Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
JHS Pedals corrects its DIY NOTADÜMBLË fumble with an improved Dual Channel V2 edition with A Box Later Boost, Presence Knob, Order Switch, and FX Loop onboard
I think everyone knows the story by now - how Josh somehow mistakenly included the wrong Clean/Boost Channel in the original NOTADÜMBLË pedal - the BBC-1, rather than the ’A Box Later’. While that’s been rectified now - along with a number of additions which appeared on Cosmodio Instruments DLX Mod, and Blammo’s TNYDÜMBLË.
JHS have done a brilliant exercise in upgrading the original - which now also includes a TRS FX Loop for the Clean / Boost side - so you can insert all manner of other ...
Celebrating Redbeard Effects' Fabulous Five Pedal Legacy - the Red Mist, Honey Badger, Angry Rhubarb, Hairy Squid, and Bearded Vulture - All Killer! All Thriller!
Riff Lord Mikey Demus of Skindred fame and Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX have collaborated for nigh on 7 years now on the Red Beard Effects project - but all good things must come to an end eventually - and that time is now! Mikey has become a proper chart-topping Rockstar with a #1 Album (You Got It!) and massive European and Australian tour in progress. Pedal Brands need a lot of time and effort invested in them - particularly on the promotional side of things, and Mikey just doesn’t have time ...
2026 June Pedal-Chain Update - Episode VI - Verb-a-thon
A super busy month - with plenty of highlights and heatwaves.
My house is finally cooling down as I write these last few observations - we’ve had around 10 days of oppressive heat now, and there’s another wave on the way at the end of this week - which makes for very difficult conditions to have sessions with said pedals.
We’re in the final consequence of global climate change now - with increasingly more extreme weather patterns occurring - alternately cold snaps, heatwaves, and torrential ...
Hello Sailor Effects evolves the classic Höfner Harmonic Guitar Preamp into stand-alone pedal format with tone-enhancing NOS Silicon or Germanium Transistor onboard
So this dates back to the 50’s and 60’s when German Guitar Manufacturer Höfner (originally Austro-Hungarian, since 1887) designed those preamp circuits to be wired into its electric guitars of that time. This was done for the purposes of improving / enhancing the output of those guitars - where the preamp delivered a distinct, warm, and slightly compressed colour - which otherwise did not alter the core sound of the guitar.
Those early circuits were all Germanium and imparted a certain ...
Hong Kong's Sonisfact launches brilliant range of 3 x Dual Voiced Overdrives with 6-Band Graphic EQ's, Clean Blend and Boost, alongside a cool Analog Chorus / Vibrato / Phaser with dual outputs
It’s thanks to Leon Todd that I’m onto this intriguing new brand Sonisfact. They do have their own fairly minimal website, but no direct sales currently that I can see.
There are a handful of active dealers currently including Thailand’s CT Music - which I’ve referenced here, also Taiwan’s MOMO, and a couple of others I can’t properly access. AI tells me that you can buy direct from the Sonisfact site too, but I’m not seeing anything there - just 2 contact emails - info@sonisfact.com and ...
Funny Little Boxes' Treasure Chest Dual Boost / Overdrive embodies beautifully expressive JSA modified takes on the Klon and Tube Screamer
Not again you say - not another bloomin’ Screamer or Klone - nay - both says I! And rather terrific each of those two are - like a sort of special forces variant - think the SAS of Screamer and Klon - precisions honed and primed for every eventuality!
This pedal came about through Matt Webster of ’Let’s Play All’ fame, where JSA Effects Simon had made him two of his favourite ever boost / overdrive pedals - one a modified take on the Klone, and the other based on the Screamer. It was ...
Highlights and High Jinks from the inaugural Norwich Fret Fest / Sweat Fest - at St Mary's Works
At one stage there was a 50/50 chance as to whether I would make the show - as there were significant disruptions on the Liverpool Street to Norwich line - which meant a bus replacement service between Colchester and Ipswich. Some of the journey times quoted were up to 4 and a 1/2 hours each way! In the end the door-to-door was closer to 3 hours in total! The journey up including the coach was actually more fun that the journey back via Cambridge. Cambridge has obviously sinned grievously as ...
MXR unleashes Limited Edition Wylde Audio Zakk Sabbath Overdrive
Somewhat unbeknownst to me - Zakk Wylde has had his own Black Sabbath cover band since 2014. This particular Overdrive release celebrates that facet of Zakk’s musicality - and delivers a suitably chunky crunchy sound!
Controls - Output, Tone, Gain.
I believe these are all signed by Zakk Wylde himself, and are available for a pretty decent price - $170 in the USA, and £175 in the UK - available from your usual Jim Dunlop / MXR stockists.
It comes in a really attractive purple sparkle...
ThunderTomate's Over-Drive+ Rev G is a beautifully balanced natural / organic overdrive with 3 exceptionally usable Voices
As I mentioned in my original overview of this pedal - one of my good friend Alberto Barrero’s demos first drew me to this pedal. Based on the name I thought it might have some relation to Boss’s original OD-1, but this is its own animal - where the circuit has been around since the early 2000’s and has seemingly found its way to its 7th Rev G iteration.
It had a wonderfully balanced tone, and is beautifully neutral on Stock Voice, elegantly cutting on the Bright Voice, and where its Full ...
My Thermion PowerDrive and PowerMuff have landed, both excellent value versatile gain pedals with plenty of range
Obviously all the PowerBolt Series pedals ship with stock orange knobs - but since I have so many pedals - I need to be able to easily identify what is what - and so I’ve replaced each of those orange knobs with pertinent unique colour replacement knobs.
When The PowerBolt Series launched last year - I bought 4 sets of knobs from Love My Switches. I used the Dark and Light Blue ones on the PowerTrem and PowerVibe pedals last year, and the remaining Purple and Hot Pink / Violet were perfect ...
