The '41 Willys is a distortion pedal built into a model of a hot rod car, made by EJC Custom Pedals and Guitarworks and designed by Eric Clarke. Guitar World's reviewer Ron Zabrocki summed it up plainly: "How about a distortion box built into a hot rod?"1
Controls and the three-position voicing switch
The pedal carries three knobs. Reviewing it for Guitar World in June 2014, Ron Zabrocki said, "The pedal has volume, tone and drive knobs. They all work clean and even."1
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the pedal's output level |
| Tone | Shapes the treble character |
| Drive | Sets the amount of distortion |
| Voicing switch (three positions) | Selects different clipping settings to voice the distortion type1 |
The voicing switch is the pedal's distinguishing control. "The voicing switch gives different clipping settings to voice your distortion type to your liking," Zabrocki said. Each position works differently1:
- Up or front position: asymmetrical clipping, "or what you might consider a modern distortion"1
- Middle position: "produces a tighter bottom and bumped mid-range"1
- Rear position: symmetrical clipping, "more of a vintage voicing"1
The lights
The car body is not just decoration. The engine lights up on either side when the pedal is engaged, along with the headlights. The voicing switch position also drives the dynamic lighting: with the switch in the front position, "the blower lights up in direct intensity to your playing," and with the switch in the back position, "the rear tail lights come on and off in direct intensity to your playing!"1
What reviewers said
Zabrocki's review for Guitar World, published on 17 June 2014, was favorable on tone and on how the pedal behaves under the fingers. He described its character as "boutique, mature quality," and said the pedal "does not alter the tone that you begin with on your amp," instead turning "a clean sound into any variable of a great tube amp," which he called articulate, solid and warm.1
"The way it handles dynamics when I adjust my volume knob makes it a joy to use in the studio. It will be a secret weapon"
In other words, a player who rolls the guitar's volume knob down gets a cleanup in response, even, Zabrocki wrote, "on the most radical settings," which he found suited musical studio use.1
Videos
EJCcustoms
Ron Zabrocki
Questions
What does the voicing switch do on the '41 Willys distortion pedal?
The three-position voicing switch gives different clipping settings to voice the distortion to your liking. The up or front position gives asymmetrical clipping, described as a modern distortion. The middle position produces a tighter bottom and bumped mid-range. The rear position gives symmetrical clipping, described as a more vintage voicing, and in that position the rear tail lights come on and off in direct intensity to your playing.
Who designed the EJC '41 Willys distortion pedal?
The pedal was designed by Eric Clarke, the designer at EJC Custom Pedals and Guitarworks. Guitar World's reviewer Ron Zabrocki described the pedal as a distortion box built into a hot rod, and praised its boutique, mature quality and the way it handles dynamics when adjusting the guitar's volume knob.
Do the lights on the '41 Willys react to playing dynamics?
Yes. When the pedal is engaged, the engine lights up on either side along with the headlights. With the three-position voicing switch in the front position, the blower lights up in direct intensity to your playing, and with the switch in the back position, the rear tail lights come on and off in direct intensity to your playing.
Does the '41 Willys pedal change the tone of my amp?
According to Guitar World's reviewer Ron Zabrocki, the pedal does not alter the tone that you begin with on your amp. He described it as turning a clean sound into any variable of a great tube amp, with an articulate, solid, warm character, and noted that it cleans up nicely when lowering the volume knob even on the most radical settings.
Sources (1)
- Session Guitar Review: EJC Custom Pedals and Guitarworks '41 Willys Distortion Pedal -Video, Guitar World, 2014-06-17
