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10 Must-Try Newly Launched Pedals
The player’s preferred tones and how they employ them are of almost equal importance to their sound as their hand movements. Effects pedals are now more crucial to a guitarist’s sound than ever. They are capable of helping users sculpt and capture their ideal sound, making them an invaluable tool in practically every guitarist’s toolkit. The year 2019 has contributed to the belief that musicians are living in the golden age of guitar effects stompboxes. Effects pedals are becoming more common to the point that it is almost more unusual to spot a player without them. This year, individuals have seen that recognized by a massive guitar brand entering the fray, plus innovations from established names and a handful of exciting boutique pedals. Listed are some of the most compelling new pedal launches of the year.
Wampler Terraform
Jam-packed with 11 custom-built and -designed modulation effects, a true stereo signal path, plus MIDI control, the new Wampler Terraform is among the most comprehensive modulation multi-effects stompboxes in the market. It puts essential parameters such as depth, rate, and blend right at the user’s fingertips. It also allows saving frequently used settings to eight separate preset locations. Elsewhere, the Terraform pedal features a tap tempo switch for tempo-syncing the effects on the user’s music. Even better, its advanced routing options enable placing the effects in front of an amp or its effects loop sans re-patching the pedalboard. The 11-effect-strong Terraform pedal packs Dimension, Chorus, Auto-Wah, Tremolo, Harmonic Tremolo, Envelope Filter, Auto Swell, Flanger, Rotary, Phaser, and U Vibe, accessible via a rotary knob. Effects like chorus and tremolo sound better in the effects loop of an amplifier, while other effects such as Uni-Vibe sound beautiful in front of a preamp or overdrive stompbox. With the Terraform pedal, users can do both thanks to its Pre/Post routing switch.
**Joyo Preamp House **
Living up to its name, the R-15 Preamp House by Joyo serves up the sounds of nine preamps from the likes of Vox, Fender, Marshall, and several others. Twisting the dial lets users pick an amp simulation. They can change from a classic fendery clean to a dirty Mesa-ry drive. Joyo dropped in an inbuilt Impulse Response, packed 4 x 12 cab simulation with a trio of controls to turn it off or switch it between the balanced XLR output and 6.35 out. The Headphone-out utilizes the cab simulation around the clock. Each preamp features dual channels, distortion/clean, and lets users save their settings on the two channels for all amps. Pick from the two amp settings Distortion or Clean utilizing the A & B footswitch, pressing them together will deliver Bypass mode. The Preamp House serves as a user-friendly tone solution. Its design is a culmination of one decade of Joyo’s top-selling amp simulator guitar effect stompboxes. The Joyo AmpHouse transforms those coveted vintage and classic guitar amp tones onto the user’s pedalboard and into their ears without the pricey amp. Joyo Amp Simulators can be utilized as a Direct Interface (DI) straight into an audio recording interface, mixing console, or in front of a clean amplifier for a tonal drive, leveling up an existing amp.
Electro-Harmonix** **5MM Power Amp
Low-wattage amps have long been the secret weapon in numerous recording engineers’ arsenals for capturing lush, creamy clean tones as well as focused drive and saturation. Electro-Harmonix has managed to squeeze the low-wattage format into the pocket-sized 5MM Power Amp. This 2.5-watt power amp is capable of connecting straight to any 8- or 16-ohm speaker. The 5MM Power Amp is deceptively simple, with only two controls—a brightness switch and a volume dial—that can change the signal drastically, from a hint of grit to an all-out crunch bright enough to slice through whatever mix. The portable 5MM Power Amp also performs well outside of the studio, particularly in small venues where the user wishes to crank the distortion sans blowing out the ears of the audience. This shockingly affordable little tone monster serves up practically unlimited tone-sculpting possibilities.
Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab
Crafted for those who love their pedals but hate carrying an amp to play out or practice, the pedal-sized Iridium Amp & IR Cab from Strymon delivers the touch response, tube staging, and tone stack of three legendary amps, each with three corresponding cabinet selections, all in a line-level stereo output that can be sent directly to FOH. It features a Class A JFET preamp that handles the guitar and stomps like a real tube amp. The analog front end feeds a powerful dual-stage DSP processor, which thoroughly approximates the cone compression, harmonic breakup, tube bias, and EQ interaction of some front end. According to Strymon, the Iridium provides “unprecedented impulse response speaker cabinet realism” and true valve amp tones. Regardless of whether the user raises the roof via a dimed British high-watt amp or plays the blues using a chunky American 1 x 12”, the Strymon handles and feels like their beloved stacks and combos. The Iridium also carries a preset switch that provides it with the functionality of a dual-channel amp for dirty or clean applications, with an extra 300 accessible through MIDI switch. Moreover, a front headphone jack allows users to monitor themselves directly from the stage and without in-ears.
Source Audio Collider Delay+Reverb
Source Audio hand-picked a dozen iconic reverb and delay effects from its revolutionary Ventris Dual Reverb and Nemesis Delay, and condensed them into one compact enclosure with massive power yet incredibly simple control. The Collider Delay+Reverb pedal’s intuitive control interface allows users to effortlessly mix and match any two-engine combination of reverb and delay. Two footswitches offer separate Bypass/Engage control over each effect, making it an ideal choice for live performance. The Collider Delay+Reverb serves up an outstanding collection of lush, spacious tones, including faithful emulations of vintage Tape, Analog, and Oil Can Delays, classic models of Plate and Spring Reverbs, realistic re-creations of small and huge acoustic spaces, as well as a highly musical and intriguing selection of “unnatural” tones such as an unworldly Shimmer Reverb and a tripped-out Reverse Delay. “Until now, the only way to access a high-end collection of reverbs and delays was to purchase two large expensive pedals. We have broken through this barrier with Collider. Now you can have access to a collection of the best reverbs AND the best delays all in the same compact design,” Source Audio President Roger Smith remarked.
Keeley Electronics DCR Drive Chorus Rotary
Keeley Electronics likes to play mixologist to the guitar effects pedal realm, and the DCR Drive Chorus Rotary stompbox is in keeping with that principle. Boasting enough tones to cover just about any gig, the DCR Drive Chorus Rotary stompbox comes with two compressed, tube-style circuits: a full-range, and another with a shelf and low-pass filter for beefing up guitars. Users can choose from two modulation types onboard—rotary speaker and chorus/flanger setting. Other features include a TRS effects loop and true bypass switching. “The KEELEY DCR is an easy drop-in for a rhythm or chord work pedal. The DCR has a highly saturated, perfectly compressed, tube-gain tone. There are two drive profiles; one being full-range and highly saturated, the other drive mode combines a slight shelf filter and low-pass filter, perfect for warming up or thickening any guitar. In and Out jacks double as TRS inserts and allow you to insert any effect in between the drive and chorus,” Keeley Electronics describes.
MXR Clone Looper
Highly engineered for exceptional sound quality, MXR’s Clone Looper is perfect for those in the market for a simple looper with stunning sound, bulletproof durability, and room for expansion. It features sample rates up to 88.2kHz (almost double that of several other digital looper stompboxes), so users will not encounter aliasing while recording a percussive acoustic or an overdriven electric. It also provides as much as six minutes of record time to share between infinite overdubs. The Clone Looper comes loaded with features in a pedalboard-friendly, bulletproof brushed metal enclosure. It is capable of being as simple or complex as the user’s need dictates. “Whether you’re practicing at home, captivating audiences with improv compositions onstage, or weaving intricate sonic tapestries in the studio, the Clone Looper Pedal has you covered. Just plug in, power up, and start recording an unlimited number of layers—up to 6 minutes long—that will be stored even when the pedal is off,” MXR states. Other features include toggleable true/buffered bypass switching and a super convenient LED that shows a flashing four-count to the start of the loop so users can keep their overdubs tight.
**Lehle Little Dual II **
The original Little Dual is so well-loved by guitarists that Lehle went straight to work making enhancements for its successor. Meet the Little Dual II! This even-more-capable compact A/B/Y box and amp switcher is perfect for mixing or splitting incoming instrument signals—be it bass, guitar, or keyboard instrument—for stereo or dual-mono operations. Just like the first one, the Little Dual II delivers incredibly fast switching without signal loss as well as active noise suppression to eradicate hum and pops. Boasting switchable TRS/TS operation, revamped soft-touch footswitches, and sleek recessed LEDs and screw surrounds, the latest Little Dual is among the most streamlined switchers available. Proudly created and engineered in Germany, the Little Dual II serves as a slick little problem solver, accomplishing two tasks simultaneously. It can be operated as an A/B/Y switcher or in a stereo capacity, providing flexibility in the studio and onstage. For phenomenal performance from a switcher that does not color the sound, the Little Dual II is the way to go.
Walrus Audio Kangra Filter Fuzz
The Kangra Filter Fuzz from Walrus Audio is a true-bypass guitar stompbox that dishes out thick, sizzling octave fuzz along with ’60s-esque filter envelope effects. Designed alongside fuzz-obsessed Saturday Night Live guitarist Jared Scharff, the pedal boasts a versatile filter with controls for Envelope Filter, Frequency, Sensitivity, and Resonance. “On the filter, I wanted to go for that vintage Mpc 3000 low pass type of thing…Or similar to doing a low pass plug-in for a track, or like a dj would do without it being too ‘wah pedal’ like, and this achieved that,” Jared said. With the Kangra Filter Fuzz, users can also get two distinct fuzz styles via the Modern/Vintage Switch. “In the modern position (M), you notice a more forgiving fuzz with longer and tighter sustain, while the Vintage position (V) feels starved with spatty breakup and grittier, shorter sustain,” Walrus Audio wrote. The Kangra Filter Fuzz is packaged within a chassis sporting a Prismatic Powder Peach Ice Cream paint job and artwork by Adam Forster in blue and white inks. According to Walrus Audio, the artwork “was inspired by a once in a life time expedition Jared took to the Kangra Valley near the Himalaya Mountains. It was there his journey inspired new ideas that can only approximated by the Kangra Filter Fuzz.”
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Red
Boasting a more polished arsenal of gain stages that slices through the low-mids of the original and delivers an extended plethora of clarity and punch, the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Red “calls shotgun in the truck that is your pedalboard’s dirt section.” Catalinbread’s flagship DLS circuitry was configured to provide users with more of the things they love about the original. As Catalinbread puts into words, “If the classic Dirty Little Secret MKIII is your war-tested Marshall Plexi sidearm, our special Limited Edition DLS Red Mod is a finely-tuned and well-oiled (figuratively, of course) gain machine that was hot-rodded by your friend’s uncle’s amp wizard cousin.” The Dirty Little Secret Red has been meticulously engineered to be players’ secret tonal weapon. Its secret lies in the customized EQ and refined gain staging that removes the muddy low-mids to yield a punch with exceptional clarity. Even with the minimal tweaks, the Dirty Little Secret Red preserves the signature blistering British tone profile. At Catalinbread, creating stompboxes is more than merely a business model. The company’s designers are gearheads who desire nothing more than to build pedals that influence, inspire, and inform their playing.
