Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Mr Wu has expanded the envelope further - another evolved and improved MGAT-1 Pedal is incoming - the Marshall EVO Edition Sinvertek Real Amp Abstraction
I already thought we had witnessed Peak Full-Range Marshall back in 2022 with the original MGAT-1, then Mr Wu significantly improved that circuit in 2024, and the new one promises to be even better!
So far we’ve only had a teaser on Instagram - where I got the EVO pic from - while there is no web page yet or much in the way of further details.
Like the MGAT-5 - the first batch will contain especially mojo components - so it’s worth getting involved early on.
The actual control ...
End of Year Pedal Chain Update - Class of 2025
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
EarthQuaker Devices' Sunn O))) HalfLife Fer KGR Harmony Collaboration sells out in under 100 minutes
This is the second time EQD has collaborated with KGR Harmony’s Japanese Iron Foundry - famous for its relief-design wrought-iron / cast-iron enclosures. And here we get the most compact variant of the Sunn O))) Life Pedal do date - essentially the V4 edition of that circuit - named the ’HalfLife Fer’.
Only 200 of these were made - and they barely lasted an hour and half. So this is more my documenting the provenance of this circuit than putting up yet another promo feature. It’s all ...
2025 Best of the Best Pedals of the year
And here we have the GRAND FINAL- with all 36 Award Winners from the Group Stages - across all 5 categories!
The first two places have kind of been obvious for a while, where the 3rd / BRONZE position was actually the hardest to decide on - it was between the eventual recipient - the Tubesteader Gainlord, Boss’s XS-100 Poly Shifter, Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields and Gamechanger’s Motor Synth - all of whom would have been worthy runners-up - while in the end I went for the one that overall ...
Death By Audio unleashes killer Destroyer Series with an Expansive Dream Station Echo-Verb, 6-Mode Moonbeam Phaser, and Thee Treble Overloader
What we have here is a killer Trifecta of potent shoegazer-enhanced compact editions - where two of them are fully Stereo capable.
Conventional wisdom would decree the order of : Treble Overload > Moonbeam Phaser > Dream Station.
While for shoegazer optimisation you need to reverse the order and put the reverb at the front of the chain - as several demoers have done below. I quite like Ian Pritchard’s setup too - with the Dream Station in the middle, and Thee Treble Overlaod in front! ...
Crazy Tube Circuits delivers another marvellous confection of early 70's Orange 120 Voicing - combined with a smart take on the 90's Frantone Peachfuzz - for the Orama Dual Channel Fuzz-Drive
So this Orama is a wonderful take on the early Orange 120 style of Amplifier from 1974, combined with legendary 90’s Boutique Fuzz - the Frantone Peachfuzz from 1997.
We have 6 controls on the Amp side, and 4 controls for the Fuzz. We also get the typical Send / Return FX Loop that Chrisots normally includes on his Dual Pedals. The two voicings here combine really beautifully - adding further richer textures and harmonics into the mix.
Controls - ORANGE AMP SIDE } Master Volume, High ...
2025 Best New Distortion Pedals of the Year
And so onto the Distortions of the year - the smallest group stage this year! There’s no particular logic as to why there are just 20 Disortions this year. There were a further couple of acquisitions that I was disappointed with - and I deliberately left out of this selection. It’s mostly a case of what appeals each year - and evidently there weren’t that many appealing ones beyond those I acquired. I’m not aware of any particular ones that are still in the wind. The last one in was the ...
Superlunar's SR-01 Transistor-based Analog Saturation Device is a wonderfully distinctive Multi-Gain Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz pedal
I came across this recently on Coast Sonic - and then quite forgot where I saw it original - where it took me a further day or two to find it once more. This Multi-Gain pedal is definitely a target for me early next year.
It’s a cool Overdrive pedal with Fixed High Pass Filter, and fully variable Low Pass Filter, Input Gain Attenuation, and Q2 Bias.
The Blue push-button engages a further gain stage - which delivers Distortion and Fuzz tones.
This is a highly stylised and stylish ...
Lichtlaerm Audio now has a Quadfecta of superior Compact gain machines with this potent Lennart Bossu Signature Thorn 3-Mode High Gain Distortion, newly in at Joe's Pedals in the UK
Readers should know that I’ve long lauded Lichtlaerm’s previously High Gain Trifecta - the Altar, Gehenna, and Medusa. And now we have the 4th killer compact candidate to join that elite!
I believe the first batch (which sold out very quickly!) was only available on the EvilGreed.Com Webstore - while the second batch is more widely available, including at Joe’s Pedals in the UK - where indeed I got mine from.
Lennart Bossu, of Amenra, Living Gate, Oathbreaker and Predatory Void bands - ...
2025 November Pedal-Chain Update - Episode XI - Double Decked
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 ...
