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2024 February Pedal-Chain Update - Episode II - Triple Tremolo Flutter

Blues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveDistortionDriveDrunk BeaverDumble Style OverdriveFuzzGreer AmpsHotone EffectsKeeley EngineeringLoop-SwitcherMad Professor EffectsMetal DistortionModulated FuzzModulationOctave FuzzOverdrivePedal ChainPreAmpReeves Electro Guitar PedalsSilicon FuzzStone Deaf EffectsTone Bender Style FuzzTremoloTubescreamer Style OverdriveTubesteaderVictory AmpsVox Style DistortionWinnipeg Electrical Co+-
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February can often seem a rather odd month after the hustle and bustle of NAMM Show January - where a lot of new stuff always gets announced - while increasingly outside the NAMM schedule - but certainly in and around it! Projects delayed from the previous year often get released in January, but this year those kind of seem to be more spaced out - with some not feted to happen until March / April. February always seems slow compared to January, and that sometimes extends into March too before ...

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2024-GPX-Tubesteader-Lightkeeper-V2-700.jpg

This is an incredibly exacting shrink-down of 2021’s Dumble-style Lightkeeper Preamp with the full flavour and all features fully intact - just in a significantly more compact and pedalboard-friendly enclosure.

 

I’m a little late to Vacuum Tube powered pedals - having dithered on the larger varieties by Kingsley and Tubesteader for quite a number of years. I once came pretty close to acquiring a Kingsley Minstrel V3 - but that was about it for a long while. Effectrode’s Tube pedals are cool ...

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2 Cool Dumble-esque Dual Channel Overdrives - the Free The Tone Overdriveland and Mythos Pedals Herculean Deluxe

Blues Breaker Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveFree The ToneMythos PedalsOverdrive+-
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Both these pedals materialised around the same time - in and around the recent NAMM Show - although the Herculean Deluxe has not been officially launched yet (21st February) - but there is plenty of coverage of it online already.

 

I thought it made sense to cover off both of these in a single post - as they are kind of competitors to each other - each with its own unique elements. And the Herculean DLX contains that very rare mix of Dumble and Bluesbreaker.

 

I like the look / sound of ...

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10 Favourite Mad Professor Compact Gain Pedals

Best of BrandsBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveDistortionDumble Style OverdriveKlone and Transparent OverdriveMad Professor EffectsOverdriveTweed Style Overdrive+-
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I’ve long been a fan of Mad Professor’s gain pedals - which of course mostly owe a lot to Björn Juhl - bar the Simble Overdrive (Dumble) by Lassi Ukkonen. Which by coincidence happened to be my very first Mad Professor pedal several years ago - and in fact my very first Dumble style overdrive - of which I have several now.

 

So the Simble was my first Mad Professor - and the Custom Stone Grey Distortion the most recent - alongside the 20th Anniversary Royal Blue Overdrive. The Royal Blue came...

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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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2023 Best New Boost & Overdrive Pedals of the Year

Acorn AmpsAnasoundsBeetronics FXBest in ClassBispell AudioBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossCKK ElectronicsCrazy Tube CircuitsDecibelicsDriveDumble Style OverdriveElectric LoveFormula B PedalsGecko PedalsHello Sailor EffectsIntensive Care AudioJ RockettJHS PedalsKeeley EngineeringKlone and Transparent OverdriveMarshall Style DistortionMuir Audio DesignNordland ElectronicsODR Style OverdriveOhmless PedalsOPFXSOrigin EffectsOverdrivePoly EffectsREVV AmplificationTark AudioThorpyFXTone For PunkTubescreamer Style OverdriveTubesteaderTweed Style OverdriveWalrus Audio+-
2023-GPX-Best-Boost-and-Overdrives-700.jpg

And so to my roundup of the best gear of the year - apologies of course if I’ve overlooked one of your favourites - and note again that this year I’ve split out Boost & Overdrive - and Distortion separately - as there are so many new pedals that it’s tough to fit them all into a single summary overview. Some of these pedals are incredibly extended range - and if I’ve used them more on the distortion side - you will find those listed in the very next Distortion Rundown article - like say the...

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2023 July Pedal-Chain Update - Episode VII - Fuzz Buzz

Beetronics FXBig Muff Style FuzzBispell AudioBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoost and OverdriveBuzzing Bugs Audio DevicesDistortionDriveDrunk BeaverDual-DriveDumble Style OverdriveFormula B PedalsFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGreat Eastern FX Co.J RockettJRADKatanasoundMaestro Style FuzzMessiah GuitarsModulationMulti-DriveOctave FuzzPedal ChainPedaltrainSilicon FuzzTone Bender Style FuzzTubescreamer Style OverdriveUni-Vibe and VibeZenZero Electronics+-
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July was punctuated by two very significant events - Doug Tolley’s Witney Pedal Party on July 1st, and Phil Steere’s Brighton Guitar Show and FX Expo on July 15th - where I covered both of those in fine detail. Both were seminal events for different reasons, and while we were relatively few at Witney - we got to witness a truly legendary performance by David Rainger - which doubled up as about the best pedal demo I’ve yet / ever experienced - David was truly on fire - and the audience - we ...

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The GPX take on the recent Warm Audio 'Replicas' - Josh Scott asked did they go too far with their recent editions?

BoostBoost and OverdriveDumble Style OverdriveFoxx ElectronicsFulltone EffectsFuzzGuitar Pedal 101HermidaKlonKlone and Transparent OverdriveLovepedalModulationMu-TronOCD Style OverdriveOctave FuzzOverdrivePhaserRolandWarm Audio+-
2023-GPX-Warm-Audio-Plagiarism-700.jpg

Many who read my blog don’t know that I used to work in advertising - mostly brand origination / development - and we dealt with a lot of copyright and trademark issues over that time. You quickly get a feel for how close you can sail into the wind - and the truth is mostly not that close at all! Of all of these replicas only probably the first one could be argued away against a top copyright lawyer - the other 5 would pretty much come under straight-up plagiarism - but there are other factors ...

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2023-GPX-JRAD-HRM-II-700.jpg

Readers will know that from my growing Dumble Style Overdrive Capsule Collection - that the favourite to date has typically been the Demon Pedals Kondo-Shifuku, just ahead of the BJFE ODS34. While we now have another to join that elite and lofty company - where the HRM MKII delivers that glorious extra zing - which adds so much verve and dynamics to that pedal.

 

As you can see from the below comparison - the new pedal looks quite a bit more elegant and sophisticated than its predecessor - ...

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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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