I was aware of Oddfellow Caveman pedals when it burst onto the scene a couple of years ago at TheGearPage.net. I saw some early videos and heard very smooth, sustain-y overdrive coaxed from a Strat. I knew I had to try this pedal. But months flew by and there was a controversy or two about the…
Nobels ODR-1 is another one of those overdrive pedals with enigmatic reputations. It’s not hard to find debates online about which version is superior or not, whether the current production model is any good, and so on. Rarity does pique the interest of this guitar player, though, so when I read that equally elusive XTS…
Xotic’s pedals are well-loved, and for good reasons. They just seem to hit all the right spots, making them practical and applicable to many players’ needs. I myself have been ecstatic about their SP Compressor, so when I was looking for a pedal to serve as my solo boost, I had to check this pedal…
I had always thought that MI Audio Tube Zone was a high-gain distortion pedal. And it is. But then one day I learned that the Gain knob has a special taper, that allows you to finely tune in on its low-gain range. Intrigued — does that mean this pedal is an attempt at do-all? So…
I’ve been looking at Kingsley’s line of pedals as a possible pinnacle of overdrive pedals, mainly because of the amazing demo videos that the builder of Kingsley amps/pedals himself, Simon Jarrett, put out. I could tell from the videos that their pedals had supreme feel and broad range. Of his various offerings, Minstrel seems to…
I’ve been wanting to check this pedal out for a while, as some of the clips I’ve seen indicated this saturated, mid-heavy high-gain tone that I was attracted to. This is my first Wampler pedal to try and it certainly didn’t disappoint. While this pedal is discontinued, Wampler recently announced release of Ace Thirty and if…
All right, I’m a sucker for rarity. As a musician in pursuit of uniqueness, I always get tempted into checking out rare and unique gear — of course, the underlying desire is to find that elusive piece that helps you define your unusual, personal sound. From Ty Tabor’s Strat Elite to Brian May’s Red Special…
I must confess, the collector in me is attracted to the buzz of rarity. ProAnalog Dual Drive has always been one of those mystic devices in my mind, since there are people on The Gear Page who seem to claim that there are unduplicatable qualities to these hand-made pedals. So when I saw one for…
“Smooth yet articulate’ is a description I’d like to hear about overdrives, because it is my ideal yet seems rather hard to achieve. To be articulate there must be a healthy dose of treble content, but it’s so easy to end up sounding harsh or strident. I became rather interested in Rockett Allan Holdsworth Overdrive…