Probably the strongest selection of the year - each one of these is amazing and sounds killer. But then agin similar was true of the Overdrives. I’m very much a fuzz fanatic - so his selection has to take the edge - what a selection!

This selection includes 3 from EarthQuaker Devices, 2 from Drunk Beaver, 2 from Fjord Fuzz, and 2 from ThorpyFX.

It also includes the likely pedal of the year - within a selection of 10 award winners here - these are so good - I could have labelled even ...

Another super busy month for me - particularly towards the end - with numerous large scale articles out this week. That also coincided with my busiest week of the year for my other day job. Meaning that I was up until 4-5 in the morning every day - just to keep up with my commitments.

I was already somewhat shattered and burned out before I even got to this super busy period - and it’s a relief that all that work has now been completed on schedule.

I’m especially proud of my work on the Bucket ...

My close association with Thorpy started back in late September of 2018 - at the now defunct Olympia UK Guitar Show. He was the first pedal maker I reached out to, and the first I connected with.

Since then ThorpyFX Pedals have become my 3rd most populous selection after Boss and Drunk Beaver. Those 3 brands alone contribute over 200 pedals to my reference collection!

The fact that I’m now at 31 ThorpyFX Pedals is a major milestone - and features every mainline MKII pedal Thorpy has made. ...

For those that already own the Germanium Have Blue and Tacit Blue Pedals (like me) - the Redacted initially would seem to obsolete those - by providing versions of those 2 circuits in a single compact enclosure.

While those are not the same really - and contain quite different transistors onboard - the Have Blue and Tacit Blue have somewhat softer and smoother 2N-type Germanium Transistors. While the Redacted contains somewhat more aggressive - fierce even - mil-spec Transistors.

...

October was a super busy month - one of the busiest ever - with such a scope and scale and body of work covered - I’m quite shattered as a result!

We had of the penultimate Events of the year :

• The 2nd Woking Boutique Guitar Show
• Kempton Park London International Guitar Show

And around one dozen key posts  as below also :

• Letter from Dr.No
• Teaching Machines FuzzBillion Component Combinations Wheels Gain-Shaper
• Hangman fx DAGG’R Dynamic Auto-Gain/Gate Mighty Morphing Gain-Ramper

I’ve detailed before how Spaceman Effects has various series of pedals at different price points - NOS Series (entirely hand-made THT), Standard Series (Hybrid SMT + THT), and the Affordable Cadet Series (Machine-made SMT) - there are further nuances - somewhat further conflated now by a PDX Custom Series, and a Mod Series.

For me I’m mostly concerned with the style of components and the process of manufacture. The machine-made flow-line Cadet series - is by far and away the most affordable...

I don’t normally do these Limited Edition Run posts - but took the opportunity to explain that you never really miss out - as Spaceman always delivers further limited runs and special editions - each better than the last often!

The 5 Pedals in question - with Prices, are as follows :

• Sputnik I Silicon Fuzz - $329
• Atlas IV Harmonic Preamp Booster - $279
• Apollo VIIb Overdrive - $329
• Voyager II Dynamic Tremolo - $429
  Sputnik IIb Deluxe Germanium Fuzz - $429

These are available direct ...

So Joe Halliday made me a killer Dual RangeMaster - with Silicon Texas Instruments 2N4060 Transistor on the left channel, and Germanium Newmarket NKT CV7001 on the right - which I picked up a week before my Birthday.

It’s literally and liberally filled to the brim with the best of Primo Components - for a wonderfully richly textured output. And it features that fantastic looking ’Bees’ fabric that Joe spotted in a store while on holiday.

Controls - SILICON } Boost, Range : Hi / Mid, ...

This has officially been my longest chase to-date - where I’ve been chasing this pedal / circuit since 2016 - when I got back into guitar and launched Guitar Pedal X. This Gemini III was initially launched in May of 2011 - so by the time I caught wind in 2016 - the price had trebled to $1,000 and above. In fact whenever I came across one of these they were always listed at well over and above $1,000 - some even over $2,000 and equivalent.

The fact that I now own this #06/15 edition has much...