The Goblin is a hand-built pedal from Humanoid Pedals that combines elements of preamp, overdrive, fuzz and distortion into one effect. Pedal of the Day describes its tone as "intense yet smooth and full-bodied fuzz tone", built around two high gain silicon transistors, and notes that it is proudly handmade in Raleigh, North Carolina1. For players weighing it against single-purpose fuzz pedals or distortion pedals, the pitch is one box that covers several gain roles.
Controls
The pedal features three control knobs: Drive, Fuzz and output Volume2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Refines the fuzz tone by augmenting or diminishing the circuit's natural chubbiness and density. Wide open gives maximum bass and gain response; decreasing it adds clarity, preserves natural pick attack and picking dynamics, and helps the pedal interact with higher output pickups.1 |
| Fuzz | Sets the intensity. The more intense tones sit in the last quarter of the knob's rotation; settings at noon and below are useful with an overdriven valve amplifier, and low gain settings give classic '60s/70s transistor distortion tones.1 |
| Volume | Output level.2 |
On bass guitar
Pedal of the Day's reviewer found that "The Goblin sounds amazing on bass guitar too!", with the low gain settings giving classic '60s/70s transistor distortion tones on bass1. Players looking at gain options for bass may also want to compare it with dedicated bass pedals and preamp pedals.
MIDI control
Beyond its stand-alone use, the Goblin appears in Oscillator Devices' MIDI ecosystem. The maker's product page lists effect monitoring for reliable status (on/off) as a feature3, and the companion Imp & Goblin MIDI page lists the ability to take control over potentiometers of digital pedals4. For players running MIDI pedals or switching pedals in a larger rig, that means the Goblin can report its on/off state and have its parameters adjusted remotely rather than only by hand.
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Sources (4)
- Humanoid Pedals The Goblin Preamp Overdrive Fuzz Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2023-10-13
- Humanoid Pedals Introduces Goblin Fuzz Guitar Effects Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2023-01-02
- Goblin - MIDI Mod - Oscillator Devices, Oscillator Devices, 2025-10-24
- Imp & Goblin, Oscillator Devices, 2025-06-27