The VFE Merman is a transparent overdrive pedal from VFE Pedals, covered by Guitar Pedal X in its 2019 survey of Klon and Klon-style overdrives. The pedal is discontinued, and second-hand examples were listed at around £250 on Reverb.com as of July 20191.
What it does
The Merman is built around an extended control set. Where a typical overdrive offers drive, tone and level, Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described the Merman as having six: "The Merman's 6 controls are Drive, Treble and Level, and then Compression, Warmth and Bottom End."1
That gives a player the usual gain and output shaping in Drive, Treble and Level, with three further controls for compression, warmth and bottom end, so the low end and the character of the gain can be adjusted rather than fixed. Guitar Pedal X placed it among Klon-style pedals, a family of overdrives known for keeping the core of the guitar's tone intact while adding gain; for context on the wider category, see Overdrive Pedals and the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison1.
The Merman is discontinued. It turns up second-hand, with a typical second-hand price of around £250 on Reverb.com1.
Videos
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Questions
Is the VFE Merman still in production?
No. Guitar Pedal X listed the Merman as discontinued in July 2019, so the only way to find one now is the second-hand market, where it has been priced at around £250 on Reverb. VFE Pedals itself has announced it will close down at the end of 2026, though the builder says repair service will continue indefinitely.
What controls does the VFE Merman have?
The Merman carries six controls: Drive, Treble and Level, which are the usual overdrive set, plus Compression, Warmth and Bottom End. That extended set is what Guitar Pedal X highlighted when it covered the pedal among Klon-style overdrives.
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2019-07-23
