary and special edition Rats - 40 odd now I think - I'm so spoiled for choice - and his one is pretty much standard median - wihich in the grand scale of things means perfunctory - but nothing special. There are some really majestic enhanced Rat circuits out there already - and this one's going to need a heap of enhancements and improvement to get anywhere close to competing, Not a bad pedal - just not up to the level of my other superior Rats!

Controls - Key Knob : C|D|E|F|G|A|B, #Sharp Key Switch, Minor/Major Switch, Poly-Override Button, Interval Rotary Selector: Harmony Intervals / Pitch Override Intervals, Mix, Volume, Momentary button.

This one is sort of the EHX equivalent to the Boss PS-6 Harmonist and TC Electronic Quintessence Harmony - where each of those has its advantages and strengths - I have and enjoy 2 of those already - I just need the Intelligent Harmony Machine to complete the set really. I always like to be representative of a genre - and this is the one I need to be fully quorate and representative for that segment. Has some really cool functionality - very potent for a compact!

Controls - Max Headroom : 33dB / 20dB, Q Bandwidth : High / Low, Boost, Mid Level ±, Treble, Pre-Gain, Mid Freq, Bass.

The original legendary Boost significantly rebooter and improved. I have a tonne of different Boost pedals as is - but that collection is never going to be complete without a Linear Power Boost. It's probably still too early in its cycle to get it at bargain prices. But I will persist - one of these will be mine in due time! Really smart feature set too!

Controls - Volume, Balance, Octave.

You could argue this is more JHS than EHX - or in fact neither as it's a mongrel hybrid mashup of Christian Hemmo's Bass Fuzz and the Octave PushMePullYou made by Tim Escobedo. It was announced as a unique original circuit - while it was rather a fairly innovative if derivative mashup of two fairly well known circuits. Funnily is still works really well - but sits rather oddly with EHX who are famed for their originality and own creation innovations. I still think it's a cool project - but a highly unusual one that doesn't really sit that comfortably. It still sounds pretty great - and EHX currently has it on sale for just $37 - I should have waited! If you want one - now's the time - it feels like a discontinuation sale to me!

Controls - Expression / Preset Buton, Filter : HPF / BPF / LPF, Volume, Peak, Frequency, Blend, Bit Depth, Sample Rate.

One of my favourite compact bitcrushers - while I've still to snap up Red Panda's Bitmap - which is surely the overall champion for that segment. I still really like the Mainframe - it has the perfect complement of controls and delivers some really cool crunched sounds! It's beautifully functionally designed too!

Controls - Boost Button, Input Level : Hi / Normal / Low, Volume, Dry Blend, Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass.

I've long wanted this organic sounding dynamic overdrive with massively extended range and really potent control topology including 3-Band EQ. I felt that they could have dual footswitches this pearl - a la Chase Bliss and Walrus et Al - to put the Boost onto a second Footswitch. But it kind of works fine with that on Push Button too - and of course it has a Remote Boost Footswitch Port that you can connect to it too.  Reminder to check all my different micro footswitches to see which one will work with this pedal. I have at least 3 or 4 types that work with different pedals - latching vs momentary, on state polarity etc! Really cool extended range overdrive - which happens to be somewhat under the radar too. I got mine from Andertons for just £85 squiddlies - which means a bargain for sure! And there are 2 remaining in stock as of my writing this!

Controls - EXP Mode, Moment, Tails, Function, MODE : 1 / 2 / 3 (LF LoFi, Tide), Reverb Type : Room, Spring, Reverse, Echo, Trem, Mod, Dyna, Auto-Infinity, Shimmer, Poly, Resonant, Dual, 2 x Param Controls - PD Feedback, Mod Depth etc, FX Level [Infinity Level], Predelay [Send Level], Time [Lo-Fi], Tone [Tide], Select : A/B, Reverb A Footswitch, Reverb B Footswitch.

My main Reverb Workstation for a short while. It all looks very good on paper and in he blown-up / zoomed in visuals. While up close and personal - the Ocean 12 has relatively tiny controls and even tinier labels. My eyesight is not quite as sharp as it used to be - and I was frequently frustrated in having to reach for the manual to navigate to the appropriate controls I needed - as those legends are very small and indistinct even up close to your face. I enjoyed its sounds - and its innings was cut a little short by the arrival of the Strymon NightSky. The Oceans 12 delivers some decent sounds - but I never managed to gel fully with its control topology - a similar story as with the Beetronios SeaBee for me - conceptually really sound and an equally might multi-fx unit - but possibly just a little too tricky to handle as part of a regular setup - for both those pedals I had to keep reaching for the manual - which is not optimal really!

Controls - Blend, Shift, Dual : Up/Down, Latch push-button.

Shift - D, m2, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, m7, 1, 2, 3.

Probably still the industry standard go-to Pitch-Shifter and sill performs very well. I have several different varieties  of pitch-shifter across several brands which each does one or two tasks better than the others. I had also thought about getting the larger Pitch Fork Plus at one stage - but for some reason that priority faded for me - but I never sat never - and that priority will likely rise again at some stage. Obviously also if I come across an offer I can't refuse! I may also get the Pico version at some stage!

Controls - A/B Sub Octave, Dry, Octave Up x 2, Bypass Footswitch, A/B Footswitch.

This is  probably the Modded pedal I have been after the longest - it essentially doubles down on the controls - and you can have a second Preset on the output. I believe there were tricky to make - not many were produced. While Kinnatone also made a version of this with more staggered knobs. I generally prefer the Matthews Effects variants - particularly the ones with the crystal knobs. I've come across a few of these in the wild - but always a second or two after they were sold. Such is the nature of Pedalverse - that if you hesitate at all - someone else will sneak in ahead of you! Note that there are also Modded Micro POG's also - which are even rarer! As per the above demo - the one I had of the Nano verions has been disabled for some reason.

Controls - Volume, RIP / Bias : Gated / Fat / Sputtery, Tone / Tilt EQ, Fuzz.

A really cool Fuzz that give you that early Proto-Fuzz sound - which sounds like a torn speaker cone, I initially thought the core of this was closer to a classic Fuzz initially, but I believe it's rather based on a more Muff-like circuit - just with some very creative biasing on a number of those Transistos. For UK readers this is fully Ronson - i.e. it sounds exactly as its name describes it!

Controls - Volume, Attack + MOD } Left-side 3-way EQ Switch, Right-side Saturation Knob.

I always thought this was based on the Gibson Maestro - the very original fuzz and the one obviously that resulted in that Rolling Stones riff. While others tell me that it's rather a Jordan Boss Tone circuit which has been tuned / biased to sound  more like the Rolling Stone riff. In any case I sounds even better in this JHS Modded edition - which adds EQ and Saturation into the mix!

Controls - Volume, Voicing : Fat / Normal, Attack, Tone, Bias.

The more expanded version of this circuit with additional Voicing Switch - and additional Tone and Bias controls - so a little more evolved even than the JHS Modded version of this ones' predecessor. I had been meaning to get this one for a while - and picked that up within the most recent sweep!

Controls - Volume, Drive, Treble + MOD } Left-side 3-way Clipping Switch, Right-side Bass Contour 'Meat' Knob.

One of the original runaway Klones - while I always felt the standard version of this was a little anaemic comparatively. The JHS Modded version really brings this one up a notch or two - and adds more beef to the output - more flavour! I'm not sure this is quite top tier as far as Klones go - but still very decent in that JHS Version - if you're thinking of getting a Shoul Food - then try to get your hands on the modded one!

Interesting most of the Demos for the JHS Modded pedals have been taken down - this Mike Hermans one for the Soul Food - as above - was one of the only ones I found that was still intact!