The stompbox scene has blown up to thermonuclear proportions, and keeping tabs on new pedal introductions—let alone all the new outfits that are jumping into the FX game—is essential for
The stompbox scene has blown up to thermonuclear proportions, and keeping tabs on new pedal introductions—let alone all the new outfits that are jumping into the FX game—is essential for guitarists searching for new sounds, as well as producers and studio engineers who want to keep their artists visible amidst the fast-moving avalanche of music coming from every media outlet. For those of us who write about guitar gear, we get intel on the hippest new devices via our own playing needs, by staying tuned to what is trending in the blogosphere, and by what the pros we interview are saying about effects they’re using for studio work and live performances.
The GP staff also got a lot of early peeks at new pedals at the winter NAMM show last January, and, as review samples started rolling in some weeks later, the stage was set for another installment of our annual Pedalmania stomp-a-thon. The FX pedals reviewed here—which cover the spectrum from distortion and fuzz boxes to reverbs and delays to some very adventurous sound modifiers—were all tested on gigs, rehearsals, and at home studios, using an assortment of guitars from Fender, Gibson, PRS, Ibanez, Gretsch (among others); vintage and modern tube heads and combos; and state-of-the-art modeling systems from Fractal, Kemper, and Line 6.
—AT
BOGNER
LYNDHURST
$279 street
Anyone who has experience with high-end studio compressors can be forgiven for avoiding some stompbox models. Although the great thing about many pedal compressors is their unique coloration of the input signal and that often-cool little “pop” your notes get as the compression circuit grabs your attack, it’s also those very elements that frustrate players looking for lesseffected options. The Lyndhurst is a marvel because it not only includes a transformer designed by studio legend Rupert