NAMM 2016: Peavey MiniMEGA bass head
It's mini, it's MEGA.
After the success of their mini Electric heads (which received some of the highest praise possible in the Guitar Nerds GOTY rundown!) last year, it was inevitable that Peavey would look to transfer that sweet combination of heritage and modern functionality into their much-adored bass line.
The MiniMEGA boasts everything that you’d expect from a bass head in 2016. Four-band EQ, various voicing controls, speakon connections, effects loop, tuner out, DI out (switchable pre/post), MIDI in, dialable compression and of course a carry case. They really seem to have hit the nail on the head with the spec here. At just over 4kg, pretty much anyone can slam out 1000watts (at 4ohms) at any venue, or keep that boomy Peavey tone in the bedroom with the master volume control.
Let’s also not gloss over the best feature of this amp though. A USER DEFINABLE SURFACE COLOUR CONTROL. Top work, Peavey.
NAMM 1016: Reverend Billy Corgan
Melancholy and the infinite badassness...
This new Billy Corgan signature is a great retro-looking mishmash of a guitar; but what else would you expect from Reverend? A whole host of modern features in locking tuners, graphite nut and the bass contour control contrast against the 50s/60s look of the guitar, but there’s more to this guitar than what’s on the surface.
Interestingly, Corgan’s previous signature guitar featured single coil-sized humbuckers, whereas this not model boasts P90-voiced humbuckers (a new “Railhammer” design). A 25.5” scale length, 22 fret and a 12” radius makes for a pretty unusual spec for a guitar of this design. Available in a number of suitably quirky colours (Pearl White, Metallic Alpine, Purple Burst and Silverburst)
NAMM 2016: Boss Waza Craft VB-2W Vibrato
The classic Boss vibrato pedal returns!
The VB-2W is the latest addition to the highly regarded Boss Wasa Craft series. Following suit with the rest of the Wasa Craft pedals, the VB-2W is an adapted incarnation of the original Boss VN-2 which circulated between 1982 and 1986 and is now a rare and highly sort after pedal.
Pedalsandeffects.com owner; Juan Alderete went as far as to sight the pedal as one of his all time favourite effects, and despite the original pedal's high resale value, went as far as to buy a 2nd VB-2 should his ever break.
The VB-2W offers players the ability to achieve consistent and controlled vibrato effects without the need to bend a string and in more extreme settings offers otherworldly warble that has been embraced by ambient and prog musicians everywhere.
The VB-2W boasts and enhanced custom mode that offers more extreme settings to suit the needs of a modern player along with a jack input for expressive playing allowing the effect depth to be controlled by an exterior expression pedal.
NAMM 2016: Roland Blues Cube Hot
The latest Blues Cube is smaller, lighter and more productive.
Roland have announced the Blues Cube Hot, the latest addition to the Blues Cube guitar amplifier series.
With 30 watts of power and a custom 12-inch speaker, this compact combo is designed for home or studio use, but still retains plenty of volume for gigging. Roland’s acclaimed Tube Logic design provides authentic tube tone by carefully reproducing the inner workings of the revered tweed-era tube amp in every way, including preamp and output tube distortion characteristics, power supply compression, speaker interaction, and much more. By utilising this technology, the Blues Cube Hot offers lighter weight and vastly improved reliability.
Roland Blues Cube Hot Features:
• Custom 12-inch speaker with a rich, full voice that’s enhanced by a classic open-back cabinet design and poplar construction.
• Single-channel configuration offers easy and intuitive operation, with a wide range of sounds accessible from a single knob.
• Boost and Tone switches provide further tone-shaping options. Additional controls include a three-band EQ, master volume, and onboard reverb.
• Variable Power Control provides settings of 0.5 W, 5 W, 15 W, and Max, allowing users to enjoy this musical, cranked-up tone while matching the volume to any situation.
• Footswitch jacks for remote control of the Boost and Tone functions.
• USB connectivity for capturing record-ready tones directly into computer recording applications.
NAMM 2016: Boss VO-1 Vocoder
Boss' new pedal is living on a prayer.
Boss have announced a brand new compact pedal, the VO-1 Vocoder. Here's what Boss themselves have to say about this unique pedal:
"The VO-1 Vocoder harnesses the expression of the human voice by allowing the user to control the tone of their instrument via vocal manipulation. While keyboardists have used vocoders to create voice-like textures with synthesizers for decades, guitar and bass players have had limited access to this capability. Now, the VO-1 gives them this inspiring creative tool in a battery-powered stompbox that’s simple to operate."
Boss VO-1 Vocoder Features:
• Vintage mode produces the familiar synthesized voice sounds heard on numerous pop and electronic music records.
• Advanced mode offers an array of all-new vocoder tones.
• Talk Box mode provides the famous “talking” lead guitar tones first popularized in the 1970s, but without the complication and hassles of a traditional talk box rig.
• Choir mode creates rich, impressive vocal textures from a direct instrument input.
• 1/4-inch input for connecting a guitar, bass, or other instrument, plus an XLR mic input to drive the vocoder engine.
• Tone and Color knobs provide a wide range of sound variation over the selected mode, while Level and Blend knobs control the overall volume and direct/effect mix.
• Send and Return jacks are also provided, allowing the user to patch in an external effect and apply it to the direct sound.
NAMM 2016: Boss BC-1X Bass Comp
This multi-band compressor utilises the impressive MDP technology.
Boss have announced a brand new bass pedal for 2016, the BC-1X Bass Comp.
With a transparent and powerful sound, and easy to use operation, provides studio-level multi-band compression specifically optimized for the needs of performing and recording bassists. Boss' advanced technology allows the player to dial in a wide range of compression without altering their fundamental bass tone.
Boss BC-1X Bass Comp Features:
• Ratio, Threshold, Release, and Level controls found in studio compressors.
• A 16-segment gain reduction meter clearly displays the amount of compression at all times.
• MDP engine analyzes the signal and applies the appropriate amount of multi-band compression based on frequency range and playing dynamics.
• Pro-level performance, with ample headroom for hot signals from active basses.
NAMM 2016: Boss ES-5 Effect Switching System
The ES-8 was our Gear Of The Year. This might be even more useful!
Following the success of last year's ES-8 switching system, Boss have announced a new smaller switcher, the ES-5.
Offering the essential features of the ES-8 in a smaller size, the ES-5 is designed for travel-sized pedalboards. With five loops, extensive real-time control capabilities, MIDI and more, the ES-5 allows all guitarists and bassists to explore the benefits of BOSS’s powerful switching technology.
ES-5 Features:
• On/off state and loop order can be stored in 200 patch memories for instant recall.
• Input and output buffers can be switched on/off as needed per patch.
• External control outputs are available for switching amp channels, sending tap tempo information, and more, while an expression pedal or two footswitches can be connected for further real-time control.
•MIDI capabilities for integrating with MIDI-controlled stomp effects like the BOSS DD-500 Digital Delay and many others.
Strymon unveil Zuma and Ojai power supplies
These two new supplies are the ideal solution for expanding pedalboards.
Strymon Engineering have announced two brand new pedalboard power supplies.
Zuma includes nine high-current, individually isolated, ultra-low-noise outputs—each with its own dedicated regulator and custom transformer. Each output provides a staggering 500mA of current to meet the needs of demanding pedalboards. These pre-regulated outputs, as well as optically isolated feedback, and advanced multistage filtering result in a power supply that allows pedals to achieve their highest possible dynamic range.
The Zuma is also expandable. By utilising the new Ojai power supply and the 24v output the user can add extra outputs to their rig, allowing for bigger pedalboards than ever before.
Ojai delivers clean, rock-steady power in a lightweight and expandable package, giving your pedalboard room to grow. Five high-current, individually isolated, ultra-low-noise outputs—each includes its own dedicated regulator and custom transformer. Each output provides 500mA of current. As with the Zuma, Ojai’s dual-stage topology, pre-regulated outputs, optically isolated feedback, and advanced multistage filtering result in a power supply that allows pedals to achieve their highest possible dynamic range.
Just like the Zuma, the Ojai is expandable. Connect multiple supplies using the 24v output jack to power a huge range of pedals.
The Ojai is expected to land in Spring 2016, with the Zuma due in the Summer.
Eight new pedals from Earthquaker Devices
The Ohio-based company expand their pedal offering.
Earthquaker Devices have announced eight brand new pedals for NAMM 2016. Here's what Earthquaker have to say about each of the new creations:
Night Wire - Dynamic Harmonic Tremolo
The Night Wire is a feature-rich harmonic tremolo. What is harmonic tremolo? In short, the signal is split into high pass and low pass filters, then modulated with an LFO that is split 180 degrees. The Night Wire takes the traditional harmonic tremolo a few steps further by allowing the center point of both filters to be adjusted for different tones. The filter frequency has three modes: Manual, LFO and Attack. In Manual mode, the center point can be set to a fixed position with the frequency control. In LFO mode, the filters are continuously swept and the frequency control adjusts the speed. In Attack mode, the filters are dynamically swept according to pick attack and the frequency control acts as a range control, much like a standard envelope filter. The tremolo section has two modes, Manual and Attack. In Manual mode, the speed of the tremolo is governed by where the rate control is set. In Attack mode the speed is controlled by pick attack and the rate controls the sensitivity; the harder you pick, the faster the rate and vice-versa. The tremolo can be subtle and shimmery or full-on throbbing depending on where the depth control is set. With the depth set to zero, the Night Wire will act like a fixed filter, phase shifter or envelope-controlled filter depending on which mode the filter frequency is in. It also features a cut/boost volume control to get your levels just right.
Spires - Fuzz Doubler
The Spires was born from my need to have my big old Rosac Nu Fuzz and our now discontinued Dream Crusher on my pedalboard without taking up all the space. The green channel features a cranked fuzz inspired by the Rosac Electronic Nu-Fuzz, which, for all the unacquainted fuzz seekers, was released in 1968- decades prior to the dreaded “nü” prefix ever being uttered. The original schematic for Rosac Nu Fuzz is somewhat of a mystery so I used my original to make a “sonic copy” that is pretty much dead on. It is full-on fuzz all the time and uses crude wide range tone control to change the character from big and warm to sizzling and blown out. The original was slightly below unity at max so I gave this one plenty of output volume while retaining the original tone. The Red channel is a silicon version of the now discontinued Dream Crusher. There's no need to mourn the loss anymore. Dreams will still be crushed with walls of classic two transistor fuzz, only this time the crushing will be much more stable and less temperature sensitive. It features a very usable, dynamic Fuzz control and tons of output volume, just like the original.
Spatial Delivery - Envelope Filter with Sample & Hold
The Spatial Delivery is an oddball, a voltage controlled envelope filter that allows you to step outside the universe of funk while reinforcing your secret love affair with auto-wah. It has 3 modes- Up Sweep, Down Sweep and Sample and Hold. With Range, Resonance and Filter controls you can get super emphasized filter sweeps in the Up and Down modes. The Range, in combination with pick attack, controls the sensitivity and reaction time of the envelope and thus the width of the frequency sweep. The higher the Range and harder the attack equals a faster reaction time and higher frequency sweep and vice versa. Reign in the controls a bit, add your favorite overdrive/fuzz after the Spatial Delivery and you've got a real nice resonant, cut-through-the-mix lead tone. Crank the controls back up and you're a neo-bedroom rock god. In the Sample and Hold mode the filter is controlled by random voltage and the Range controls the speed. Add a sub octave into the mix (before or after) and you've just created a deep fried space droid computer freak-out. The filter can be cross faded between high pass (counter clockwise), band pass (center) and low pass (clockwise) for a wide variety of voices. The Resonance control goes from zero to the brink of oscillation and adds more body and ring to the filter voice. We recommend placing the Spatial Delivery first in your signal chain. However, due to its envelope control, experimenting with pairing and signal chain placement can take the potential of the Spatial Delivery even further.
Gray Channel - Dynamic Dirt Doubler
The Gray Channel is a real “twofer” of an overdrive. It is based around a classic hard-clipping gray box overdrive (subtle hint, huh), one of my all-time favorites. Coincidentally, this is the very same pedal that got me started building pedals and launched EQD. It is two channels of a simple hard clipping overdrive that leaves the character of the guitar and amp intact. The Gray Channel retains the classic warm overdrive sound and expands upon it with several clipping options and bigger bass response. Each channel has 3 clipping modes. The Green channel- “Si” (Silicon clipping diodes), “Ge” (Germanium clipping diodes) and “N” (no clipping diodes). The “Si” mode will be bright/loud/fuzzy and has a natural tube type break up. “Ge” mode is a little looser with more lows and warmth and less output. “N” mode acts as a clean boost until you hit roughly 1 o’clock on the gain, at which point it’ll start to saturate the op amp into a biting, loud distortion. Phew! Still with me? Cool, onto the modes of the Red channel. Here, you’ve got “LED” (LED clipping diodes), “FET” (Mosfet clipping diodes) and “N” (again, no clipping diodes). “LED” mode is the loudest, cleanest and most touch sensitive/least compressed. “Mos” mode is the most compressed with a tighter crunch; the biggest hesher of the group. And finally, the “N” mode is the same clean to crazy loud op amp distortion set-up as the Green channel. With a couple of switch clicks you can go from your bypassed tone to warm break up to over-the-top gnarly grind and any/every combination in between. With more and more drive pedals moving onto already crowded pedal boards, having the Gray Channel dual overdrive is like, totally crucial for sonic growth and sustain. Join the fight to stop pedal board overcrowding, because before we can overdrive tomorrow, we must first drive today... or something.
Bows - Germanium Preamp Booster
The Bows is a Germanium preamp designed around a rare NOS OC139 black glass transistor. For being a little one-knobber the Bows wears many hats. Right out of the box it's got several tone shaping abilities spread between two modes: Full and Treble. Full mode is warm with a lot of body and low end. Treble mode is a resonant, treble booster with a “cocked wah” tone that can drive any tube amp into harmonic rich distortion territory. Each mode has a little bit of grit to start with, but as you get passed 12 o'clock on either setting their subtleties are accented. The vowel-like sound out of the Treble side will be more prevalent as you bring the Level up. Doing the same on Full mode will get you a nice, full bodied crunch tone that retains clarity. Place any drive pedal before the Bows and it's another story. Full mode turns a dirt signal into a crumbling wall of sonic chaos, while Treble mode becomes an ultimate lead tone.
Bellows - Fuzzdriver
The Bellows is a back-to-basics, transistor-based dirt device. This two-knob wonder has a whole lot of character for such a simple, unassuming pedal. It straddles the line between amp-like grit and fuzzy saturation to create a remarkably vintage, tweed-type tone. Similar to the volume control of a “non master” amp, the Drive determines how hard the signal hits the input. At lower drive levels it's a little wider and grittier. Resist the usual urge to dime it and keep the Drive low for mellow, amp-like break up. Slowly bring up the Drive and you'll eventually end up in blown out fuzz land, having passed a bunch of useful distorted places in between. It's pretty much every era of rock n' roll in a box. While designed for guitar, Bellows also handles bass extremely well at growling low and scorching high levels. And if you're a guitar player that fancies themselves a bass player- then forget it, this is your favorite dirt pedal.
Acapulco Gold - Poweramp Distortion
The Acapulco Gold was originally intended to be a limited release but, due to demand, we have decided to give it a face lift and add it to our permanent line up!
You know what's awesome? Simplicity. One button, one knob. How loud would you like it? Just move the knob. The Acapulco Gold is an original power-amp distortion circuit that's based on the sound of a cranked Sunn Model T. This is the spirit of rock and roll. Quit turning knobs and play that guitar like you mean it. With a dirt sound this good, any one second spent bending down and fiddling with knobs is one second too much. This is why the Acapulco Gold has one gigantic knob; move the thing and it gets louder or quieter. While playing, don't forget to fiddle with your guitar's volume and tone knobs, these can drastically affect the sound of the Acapulco Gold. The volume knob, especially, cleans the pedal up pretty well; not completely, this ain't your daddy's Fuzz Face. At minimum guitar-volume settings, the Gold imparts a hazy Nashville-sounding spank to your tone. At just-barely-backed-off, the Gold turns into a raunchy overdrive. Of course, when the guitar's knob is fully on, the Gold roars like a Model T on the verge of explosion. It's not-quite-fuzz, but so close.
Avalanche Run - Stereo Delay and Reverb
The Avalanche Run is our first product built on a high powered DSP platform we have been working on for a while now and we couldn't be more excited! While this may make an appearance at NAMM, it is still in the development process. The Avalanche Run was designed to satisfy all the requests we have received for a stereo and/or tap tempo version of our wildly popular Dispatch Master. While it is a delay and reverb just like the Dispatch Master, the style of delay and reverb is quite different. The delay has more of a tape quality with bucket brigade sensibilities and the reverb is adjustable while having more of a deep, plate-like cavernous tone. Here are a few feature teasers to wet your whistle:
• Reverse delay mode
• Swell delay and reverb mode
• Tap Tempo with subdivisons
• Assignable expression control
• Tails/True Bypass modes
• Sound on sound style looping with adjustable length in tails mode
• Auto oscillation by holding down tap switch
We intend to launch this pedal as a Reverb.com exclusive in late March and give a full scale release to the rest of our wonderful dealer network in July of 2016! Stay tuned for more details!
Vox announce AV Series combos
Three new models that feature analogue modelling technology.
Vox Amplification have announced the AV Series, a brand new range of amplifiers that combine 12AX7 valves and analogue amp modelling. With three models available, the AV Series ranges from the small, home-use AV15 to the giggable AV60. The full specifications are:
AV15
• 15 Watts of power through a custom VOX 8” speaker
• True analog circuit design complete with a twin triode 12AX7 tube
• Achieve authentic tones with eight, all-analog amp models
AV30
• 30 Watts of power through a custom VOX 10” speaker
• True analog circuit design complete with two 12AX7 tubes
• Achieve authentic tones with two sets of eight, all-analog amp models
AV60
• 60 Watts of power through a custom VOX 12” speaker
• True analog circuit design complete with two 12AX7 tubes
• Achieve authentic tones with two sets of eight, all-analog amp models
Check out Vox's video demo of the AV Series below:
Electro-Harmonix introduce Soul POG
The latest effect in EHX's lineup combines two of their most beloved pedals.
Electro-Harmonix have furthered the prolific release schedule by announcing the Soul POG. By combining two of the company's most beloved pedals, the Soul Food Transparent Overdrive and Poly Octave Generator, the Soul POG delivers rich overdrive and octave up and down effects.
Both the overdrive and the octave sections retain all the controls from their corresponding individual pedals and a central switch allows the user to place either effect first in the chain. An included effects loop means that additional effects can be placed between the overdrive, with a new Mode switch optimising the octave up effect for single notes or chords.
Check out the official Electro-Harmonix demo below:
Electro-Harmonix reintroduce the Super Space Drum and Crash Pad
The classic analogue drum synthesizers reimagined for 2016.
Electro-Harmonix have announced they are reissuing the Super Space Drum and Crash Pad analogue drum synthesizers. Originally released in 1979 and 1980, these reissued models pack the original circuitry into modern boxes.
Both pedals offer external triggering and auxiliary inputs, with the Crash Pad also offering an expression pedal input for realtime control over the filter.
For a full demo of these incredible analogue drums synths, check out EHX's own video:
PRS reintroduce the CE24
The return of a bolt-on classic.
PRS Guitars has announced the reintroduction of the CE24 model.
Originally introduced in 1988, the CE24 offered PRS players the extra brightness and attack found in bolt-on neck guitars. While incredibly popular, the model was discontinued in 2009. Now, the Maryland-based company have announced that the model will be making a comeback at NAMM 2016.
The new CE24 features a mahogany back and maple top with a bolt-on, Pattern Thin, maple neck and rosewood fretboard. For added clarity, the CE24 includes PRS 85/15 pickups, which offer extended high and low end. Controls include a volume and push/pull tone pot with 3-way toggle switch for a total of six classic sounds.
The CE 24 is available in Amber, Dark Cherry Sunburst, Grey Black, McCarty Tobacco, Ruby, Trampas Green, Vintage Sunburst and Whale Blue finishes for £1,869.
Electro-Harmonix announce Lester G and Lester K rotary speaker simulators
Have Electro-Harmonix created the ultimate Leslie simulator?
Electro-Harmonix have announced the Lester G and Lester K stereo rotary-speaker simulator pedals. The Lester G was designed for guitarists and includes a dedicated compressor that maximizes the rotary speaker effect on guitar, while the more compact Lester K was created for keyboard players who want to enhance their organ sound. Both pedals feature Drive, Slow, Fast, Balance and Speed/Brake controls. A Balance control regulates the blend between the pedal’s low-frequency rotor and high-frequency horn. A silent footswitch labeled Speed/Brake lets the player switch between Fast and Slow modes. When the footswitch is depressed for ½ second the pedal enters Brake mode and decelerates to a stop.
The Lester G includes an Acceleration control that sets the rate at which it transitions between Fast and Slow modes. This transition can also be manually manipulated via a standard EXP pedal. The Lester G’s compressor contains Attack, Sustain and Squash controls. A pushbutton selects between Normal and Squash with the Squash setting yielding a higher compression ratio and a more dramatic effect. Both the Lester G and K feature stereo inputs and outputs.
The Lester G has a U.S.A. List Price of $298.70 while the Lester K is $237.40. The Lester G and K are available now.
Alexander Pedals Announces the Jubilee Silver Overdrive
Welcome to the Jungle, we've got crunch and gain...
Alexander Pedals has announced the Jubilee Silver Overdrive, a faithful reissue of the original Jubilee pedal made by Pharaoh Amplifiers in the early 2000s. The originals were all shipped to a single Japanese distributor and very few of them ever made it back to the US. The latest incarnation of the Jubilee offers a pedalboard-friendly enclosure, soft-touch switching, and all the grind and crunch you could ask for.
Features:
Five knobs to control Loudness, Drive, Bass, Treble and Mids
True Bypass Switching with a Latching Relay and Soft-Touch Footswitch
9-18v operation with a standard DC input. Try 18V for increased headroom and a more amp-like response.
The Jubilee Silver Overdrive is shipping now and carries a suggested retail price of $189.99. See more at www.alexanderpedals.com. Alexander Pedals donates a portion of the proceeds from each pedal sold towards fighting childhood cancer.
Alexander Pedals are designed and handcrafted by Matthew Farrow and a group of trusted players, builders and friends. Since the late 1990’s, Matthew has been building guitar pedals in North Carolina, beginning with Pharaoh Amplifiers and now with Disaster Area Designs. Matthew has designed some of the most innovate effects on the market, including projects for several major manufacturers.
Gear Of The Year: Best Amplifier 2015
Mark counts down the best amps of 2015.
Mark counts down the best amps of 2015.
Gear Of The Year: Best Guitar 2015
Mark counts down the best guitars of 2015.
Mark counts down the best guitars of 2015.
T-Rex Replicator now available in the UK
Tape goodness with none of the hassle, now available in the UK!
The T-Rex Replicator tape echo is now available in the UK.
Billed as the ultimate analogue tape echo unit, the Replicator features a motor, magnetic heads and tape cartridge! Offering the warmth of analogue tape delay without the size, weight and reliability issues of traditional full-tape echo units, the Replicator rejects the cumbersome desktop bulk of most analogue machines for a simple floor pedal unit with easy to use features, and tape cartridges that can be replaced in seconds without additional tools.
Each Replicator is handcrafted in Denmark and features 2 tape heads to give 3 output modes of operation and up to 1200ms delay times. There is tap tempo for changing delay times on the fly, and a switchable Chorus effect simulates the wow-and-flutter effect found on older, worn tape delays. Two expression pedal inputs bring real-time control of delay time and feedback to the player’s feet.
The Replicator is available from UK Authorised Dealers now priced from £599
Hungry Robot Pedals launch Midnight Sun boost
Who's hungry for a dynamic tone-shaping boost with a parametric mid-notch?
Hungry Robot Pedals have announced the Midnight Sun, a dynamic tone-shaping boost with a parametric mid-notch.
The Iowa-based company describe the Midnight Sun as "more than just a simple volume boost. It makes use of two gain stages and a specially designed tonestack that creates a significant mid-notch, making it a unique toneshaping tool. Most amps have a mid control but they usually fall short in creating a true mid-notch. Chimey, dynamic and raw come to mind when describing a mid-notch guitar tone and is great for blues."
The Midnight Sun features a tone knob that acts like a parametric EQ, changing the frequency that the mid-notch is centered around, and a MIDS toggle control that sets the depth of the notch as well as the frequency range.
Available now, the Midnight Sun is priced at $124.70
Fredric Effects release Deeply Unpleasant Companion
This fuzz is actually rather pleasant if you like that sort of thing.
Fredric Effects have announced the Deeply Unpleasant Companion bass fuzz pedal.
The Deeply Unpleasant Companion is an improved version of the Shin-Ei FY-2 Companion Fuzz. Following requests from bass players, Fredric have modified this circuit to preserve more of the low frequencies and added a clean blend function, allowing the user to mix the clean signal with the fuzz according to taste. The buffers used in the blend circuit also have the added bonus of bringing a touch more clarity to the fuzz than the standard Unpleasant Companion, while retaining its uncompromising character.
Like the company's Unpleasant Companion, this pedal also features a volume boost to avoid the volume drop characteristic of vintage Shin-Ei FY-2 pedals. Check out the Fredric demo here: