Redbeard Angry Rhubarb

The Redbeard Angry Rhubarb, sold in full as the Angry Rhubarb Paradynamic Overdrive MKII, is an analog overdrive pedal from UK maker Redbeard Effects. What makes it unusual is its layout: instead of one drive stage with a tone control, it puts an EQ section between two independent overdrive circuits, a low-to-medium drive in front and a gainier drive behind it¹². Redbeard describes the design as taking "a surgical approach to sculpting your tone" as the parametric EQ reacts with both drives either side of it³.

Guitar.com's reviewer summed up the idea by comparing it to an amplifier: "Basically it's the 'preamp > tonestack > power amp' journey of a valve amplifier."⁴

Two overdrives with an EQ between them

Most overdrive pedals run one clipping stage and then shape the result with a passive tone knob. The Angry Rhubarb splits the gain into two stages and puts the tone shaping in the middle, so the EQ cuts or boosts frequencies before the second drive stage adds more saturation on top¹².

The signal path works like this:

1. Pre Drive: a low to medium overdrive circuit placed in front of the EQ, delivering increasing grit and break-up that is then shaped by the EQ¹⁴
2. EQ section: the paradynamic tone circuit, controlled by two hot pink knobs, Freq and Freq Gain⁵
3. Post Drive: a second drive behind the EQ, described by MusicRadar as "medium-to-more" and by Guitar World as a gainier stage with a slightly brighter voicing⁵¹

Guitar Pedal X's reviewer read the two drives differently in character: Pre Drive sets the base grit, while "Post Drive is more of a Gain refinement knob where you can progressively add more saturation."⁶

Because the two drives are independent, the pedal can act as a light overdrive into a boost, a boost into a heavier drive, or both at once. Guitar World's reviewer called it "a stackable overdrive that can do the job of two drive boxes in one, with powerful tone-shaping capabilities."¹

The controls

The control surface holds five knobs and a bypass footswitch⁵:

MusicRadar's review also notes a high-gain mode that "takes things even further and works very well with the clipping toggle."⁵

The enclosure is a folded metal compact box in fruity magenta with top-mounted jacks and a matt black control surface, in the house style Redbeard had already established⁴. At 126 x 70 x 60mm it is a standard compact-pedal footprint⁴.

What paradynamic means

The word paradynamic is Redbeard's own, and it matters because the EQ is not a full parametric EQ. Guitar.com explains it as "its frequency-shiftable tone circuit (it's not fully parametric because the bandwidth is fixed)."⁴

In practice that means:

• You choose the center frequency with the Freq knob, anywhere from 80Hz to 4kHz⁴⁶
• You then cut or boost up to 6dB at that frequency with Freq Gain⁴
• The bandwidth of the boost or cut is fixed, so you cannot widen or narrow it as you could on a fully parametric EQ⁴

Guitar Pedal X lists the tone stack as a single-band parametric design, 80Hz to 4kHz, plus or minus 6dB⁶. Because the EQ sits between the two drives, a boost at a chosen frequency also feeds the Post Drive stage, which is what gives the pedal its interactive, stacked character³¹.

History and the MKII name

Redbeard Effects is a UK company associated with Mikey Demus, guitarist of Skindred, and circuit designer Adrian Thorpe, also known as Thorpy. Gearnews reported at launch that "Adrian Thorpe has to be one of the world's top circuit designers for stompboxes," and that each pedal is hand-built in the UK⁷. The Angry Rhubarb, introduced in June 2021, was the company's third pedal, completing what Guitar Pedal X called the Redbeard gain pedal Trifecta of overdrive, distortion and fuzz⁷⁶.

What reviewers said

Published reviews were strongly positive:

• The June 2021 review describes the pedal's tone circuit as frequency-shiftable rather than fully parametric, "it's not fully parametric because the bandwidth is fixed"⁴
• On the EQ stage, the same review notes "up to 6dB of cut or boost centred on the frequency of your choice"⁴
• Of the circuit as a whole, it explains: "Basically it's the 'preamp > tonestack > power amp' journey of a valve amplifier."⁴
• The review also confirms the naming: "no, there isn't an Angry Rhubarb MkI"⁴

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