The Seaside Monster Distortion is a distortion pedal from The Vilan Family, a small pedal company, that covers far more ground than its name suggests. Pedal of the Day's reviewer described it as "a take on a distortion pedal, but it's actually much more than that": a single pedal holding a clean boost, a warm overdrive and a heavy distortion, with a huge gain range between them1.
One knob from boost to heavy distortion
The Gain knob is the heart of the pedal. Turned down with the Volume up, it works as a clean boost; around noon it produces a warm overdrive; and from 3:00 upward it delivers full distortion. The reviewer's summary of the sweep1:
"Crank it up to 3:00 and beyond, and a lovely distortion appears, as if from out of nowhere, with crisp lead tones and powerful but not piercing highs."
| Gain setting | What the pedal does |
|---|---|
| Turned down, Volume up | Clean boost1 |
| About noon | Warm overdrive1 |
| 3:00 and beyond | Distortion with crisp lead tones and powerful but not piercing highs1 |
For players weighing it against a dedicated boost or overdrive, the Seaside Monster's pitch is that those roles sit on one knob rather than one pedal each1.
Controls
The layout is simple, three knobs1:
- Volume: overall output level1
- Timbre (Tone): ranges from a deep, bass-y low end to a sparkling treble-boosted tone, with what the reviewer called good range1
- Gain: the key control, setting where the pedal sits between boost, overdrive and distortion1
Build and reviewer's verdict
The enclosure is cast silumin, and each pedal is hand-painted1. Pedal of the Day reviewed a unit sent to them by the maker in March 20151.
The reviewer's overall verdict: "This is a really balanced pedal, capable of many sounds and textures."1
Videos
The Vilan Family
Questions
Can the Seaside Monster be used as a clean boost?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's reviewer found that with the Gain turned down and the Volume turned up, the pedal works as a clean boost. That is one end of a range that also takes in warm overdrive around noon on the Gain knob and full distortion from 3:00 upward, so a player can use it as a boost and a drive in the same pedal.
What does the Timbre knob do on the Seaside Monster?
Timbre is the pedal's tone control. The Pedal of the Day review describes a good range, from a deep, bass-y low end at one extreme to a sparkling treble-boosted tone at the other, letting a player shape where the distortion sits before it reaches the amp.
What is the Seaside Monster enclosure made of?
The pedal is housed in a cast silumin enclosure, and each one is hand-painted. Silumin is an aluminium-silicon casting alloy, so the box is metal rather than plastic, with a finish applied by hand rather than a printed decal.
Where on the Gain knob does the Seaside Monster start to distort?
According to the Pedal of the Day review, a warm overdrive creeps in at about noon on the Gain knob. Cranked to 3:00 and beyond, the pedal produces what the reviewer called a lovely distortion, with crisp lead tones and powerful but not piercing highs.
Sources (1)
- The Vilan Family Seaside Monster Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2015-03-12