The Comfortably Plum is a two-circuit pedal from Yorkshire's Green Carrot Pedals that puts a Ram's Head-style Big Muff fuzz and a Colorsound Power Boost-style drive in one enclosure, each channel with its own footswitch. MusicRadar calls it "a clever two-circuit pedal", and the pairing is aimed squarely at players chasing David Gilmour's tones: MusicRadar notes that "a trick Gilmour particularly enjoys is using the Power Boost to enhance the Muff's sustain and presence", which the two channels make possible in a single box1.
Two circuits in one box
Guitar World's Trevor Curwen sums up the layout: "So we have a Ram's Head Muff-style channel followed by one based on a Colorsound Power Boost". Because the channels are independently switched, you can run the fuzz alone, the boost alone, or the boost into the fuzz. MusicRadar reports that Gilmour "particularly enjoys using the Power Boost to enhance the Muff's sustain and presence, as the pedal's inspiration did"12.
The Power Boost side is flexible in its own right. Guitar World describes it as a channel where "you can dial in anything from a clean boost through natural drive that gets all fuzz-like at the extreme of its Drive knob", which stretches the pedal's usefulness beyond straight fuzz into boost and overdrive territory2.
Controls
| Channel | Controls |
|---|---|
| Muff (left-hand side) | Volume, Sustain, Tone, midrange Shape switch, bypass footswitch12 |
| Power Boost | Treble, Bass, Drive, Volume, bypass footswitch12 |
The Shape switch is the Muff channel's extra trick. Guitar World describes "a toggle switch supplementing the three knobs to add a midrange boost (4dB or 10dB) to the classic Muff scooped sound", while MusicRadar says it "lets you boost the midrange (4dB or 10dB depending on where you set the tone) or alternatively scoop the mids". Either way, it addresses the classic Big Muff complaint of a midrange dip that can bury a guitar in a band mix12.
On the Power Boost side, MusicRadar describes the Drive control's range: "you can run this as a gentle clean boost, dialling in some hair as you go, right on through to some fuzzy crunch as the drive control is maxed out"1.
What reviewers found
Guitar World's Trevor Curwen found the Muff channel faithful to its model: "The Muff circuit here sounds typically Ram's Head-like with the smooth sustain and string clarity that it's noted for"2. His overall verdict: "The Comfortably Plum is a profoundly versatile solution for all your dirt, drive and fuzz needs, and a nigh-on pedalboard essential for Gilmour super-fans"2.
That Pedal Show demoed the pedal on YouTube in November 2019. Mick and Daniel described the left-hand side as a Color Driver circuit and noted "a couple of level options on the switch" on the Rams Head Big Muff side. They found the very lowest gain settings of the Rams Head sound not really achievable, with the gain control going from zero to 12 o'clock, but judged the pedal very sweet with a Strat. Of the two channels combined, they said: "we can keep listening to that all day because it's totally magic", and expected the pedal to sell extremely well3.
Power and practicalities
The pedal runs on a 9V DC adaptor drawing 30mA, and no adaptor is supplied, so you will need your own supply or a spare output on a pedalboard power brick. It is true bypass, with a standard input and output, and measures 130 x 97 x 53mm2.
Videos
Green Carrot Pedals
gilmourish
EytschPi42
Questions
Is the Green Carrot Comfortably Plum true bypass?
Yes. Guitar World's review lists the pedal as true bypass, and MusicRadar's review confirms the same. That means when either channel is switched off, your guitar's signal passes through the pedal without any of its circuitry loading it, which matters if you run long cable runs or a pedalboard with many effects in front of your amp.
What does the midrange switch on the Comfortably Plum do?
On the Muff channel, alongside the Volume, Sustain and Tone knobs, there is a Shape toggle switch. Guitar World describes it as adding a midrange boost of 4dB or 10dB to the classic Muff scooped sound, depending on where you set the Tone. MusicRadar notes it can alternatively scoop the mids further, giving you a choice of voicings beyond the standard Big Muff curve.
Does the Comfortably Plum come with a power supply?
No. Guitar World's review lists the power requirement as a 9V DC adaptor, not supplied, drawing 30mA. You will need to provide your own centre-negative 9V supply or a spare output on your pedalboard power brick rated for at least 30mA.
Can the two channels be switched independently?
Yes. Guitar World describes the Comfortably Plum as featuring two classic, independently switched circuits in one pedal, so the Muff-style fuzz and the Power Boost-style drive each have their own bypass footswitch and can be used separately or stacked.
Sources (3)
- Green Carrot Comfortably Plum review, MusicRadar, 2020-04-02
- Green Carrot Pedals Comfortably Plum review, Guitar World, 2020-05-14
- Boss MD-200, Stone Deaf PDF-1X, GCP Comfortably Plum, TC Flashback II x4, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2019-11-05
