Cornerstone releases Aquarium, its first modulation pedal
August 1, 2022 · 2 sources
Cornerstone, the Italian maker of the Gladio, released the Aquarium, its first modulation pedal, a Uni-Vibe that uses the rotating bulb technology of the original Shin-ei Uni-vibe12. Delicious Audio reported the release on August 18, 2022; Guitar.com published a review of the pedal on July 15, 202212.
The Aquarium is all analog and runs on 18 volts, which Cornerstone says is key to obtaining the classic tones from the analog bulb circuitry inside1. It has true bypass switching and top-mounted jacks1. Guitar.com lists its dimensions as 118 x 94 x 43mm and describes it as a dual-speed vibe modulation pedal made in Italy2.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Circuitry | 100% analog12 |
| Power | 18-volt power supply only12 |
| Switching | True bypass12 |
| Controls | Speed 1, Speed 2, volume, mix, depth, tone, two-way mix mode switch, three-way inertia switch, bypass and speed footswitches2 |
| Dimensions | 118 x 94 x 43mm2 |
The controls include two independent speed settings chosen with a dedicated footswitch, and an Inertia switch with Instant, Medium and Slow settings that sets how fast the pedal morphs between them1. Holding the speed footswitch swaps between the two speeds momentarily with Medium inertia1. A Mix knob works in two modes set by a toggle: Blend goes from 100% wet to 100% dry, while Mix keeps the dry signal at 100% and adds the wet vibe on top1. There is also a master volume, which Cornerstone says reaches unity around 55% rotation, and a Tone control to balance bass and treble1.
Delicious Audio gives the US price as $5201.
"Our goal was to design a pedal that creates the beautiful three-dimensional chorus/vibrato tones of an original 'Vibe, fixing some the common issues of the classic vintage units yet maintain our commitment to simplicity of operation, tonal flexibility and beautiful modern pedalboard-friendly design."
Guitar.com's reviewer, Ed Oleszko, rated the pedal 9 out of 10 and wrote that it "matches the best of the original units" and is "more versatile across a range of musical genres than we've ever found a standard Uni-Vibe type to be"2. He also wrote that he wished it could control the rate with an expression pedal2.