Laney The Monolith is a distortion pedal from Laney, released under the company's Black Country Customs pedal brand. MusicRadar's report on the launch described it as "an out 'n' out overdrive, with three modes," and said Laney claims it will offer sounds ranging from jangle to big, classic rock tones1. The pedal is designed to be responsive, even at lower gain levels1. It appeared alongside two siblings: the SteelPark Boost/Overdrive and the Secret Path Reverb1.
What it does
The Monolith sits in the overdrive-and-distortion territory covered on the site's Overdrive Pedals and Distortion Pedals pages. Its three modes are the core of the design: rather than a single gain voicing, the pedal switches between them to cover a range from clean-ish jangle up to big, classic rock tones, in Laney's own description1.
One design point Laney emphasised at launch is touch response. As MusicRadar put it, "The pedal is designed to be responsive, even at lower gain levels." That matters for players who run a drive pedal into a slightly pushed amp and want picking dynamics to come through, rather than a compressed wall of gain1.
"An out 'n' out overdrive, with three modes"
Laney describes The Monolith as an out 'n' out overdrive with three modes, and the firm says it will offer sounds ranging from jangle to big, classic rock tones1.
Where it came from
The Monolith was one of the first three pedals Laney released under Black Country Customs. The launch report grouped it with the SteelPark Boost/Overdrive and the Secret Path Reverb as the opening releases of that line1. For more on the maker, see the Laney brand page.
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Questions
What is the Laney The Monolith?
The Monolith is a distortion pedal made by Laney under its Black Country Customs pedal brand. MusicRadar's NAMM 2019 report describes it as an out 'n' out overdrive with three modes, offering sounds ranging from jangle to big, classic rock tones. It was launched alongside the SteelPark Boost/Overdrive and Secret Path Reverb.
When did the Laney The Monolith come out?
Laney debuted The Monolith at NAMM 2019. MusicRadar reported the launch on 24 January 2019, when the company introduced its new premium pedal brand Black Country Customs with three pedals: the SteelPark Boost/Overdrive, The Monolith Distortion and the Secret Path Reverb.
