www.meris.us
The world of guitar synthesizer is vast and often confusing, from older floor units to the latest generation of synth pedals, all of which have pros and cons. Meris is pushing the envelope outward with the Enzo X, which uses the company’s acclaimed “bubble screen” interface. It looks daunting at first, but is actually intuitive to tweak and, more importantly, explore.
First off, you don’t need a special pickup with the Enzo X; it runs with regular 1/4″ guitar cables. To get oriented, tweak the Preset knob and experience glorious, otherworldly sounds. Unlike 13-pin boxes, you can’t sound like a prefab piano or saxophone, but you can revel in trippy ambient swells, Jan Hammer-like synth solos, or nearly anything you can imagine. There are even cosmic sequencer patterns, like effects from a ’70s Tangerine Dream or Tomita record.
To get into the heart of the Enzo X, push the Preset/Pages knob, which takes you into the edit “bubble” screen. The visual interface takes a few minutes to learn, but then becomes a breeze. Two knobs under the screen do the lion’s share of work, letting you jump between pages and adjusting attack/decay, mix, envelope, tempo, and much more. Or leave the presets as they are and play music – indeed, guit-synth players often just want to adjust the wet/dry mix and degree of attack to be happy. Physical knobs include Pitch, Filter, Level, and Modulation (to determine how much wiggle you want). There are also savable locations for your own sonic inventions and a way to put all your “Favorites” in one place.
Certainly, the Enzo X isn’t for every player, and it’s pricier than other “synth” boxes, yet it’s in a league of its own. Sure, you could buy a cheaper device – and get far inferior sounds – or, invest in this powerful pedal and blow people away with the depth and imagination of its algorithms. The Meris Enzo X is a genuine leap in guitar synthesis. – Pete Prown
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
