Team Red !!! 3 Killer Red Colourway Classic Spaceman Compact Effects Pedals

This project came about when I was doing some desk research on Spaceman Effects - I can’t remember the exact context of the circumstances - but I was scouting various dealers / retailers on what Spaceman Effects pedals they had in stock - where that search always starts on Reverb.com and Ebay.com. And in that process I came across the Red Explorer somewhat serendipitously!

I have long had the Red Cyrillic Spaceman Sputnik I - which was actually my second Spaceman pedal acquired - just a few days after I snapped up the Titan II Fuzz at the start of February 2018. I was very late to the Sputnik - in fact that release happened way before I got back into guitars and pedals. That adventure started in the autumn of 2016 - following the untimely passing of two of my favourite musical heroes - Bowie and Prince - earlier in the year.

The Sputnik I was released back in 2013 I think - 3 years before I was back on the trail. And I had somehow come across the Red Sputnik variety in my various ’travels’ - and it then took me a couple of years to secure one - actually from a collector in Italy (via Reverb.com) - where I paid a little over the odds for it - but still a very good buy retrospectively - in any case that was for he longest time my only Red Spaceman pedal - it hadn’t really dawned on me to get more in that colourway (I mostly collected the Black variants!) - until I landed on that Red Explorer being sold by Amelia Island Fine Gutters on Reverb.com. At that time I thought I could do a nice feature on a ’Perfect Pairing’ of Spaceman pedals - but decided to do an extra sweep in case there was some other Red Spaceman variety that I had overlooked - and that was still available!

That’s when I came across the Red Delta II on the Mass Street Music site. I tried to buy it then and there - but alas there were no options for UK Delivery. So I contacted them and a really nice guy called Mike responded quickly - and said that he would speak to technical and make sure that there were some UK shipping options on the site come Monday! - and he was exactly a man of his words - and the webstore was updated really quickly to accommodate me - so I’m super thankful for that extra effort. Funnily I ordered the Explorer nearly a week before the Delta II, while they landed in reverse order - with the Delta II arriving around a week before the Explorer in the end - different courier service and all that. Mass Street was able to give me options - while for the Reverb.com AIFG Store - the shipping was fixed.

I actually already owned Black editions of the Delta II and Explorer - but thought that 3 Red Spaceman Effects Pedals would make for a killer visual - which is exactly what I ended up with. The visual evolved over several weeks and consists of myriad different overlapping layers - I’m really proud of it - it’s one of the most iconic visuals I have created I feel - and that’s something I really focus on at GPX - in delivering the best framing and showcase for my featured pedals!

The Red hues here aren’t wholly identical - the newer Delta II and Explorer are a slightly darker and colder Red, where the Sputnik is fractionally brighter and warmer. The Sputnik I is my favourite Spaceman Effect to date - in fact one of my favourite ever fuzzes, and it combines superbly with the Harmonic Tremolo and Phase Shifting of the Delta II and Explorer. All those pedals are top tier - while the JAM Pedals Harmonious Monk is still my favourite Harmonic Tremolo overall, and the Beetronics Larva still my favourite Phaser - both of those are really full on the flavour side - where these Spaceman equivalents are also top tier, while not quite as richly textured as my two overall all-time favourites for that category. They do though combine superbly with the Sputnik I - and that extended 3-way Partnership is very compelling!

So the Sputnik I was acquired 5 years after its release, but my initial Delta II and Explorer were acquired around the time those were released - in 2021 and 2022 respectively - so this trio spans a manufacturing range of nearly 10 years! The Sputnik I is of course very long since continued and there have been Sputnik II, IIb, and III editions since! I have the I and III - those two are perfect for my preferences, sensibilities, and practical considerations!

The Explorer seems to be still very much available on the Spaceman Webstore - in both Standard and Cadet Versions - with a $100 differential on price - $279 vs $179, where the Delta II is currently only available as the more affordable Cadet variety - also at $179!

Here follow the individual details below as usual :