Asheville Music ToolsBig Muff Style FuzzBlack MountainBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveCaroline Guitar CompanyChorus and VibratoColortone PedalsDelayDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionDriveDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveEmpress EffectsEventideExpressionFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGamechanger AudioGigaheartsGranular DelayHarmonic OverdriveHoly Island AudioHungry Robot EffectsJSA EffectsKlone and Transparent OverdriveMarshall Style DistortionMetal DistortionModulated FuzzModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-DriveMulti-FXMulti-GainOCD Style OverdriveOctave FuzzOctaverOddball DelayOddball FuzzOddball ModulationODR Style OverdriveOpAmp FuzzOscillating FuzzOverdriveOverkill EffectsPedal ChainPhaserPitch-ShiftingPreAmpReverbReverse DelayRockwrightRotary SpeakerSilicon FuzzSuper-Fuzz StyleSwellThorpyFXTimmyTremoloTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveUni-Vibe and VibeUtility+-

May has been a little bit of strange month - lots of delays really, and waiting for pedals to land.
As inevitably happens most months - much was delayed this month, and I was unable to complete some of the larger articles - they will need to wait until next month, there’s certainly lots of projects in progress. Where new and imminent arrivals kind of scuppered several intended projects - hopefully they can be completed in June.
The first event I’m attending this month is tomorrow - as a micropub ...
Blues Breaker Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveColortone PedalsDumble Style OverdriveHarmonic OverdriveKlone and Transparent OverdriveOCD Style OverdriveODR Style OverdriveOverdriveTimmyTweed Style Overdrive+-
One of my favourite super-versatile overdrives get a new edition / makeover - to bring it up to date with the latest design phase of Colortone Pedals. The Parasite gets its name from the definition of its unique JFETs - which are described as ’... sizzling with parasitic feedback’.
4 JFETs make up the core soundstage - which is further served by wide ranging Active Post-Drive Low and High EQ’s, as well as the super smart Pre-Drive Bright Boost and Bass Boost stitches - where the latter is ...
Blues Breaker Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveDriveDrive WorkstationEmpress EffectsHarmonic OverdriveMulti-DriveMulti-GainOverdrivePreAmpTweed Style Overdrive+-
I really rate both the Empress Germ Drive and Multidrive pedals, and have had both Heavy and Heavy Menace pedals from the start. According to the Empress Drive introduction the development path for this new Drive pedal started with patching a Germ Drive into the middle of a Heavy Menace circuit!
Furthermore, on first glance - there seem to be some parallels to the ParaEQ II too, and indeed Zak tells me that the ParaEQ was an inspiration also - and was in fact used to help set the core ...
BoostBoost and OverdriveDanDrive PedalFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGermanium FuzzOverdriveSilicon FuzzTone Bender Style FuzzTweed Style Overdrive+-
’These Go To 11’ is one of the select Dealers whose site I regularly check out each and every week, and where I first encountered DanDrive pedals in late 2018, before connecting directly with Dan Querner himself in early 2019. I had a number of dialogues with Dan at the time, while he made me edit most of the interesting details out of that article - both his background and career, and his methodology, and unique way with electronics. Nearly all the salient details got removed - and we ended up...
Best in ClassBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveDrunk BeaverHarmonic OverdriveKlone and Transparent OverdriveOverdriveTube OverdriveTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style Overdrive+-
In the wake of the quite superb recent Olbia Super-Klone - which is my favourite Drunk Beaver Overdrive to-date as well as by far and away my favourite evolved Klon sound. I thought I should do a roundup / overview of my other favourite Drunk Beaver Overdrives too.
This listing and visual is roughly in order of my preferences - where fortunately - the first 5 pedals listed are mostly on general release. Vitalii has made 26 Overdrives so far by my count. Actually there’s a couple of earlier ...
Ambient EffectsAnalog DelayBeat MachineBecos FXBest in ClassBig Muff Style FuzzBitcrushing and Lo-FiBlender and MixerBlue ColanderBlue FX DevicesBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossBrelliottBrown Sound DistortionButterfly EffectsChase Bliss AudioColortone PedalsCompressorCoriolis EffectsCornerstone Music GearCosmic Loop FXCrazy Tube CircuitsCryBabyDelayDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionDown-TunerDriveDrive WorkstationDrunk BeaverDryBell EffectsDual-DriveEarthQuaker DevicesEchoverbElectro-HarmonixExpressionFlangerFlatley Guitar PedalsFortin AmpsFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGermanium FuzzGlitchGranular DelayGreat Eastern FX Co.Hangman fxHarmonizerIK MultimediaIntensive Care AudioJim DunlopLo-Fi DelayMarshall Style DistortionMetal DistortionModulated FuzzModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-DriveMulti-FXMulti-GainOctave FuzzOctaverOpAmp FuzzOverdrivePastFXPedal ChainPitchPitch-ShiftingPlate ReverbPlutoneium EngineeringPoly EffectsPolyendRack Style ReverbRat Style FuzzRedbeard EffectsReverbReverb WorkstationRotary SpeakerShimmer ReverbSilicon FuzzSinvertekSolar PedalsSpaceman EffectsSpacey ReverbTeaching MachinesThorpyFXTone Bender Style FuzzTubesteaderTweed Style OverdriveUtilityWah and Fixed WahWampler+-

New Pedals in the Class of 2025 Pedal-Chain Snapshot = 41
[OCTOBER] = 9
[NOVEMBER] = 6
[MARCH] = 5
[SEPTEMBER] = 5
[AUGUST] = 4
[JANUARY] = 3
[FEBRUARY] = 3
[APRIL] = 2
[JUNE] = 2
[MAY] = 1
[JULY] = 1
[A-Z by Brand]
- Becos FX CompIQ Pro Yuna Soft Knee Blackmer VCA Studio Style Compressor [SEPTEMBER]
- Blue Colander Grimrobe Dual Cascaded Super Rat [OCTOBER]
- Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields Ultimate Modulated Fuzz [SEPTEMBER]
- Boss RT-2 Rotary Ensemble Leslie / Rotary Speaker
...
Analog DelayBig Muff Style FuzzBoostBoost and OverdriveChorus and VibratoCompressorDelayDigital DelayDistortionDriveDrunk BeaverElectronic Audio ExperimentsEmpty Head EffectsFlattley Guitar PedalsFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGermanium FuzzGreat Eastern FX Co.Intensive Care AudioJHS PedalsLo-Fi DelayManson Guitar WorksMarshall Style DistortionModulationModulation WorkstationMoose ElectronicsMuir Audio DesignMulti-DriveMulti-FXMulti-GainOctave FuzzOpAmp FuzzOverdrivePasta PedalsPastFXPedal ChainPoly EffectsRat Style FuzzRitual DevicesSilicon FuzzSinvertekSpaceman EffectsThorpyFXTremoloTubescreamer Style OverdriveTWA EffectsTweed Style OverdriveUtility+-

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 ...
Best of BrandsBig Muff Style FuzzBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBufferCompressorDistortionDriveEQFlangerFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGermanium FuzzKlone and Transparent OverdriveMarshall Style DistortionModulationOpAmp FuzzOscillating FuzzOverdrivePreAmpRat Style FuzzSilicon FuzzSuper-Fuzz StyleThorpyFXTimmyTone Bender Style FuzzTremoloTube OverdriveTweed Style OverdriveUni-Vibe and VibeUtilityVox Style Distortion+-
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. ...
Boost and OverdriveDual-DriveLazy JPreAmpThorpyFXTweed Style Overdrive+-
When Thorpy first sent me the picture of ’The J’ - I briefly thought ’Do we really need another Tweed Preamp?’ Thorpy promised me it was special - and special it really is!
It has the most exquisite breakup texture I have ever heard for a Tweed type - it’s suffused with beautiful harmonics and exceptional balance - for a supremely high quality of warm and lively output.
The control topology is arranged so you can either smooth out or further accentuate the pedal’s output character. For ...
Best of BrandsBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveChorus and VibratoDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionDriveDumble Style OverdriveFlangerFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionHarmonic OverdriveKlone and Transparent OverdriveMad Professor EffectsModulationMulti-FXOverdrivePreAmpSilicon FuzzTimmyTubescreamer Style OverdriveTweed Style Overdrive+-
It seems a long while since I first met the new owners of Mad Professor the Iconic Finnish Pedal Brands - Jussa and Mikko - at the London Synth and Pedal Expo back in March - where they announced their new MK2 Simble. They were sort of queuing up the pre-sales for that pedal - which started a week or two later, but it took quite the while for it to be officially launched and in stock.
I’ve been a big fan of Mad Professor pretty much from the start - especially as it’s somewhat connected to ...