Z.Vex Vexter Series Fuzz Probe

Sep 20,2011
$219 street KNOBS Volume, Gate, Comp, Drive, Stab (Stability) SOUNDS Designer Zachary Vex calls it a “a cross between a Theremin and a Fuzz Factory”—an apt description. The Fuzz Probe unleashes ferocious, psychotic More...

WrightSounds Fuzz-Stang

Sep 20,2011
$179 direct KNOBS Fuzz, Tone, Volume SOUNDS Intense, chaotic, and loud, this repro of the ultra-rare Sam Ash Fuzz-Stainer from the mid ’60s has a touchy, gated response that makes for spitty, sputtery tones when picked More...

TWA Triskelion Harmonic Energizer TK-01

Mar 26,2012
Sporting a red-sparkle metal enclosure and shiny gold knobs, the Triskelion Harmonic Energizer TK-01 ($349 retail) takes its cue from vintage units such as the Maestro Parametric Filter and Systech Harmonic Energizer, More...

DigiTech Eternal Descent Lyra

Mar 26,2012
A fantasy comic/stompbox pairing may seem a bit odd, but in the case of the DigiTech Lyra ($220 retail/$149 street), it’s really not that big of a stretch. Lyra is the main character in the Eternal Descent comic series, and More...

Visual Sound Dual Tap Delay

Mar 26,2012
The Dual Tap Delay ($249 street) is a hybrid pedal that features an analog dry signal path from input to output, and analog tone circuitry for each of the two delays. The delay, tap functionality, modulation, and subdivision More...

Source Audio Programmable EQ

Mar 26,2012
EQ pedals are often simple creatures: an on/off switch and a bunch of sliders for various frequencies. An exception was Boss’ discontinued EQ-20 double pedal, which introduced programmability. Source Audio also offers preset More...

Jacques Kashmir

Feb 8,2012
Wringing something new out of a modulation pedal can be as difficult as writing a fresh-sounding 12-bar blues tune, but French stompbox maker Jacques Charbit has attacked the problem by combining three effects—Rotary (Leslie More...

Tech 21 Roto Choir and Boost Chorus

Feb 8,2012
Since Tech 21’s 1989 introduction of the SansAmp—the world’s first true amp “modeler,” although based on analog circuitry—the New York-headquartered company has created an impressive range of amplifiers and effects. More...

Lovepedal Gen 5 Echo and Amp Eleven & Electro-Harmonix Ravish Sitar

Feb 16,2012
Gen 5 Echo The past couple of years have seen a glut of tiny echo boxes boasting tape-like sonic properties. Lovepedal’s Gen 5 Echo ($149 retail/street N/A) is one such creature, offering a fat feature set that More...

Jack Deville Mod Zero

Feb 15,2012
The oft-told tale of flanging begins with a recording engineer using a pair of tape decks to synchronize two identical recordings, and then slowing down the decks manually by touching the “flange” of the tape reels. Tiny More...

Line 6 POD HD Effects Processor

Feb 14,2012
POD HD’s front-panel controls make it easy to create and edit complex signal paths, thanks, in part, to the informative LCD. POD HD is the latest iteration of Line 6’s extensive series of guitar More...

Guitar Gear Gone Wild! A Guide to All the Stuff You Want in 2012

Apr 19,2012
Those in the know are aware that , every January , the Winter NAMM show brings together hundreds of music-equipment manufacturers hawking their latest products. It’s madness. The never-ending cacophony of guitars, basses, amps, More...

Rivera Shaman Series

Apr 16,2012
Rivera’s entry into the stompbox market came with a bang in 2011 with the launch of the Shaman series pedals. But instead of going all out with a plethora of effects, Rivera opted to focus solely on distortion and overdrive, More...

DigiTech Whammy DT

Apr 16,2012
The unveiling of the DigiTech Whammy pedal in 1989 provoked as many scratched heads as it did whoops of excitement— what exactly was this for? But it wasn’t long before a young Tom Morello demonstrated the musical More...

5 Things About Amp Tremolo

Apr 16,2012
1 IT’S A BASIC EFFECT, BUT IT MOVES US Tremolo is defined by an alternately on-and-off pulsing of the signal being amplified, although usually it’s heard as a repetitive more-to-less transition, rather than all or nothing. More...

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