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My 9 favourite Greer Amps Compact Gain Pedals Capsule Collection is complete

Best of BrandsBoostBoost and OverdriveDistortionDriveGreer AmpsKlone and Transparent OverdriveOverdriveTimmyTweed Style Overdrive+-
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This is a project that has been going on for a while. I was just missing the Soma ’63 Vintage Preamp and the Sucker Punch High Gain Distortion - both of which I managed to source recently at relatively reasonable prices.

 

Out of this collection of 9 - quite a number are now discontinued - the Supa Cobra Overdrive and the entire bottom row - Hammer Distortion, Little Samson Overdrive / Distortion, and Sucker Punch High Gain Distortion.

 

I’ve always considered Nick Greer to be the King of ...

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2024-GPX-King-Tone-Blues-Power-V2-700.jpg

The new format of Blues Power has elicited mixed feeling from the pedal community. A little ’Marmite’ I guess - with some loving the new rounded enclosure style with inset knobs - while others are being far from complementary. It’s kind of reminiscent of some former Danelectro enclosure shapes - while very much its own thing. And those flush inset knobs actually look really cool.

 

It’s a touch unusual to have the In/Out TS Patch Cable socket stacked on top of each other - but I feel this ...

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Roman Belonozhko further improves one of my favourite Overdrives - the Shnobel Tone Daily Driver - with the addition of a Clean Boost

Blues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveDumble Style OverdriveHot Cake Style OverdriveKlone and Transparent OverdriveOCD Style OverdriveODR Style OverdriveOverdriveShnobel ToneTimmyTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style Overdrive+-
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I’ve waxed lyrical for a long time about the potency of the Daily Driver - where I originally acquired it based on how close it came to the tone and timbre of the Pete Cornish CC-1. The CC-1 can replicate / reproduce the tones of the TS808, Timmy, Klon and Blues Breaker with ease - and this new Boost addition makes it even more versatile.

 

The original had those 4 key corner knobs - and a single toggle switch for More Hi-Cut / None / Some Hi-Cut. Those 5 controls gave the pedal an incredible...

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An A-Z of less well known Japanese Boutique Pedal Brands

AlbitBanana EffectsBananan EffectsBig Muff Style FuzzBlackberry JamBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveChocolate ElectronicsDistortionDriveDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveEx-ProFlying TeapotFree Fall DiverFuzzGermanium FuzzGlitchKardian Sound TransplantKatanasoundKlone and Transparent OverdriveLeqtiqueLimetone AudioMarshall Style DistortionMASF PedalsMetal DistortionMinimichineModulationOCD Style OverdriveOctave FuzzODR Style OverdriveOrganic SoundsOvaltoneOverdrivePedal PlanetPreAmpRoshi PedalsShigemoriShinosSilicon FuzzSobbatSuper-Fuzz StyleTanabeTDC-YouTimmyTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveUmbrella CompanyWeedZenZero Electronics+-
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This article was originally suggested by my now good friend Henry Kaiser - leading guitar and guitar effects experimentalist and prolific producer and recording artist. He’s been a long-term friend of Toshihiko Tanabe - of Tanabe.TV fame and thought I should do one of my pedal roundups on Japanese Boutique Pedal Builders.

 

I had long intended to do a feature on Japanese Pedal Makers - but could not decide on the context or format - as there are so many notable brands. Upon Henry’s suggestion...

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2022 Best New Boost & Overdrive Pedals of the Year

29 Pedals3rd Power Amps3RD Power ElectronicsAll-PedalAnalog.ManBest in ClassBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveCKK ElectronicsColortone PedalsCrazy Tube CircuitsDaredevil PedalsDeath By AudioDecibelicsDrunk BeaverDSM & HumboldtDumble Style OverdriveEarthQuaker DevicesGreat Eastern FX Co.Hamstead SoundworksHorrothia EffectsHot Cake Style OverdriveJ RockettJHS PedalsKernomKing Tone EffectsKlone and Transparent OverdriveMissing Link AudioMXRNordland ElectronicsOCD Style OverdriveODR Style OverdriveOKKO FXOneControlOrigin EffectsOverdrivePastFXPRSREVV AmplificationSource AudioSpaceman EffectsThorpyFXTimmyTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveVictory AmpsVS AudioWamplerWay Huge Effects+-
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So it’s that time of year again when I trawl through the releases over these past 12 months or so and endeavour to extract the pedal highlights of the year. This exercise is all about drawing a line in the sand and figuring out which pedals deserve to be on the notable side of the line.

 

Of course everything I publish on Guitar Pedal X is highly curated - those are my own particular preferences and choices, and those are the pedals that I like the look of. So everything that appears on ...

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2022 May Pedal-Chain Update - Episode V - Electrifying Texture

Bardic Audio DevicesBig Muff Style FuzzBitcrushing and Lo-FiBoostBoost and OverdriveChorus and VibratoDemiurge InstrumentsDistortionDumble Style OverdriveEarthQuaker DevicesFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGermanium FuzzKeeley EngineeringLoe SoundsModulationMXROctaverOpAmp FuzzOverdrivePedal ChainPitchPogo PedalsSilicon FuzzSpaceman EffectsSuper-Fuzz StyleTimmy+-
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May was a fairly regular month all-told, punctuated by 2 extraordinary releases and the upbeat Birmingham Guitar Show - re-energized after last year’s hiatus. The two killer releases being the revolutionary Meris LVX True Stereo Modular Delay System (Sound Designer), and the really cool OBNE + Chvrches Screen Violence Stereo Saturator + Modulator Shoegazer style pedal collaboration - both of which I was fortunate enough to get in on the first run - I look forward to reporting more in-depth on ...

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The Pogo Pedals Zen Ray elegantly covers Dumble and Timmy Style Overdrive Tones in the same compact enclosure

BoostBoost and OverdriveDumble Style OverdriveOverdrivePogo PedalsTimmy+-
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I’m a little late to the party on this brand which seemingly came from nowhere in a very short time - and which now has pretty much attained worldwide distribution - including at Andertons. Scotty Smith of ProAnalog Devices is back in the mix again after his 3rd alleged financial meltdown - which saw large amounts of money owed to Cusack Music - which was in part resolved by Cusack / Mojo Hand FX taking over the IP of the Manticore and releasing it as their own Sericon Klone. And while I’ve ...

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32 of the Best Compact Overdrive Pedals - 2022 Ultimate Selection

Barber ElectronicsBest in ClassBJFEBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossCKK ElectronicsCrowther AudioCustom TonesDemon PedalsDumble Style OverdriveFairfield CircuitryFeaturedFoxpedalFulltone EffectsGreer AmpsGreuter AudioHamstead SoundworksHot Cake Style OverdriveJ RockettJHS PedalsJRADKlone and Transparent OverdriveKuro Custom AudioMenatoneMissing Link AudioNeunaberNordland ElectronicsOCD Style OverdriveODR Style OverdriveOverdrivePaul CochranePettyjohn ElectronicsRedbeard EffectsSnouse Electric CompanySpaceman EffectsThorpyFXTimmyTrue North PedalsTsakalis Audio WorksTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveWampler+-
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So I last did one of these back in 2020 - meaning that these ’Best of Overdrive’ run-downs seem to be a circa biennial affair. We’ve upped the numbers to 32 this year, while they represent barely a quarter of the overdrives I have in my reference collection - so there are obviously a lot of honourable mentions listed below - before the Final Thoughts section.

 

These types of exercises are incredibly tricky to strike the right balance of generally considered classic overdrive pedals and ...

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28 Key Guitar Effects Pedal Types - Preferred Medium Enclosure Pedals per Type

Acoustic SimulatorAll-PedalAmp and Cab IR SimAnalog DelayAnalog.ManBecos FXBest in ClassBig Muff Style FuzzBitcrushing and Lo-FiBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossBrown Sound DistortionCarl MartinChorus and VibratoCompressorCooper FXCryBabyDelayDelay WorkstationDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionDouble TrackingDriveDrive WorkstationDrolo EffectsDSM & HumboldtDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveDunlop EffectsElectro-HarmonixEmma ElectronicsEnvelope Filter and Auto WahEQFeaturedFlangerFulltone EffectsFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGFI SystemGlitchGuitar Synth and SequencerHarmonizerHorrothia EffectsHot Cake Style OverdriveKlone and Transparent OverdriveKorgLooperMarshall Style DistortionMeris EffectsMetal DistortionModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-DriveMulti-FXNoise GateNux FXOCD Style OverdriveOctaverODR Style OverdriveOverdrivePete CornishPhaserPitchPitch-ShiftingPladask ElektriskRed Panda LabReverbReverb WorkstationRock Fabrik EffectsRotary SpeakerSilicon FuzzSitek Guitar ElectronicsSpaceman EffectsStrymonTC ElectronicTech 21 NYCThorpyFXTimmyTone ElectronixTremoloTubescreamer Style OverdriveTunersTweed Style OverdriveTX PedalsUni-Vibe and VibeUtilityVolumeVox Style DistortionWah and Fixed WahWalrus AudioWMD Devices+-
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It was about time I did my roundup of favourite and preferred Mid-Size enclosure pedals. This means we’re covering Medium-Slim, Medium-Tall and Medium-Square enclosures - depending on my prevailing mindset - the Horizontal / Medium-Stout types I often group with ’Large’. For my Pedal-Chain in particular - space is very tight - and I really cannot accommodate anything beyond Medium-Square on those slots.

 

The thought process is deciding between Compact and Medium box solutions involves your ...

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DSM & Humboldt Deliver the Incredibly Smart All-Rounder Silver Linings Drive / Preamp Engine

Blues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBrown Sound DistortionDistortionDriveDrive WorkstationDSM & HumboldtDSM NoisemakerDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveFuzzHumboldtKlone and Transparent OverdriveMarshall Style DistortionMetal DistortionMulti-DriveOCD Style OverdriveODR Style OverdriveOverdriveTimmyTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveVox Style Distortion+-
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This is another gem from late 2021 where I somehow and wholly inadvertently managed to overlook its November 15 launch. In fact it was only a very recent Andertons demo that finally brought me round to the phenomenal potency of this incredible device. A wholly new all-rounder gain circuit with various operational and playback modes and styles - while it’s not based on any specific genre or evolved from any particular source circuit. This is an entirely new and revolutionary circuit whose ...

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Alev Guran
Some Thoughts on the Sheeran Looper+ and Looper X
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