OK, pedal newb, listen up! Making music should be fun! So don’t let any jaded a-holes talk down to you, and especially don’t let anyone call you ‘newb’ – even us. It’s rude and gatekeeping in music is stupid and childish. Anyway, let’s talk PEDALS! Let’s say you are starting from scratch and want to hit each and every effect category, so you are never without that crucial stompbox when inspiration strikes. I mean, who knows when you’ll want to flange the heck out of that rippin’ lead, amirite? What are our top picks for each fx category? Well, glad you asked. We put together this very article ..read more

Gravity is delighted to announce that its new family of Glow Stands – a pair of uniquely inspiring guitar and bass stands that feature ambient lighting to give any creative space an incredible dose of atmosphere, is now available. The Gravity Glow Stand is available is two models – players can choose between a hanging “neck hug” version or a classic A-frame design – and is suitable for electric and acoustic guitars, and bass guitars. The Glow Stands provide maximum support for the instruments stored on them, while at the same time highlighting them with inspiring colours of the player’s choice ..read more

Xvive, best known for their wireless systems including the popular U2 Guitar Wireless System, is introducing a new guitar stand that offers guitarists and bassists a new standard of reliability and portability. The G1 Butterfly Guitar Stand was designed in Germany to keep guitars safely upright, whether on a stage, in a studio or at home. It’s also small enough to fit in the back pocket of a gig bag! The stand’s two-tiered cradle accommodates almost any electric, acoustic, classical or bass guitar, and even other stringed instruments such as mandolins. The G1’s aluminum alloy construction mak ..read more

Not all fuzzes are created equal; the various vintages and versions, the tweaks, the re-issues, the everything-in-one model configurations. It’s overwhelming to sort through. Pigtronix has unleashed their new Star Eater, and its options are practical for what a fuzz is, without confusion. The Captain Picard-approved “engage” switch starts things off, with a volume controlling the output level, and the hunger control covering the level of the fuzz. The tweaking starts here, with the voicing switch allowing the user to choose between silicon or germanium diodes doing the work of clipping the si ..read more

Pedalboard power supplies are often overlooked, but it’s an area that can not only mess with your pedalboard, but with your pedals themselves. Palmer’s PWT08 has plenty of clean and safe power on tap, so consider adding one to power your board today. There are eight 2.1mm negative center pin connections that should work with most pedal types. However, as there are those unique pedals that might need different voltages, two of the connections have selectable outputs of 9, 12, and 18 volts at 150 Milliamps. Some drive and preamp pedals can easily handle the 18V, so having this option is great fo ..read more

In case you didn’t know, Shawn Tubbs is a highly regarded session player, and one thing session folks know is tone. The Tilt Overdrive is a collaboration with Shawn and Revv, and has a few tricks up its sleeve. It’s a medium gain drive pedal with a boost; the drive side is voiced like a tube amp when engaged, and certainly has a clear vintage slant to things, however it’s not an “amp in the box” design. Lower gain settings certainly have Fullerton type of dynamics that interact with pick attack and cranking things up adds in a sharper and more focused response. Maxing out the gain brings the ..read more

A Look at Unique, Cool and Memorable Pedal Box Art Design with Josh Scott from JHS Pedals  Editor’s note – we love JHS Pedals, and we scramble to our phones whenever the notification bells dings each time a new JHS video hits YouTube. One of our favorite bits they do is called “He Has The Box,” in which founder/owner/all-around-good-guy Josh Scott shows off and waxes philosophical about the box a vintage or unique pedal came in. Oftentimes, there’s more to say about the box design and artwork than the pedal itself. So, with that in mind, we asked Josh to show off some of the neatest boxes ..read more

Donner’s Arena 2000 is re-setting the bar in terms of price per performance in multi-fx units. The controls are a combination of touch screen and parameter controls. Strangely the display screen isn’t a touch control surface, but just a display. The effects selections and system editing are touch activated, however, with a master scroll wheel to navigate. The three footswitches are backlit and multi-functional. These can be set to go through the 50 banks, each with three presets. When engaging a specific preset, the footswitches can then be engaged to turn off specific chosen effects or a enga ..read more

The slat wall pedalboard design has offered up a platform for guitarists that is flexible, but always needed add-ons such as power supplies and mounting brackets. Palmer’s Pedalbay system is an all-in-one package that can support and power pedals with ease. The sizes are reasonable, with the 40PB at 17.75” wide and the 60PB is 23.75” wide and both have a 12” depth. The slat design allows for audio and power cables to snake under the boards. Each board is constructed of black coated aluminum and is done with a bolt-together design for the cross members. Palmer has thought ahead on the design wi ..read more

Back in March of 2021 we reviewed Coppersound’s Strategy pedal. The cool Strat-inspired design is as unique as the sound, and now Coppersound has updated it with an additional overdrive mode. Enter the Strategy V2. Again, the blend of Stratocaster and stompbox design is still there, and for players wanting to take that to a new level, ordering a custom version (even relic’d) to match your guitars is still available. Inside the electronics are based around audio grade Burr Brown Op Amp, along with some unique switching options. We received the Ice Blue metallic, with chrome hardware, a tortoise ..read more