Old Blood Noise Excess V2 documented with smaller case and fifth mode

July 19, 2023 · 2 sources

Delicious Audio updated its page on the Old Blood Noise Endeavors Excess V2 on July 19, 2023, describing it as an update to the Oklahoma company's "'80s-flavored (pink) modulated distortion pedal" with a case "1/2 the size of the original unit" and updated features¹. Guitar World reported the pedal's release on February 3, 2022, at $209, calling it "slimmer and more pedalboard-friendly than the original Excess, which came out in 2017"².

The V2 has separate footswitches for its distortion and modulation channels; the original had an on/off footswitch and a second switch to choose between delay and chorus on the modulation side¹. The distortion section has Gain, Tone and Volume controls and can produce "several dBs of extra volume compared to V1," according to Delicious Audio¹. The modulation section has three modes, Chorus, Delay and Fifth, each with Time, Depth and Volume controls¹². Delicious Audio writes that all three "deliver a chorus effect, with added delay and (polyphonic) fifth in the last two modes listed," and that the harmonized fifth mode was present but "hidden" in V1¹.

A routing switch sets the order: distortion into modulation, modulation into distortion, or parallel paths¹². Delicious Audio describes Parallel mode as summing the two effects to a single output, "resulting in a clear modulation with a distorted layer underneath, cleanly separated"¹. An expression jack controls rate and depth externally, and an internal trimpot sets the wet-dry mix of the modulation section¹². Each section has soft touch switching and true relay bypass¹². The pedal requires at least 125mA at 9VDC center negative¹; Guitar World says it "runs on 9V power"².

Guitar World reported that, for a limited time, Old Blood Noise would offer its $59 Expression Ramper pedal in the same pink color scheme as the Excess V2².

The Excess V2 sits among distortion pedals that combine dirt with modulation.