The Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick Jr is a compact multi-effects pedal that combines the three most widely used time-based effects in one box: reverb, delay and modulation. Crazy Tube Circuits says its goal was "to create a compact pedal that would combine the most widely used time-based effects", with modulation algorithms inspired by classic 80s stompboxes, aimed at 80s tones and beyond, from New Wave, Shoegaze and Synth Pop to Hair and Glam Metal1.
It is a shrunken version of the 2019 Sidekick, a pedal Delicious Audio noted was popular among shoegazers, and it actually carries more algorithm selections than the senior unit12. The original Sidekick is now discontinued, with the maker listing it as old stock and sold out3.
Delay, reverb and 80s-style modulation in one compact pedal
The Sidekick Jr packs three effect sections into a box more than 50% smaller than the original Sidekick2. The delay and reverb sections work independently of each other, and the modulation effect can be assigned to one of these sections7.
The delay section grew from one algorithm on the original Sidekick to two, combining tape echo options with digital delay inspired by 80s digital rack units8. The reverb algorithms doubled from the original: Bank A holds plate, spring and hall, while the second bank carries the more overtly 80s-inspired modes, including an exciter described as a huge hall algorithm with almost infinite reflections and decay, plus an octave-up shimmer8. The modulation algorithms moved from two on the original to three, inspired by Boss's 80s benchmark effects8.
MusicRadar notes the design is not simply digital: the effects are digital but the buffering, mixing and filtering is analog4.
The controls
The pedal has two footswitches, one fewer than the original Sidekick's three9. MusicRadar lists the reverb side's controls as a Mix knob, a mode mini toggle, an Excite control, a Bank A/B switch and a Reverb + Mod footswitch4.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Reverb Mix | Sets the reverb level4 |
| Mode mini toggle | Selects the reverb mode4 |
| Excite | Tweaks radically different parameters depending on the reverb mode selected9 |
| Bank A/B switch | Accesses the second bank of reverb modes9 |
| Reverb + Mod footswitch | Engages the reverb, with modulation assigned when so configured4 |
On the reverb side, three modes are what Guitar.com's reviewer called standard fare: spring, plate and hall. The other three, accessed by hitting the bank button, are gated, shimmer and excite, which he found "certainly not standard"9.
The modulation section offers chorus and flanger sounds that Guitar.com described as "sensible crowd-pleasing emulations of a classic Boss CE-1, a DC-2 Dimension Chorus", plus a flanger "inspired by a classic flanger pedal being set up as a slow chorus with mild feedback"9. MusicRadar similarly notes the chorus mode is inspired by the bucket brigade Boss Chorus Ensemble, alongside the Dimension C enhancer4. The maker's own description of the Ensemble algorithm says it resembles warm and mild modulated chorus sounds1. The delay side offers digital and tape modes9.
How it differs from the original Sidekick
The Jr is more than 50% smaller than the 2019 Sidekick2, and Guitar.com's video review put it as squeezing the original concept "into an even smaller enclosure"10. Despite the smaller box, it boasts almost twice as many algorithms as the original2.
The trade-offs: the footswitch count drops from three to two9, and the speaker sim DI and headphone output from the larger Sidekick were jettisoned8. There is no stereo in and out, which MusicRadar flagged as a limitation4.
The original Sidekick is discontinued; the maker's store lists it as old stock and sold out3.
The XT footswitch
The XT Switch is an optional additional footswitch8. With it, the modulation section becomes totally independent and can be switched on and off in true bypass on its own12. Without it, a small toggle chooses which of the two switched sounds, reverb or delay, the modulation is paired with, and the modulation cannot be bypassed altogether9.
Guitar.com's reviewer counted this among the pedal's minuses, feeling it "incomplete without the optional footswitch"9.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's review praised the pedal as really easy to use, noted its compact size as a plus, and found "some seriously inspirational reverb and mod sounds"9. On the standard reverb modes he wrote:
"these sounds are impressively authentic and convincing, offering near-studio levels of fidelity and organic character"9
Josh Gardner, Guitar.com9
His criticisms were the delay's "fairly underwhelming digital and tape modes" and the incompleteness without the optional footswitch9.
MusicRadar's overall verdict:
"A really enjoyable pedal that makes a lot of sense in use. It's packed with quality sounds, especially on the reverb and modulation"4
MusicRadar4
The pedal is aimed at guitar, bass and synth players8, and it appeared in That Pedal Show's compressor episode on 22 March 202411.
Videos
Pete Thorn
AndyDemos
TheGuitarGeek
News
Questions
Is the Sidekick Jr stereo?
No. MusicRadar's review lists no stereo in and out among its limitations, so the pedal runs mono only. It has a single input, a single output and a separate XT input for the optional footswitch. Players who need stereo delay or reverb spreads will have to look elsewhere.
What does the Sidekick Jr XT footswitch do?
The XT footswitch, sold separately, makes the modulation section totally independent, so it can be switched on and off in true bypass on its own rather than being tied to the delay or reverb. Without it, the modulation is assigned to either the Reverb or Delay footswitch. Guitar.com's reviewer felt the pedal was incomplete without it.
Can you bypass the modulation on the Sidekick Jr?
Not on its own without the optional XT footswitch. By default a small toggle selects whether the modulation is paired with the reverb or the delay, and it cannot be bypassed altogether. With the XT footswitch the modulation section becomes independent and can be switched on and off in true bypass.
Does the Sidekick Jr have a headphone output?
No. The speaker sim DI and headphone output that were on the larger 2019 Sidekick were dropped for the Jr. It is a straight mono pedal with input, output and the XT footswitch input, aimed at players putting it on a pedalboard rather than using it as a standalone practice unit.
Where is the Sidekick Jr made?
In Greece. Crazy Tube Circuits is a Greek effects maker, and MusicRadar's review lists the Sidekick Jr's origin as Greece. The original Sidekick, released in 2019, came from the same workshop before being discontinued.
Sources (11)
- Sidekick-Jr, Crazy Tube Circuits
- Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick Jr., Delicious Audio, 2024-08-21
- Sidekick (discontinued, Crazy Tube Circuits
- Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick Jr modulation, delay and reverb pedal review, MusicRadar, 2024-01-10
- Sidekick JR, Crazy Tube Circuits
- Sidekick JR by Crazy Tube Circuits, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick JR: Modulation, Delay & Reverb, gearnews.com, 2023-09-20
- Crazy Tube Circuits wants to take you back to the '80s again with its new Sidekick Jr modulation, delay and reverb combo pedal, MusicRadar, 2023-09-19
- Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick Jr review, Guitar.com, 2024-09-02
- 60 Seconds S1E7: Crazy Tube Circuits Sidekick Jr, Guitar.com, 2023-10-17
- Beyond The MXR Dyna Comp & Boss CS-3 Compressor J Rockett Airchild, UA LA-2A, 1176 & Origin Cali76, That Pedal Show, 2024-03-22
