Guitar, Amps, Pedals

Since entering the pro audio/pedal game, Meris has flipped the world upside down by creating some of the most interesting sounding gear to be released in years. From delay (Polymoon) to reverb (Mercury 7, Mercury 7 pedal) to bit-crusher (Ottobit, Ottobit Jr.), they've been killing it on all levels.

The latest release from Meris, the Enzo, takes the idea of an instrument-based synthesizer pedal and expands on it in a way never done before. Utilizing a guitar, bass, drum machine, your voice or even another synthesizer, you can take full advantage of a wide-ranging swath of beautiful sounding synth features. Continue reading →

Since 2013, Joel Korte of Chase Bliss Audio has been blowing the minds of guitar pedal lovers all over the world with his incredible creations like the Warped Vinyl, Tonal Recall and Brothers. With the release of his latest innovation, Thermae, he applies his mantra of "digital brain, analog heart" to a pitch shifter and delay pedal.

The Thermae is an innovative reimagination of the delay pedal that is so incredibly capable, both in function and tone. With the amount of controls, whether it be knobs, switches or dip switches, the sound options with this pedal are endless. The Thermae showcases an incredible leap in technology, one that leaves you scratching your head when you realize just how far out you can take an analog signal path in 2018. Continue reading →

Beginning in the late 1960s, the Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi became a rock n’ roll staple. From the early Axis Muffs designed for Jimi Hendrix to David Gilmour’s Ram’s Head and eventually Thurston Moore’s Civil War Big Muff, the iconic pedal truly changed the shape of heavy music forever.

The Big Muff's lasting impact is also easy to see in the sheer number of clones, imports, color schemes and different variants that have been released over the years. Electro-Harmonix has gone back and is reissuing many of their classics in smaller sizes, including the recent release of the Op Amp Big Muff. One thing's for sure, while not all Big Muffs were created equal, they are all special in their own little way. Continue reading →

Vintage King is giving away a compressor/preamp combo courtesy of BAE's brand new product line, UK Sound. Dubbed the UK Sound 1173, this rackmount unit features both 1176 and 1073 style designs in one simple package.

Designed by engineer Warren Huart in collaboration with product designer Michael Stucker, the new 1173 delivers classic analog warmth and character. Read Vintage King blogger Bryan Reilly's new review of the UK Sound 1173 by clicking here. Continue reading →

Many players can be happy with simple delay, but sometimes that’s just not enough. That's where the Meris Polymoon shines above the average delay pedal.

I’m always on the hunt for a good complex delay, something that takes you to another planet with the turn of a few knobs. The Polymoon does exactly that, and has a bunch of incredible features that can turn any source into a sonic soundscape. Continue reading →

The Moog Music MF-104M is already a modern day classic and will without a doubt be a pedal that people will be lusting over for years to come. It features 800 ms of bucket brigade driven, analog delay that floats beautifully as you play. The repeats are simply gorgeous and sit perfectly underneath your dry signal.

Experimenting with the extremely advanced modulation section is really what brings out the true charm of this pedal. With six different waveforms to choose from, you will find yourself dialing in arpeggios, laser blasts and classic tape delay tones for hours. Continue reading →

Guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen has built a reputation for his atmospheric guitar sounds in Queens of the Stone Age, but even before that he reached guitar hero status due to his work in Failure and A Perfect Circle. During the recording of the last Queens' record, Like Clockwork, Troy linked up with Echopark Guitars owner Gabriel Currie and the duo began working on a custom ax for the guitarist.

While in Detroit for a QOTSA performance, we met up with Troy at the Echo Park Guitars headquarters. Watch our new interview with Troy below to learn more about his relationship with Gabriel, working with Mark Ronson on the new QOTSA record and his choices in vintage recording gear. Continue reading →

When Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in July 2016, the show's soundtrack single-handedly rekindled the public's love of spooky sounds created with vintage synthesizers. Scored by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of Austin-based band Survive, the duo predominantly used synths like the Arp Odyssey, Roland SH-101, Korg Mono/Poly to create the sounds of Hawkins and the Upside Down.

Instead of recreating the Stranger Things score with similar synthesizers, I had the idea to build it from scratch using some of my favorite guitar pedals. By using only a Meris Ottobit Jr., Meris Mercury7 and Electro-Harmonix Synth 9, I was able to get something extremely close to the sounds of Dixon and Stein's original theme.   Continue reading →