Save up to half off on Electro-Harmonix guitar pedals at Musician's Friend on Black Friday
The big deals are the Pulsar Stereo Tremolo and Satisfaction Plus, but Big Muffs and more are on sale too
I've been using Electro-Harmonix effects for too long to mention, and I know two things to be true: the pedals are built to last, and their tones never go out of style. All of which makes these Musicians Friend Black Friday deals all the more reason to celebrate. From Big Muffs to multieffects to a half-price Pulsar Stereo Tremolo and Satisfaction Plus Fuzz — there are loads of great deals to be had on these and other Electro-Harmonix pedals this Black Friday.
This faithful reissue of the original late-'70s classic fuzz pedal delivers iconic sound and a vibe that guitarists have coveted for decades. Three controls — tone, sustain and volume — are all you need for maximum tone-shaping power. True-bypass switching ensures maximum signal integrity, and it's all contained in a rugged, compact die-cast chassis. The Op-Amp Big Muff Pi Fuzz ships with a nine-volt battery for out-of-the-box convenience, or use an optional EHX9.6DC-200 AC adapter (sold separately).
A legendary pedal from the 1970s, the Big Muff Pi was one of the era's defining guitar tones. Just like that classic, the reissued Electro-Harmonix USA Big Muff Pi distortion/sustainer effects pedal has three controls for dialing in the precise amount of sustain and distortion you crave. Volume adjusts the output level, sustain optimizes the duration with the perfect amount of harmonic distortion, and tone takes you from warm bass to crisp treble.
Dinosaur Jr frontman Mascis owns more than 50 vintage Big Muffs and numerous clones. But his number-one pedal is a 1973 "Ram’s Head" model that's been in his collection since 1985. His signature Big Muff Pi is voiced to his specifications for increased articulation, improved string-to-string separation and a wide dynamic range. Plus, you get all the lush and aggressive roar of his original. The Nano-sized chassis is adorned with special-edition artist graphics, features true-pass switching and comes with a nine-volt battery for out-of-the-box convenience.
When the Klon Centaur became a luxury item only superstar guitarists could afford, EHX's Mike Matthews tasked his team to create an affordable alternative. The result was the Soul Food, a transparent overdrive with great touch sensitivity and super-responsiveness. Its circuitry features boosted power rails to provide abundant headroom and increased definition. Best of all, you don't have to be a rock star to own one! The Soul Food features selectable true-bypass or buffered-bypass modes and ships with a 9.6DC-200 power supply included. (It aAlso runs on a nine-volt battery.)
The lightweight Electro-Harmonix Pedal Bag lets you organize your pedals and carry them from gig to gig. The stiff nonslip board securely holds stompboxes of all sizes and shapes using customizable Velcro strips and dividers. Measuring 27 inches long by 12 inches wide by 2 inches deep, the board has dual handles and a shoulder strap to make it easy to carry, and the front zippered pouch is great for carrying along smaller items. Cable openings on both sides of the case make it a cinch to plug in amps and power without moving your gear. Just unzip the nylon bag and you're ready to rock!
At half off, this great pedal just got even better. The Satisfaction Plus Fuzz gives you an enhanced control set that includes a Fat/Norm mode switch, bias control and tone knob. Fat mode warms and enlarges yout tone, while Norm mode is great for woolly leads and giant wall-of-thunder riffs. The active tilt-shift EQ allows broad tonal shifts, while the Bias control lets you dial in your favorite fuzz character, from balanced and open to gated and snarly. The EHX Satisfaction Fuzz Plus is housed in a snazzy black and blue metal case, features true-bypass switching and comes with a nine-volt battery.
Turnip Greens combines two of EHX's hottest-selling products: the Soul Food overdrive and lush Holy Grail Max reverb, along with new features to make the pair even more potent. Soul Food goes from clean boost to classic distortion and can easily drive a guitar amp into saturation, while Holy Grail Max delivers four studio quality reverbs: Spring, Hall, Plate and Reverse. Extras include an effects loop and an Effect Order toggle switch to determine whether the Soul Food or Holy Grail Max comes first in the chain. Turnip Greens ships with an EHX 9.6DC/200 AC adapter.
Brilliant at any price, and amazing at half off, the EHX Stereo Pulsar Stereo Tap Tremolo serves up true vintage tremolo and panning that can generate rhythmic stereo energy. The Wave Form switch lets you change between triangle and square modulation from waveforms, while the Wave Shape control allows transitions from negative to positive sawtooth and adjustment of the pulse width, giving you the widest range of tremolo waveforms available. From stereo vintage pulsations to tremolo unlike any heard before, the Stereo Pulsar Stereo Tap features stereo outputs and the tough compact die-cast chassis EHX is known for, along with an included nine-volt battery.
Personally, I love the Big Muff tone, and the variety of Big Muff pedals on tap here is remarkable. If you want to try it in your arsenal, I'd suggest starting with the classic Big Muff Pi. For a more-cutting vintage tone, the Op-Amp Big Muff Pi Fuzz should do nicely, but if you want lush distortion of the original with greater articulation, but all means go for the J Mascis Ram's Head Big Muff Pi Distortion/Sustainer. You get all the true Big Muff tone without losing the nuance of your playing style.
I also have to vouch for the XO Stereo Pulsar Tremolo Guitar Effects Pedal. I'm a big fan of modulation effects, and the Stereo Pulsar has everything you could want. The ability to not only choose between triangle and square but also shift to various shapes between them is truly awesome. If you love tremoloand want maximum control over the effect, it's the way to go.
Musician's Friend's Electro-Harmonix Black Friday deals seem to grow with each hour, so be sure to check back here or at the Musician's Friend's EXH page.
And of course check out more early offers on our dedicated Black Friday guitar deals page.
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Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of GuitarPlayer.com and the former editor of Guitar Player, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.
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We sent a pack of tone-hungry guitar wolves out to hunt down the best deals on guitar pedals. This is what they found…