The new core range by Nu-X has offered a no-nonsense approach to the staple set of effects that many guitarists look for when setting up a pedal board.
Well, I am sure you have heard it said by a few people already, but 2023 is now certainly established itself as the year of the effects pedal. And, what’s not to love about more effects pedals?
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Most guitarists out there will agree that they are still one overdrive pedal short of having the right amount, no matter how many they already have. So, it was great to see an extensive and healthy offering of new and updated effects pedals from NU-X being displayed at NAMM this year. With these models arriving in Australia now, they represent some great value additions to your pedal boards, or the floor next to them, when you inevitably run out of space.
Improving Your Core
The new core range by Nu-X has offered a no-nonsense approach to the staple set of effects that many guitarists look for when setting up a pedal board. Well, many of these have been updated with little tweaks that make for better integration with pedal switching systems and synchronising effects. With many of the popular models recently discontinued, of course it was suggesting a replacement was on the way, and the Mk II versions are just that. We’ve seen the Time Core Deluxe, Loop Core, Mod Core and Metal Core all get a makeover. And yes, you’re all keen on that Metal Core Mk II, I know. Let’s just say, this new model features the sound of three high gain dream amps in one little box, with Boogie, Friedman and Diezel tones on offer. Plus, there’s an IR output for routing your signal to a full range speaker, rather than a guitar amplifier. That should get some heads turning.
But it’s not all about gain. Modulation is key too. So, the new Mod Core Mk II is one to keep an eye out for with Boss, MXR and TC mod effect emulations crammed into this one little box. I have always been a fan of the MXR myself, with that lush, organic shifting of tone that it offers, and the NUX does it justice, that’s for sure. Add a Smart Tempo control and a host of routing options that you’d not normally expect in a such a compact housing, and this is a pretty neat little modulation pedal.
Of course, the one this that was always missing from the previous Core range was a reverb pedal, and every pedal board needs at least one reverb pedal. So, NUX have added the Verb Core as a new model to the line-up this year, to satisfy everyone’s need for a little more space in their sound.
Bringing back the Past
On top of the Core range, NUX have new models in the Reissue Series that will get a few ears pricked up. The one that got me really excited was the ‘6ixty5ive Overdrive. It’s a bit of a struggle to type out the product name, as the combination of letters and numbers is like a custom license plate, but it reads easily enough in practice, and looks pretty cool with the retro font used on the unbelievably brown casing. You don’t need to be a vintage guitar amp guru to guess what this pedal sounds like, the name just about spells it out. What you get is a beautifully glassy tone that is very reminiscent of the black panel Fender amps of the 1960s. To go so far as to say it is merely a standalone ’65 reissue is not the full story though, as it doesn’t embody any one amp exactly, but brings out the characteristics of an era of amplification tone in one compact pedal housing.
In terms of layout, the ‘6ixty5ive Overdrive is a clean, simple affair, as it doesn’t need to be overly complicated. You get a Level and Gain control, as well as a Bass and Treble control which provide plenty of scope for tonal experimentation. There are plenty of useable overdrive sounds in there which can all be dialled in by ear, with relative ease. It’s not a hi-gain machine, by any stretch of the imagination, but moreso, a crisp drive that sounds like a vintage amp being pushed gently. You can use it with your clean channel to bring life to your amplifier or lay it over an existing drive channel for a little extra kick. And it works as a nice clean boost too, if you carefully dial back the drive and find the right amount of low end to suit your amplifier. This is definitely one for those of use who still don’t have enough overdrive pedals. It’s the kind of pedal that you don’t often notice when it is engaged, but you certainly hear the lacking when you turn it off.
It is often said that no two guitar pedals are the same and with so many options out there (and with such limited pedalboard space to work with), the need for increasingly more versatile pedals is becoming greater and greater. Where the new Nu-X Core series and 6ixty5ive Overdrive get it so right is in their ability to cram so much tonal variation into such a small enclosure-thus doing the heavy lifting of multiple pedals in one. Faithful emulations of your favourite iconic stompboxes and amps are all there along with enough tweakability and interactivity between the controls to take you into uncharted territory, should you be looking to expand your artistic palette (and we all should be.)
For more information about the awesome new Nu-X pedal range, head to their website or contact your local Nu-X dealer today.
