The GUP Tech Angel Chiou is a two-in-one pedal that puts a boost and an overdrive in a single enclosure. The right side is the company's classic Le Chiou boost, with what the maker calls infinite volume and a 3-band EQ for tone shaping. The left side is an overdrive based on the old Marshall Blues Breaker, the same circuit basis as GUP Tech's Angel Honker. Put together, the maker describes the result as "a total volume-Overdrive beast !"1
A boost and overdrive in one box
The Angel Chiou belongs to a family of double-duty pedals from GUP Tech, a young, family-operated Quebecois company launched in the late '10s, according to Paolo De Gregorio at Delicious Audio.2 The company also builds the Mad Chiou, another double boost and EQ design in the same spirit.2
The two sides of the Angel Chiou can be used separately or stacked, and an order switch lets you choose which circuit feeds the other. GUP Tech notes that "The boost has a lot of tone shaping ability and the order switch furthers the versatility."1 That matters in practice because a boost driving an overdrive pushes the overdrive harder than the reverse order, so the switch changes how the two circuits interact, not just their sequence.
| Side | Circuit | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Right | Le Chiou boost | Infinite volume with 3-band EQ control1 |
| Left | Angel Honker style overdrive | GUP Tech's take on the old Marshall Blues Breaker1 |
Where it comes from
GUP Tech builds all of its pedals in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada, and the Angel Chiou is no exception.1 The company also offers pickup at its shop at 6182 Boulevard Talbot, Saguenay, usually ready within 24 hours.1
The name Le Chiou has a family story behind it: it is a mix between a dog (chien in French) and a bear (ours in French), giving "Chi-Ou", the name of a plush belonging to the designer's 8-year-old boy.3
The Angel Chiou is listed in British pounds, at £120.00 GBP on the maker's page.1
Related pedals
The Angel Chiou sits in a wider GUP Tech range of boost and overdrive designs. The Angel Honker, whose circuit the Chiou's overdrive side shares, is described by the maker as based on the BluesBreaker "with a little bit more Volume (thanks to the morning glory mod)" on the Angel Reaper page.4 Players looking at single-purpose alternatives can compare the Le Chiou EQ-Boost - Douche Edition or browse the wider boost and overdrive categories.
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Questions
What is the GUP Tech Angel Chiou based on?
The overdrive side is GUP Tech's take on the old Marshall Blues Breaker circuit, the same basis as the company's Angel Honker. The other side is the company's own Le Chiou boost, which offers infinite volume control with a 3-band EQ. Together the two sides make what the maker calls a total volume-overdrive beast.
What does the order switch do on the Angel Chiou?
The Angel Chiou holds two circuits in one box, a boost and an overdrive, and the order switch lets you choose which one sits first in the signal path. Running the boost into the overdrive or the overdrive into the boost gives different results, and GUP Tech says the switch furthers the pedal's versatility.
What colors does the Angel Chiou come in?
On the maker's product page the Angel Chiou is listed in three colors: Magenta, Purple and Black.
How is the Angel Chiou related to the Le Chiou and Angel Honker?
The Angel Chiou is essentially those two pedals combined in one enclosure. The right side is the classic Le Chiou boost with infinite volume and 3-band EQ, and the left side is the Angel Honker style overdrive, GUP Tech's take on the Marshall Blues Breaker.
Where is the Angel Chiou made?
GUP Tech builds all of its pedals in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada. The company also offers local pickup of the Angel Chiou at its shop at 6182 Boulevard Talbot in Saguenay, usually ready within 24 hours.
Sources (4)
- Angel Chiou Boost-Overdrive, GUP Tech (guptech.ca)
- GUP Tech Mad Chiou Double Boost + EQ, Delicious Audio, 2022-08-02
- Le Chiou, GUPtech (guptech.ca)
- Angel Reaper, GUPtech
