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2024-GPX-Beetronics-Abelha-Tropical-Fuzz-700.jpg

Beetronics’ new fuzz celebrates the tones of Brazil’s 1970’s Tropicalia Movement. With 3 different flavours of Buzz, Fuzz and Drive across default Buzz or Tropical Mode.

 

The Flavour switch helps you define your core tone and texture - which you can then fine-tune with Hi and Lo knobs - and engage the Tropical Mode to shave off some of the low-end.

 

Controls - Loud (Volume), Flavour : Polen (sagged low gain buzz) / Nectar (round high gain fuzz) / Honey (sweet high gain drive), Buzz (Fuzz)...

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2023 Best of New Modutility Pedals of the Year

ALABS AudioAlexander PedalsAll-PedalAmbient EffectsAmp and Cab IR SimAmpliTubeBeetronics FXBest in ClassBitcrushing and Lo-FiBondi EffectsBossChase Bliss AudioChorus and VibratoCompressorCrazy Tube CircuitsDeath By AudioDr ScientistDrunk BeaverFjord FuzzFlangerFormula BGuitar Synth and SequencerHarmonizerHologram ElectronicsJackson AudioJAM PedalsKeyztoneLooperModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-FXOctaverPastFXPeterson TunersPhaserPickup ModellerPitchPitch-ShiftingRainger FXRed Witch EffectsRing ModulationRotary SpeakerSubdecay EffectsSwellThorpyFXTremoloTru-Fi Guitar EffectsTunersUni-Vibe and VibeUtility+-
2023-GPX-Best-of-Modutility-Pedals-700-.jpg

The Modutility roundup combines Modulation, Utility and Pitch type pedals - it also includes Multi-FX and Multi-Modulation pedals of course. Some years this selection is relatively sparse - while this year it’s totally chock-a-block! In fact it was a struggle to whittle the Longlist down - and inevitably some pedals I wanted to feature did not make the cut - including the Endorphin.es Ghost Pedal Multi-FX and Subdecay Prometheus 3 Dual Super Filter.

 

I still feel that this selection of 26 is...

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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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2023 November Pedal-Chain Update - Episode XI - Delineated Duality

ALABS AudioBeetronics FXBig Muff Style FuzzBoostBoost and OverdriveBossChase Bliss AudioDelayDelay WorkstationDigital DelayDistortionDriveFortin AmpsFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGermanium FuzzHello Sailor EffectsLife Is Unfair AudioMarshall Style DistortionMetal DistortionModulation WorkstationOctaverOscillating FuzzOverdrivePalmer Custom FXPedal ChainPedal PartnersPedalPalFXPitch-ShiftingReverbReverb WorkstationReverse DelayThorpyFX+-
2023-GPX-Pedal-Chain-Update-November-V2-700.jpg

This whole year has occurred at such breakneck speed and volume - with so much happening all day and every day - that I have perpetually felt like I was always in the process of catching up and never quite had time to catch my breath as such. I’ve taken just one whole weekend off in the whole year - and am as close to burn-out as I’ve ever been. Every time I attended a Guitar or Pedal show I was up all night doing the write-up - average time for those articles was / is around 36 hours give or ...

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With the arrival of the Custom Shop Nectar Tone Sweetener Drive/Fuzz - my Beetronics capsule collection is now up to 9

ArpeggiatorBeetronics FXBitcrushing and Lo-FiBoost and OverdriveChorus and VibratoEnvelope Filter and Auto WahFlangerFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionHarmonizerModulation WorkstationMulti-FXOctave FuzzOctaverOddball ModulationOverdrivePhaserPitch-ShiftingRing ModulationSwellTremoloWah and Fixed Wah+-
2023-GPX-Beetronics-Capsule-Collection-V2-700.jpg

When I first started doing the visual for this I thought I had amassed 10 Beetronics pedals to date - but it turns I’m one short of that milestone - it still kind of made sense to mark the occasion of the Custom Shop Nectar’s arrival - which is probably my favourite Custom Shop edition to date. I had to wade through 3 batches to pick out that one - I wanted metal knobs - and a pinkish hue to the core - and the one pictured really captured my imagination. I quite liked my SeaBee at the time of ...

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7 Limited Blackout Black Friday Pedals for 2023 - 6 part of Reverb.com's Blacked Out Series, 5 of which are brand new, plus Beetronics Blackout Nectar!

Analog DelayBeetronics FXBlender and MixerBoost and OverdriveChorus and VibratoDeath By AudioDelayDelay WorkstationDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionEarthQuaker DevicesFuzzJHS PedalsLine 6LooperOddball DelayOld Blood Noise EndeavorsPhaserReverbReverb WorkstationTalk Box and VocoderWalrus Audio+-
2023-GPX-Reverb-Black-Friday-Blackour-Editions-700.jpg

So back in 2019 - Reverb.com coordinated Black Friday Limited Blacked Out Editions across 17 Brands and 19 Pedals - and by and large it was a resounding success - a lot of those sold out very quickly - and overall pretty much every special pedal maid was sold in fairly short order.

 

I always thought it a little surprising that this exercise wasn’t repeated more often as I kind of expected it to be an annual or biennial thing following on from the 2019 event. While we’ve had to wait 4 years ...

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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 July Pedal-Chain Update - Episode VII - Fuzz Buzz

Beetronics FXBig Muff Style FuzzBispell AudioBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoost and OverdriveBuzzing Bugs Audio DevicesDistortionDriveDrunk BeaverDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveFormula B PedalsFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGreat Eastern FX Co.J RockettJRADKatanasoundMaestro Style FuzzMessiah GuitarsModulationMulti-DriveOctave FuzzPedal ChainPedaltrainSilicon FuzzTone Bender Style FuzzTubescreamer Style OverdriveUni-Vibe and VibeZenZero Electronics+-
2023-GPX-Pedal-Chain-Update-July-700.jpg

July was punctuated by two very significant events - Doug Tolley’s Witney Pedal Party on July 1st, and Phil Steere’s Brighton Guitar Show and FX Expo on July 15th - where I covered both of those in fine detail. Both were seminal events for different reasons, and while we were relatively few at Witney - we got to witness a truly legendary performance by David Rainger - which doubled up as about the best pedal demo I’ve yet / ever experienced - David was truly on fire - and the audience - we ...

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2023-GPX-Beetronics-Babee-Octahive-700.jpg

Readers will know that I campaigned a long time for the standard version of the Octahive to have a foot-switchable octave mode - where that function was activated by default from a toggle switch on the side of the pedal. I actually own a really cool version of the V1 Octahive - pictured bottom right on the below visual - the mint-green one.

 

I think it was just a few months after I acquired my custom version, possibly as much as half a year later - when Beetronics started offering a second ...

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Distinct, Memorable and Instantly Brand-Identifiable Compact Pedal Enclosures

AmptweakerAnasoundsAudiostormBeetronics FXBixonicBossCarl MartinChase Bliss AudioDanelectroDigiTechExpandora PedalsFjord FuzzFoxrox ElectronicsGuitar Gear Improvements and PrototypesGuitar Gear ResourcesGuitar Pedal 101GuyatoneHardWire EffectsIbanezIconic GearJ RockettJRADKing Tone EffectsLine 6TC ElectronicThorpyFXVemuram+-
2023-GPX-Compact-Pedal-Shapes-700.jpg

This episode is a little more esoteric and preferential than most - and involves identifying the most notable and easily recognisable ’Pedal Shapes and Formats’ essentially. Of course there is some subjective preference here - while I will try to explain objectively how I came to this exact 25 pedal selection - some of these are very obvious - others are slightly more idiosyncratic choices - while there are obviously some brands that are particularly good at coming up with memorable enclosure ...

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