The MayFly Le Canard is an envelope filter pedal: it opens and closes a filter in response to how hard you pick, producing the quacking, vowel-shaped tones players use for funk, clav-style parts and dynamic single-note playing. MayFly's pitch for it is speed. The company describes a "super fast responding envelope follower" and says the pedal is "much faster and more expressive than your typical auto-wah pedal," reacting to the right hand almost instantly1.
Controls and bypass
The Le Canard keeps its control set simple. The single knob is a Range control, which MayFly says lets you "dial in the character of the filter," shifting how the effect sits in the spectrum and how it responds to your attack1.
Bypass is handled with relays rather than a simple switching circuit, and the pedal includes Fail Safe: if the pedal loses power, it automatically switches to bypass, so your signal keeps reaching the amp instead of cutting out1.
Fail Safe matters on a shared pedalboard supply. If a daisy chain or power brick drops a rail mid-set, the Le Canard drops to bypass on its own rather than silencing your signal1.
Build and price
The pedal is housed in a cast aluminum enclosure with what MayFly calls "groovy artwork," and the company states that all MayFly pedals are hand-made in Canada1. The announced MSRP is $149 USD, listed alongside $199 CAD1.
How it compares to an auto-wah
An auto-wah sweeps a filter on its own timing or from a fixed pattern, while an envelope filter ties the sweep to your picking dynamics. MayFly frames the Le Canard squarely on the dynamic side of that split, describing "incredibly quick response to your right hand" as the reason the pedal is, in its words, "a joy to play"1. For players who want the sweep to follow their fingers rather than a clock, that is the distinction the pedal is built around.
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Questions
Is the MayFly Le Canard true bypass?
Yes. MayFly describes the Le Canard as using full bypass with relays, and the pedal includes Fail Safe, which automatically switches to bypass if the pedal loses power. That means your signal keeps passing through even if the supply dies mid-set.
What does Fail Safe mean on the Le Canard?
Fail Safe is MayFly's name for the pedal's behavior when power is cut: the relay bypass automatically switches to bypass, so your guitar signal continues to your amp instead of being silenced. It is a practical safeguard for live playing and pedalboards with shared power supplies.
How much does the MayFly Le Canard cost?
The Le Canard carries an MSRP of $149 USD, which MayFly also lists as $199 CAD. That price was announced with the pedal in December 2022.
Where is the MayFly Le Canard made?
MayFly says all of its pedals, including the Le Canard, are hand-made in Canada. The pedal sits in a cast aluminum enclosure with the company's artwork on it.
How is an envelope filter different from an auto-wah?
Both move a filter automatically, but an envelope filter drives the filter from the dynamics of your playing, so picking harder opens it further. MayFly positions the Le Canard as much faster and more expressive than a typical auto-wah pedal because of how quickly it responds to the right hand.
Sources (1)
- MayFly Introduces the Le Canard Envelope Filter, Premier Guitar, 2022-12-07