The Crystal Dagger from Blackout Effectors is an octave fuzz and ring modulator pedal. The two effects work from their own dedicated analog circuit boards, so the fuzz side and the ring modulation side each stand on their own rather than sharing one circuit1. Premier Guitar's reviewer described the pedal as moving "from musical to dastardly" and then adding "another black sheep to the mix, ring modulation"1.
Controls
The fuzz side is governed by filter and volume knobs, plus a toggle switch that activates the octave-up effect, which the reviewer called "brash"1. There is no onboard gain knob, and that is deliberate: Blackout designed the pedal so that backing off the gain is done by riding the guitar's volume knob1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Filter | Shapes the fuzz tone |
| Volume | Sets the fuzz output level |
| Toggle switch | Activates the octave-up effect on the fuzz side |
How it sounds
Most popular octave fuzz pedals, the reviewer noted, tend toward a thick and syrupy tone. The Crystal Dagger instead comes across as very clean and tight, with smooth lows and mids and a high end that is not too piercing1. On the modulation side, the reviewer highlighted its "tremendous range of pulsating phase and ring modulation"1.
Videos
Brett Kingman
Prymaxe
gearmanndude
Sources (1)
- Blackout Effectors Crystal Dagger Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2012-09-05
