Nux has been a brand that many guitarists have either ignored for the most part or have appreciated for offering inexpensive alternatives. I haven't really given much weight to most of their pedals because it has been my experience that cheap, Chinese pedals don't stand up when they are put next to comparable products from major manufacturers. Is this the pedal to change all that? Does Nux really think it can take on some of the most respected pedals on the market and win?
Strymon Killer?
You can't talk about this pedal without mentioning Strymon. Obviously, they are going for a look based on the Strymon El Capistan. Upon closer inspection though, the features are not parallel. While the Capistan is a Tape Echo that lets you dial in the exact time of delay you want, the Atlantic is a Delay and Reverb much fewer features. Don't let slight resemblance fool you. These pedal will not perform the same task.
Worth It?
Although this won't kick an El Capistan off your board. It might be a decent pedal for those looking to consolidate. If you are looking at buying a couple budget pedals for you delay and reverb needs, then you might want to wait and try this pedal. Although we don't know yet what the asking price of this pedal will be, around the hundred dollar mark is a safe bet ( I actually heard back from NUX. They said that it will be around $160, but I would assume that is MSRP. I expect to see something more like $120 Street). The difference between the cost of two budget pedals and this one is probably not much. With Tap, Line Level, Stereo outs, and Footswitchable Shimmer this pedal has features that most inexpensive single pedals don't.
Conclusion
Although this isn't a dead ringer for a Strymon pedal, the looks of this pedal are a step above most other far east offerings. Add that to the useful features and hoping that it falls into the budget-friendly category, this is one of the more interesting product to come out so far this year.
In the ever-expanding line of TC Electronics value based effect, the Honey Pot Fuzz is just one of the latest offerings. Currently available for pre-order from most major online retailers, not much is known about the fuzz. Most of the information currently know is based upon the demo TC posted directly after the announcement of their release. So what do we know about this pedal, and should we be looking forward to its release?
Don't We Already Have One Of These
Yes. The Initial release of these pedal included the Rusty Fuzz. However this was a silicon fuzz based on the Fuzz Face. For those unfamiliar with fuzzes, there are just as many fuzzes to have as there are overdrives. Does that mean that they are all different? I'll answer that question with another question. Are all overdrives different? Let's just think about how many "different" Tube Screamers there are. Sure, there may be some slight differences for one manufacturer from another, but for the most part a Tube Screamer is a Tube Screamer. But a Tube Screamer isn't a Blues Driver.
Ruby Fuzz is to Fuzz Face as Honey Pot Fuzz is to...
Big Muff. Yes, the Honey Pot seems to be a clone of the EHX Big Muff Pi. It's also been suggested that even the name may be a reference to same anatomical location as the Muff. The largest hint as to what the circuit is based upon are the label given to the knobs. Volume and Tone are pretty basic stuff, but Sustain on a fuzz usually point in one direction, Big Muff.
Which Muff Is This Muff?
This is where it get a little trickier. The Big Muff Pi has several versions to choose from when cloning. From the Triangle to the modern USA version, there are at least a handful of circuits and sounds that we could expect from this pedal. If I had to take a guess, I'd say that we might be getting a Russian variant of the pedal. This may be wishful thinking on my part, or it may be due to the fact that another pedal announced along side this one is call the Iron Curtain (far better name if this is a Russian version). The main reason I think this is that it sounds rather tame. The Russian Big Muff is one of the lower gain version of the pedal. In any case, we probably aren't looking at a clone of the modern Big Muff Pi.
Conclusion
Yes, these pedals are bulky little tanks, but given their relationship with Behringer I'd rather have these than those. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of TC's dirt pedals. The Mojo and Dark Matter were both rather underwhelming But with the new line of "inspired" pedals, TC might just have my attention. A $50 Muff clone has my attention. But if this really is a Russian Big Muff, then it could possibly take the wind of the resent EHX Green Russian release. But for the love of Pete, they should have name this one the Iron Curtain... Such a better name!
Upon the announcement of the new El Mocambo, Tore himself practically called the new pedal a Tube Screamer. Uncertain whether this is a TS-9 or TS-808 clone, the allusion to "the most ledgendary overdrive circuit ever designed" almost assures it is one of the two.
Why Do We Need Another TS Pedal?
Short answer is that we don't. But, when you are cranking out pedal after pedal for your corporate overlords, a tube screamer is a sure-fire win. It's a simple circuit, so all you have to do is give it a cool name and mount it in a decommission soviet tank and call it a day.
Who really Needs To Buy A Pedal
I own two tube screamers (a TS-9 and TS-808) but I have many more that give me that same feel. Honestly, I prefer an OCD to either of my TS pedals. But, I can't deny the fact that I have a morbid curiosity when it comes to this pedal. I want to know what it sounds like compared to my other mid-humped overdrive. I know it's going to sound the same... but the marketing it too strong.
Conclusion
If you are trying to move to all your pedal having top jacks, or if you need a pedal that you could break a car window or fight out an attacker with, then you might want to check out this pedal. However, if you already have a TS type people, maybe try before you buy. If you've never used a TS or you want a TS but want to spend a little less, then maybe this pedal is for you.
If you suffer from GAS as I do, then you are probably aware of the influx of pedals from china. I'm not talking about BOSS, or Digitech, or Mooer, or Mod Tone or any of the other pedal brands that manufacture overseas. As I remember, it started with Joyo. They made a brand for themselves by mostly copying other pedals and rebranding them, all at discount prices. There has been several others to come about. These pedals have a bit of a stigma already. The first time I ordered a Joyo pedal, the wrong pedal came, and customer service was so bad that I opted to sell the pedal outright instead of returning it. There has been several brands to come about since, and service and quality seem to be improving as well. However Tone City don't seem to be turning out the 'same old stuff' as these other brands. When I first saw their pedals, I did think they were just shined up Chinese copies. To start, you can find lists of the pedals that most of their micro-pedal like is emulating. What caught my attention was their release of their larger, seemingly more original, pedals. I learned of these when I saw my favorite two Brits fool around with them:
Chappers and The Captain are amusing to watch and their production quality is nearly unmatched on YouTube. Something that you have to remember is that they are representing a store. This store sells the products that they are demonstrating. Bare in mind that it would not be beneficial for them to complain about or criticize these pedals. They are going to speak favorably about them, but one thing that Lee 'The Captain' Anderton said made my ears perk up. Most of these dual button Tone City pedals are voiced like very particular amps. All except one, one is just called, "King of Blues". Lee mentioned that he thought that it could be a aNaLoG MaN King of Tone clone. I decided to find out for myself.
I Haven't Played A King of Tone
So this first one is telling on myself. I haven't had a chance to play through one of the more iconic boutique pedals. I have listened to many high quality demonstrations, but I know that there is a lot missing from these. There is no way of sensing the attack sensitivity or feeling how the pedal reacts with the amp. I will say that I've heard a wide range of tone from this one pedal. Obviously the amp these pedal being played through are very important, also the guitar and anything else that is in-line with the pedal. So everything taken with a grain of salt, the KOT is a full sounding flexible overdrive. It is capable of clean-ish 'transparent' boost and thick saturated overdrive. So I may not have played one of these pedals, but I've spent a lot of time researching just what makes this pedal so sought after.
The Pedal Has A Mix Message
Several descriptions of this pedal include that the first stage of this pedal is a straight Klon copy. Stating the the second stage is an 'original' design. I find this a little over simplified. I also think that this description is a little lazy. However, you can't dismiss it entirely. Tone City makes a spot on Klon copy in the 'Bad Horse' pedal. The famous circuit shrunk down just like the Tumnus from Wampler. This is completely likely, however, the KOT and the Klon have similar features as it stands, so the comparisons between each of these pedals may not be totally baseless. I've recently put the King of Blues pedal against every Klon circuit I could get my hands on, and my verdict is that it may share characteristics, I can't say that its a direct copy of the Klon. For one, the Tone knob works like a tone knob (low pass filter) rather than a treble boost. The amounts of gain are similar but the output from the pedal is notably less. The King of Blues of much warmer than any Klon or Klone that I've ever played. From what I've heard of the Tone City 'Bad Horse' (klone) these are not the same circuits.
If It Is A KOT Clone, Then I Have Bad News
Let's say that this is a KOT copy. The real deal goes for north of $300. That's three times the price I paid for this pedal. That's KTR money. Sure, there are other pedals that fetch that kind of money, but what is really striking is that the pedal is only so-so. I do like the pedal. It is capable of several good sounds, and it is really flexible. Two 'channels' make it a great option to handle your overdrive tones. But, if this is a actuate copy of the famous pedal, then I don't see what is so great about it. I'm able to do everything this pedal does with a couple of other overdrives already on my board. This might have had the appeal at the beginning of the boutique boom, but now it's just riding the way of hype from its glory days.
Conclusion
This is a fine pedal. If you are looking for a multi-stage low/medium gain overdrive then this might be the thing for you. I'd put it above a Fulltone Fulldrive (a pedal that I don't really care for all that much), but I'm probably not going to replace what I already have on my board with this. There might be certain situations that I'd prefer this pedal to others, like if I wanted to run a small-ish board for some running around, but it fall short of the litany of pedals that occupy my board. Its good, but it's not "sell all your pedals now and get one of these" good.
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So EXH have done it again. They have birthed a new pedal that everyone (that pays attention to such things) is talking about. I noticed a post this morning about these colorful pedal. I first thought that it was something old catalog that hadn't seen the light of day in ages. It doesn't seem to really fit in with the modern aesthetic that EHX drive pedl have been given lately. It almost looks more at home with the Pitch Fork or Key Board modulators put out recently. Looks aside, this pedal has gotten my attention. It's is a low gain overdrive that adds 'color' to your sound. Whatever that means... Electro Harmonix released a promo video that makes it looks like the bee's knees, but given their long list of drive boxes, do we even needs this thing?
It Is A Light Overdrive
With a million klones out their, why do we need yet another light overdrive? The Klon is the end-all be-all right? Well, even with the relationship that the Soul Food pedal and Klon share, there are still those that tamper with the circut. I've considered having mine modded to add more bass with the JHS Meat and Potatoes mod. There is room for improvement. However JSH add a oddly placed knob on the side of the pedal. The layout of the pedal does not allow for it to be front facing. Is this an attempt to to capitalize on that trend without hindering the Soul Food's reputation and sales?
There Is Another Crayon
So remember when I called "crayon" a dumb name for a pedal? Well, looks like JHS disagrees with me too. Sure, pedals color our tone, but do we really want to name a pedal after a waxy, fagile relic of our childhood? Two major pedal manufactors do. I will admit, I like the designs that EHX have done for the Crayon. JHS has done a modern flat design that has always appealed to me. The two of these pedal coming out like this is almost uncanny, but they appear to be different enough to be unrelated. Will one maker bend and rename their box? Have we run out of good names to call these things? I do see a trend in EHX pedal names though. Glove, Food, River, Fork, Key... They are just looking around the room and naming things!
"What should I name this pedal? Where did that crayon come from? Wait! That's it!" Honestly, look around the room you are in. If you look hard enough, you'll find a crayon... Somewhere. Please, people in charge of naming these things, talk to the guy that names the Earthquaker Devices pedals. Get some tips.
Im Going To Buy It
Yes, I have a problem. I own too many dirt pedals. The problem is that they are all so different (yet all the same). And for the most part, they are affordable. There is no pedal I enjoy more than a dirt pedal. I love them. I always like to see how they effect my tone. EHX has made them rather affordable and to me, that is a recipe for disaster. I've already hounded my local music store about getting one. When I inquired about the availability of the Crayon, my friendly pedal pusher asked me "How do you know about that?!" I make it my business to know these things. And I follow EHX on Twitter...
