What is it? Electro-Harmonix Germanium4 Big Muff Pi. Made in NYC, USA in 1013. Buzzword. Much like “cloud services” or “streamline” in some other contexts. For pedals it’s usually “Germanium”. Next and the biggest single question – how come this unit has nothing more to do with a Big Muff than its name.. Since late…
Tag: Distortion
Pearl DS-06 Distortion
What is it? Pearl DS-06 Distortion. Made in japan, early 1980’s. Simply an overlooked gem. Somehow this unit has slipped through all the classic listings while the overdrive and a few others in this series is highly considered and still receive praise from time to time. It is a distortion unit, so i wasn’t expecting…
Visual Sound V2 Son of Hyde
What is it? Visual Sound (currently Truetone) V2 Son of Hyde Distortion. Made in china around mid 00’s. For several reasons, i’ve had mixed feeling about the Visual Sound products for a long time. I’ve repaired a number of the “V1” series pedals and sadly, i’d call the manufacturing methods sub-par. (Not to mention the…
Vox V830 Distortion Booster
What is it? Vox V830 Distortion Booster. Made in china around early to mid 00’s. Sharing the box and switching/power circuitry with V810 Valve overdrive, the V830 is nothing close. Obviously one would instantly assume this to be a DS-1 derivative. What makes this assumption obvious is the fact that V810 is a Tubescreamer. And…
TC Electronic Röttweiler
What is it? TC Electronic Röttweiler Metal Distortion, made presumably in china, early 10’s. TCE is quite highly regarded brand. And there are several good reasons for it. The brand’s rack units for studio use shook the recording professionals in the 90’s and they’ve been pushing solid products ever since. For example, it was TCE’s…
Excalibur Holy Grail Distortion
What is it? Excalibur Holy Grail Distortion. Made in china, late 00’s. Got this one with the Tubescreamer derivative and the fake analog delay from the same “manufacturer”. The quotes are there for a reason. Since the brand is just OEM’ng stuff from chinese brand with questionable prestige, i wouldn’t exactly call Excalibur a manufacturer….
DOD FX55-B Supra Distortion
What is it? DOD FX55-B Supra Distortion. Made in US, early 1990. One of the pedals that DOD sold a lot back in the day. I assume this probably was the first pedal for many people in the late 80’s and 90’s. And why not. Widely available and in a low price range. The name…
Roger Mayer Voodoo-1
What is it? Roger Mayer Voodoo-1 Distortion. Made in UK in early 90’s. Possibly 1993. Got this unit in a trade from a friend (thx Jaakko!). Mr. Mayer is The Original Boutiquer, so obviously i was interested. I’m not going into the history of the man, but if you are interested, you could check out…
Peavey HFD-2 Hot Foot Distortion
What is it? Peavey HFD-2 Hotfoot Distortion. I’m not completely certain about the country of manufacture, but several things point to this being US made. Around mid to late 80’s. I recall stumbling on to the schematic of this unit a few years back. There is not much special about it. From electronic point of…
Arion MDS-1 Distortion
What is it? Aria MDS-1 Distortion. Made in Sri Lanka, possibly around mid 00’s. As plastic, low price point pedals come, i’ve found Arion to be one of the best. The housings are way more solid than what we find in Rocktek, Aria and similar 80’s/90’s cheapos. Earlier Arions were made in japan, but the…