Guitar, Amps, Pedals

Keeping up with current guitar pedal releases can sometimes seem like a full-time job, there are just so many innovative brands who keep pushing the envelope and finding new ways to recreate classics. We wouldn't trade this embarrassment of riches for the world and that's why we put together a new video featuring our choices for the hottest pedals and effects of 2020 so far. Our list starts with the Vongon Paragraphs, an outstanding analog four-pole resonant low pass filter pedal that has been flying off the shelves for the company. Next, the legendary Shin-Ei line is back, and we're talking specifically about the picture-perfect fuzz of the Companion. Rounding out the pedal selections on our list, Strymon discontinued its long-time compression option in the OB-1, but it's now back with the impeccable Compadre. Continue reading →

It all began in 2018, as Joel Korte of Chase Bliss Audio started the design process of a revolutionary looper pedal. He let the world in on the secret via a Kickstarter campaign that was overwhelmingly funded by rabid pedal heads. To say that anticipation has been high is an understatement, and while the journey has felt like a long one, we've finally reached the summit. The Chase Bliss Audio Blooper pedal is in our hands and it was worth the wait. Continue reading →

Dustin McLaughlin from Vintage King Audio here, and when I wasn't behind the camera or working on editing videos for VK, I was checking out the hottest guitar pedals of 2019. To say this year was "monumental" for pedals would be an absolute understatement. There were enough incredible releases to keep the heads talking on forums until 2040! So what happened in the world of guitar pedals in 2019? The smaller companies that we've come to know and love over the past few years like Meris and Chase Bliss Audio gave us incredible new tools for our boards. Meanwhile, industry forefathers like Electro-Harmonix and Boss continued their dominance with epic recreations and a few new concepts. Continue reading →

Over the past decade or so, musicians have increasingly looked to cab sims, impulse responses and DIs to lighten their load in terms of weight and volume. The new Strymon Iridium ($399) offers a different take on these options for guitarists by giving them a fully-featured cab sim/IR loader that lives on their pedalboard. Have you ever plugged your guitar directly into a full-range monitor with your favorite overdrive engaged? It sounds like a coffee can filled with hornets angrily buzzing around. With the Iridium placed after your overdrive and before the monitor, this transforms the can of bees into your favorite tube amp with the flick of a switch. Continue reading →

Nestled in among the other small one-level buildings in the sleepy beachside streets of Ventura, California, sits an unassuming old storefront. The sun-baked exterior and paper-lined windows offer a distinct contrast to what lay inside, the brain trust of one of the world's exciting pedal makers, Meris. Unboxing a Meris pedal or 500 Series module is an experience unlike any other. This is thanks in part to Engineer/Founder Terry Burton, DSP Engineer/VP Angelo Mazzocco, and Creative Director Jinna Kim. Each aspect of the brand's products, whether it be packaging and artwork or design and function, offer up a connective aesthetic and sound that is distinctly their own. Continue reading →

Joel Korte of Chase Bliss Audio gave the pedal world quite a shock last week when he dropped the new Mood micro-looper and delay. With many in the community looking towards the previously announced Blooper and Automatone as the brand's next potential releases, the Mood pedal was a pleasant surprise. The pedal is another collaboration (much like the recent Dark World), between Chase Bliss Audio and two other brands, Old Blood Noise Endeavors and Drolo Effects. Essentially, the stompbox features two separate pedals inside with the left channel being dedicated to effects and the right side acting as the micro-looper. More on that in a minute though... Continue reading →

A few weeks back, we posted a new VK Shootout featuring a vintage EMT 140 plate reverb going up against some popular emulations. People were digging the shootout so much that we decided to do another blog that expands on other ways to get plate reverb sounds in the studio and during live performances. Since the release of the original EMT 140, the options for getting plate reverb sounds have gotten way smaller. Sure... Being smaller than a 600-pound metal structure isn't super hard, but we're talking much smaller, like nearly as small as the palm of your hand. Continue reading →

When it comes to Meris, pedal enthusiasts can always expect the unexpected. Earlier today, the innovative brand announced the release of the Hedra and they are once again living up to that reputation. This 3-voice rhythmic pitch shifter is unlike anything to come before it. Simply put, the Hedra is a behemoth. Blistering guitar harmony leads that track unbelievably well? Check! Getting polyphonic sounds from your monosynth? Got it! Individual delays on each voice? Oh yeah, big time. Continue reading →

Just when you thought guitar pedals and effects couldn't get any better in 2017, gear designers stepped up their game and blew our collective lids in 2018. This year has been another incredible one for new toys to build, shape and destroy our tones with. While it was really hard to narrow down a top five with so many great releases, I've come up with a list of my favorite pedals, synth modules, effects and beyond from the past year. Watch our video below to hear my top five in action and continue below for more expansive demos of each piece and some honorable mentions I couldn't leave out. Continue reading →

These Black Friday deals are no longer available, please click here to shop all current 2019 Black Friday promos. Our Black Friday Sale is on at Vintage King and we have so many different ways to save this holiday season. If you're looking to pick up some fantastic deals and extra goodies on more instrument-based items than you'll want to check out some of the sales featured in this blog. That's right, during out Black Friday Sale, we've got specials offers from Elektron, Moog Music, Novation, Rock Stock, Soundwell, Toontrack and more. Continue on below to discover Black Friday savings on some of the best from the world of synthesizers, pedals and software instruments.  Continue reading →