KEELEY BUBBLE TRON
EXPECT TO PAY: $300
DISTRIBUTED BY: Hot Apple Distribution
RECOMENDED FOR: Influenced by the sounds of Frank Zappa, this flange and phasing pedal is for guitarists interested in getting a little experimental with their effects.
SOUND/VERSATILITY:
The Flanger sound is based upon the MicMix DynaFlanger, which was used extensively by Zappa during the late 70s to create envelope-based flanging during his solos. Similarly, this flanger starts and stops based on the attack of your pick, and so will easily work with your own playing style in a musical manner. The only effect that isn’t dynamic is the filter section, through which you can control the different fluctuations of the pedal with the Shape Control. The Sensitivity Control works like a vintage bandpass filter, allowing your guitar to create some incredible synth-style sounds.
USABILITY:
This pedal encourages experimentation so you will probably want to spend a bit of time playing around to see which sounds are useful to you. The Sensitivity Control in particular gives you control of how delicately you want to play and how crazy you want the flanging effect to be.
CONSTRUCTION:
Like Keeley’s other pedals, this is a solid but compact and visual appealing metal box that is sure to be stand up to all of your gigging needs.
OVERALL:
If you are lead guitar player with an ear for experimentation and are interested in expression from within your effects board then you should definitely check this one out.
KEELEY HOOKE REVERB
EXPECT TO PAY: $275
DISTRIBUTED BY: Hot Apple Distribution
RECOMENDED FOR: Any guitarist wanting to recreate an authentic classic spring reverb sound need look no further, this has 60s rock’n’roll tone seeped into its circuits.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
The Hooke has three main options – Classic Spring, Black Face Trem-n-Verb, and the church organ-like Fugue-Verb. The spring is realistic and can be countered with the tone control, so you can adjust the two until you find the exact character of the springs and tubes in your favorite vintage reverb. The Trem-n-Verb can replicate a deep tube-like thick tremolo with vintage 60s tones, while the Fugue is an unexpected addition that could be the sound you didn’t know you were after. The options don’t stop there, however. If you open up the pedal’s back plate you will find an entire second bank of spring patches to play with, including Spring-Plate, Vibro-Spring and a Long Decay Trem-n-Verb for all you surf guitar fans out there. Ambience can then be dialed in via the tone and emulated spring tension knobs.
USABILITY
With six different options to play with and a variety of tones possible by adjusting each parameter, there are a lot of variations possible for guitarists looking to add some classic reverb to their sound. It is as obvious to use as it looks and as delightfully complex in sound as you could hope for.
CONSTRUCTION
The solid metal casing and on/off switch will be rugged enough for your gigging needs.
OVERALL
The warmth, depth and accuracy of this pedal is very impressive, definitely one for fans of classic 60s reverb.
PROTEC STONEWOOD PEDAL BOARDS
DISTRIBUTED BY: Hot Apple Distribution
EXPECT TO PAY: $220.00
RECOMMENDED FOR: Guitarists in need of a quality housing for their pedal collection.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
Your precious pedals will be well protected and easily portable with Protec’s Stonewood Pedal Boards, which come in both a large and a small size, depending on your needs. The pedals are secured internally by a hook and loop tape, which is included.
USABILITY
This is an extremely user-friendly product, and features a removable lid so you can quickly and easily plug in and start playing. The interior is filled with soft padding in order to protect the pedals themselves, and the thickly padded leather carry handle means that this will be comfortable to carry to shows.
CONSTRUCTION
Protec’s Stonewood Pedal Boards are of an extremely sturdy design, with a rugged wooden frame, heavy-duty latches and corners, back and bottom-side feet and a textured vinyl exterior.
OVERALL
A great option for keeping your pedals safe, secured and in order.
PEDALTRAIN CLASSIC PRO WITH TOUR CASE
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION
EXPECT TO PAY: $855
RECOMMENDED FOR: The pedal-enthused guitarist boasting a myriad of effects in different shapes and sizes. This is made for regular gigging and effect-laden styles.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
With traditional rail spacing separating five rails, the Classic Pro can harness numerous different sounds – there’s room for a wah pedal, multi-processor’s, multiple distortions, modulators, an EQ and tuner… the list goes on.
USABILITY
An open front design ensures power supply and switching system mounting is made easy. With 160” of Pedaltrain’s professional grade adhesive backed hook-and-loop pedal fastener and a diverse range of zip ties included with the board, securing pedals is straightforward and, most importantly, extremely effective.
CONSTRUCTION
The Classic Pro’s frame is made with aircraft grade aluminium, a dynamic material that is robust with a hard exterior, yet remains sleek and lightweight (2.72kg). It’s built to take a belting time after time without its functionality ever being compromised. The pedalbaord can be purchased with either Pedaltrain’s remodelled fitted soft case – encased with a sturdy metal zipper and reinforced pressure points – or their newly designed professional-grade tour case, weighting in at just over 11kg, approximately 35 percent lower than previous models.
OVERALL
There’s nothing worse than having a complete pedal setup without the organisation to utilise it properly. The Pedaltrain Classic Pro offers versatility and reliability to get organised – to conveniently order your pedal chain, to make changes on the go, and to be able to lug it from gig to gig with very little fuss. It should be the foundation for any guitarist using multiple pedals on a regular basis.
BLUGUITAR AMP1
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION
EXPECT TO PAY: $1499
RECOMMENDED FOR: The guitarist wanting to nail a diverse range of tones and increase their digital functionality, all without the hefty price tag of a vintage amp and/or multiple digital pedals.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
The BluGuitar AMP1 is a 100-watt guitar amplifier with a valve driven output stage that fits onto a pedalboard – it’s a pedal that effectively replaces the use of an amp. This is a forward thinking unit that still offers a sweet clean channel and interacts well with other pedals. For recording it offers notable speaker simulation output, and includes a headphone output. Overall it packs a powerful punch for its small stature.
USABILITY
With four modifiable channels, switchable and adjustable boost and reverb controls, and three integrated footswitches the AMP1 brings to the fore parameters that all guitarists will be familiar with, all the while delivering great depths of tone – from fat, meaty bass to articulate trebles. Between the multiple overdrive channels, the boost and reverb, it’s really up to you how much you get out of it – there’s a lot on offer here with simple adjustments.
CONSTRUCTION
It’s been constructed to fit in a gig bag, and with Easylock technology – Bluguitar’s magnetic attachment system – it can be securely attached to and removed from a single handle on your pedalboard or cab.
OVERALL
Some vintage enthusiasts will shy away from this technologically fresh and inventive pedal. However for those looking to try something new, the AMP1 does a tremendous job at replicating a plethora of vintage, classic and modern tones with the use of user-friendly controls.
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION
EXPECT TO PAY: $375
RECOMMENDED FOR: The Guitarist looking for a ton of power, power supply versatility and/or to combat unwanted noise and hum.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
With 12 fully isolated outputs the CS12 delivers distinct versatility and functionality. On board are five voltage options – one 18VDC output, six 9VDC outputs (four of which are switchable to 12VDC), a variable 4-9VCD output, and 9VAC output – meaning one can use numerous pedals simultaneously, while also incorporating the use of Line 6, Digitech or any other aged analogue pedals.
USABILITY
The use of switching power supply technology allows for a spatially rich inside – long gone is the big wearisome transformer – which produces unprecedented electrical isolation. This acts to tackle unwanted digital noise, each output galvanically isolated from the next, offering definite electronic separation. Accompanying this ingenuity is the use of analogue circuits, delivering advanced noise suppression. All that’s left for you to do is plug in.
CONSTRUCTION
The CS12 model is beastly in appearance, and rugged in make, housed in hardened steel. It weighs in at just over a measly kilogram, yet has been undeniably developed to stand up to the rigours of touring and regular use. It also includes brackets for mounting under Pedaltrain pedalboards – a welcomed accessory.
OVERALL
With clever, practical engineering it brings to the table a formidable level of power primed for multi-dimensional use. Not everyone is going to need its advanced capabilities, however for those working a significant and complex board, it will be the last power supply you buy.
DISTRIBUTED BY: Drumpartner/Musicpartner
EXPECT TO PAY: $199
RECOMMENDED FOR: ENGL amp owners who need to go from 0 to 100 at the flick of a switch, or two.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
While channel switches don’t have a sound of their own per se there are three main factors that typically determine the success of their design. 1) Silent switches to ensure no unwanted pops or crackles, 2) sturdy, high quality construction and 3) unbreakable durability. The ENGL Z4 definitely ticks all three boxes.
USABILITY
Built like the proverbial brick shithouse, the Z4 comes with a matched, oxygen free speaker cable that is not hard wired so that you can mount the footswitch to your board without worrying about the excess slack. Switches are perfectly distanced for easy stomp-ability and classic red LEDs are bright enough to illuminate even the darkest stage. Universal pulse signal means that you’re not limited exclusively to ENGL heads making it the perfect choice for touring guitarists.
CONSTRUCTION
Extremely heavy gauge steel chassis houses some of the smoothest, most noiseless switches around. The orbital, brushed faceplate adds a touch of finesse to the otherwise tough as nails exterior.
OVERALL
Solid as a rock and reliable as they come, the ENGL Z4 channel switch is sure to add the finishing touch to a heavy duty rig.
ERNIE BALL EXPRESSION PEDALS
DISTRIBUTED BY: CMC Music Australia
EXPECT TO PAY: $450
RECOMMENDED FOR: Guitarists who stare the burden of choice straight in the face and say, “show me what you got!!”
SOUND/VERSATILITY
Ernie Ball’s new Expression Pedal series is one of the more innovative turns pedal design has taken in the last few years. The Overdrive goes from gritty boost to searing lead with a keen eye on the creamier gain stages of classic records while the Ambient Delay sings with a crystalline atmosphere that sits somewhere between an MXR Carbon Copy and a rhythmic, vocal slap-back. Dial in as much clean blend as you want with the expression pedal component and there’s no limit to the tonal nuance you might find.
USABILITY
Longstanding leaders in the field, Ernie Ball have poured decades of expertise into creating one of the smoothest and most playable expression pedals around. On top of that these familiar, yet not overdone, effects voices stack perfectly alongside other pedals on your board.
CONSTRUCTION
Impeccably clean, buffered signal path means there is absolutely no tone suck in the clean stage, while heavy-duty aluminium casing means both are gig ready and able to handle all the battering you can throw at them. The gold and rose gold metallic coating on the Overdrive and Ambient Delay respectively look great too!
OVERALL
Another huge, innovative leap forward from a company renowned for not resting on its successes. There is just about no end to the tonal secrets contained within these sturdy and impressive looking units.
DISTRIBUTED BY: Bass Centre
EXPECT TO PAY: $379
RECOMMENDED FOR: Those looking to add some serious growl to their bass tone.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
Offering two different fuzz circuits and the ability to sweep between them the Duality is seriously versatile. Then factor in the ‘Blend’ control and you can keep your sound predominantly clean with most of your straight up bass tone or ramp it up to total pedal sounds. With the ‘Duality’ dial set at minimum it’s a gated saw-tooth wave type fuzz whilst increasing the knob gets you into higher gain territory.
USABILITY
Very easy to get happening the Duality forgoes over the top EQing and endless features for Level, Duality (the fuzz type), Blend and Filter which controls the amount of High frequencies in the effected sound. So pretty simple to use and very easy to get a good, usable starting point tone which you can hen tweak accordingly.
CONSTRUCTION
Modern and slightly industrial looking the Duality seems tough. Like the rest of their range I’ll bet this dual fuzz can withstand more than its fair share of gigs and jamming.
OVERALL
Suitable for a range of styles – rock, indie, prog and funk really come to mind as a starter. The Blend control is great as you can dial in just a hint of fuzz for some synthy type tones that can help to fill your low end. Otherwise you can really push the Duality to its limits and smash out raucous, razor edged fuzz for solos, big riffs or wall shaking low end lines.
TC ELECTRONIC POLYTUNE CLIP 2
DISTRIBUTED BY: Amber Technology
EXPECT TO PAY: $109
RECOMMENDED FOR: Guitarists and bassists that want to quickly tune up mid-set, as well as acoustic guitarists or players that don’t rely on pedal boards and wish to go without a floor tuner.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
You’ve pretty much got everything you need from a tuner here. The Polytune’s most famous asset is the ability to check the tuning of your whole instrument with a single strum for a quick adjustment between songs, but you can still traditionally tune string-by-string to narrow in on pitch. The built-in strobe tuner mode offers pitch perfect tuning with +/-0.02 cent accuracy, which makes this a great tuner for properly intonating your instrument too.
USABILITY
The ultra bright LED display means you’ll be able to tune under even the brightest stage lights or sunny outdoor gig without any trouble. Portability is a massive bonus, and the swivel display will automatically adapt to the tuner’s position on the headstock – even if you’re playing left handed. The tuner will automatically detect whether you pick or strum to tune, which results in an intuitive experience.
CONSTRUCTION
Small yet sturdy, the Polytune is one of the most well built and industry standard tuners on the market today. The rubber-padded clip means your headstock won’t be damaged from repeated use, while its spring-loaded grip means it won’t slip off.
OVERALL
For a set-and-forget tuner that’s as accurate as it is portable, the Polytune Clip 2 can’t be beat. You’ll wonder how you ever did without one.
TC HELLICON MIC MECHANIC
EXPECT TO PAY: $329
DISTRIBUTED BY: Amber Technology
RECOMMENDED FOR: Solo performers or vocalists wanting to control their own vocal effects and tone on stage. This pedal is particularly useful for creating an easy set-and-forget vocal sound without the need for a sound engineer.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
With eight preset variations on reverb, delay and echo, this pedal will cover the basics needed to give singers some dimension to their vocal sound. Each setting can be used either subtly or as a feature with a dry/wet potentiometer, while the Tone button triggers an adaptive EQ – meaning it automatically adjusts –and a compressor, deesser and gate. This cleans up the sound a fair bit, and is a good place to start if you have no one mixing the front of house sound. There is also a pitch correction option to help conceal those flat notes in real time, which can also be used to varying degrees of subtlety.
USABILITY
This pedal is extremely easy to use, with eight variations of reverb, delay and echo to choose from and a foot switch for turning the unit off/on and tapping out timing.
CONSTRUCTION
It has a solid metal construction with a rubber base, a metal foot switch and plastic knobs. You won’t have to worry about this being damaged onstage or whilst travelling.
OVERALL
This is a useful pedal for solo performers or bands playing at venues without a sound engineer to have in their arsenal, or merely for singers wishing to control their effects settings throughout their set.
RADIAL ENGINEERING CLASSIC V9 DISTORTION
DISTRIBUTED BY: Amber Technology
EXPECT TO PAY: $379
RECOMMENDED FOR: Guitarists who want responsive and amp-like tones from a pedal that responds to the player’s touch, as well as players who want a single distortion pedals to cover all bases. If you’re after extensive tone-sculpting control, the Classic V9 has it in spades.
SOUND/VERSATILITY
First thing first, you’ve got gain on tap here. While that phrase is thrown around a lot, the V9 will take you from naturally overdriven sounds to biting distortion that’ll get you well and truly in the ballpark of a healthy metal tone.
USABILITY
Thanks to the V9’s high and low EQ knobs and switches, this may well be one of the most usable drive pedals you’ll come across. The three-position range switch offers varying degrees of distortion, with the low setting suitable for a warmer overdrive sound and the high setting bringing in extra grit and harmonics for a heavier tone. From there, the drive stage allows you to fine-tune distortion to taste, while the mid and high switches work in tandem with the EQ knobs to match your guitar’s output, pickup style and amp of choice.
CONSTRUCTION
Made in Canada, the V9 is built like a tank. It feels heavy in your hand, and the rubberised knobs are a nice touch. You’d be hard pressed to stomp this bad boy out of action.
OVERALL
For a finely crafted distortion pedal that offers the capacity to hone in and shape a sound all of your own, Radial’s Classic V9 is well worth considering.
