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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+-
2024-GPX-9-Best-Mad-Professor-Gain-Pedals-V2-700.jpg

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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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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My Sinvertek N5 MGAT-1 Golden Era DS99 Hyper Preamp has landed!

Blues Breaker Style OverdriveBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBrown Sound DistortionDistortionDriveDrive WorkstationKlone and Transparent OverdriveMarshall Style DistortionMetal DistortionMulti-DriveOCD Style OverdriveOverdriveSinvertekTweed Style Overdrive+-
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Wow - what can I say! The original N5 MGAT-1 was already my favourite distortion of all time - so I initially thought that this was going to be a sort of sideways step from that with more specificity to reach certain key classic era Marshall tones more easily and more precisely - and it certainly does that. While Mr Wu has kind of blown me away again - as this is incredibly a further improvement over the already exceptional MGAT-1.

 

The MGAT-1 Golden Era seems a little bit more poised and ...

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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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End of Year Pedal-Chain Update - Final Formation - Class of 2023

ALABS AudioAmbient EffectsAnasoundsBig Muff Style FuzzBispell AudioBitcrushing and Lo-FiBixonicBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossBrown Sound DistortionChase Bliss AudioChorus and VibratoCompressorCoppersoundDecibelicsDelayDelay WorkstationDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionDouble TrackingDriveDrive WorkstationDual-DriveEchoverbElectric LoveEmpress EffectsEnvelope Filter and Auto WahEQEventideFjord FuzzFlangerFortin AmpsFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGated and Velcro FuzzGermanium FuzzGlitchGuitar Synth and SequencerHello Sailor EffectsHologram ElectronicsIntensive Care AudioJackson AudioJAM PedalsKernomKeyztoneKlone and Transparent OverdriveLo-Fi DelayLooperMaestro Style FuzzMarshall Style DistortionMessiah GuitarsMetal DistortionModulated FuzzModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-DriveMulti-FXNoise GateOctave FuzzOctaverOddball DelayOddball FuzzOddball ModulationOpAmp FuzzOscillating FuzzOverdrivePalmer Custom FXPastFXPedal ChainPedalPalFXPickup ModellerPitch-ShiftingPlate ReverbPoly EffectsPreAmpRack Style ReverbRainger FXReverb WorkstationReverse DelayReverse ReverbRing ModulationRotary SpeakerShimmer ReverbSilicon FuzzSpacey ReverbSpring ReverbStrymonSuper-Fuzz StyleSwellTape DelayTark AudioTC ElectronicThorpyFXTone Bender Style FuzzTremoloTubescreamer Style OverdriveTubesteaderTweed Style OverdriveUtilityVox Style Distortion+-
2023-GPX-Pedal-Chain-Update-Class-of-2023-700.jpg

The final arrangement for the year - all the pedals that impressed the most!

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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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Rob Chapman's All-Time Favourite Guitar Pedals

Amp and Cab IR SimAtomic AmpsBad Cat AmplifiersBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossCryBabyDawner Prince EffectsDelayDelay WorkstationDigital DelayDigital ReverbDigiTechDistortionElectro-HarmonixEQFuzzG-Lab Guitar LaboratoryGuitar Synth and SequencerJim DunlopKlone and Transparent OverdriveKorgMarshall Style DistortionModulationMooerMXRMythos PedalsNeunaberOctave FuzzOddball ModulationODR Style OverdriveOverdrivePitchPitch-ShiftingPreAmpReverbReverb WorkstationRob ChapmanRockBoxSilicon FuzzThropyFXUAFXUniversal AudioUtilityVemuramVox Style DistortionWah and Fixed WahZvex+-
2023-GPX-Rob-Chapman-Favourite-Pedals-700.jpg

So right at the end of last month Rob Chapman posted up a YouTube video of a rundown of his all-time favourite guitar pedals. He initially states he’s going to name his 10 most favoured ones - but goes on to mention 20 - which I’ve fully included here.

 

Rob has a great ear for tone - as countless of his own and Anderton’s videos have proven time and time again. And I really love his everyman approach to guitar gear. I’ve encountered him in person 2 or 3 times now over the years - and he’s ...

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JHS takes a leaf out of IKEA's playbook with its $99 Notaklön solderless simple-assembly kit

BoostBoost and OverdriveJHS PedalsKlone and Transparent OverdriveOverdrive+-
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JHS certainly have next level marketing panache - and this is another beautifully packaged project all-round.

 

A truly easy assembly solderless kit consisting of just 25 parts all told - plus a tube of goop, and an underside sticker. It’s your classic 3-knob Klon - with JHS Shamrock Mod - i.e. the -/+ switch which adds a +4dB Gain Boost.

 

The Circuit Board/s are fully pre-populated with all the essential components - while like an Airfix / Revell model kit you need to separate the 2 ...

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The delightful and unique intricacies of hand-crafted, family-values Flattley Boutique Effects Pedals

BoostBoost and OverdriveBuilder ProfilesFlattley Guitar PedalsFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzKlone and Transparent OverdriveModulationOverdrivePitchSilicon FuzzTremoloTubescreamer Style OverdriveWah and Fixed Wah+-
2023-GPX-Flattley-Pedals-Range-Overview-700.jpg

An introduction to and overview of the Flattley Boutique Effects Family Business run by Paul, Jan and Phoebe. How it all started, what were the original pedals created, which are the perennial bestsellers and how the business has evolved.

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2023-GPX-Origin-Effects-Halcyon-Gold-700.jpg

Origin effects are ever renowned for their attention to detail - and the only surprise here really is that they don’t mention which of the mythical Germanium Diodes they are using in their Halcyon Gold. This is the 3rd high end Klone arriving in fairly quick succession - following on from the J Rockett Archer Select, and the CKK Electronics SHXC Super Overdrive. Both those are already in the reference collection, and I supposed this Halcyon Gold will follow.

 

There’s something really smart ...

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