The pedal range: boost, drive and octave fuzz
The More Me is the company's entry in the boost category, one of three stompboxes Dusky offered, all belonging to the gain realm42. The Toasted Drive sits alongside it, described as part clean boost, part medium-gain overdrive5. The Soniashnyk is a limited-edition fuzz pedal based on the Augustus octave fuzz, created to raise money for emergency aid in Ukraine6.
The rest of the range fills out the gain spectrum:
- Mandorla: MOSFET treble boost style pedal4
- Toasted Drive: the company's overdrive
- Hypatia: gain pedal in the range
- Soniashnyk: the octave fuzz side of the lineup
The boost-plus-octave-fuzz combination is a format other small makers also work in. Mythos Pedals' Argo Boost Deluxe, for example, is a boost and octave fuzz pedal: the maker describes it as "a pair of gain stages that are perfect in front of a drive pedal or drive amp," with a FUZZ footswitch that unleashes the full octave fuzz sound7.
A no-frills design approach
Dusky's range sits in a part of the market where small builders keep things simple: one job per pedal, controls on the surface, no menus. That philosophy is common across the boutique world. Earthling Designs' Gliss Drive, for instance, ranges from treble boost and mild overdrive to more aggressive sustain depending on settings, all from knobs rather than modes. Jamie Stillman of EarthQuaker Devices put the idea plainly in a Stompbox Book interview:
"I like it just to be user friendly, I like everything to be right there in your face. No menu diving. No manual necessary."
For a player, that means a Dusky pedal is set by ear: knobs for level and gain, a footswitch, and a sound that does one thing rather than modeling several.
The range (6)
| Type | Pedals |
|---|---|
| Boost | Dusky Electronics Mandorla, Dusky Electronics Toasted Drive |
| Distortion | Dusky Electronics Dusky Hypatia |
| Fuzz | Dusky Augustus, Dusky Electronics Hypatia, Dusky Electronics Soniashnyk |
News
Questions
What is the Dusky Mandorla?
The Mandorla is a MOSFET-based analog boost pedal inspired by 1960s treble boosters. Dusky Electronics announced it in February 2018 with a February 26, 2018 street date and a $160 street price. It is built to push an amp or drive pedal harder while adding the top-end emphasis of a vintage treble boost.
What pedals does Dusky Electronics make?
The range covers boost, drive and octave fuzz. Known models include the Mandorla boost, the Toasted Drive, the Hypatia, and the Soniashnyk. The Mandorla is the company's MOSFET treble boost, announced in February 2018 at a $160 street price.
Is the Dusky Octomotron an octave fuzz?
Dusky's range includes an octave fuzz, and the Soniashnyk is the model in that category. Octave fuzz pedals combine a fuzz circuit with an octave-generating stage, a format also built by makers such as Mythos Pedals, whose Argo Boost Deluxe pairs a boost with a switchable octave fuzz.
Sources (7)
- Dusky Electronics: More Me Boost, Toasted Drive And Octomotron Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2017-03-23
- Dusky Electronics Announces the Mandorla, Premier Guitar, 2018-02-16
- Dusky Electronics launches new boost pedal | Guitar.com, Guitar.com
- Dusky Electronics unveils Mandorla boost pedal, musicradar.com, 2018-02-16
- Dusky Electronics Toasted Drive Review, Premier Guitar, 2022-01-30
- Dusky Electronics Releases the Soniashnyk Fuzz, Premier Guitar, 2022-04-19
- Argo Boost Deluxe, Mythos Pedals