Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m writing up a rundown of what pedals I’m using, and why.
Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021]
Continue reading “2022 Review: Pedals”New Arrivals: July 2022
I didn’t pick up any new (to me) gear last month, and just the one item this month.
The Axe FX 3 has definitely been a big factor in this. I’ve promised on Twitter that I’ll do a separate blog about this soon. The short version is that it’s been much better than I hoped for, and I’ve been putting so much time into exploring what it can do that I haven’t really had time to be curious about other gear.
So what did I find, and how was it interesting enough to wrench me away from the Axe FX 3 for a little bit?
Continue reading “New Arrivals: July 2022”First Impression: Walrus Audio 385 Overdrive Pedal
A couple of days ago, I finally bought a Walrus Audio 385 Overdrive pedal. It’s my first Walrus Audio pedal, and I’ve been waiting a long time to get one.
I absolutely love it. Let me explain why …
Continue reading “First Impression: Walrus Audio 385 Overdrive Pedal”Attack Of The Klons!
Chappers and The Captain have done a shootout between ten Klon-like pedals.
If you’re not sure what all the hype around the Klon is all about, let me explain …
The Klon is low-gain pedal that (in its day) did something unique. Set as a clean boost, it lifts the guitar in the mix (or in a live setting) thanks to the way it increases the upper mids. And yet – it also does something to the bass response that makes clean tones sound fuller, without making drive tones muddy or boomy.
The hype is partly because, for many years, the only way to get this tone was to get a Klon Centaur. They were hand-built by Bill Finnigain, and due to limited availability they started changing hands in the second hand market for eye-watering amounts of money.
Eventually, klones (with a ‘k’) started appearing. Bill himself created the Klon KTR as a mass-production version of the Centaur, did a deal with JRAD to make them, before JRAD went on to create their own klones.
The most important klone is the Soul Food. It wasn’t the first klone, and I’d argue it is amongst the worst, but it did bring awareness and availability to the mass market. Since then, there’s been an explosion of interest in klones and the Klon thing. Today, there’s plenty of choice to suit all tastes and budgets.
I’ve got three of these on my boards, including the (for me) unmatched Klon KTR. It’s the only one that I’ve tried that doesn’t add a huge bass bump to overdrive tones. That’s something that doesn’t come across in this demo, to be honest.
Watch the video to choose your favourite, and then please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment..
Walrus Audio Luminary V2 Pedal Demo Roundup
Walrus Audio’s Luminary V2 Pedal has just launched. Here’s a roundup of the launch day demo videos so far.
As an ex-guitar MIDI synth user, this pedal has really caught my interest. Guitar MIDI currently seems to be in the doldrums. Most manufacturers have pulled out of the market, and the ones that are left haven’t updated their units in a while – which means that they just don’t track as well as something like this.
All these demos showcase great organ sounds. Throw on a shimmer reverb, and I strongly suspect they’ll happily recreate the feel of those orchestral string synth patches of old.
Please head over to YouTube to leave likes and supportive comments if you enjoyed these videos.