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Phil Feser
Austin Mics DIY Summer Reverb
for Kicks and More
Rick Wilkinson’s Austin Mics company, based in San Diego, specializes in do-it-yourself ribbon-microphone kits and DIY guitar pedals. His latest is the Summer Spring Reverb pedal, a digital spring reverb simulation with an Accutronics reverb module. The kit includes chassis-mounted Neutrik connectors, powder coated die-cast enclosure, jewel indicator light, high-quality filter caps and resistors, and…
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Phil Feser
Mojo Hand Swim Team Chorus Flanger
Double Duty
Michigan-based Mojo Hand Effects has been building a variety of hand-assembled pedals since 2010. Their latest, the Swim Team, pulls double duty as a chorus and flanger packed into a single box. The Swim Team is housed in a 4.5″ x 2.5″ x 1.25″ die-cast chassis with cool aquatic-themed paint. Its control array includes knobs…
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Phil Feser
The Walrus Audio ACS1
Simple Simulation
From worship services and home-recording where volume is an issue to fly-in shows where a full rig is impossible, amp modeling has many applications. While a lot of amp/cab simulators offer virtual buffets of options, Walrus Audio’s ACS1 keeps it simple with three amp models, six toggle-switched cabinet “impulse responses” (IRs), Gain, Volume, and Room…
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Phil Feser
McGregor Pedals’ Crunch and Crunch Plus
Transparent Pair
McGregor Pedals founder and self-proclaimed “Chief Mad Scientist” Garth McGregor Heslop hand-wires pedals in his Vancouver shop. Two of them – the Crunch and Crunch Plus – are overdrives that offer transparent, low-gain effect with minimal tone coloration. Both feature traditional control layouts with Volume, Tone, and Gain knobs alongside true-bypass footswitches, 1/4″ jacks, and…
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Phil Feser
Walrus Audio’s R1 High Fidelity Reverb
Reams of Reverb
Many manufacturers claim “studio quality” reverb, but not all nail it. Walrus Audio’s R1 High Fidelity Reverb is the latest to tempt discriminating players with high-tech features and promises of classic sounds. Controls and connections on the R1 are plentiful, including MIDI in/through jacks, 9-volt power jack (no battery), dual footswitches with multi-color LEDs, and…
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Phil Feser
MXR Custom Shop GT-OD Overdrive
Snappy and Smooth
From its early days with the script-logo Distortion + to the modern Zack Wlyde overdrive, MXR has been a mainstay in the overdrive/distortion pedal market for the past 30-plus years. The latest from MXR/Jim Dunlop is the Custom Shop GT-OD pedal. Housed in MXR’s familiar 4.25″ x 2.25″ x 1.25″ heavy-duty die-cast box and finished…
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Phil Feser
The Collings SoCo Deluxe
Whether you’re a fan of the flat-top or simply appreciate a good archtop, chances are you’re familiar with Collings Guitars. The Texas-based builder is one of the most recognized and respected names amongst aficionados of modern acoustic instruments. Bill Collings and his crew – renowned for their flat-tops, archtops, mandolins, and even cowboy guitars –…
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Phil Feser
Marshall’s EH-1 Echohead, RG-1 Regenerator & RF-1 Reflector
Little Marshalls, Big Tones
Continuing the tradition set forth by the stout little metallic gray/gold boxes of the GV-2 Guv’nor Plus, BB-2 Bluesbreaker II, VT-1 Vibratrem, and others, Marshall recently introduced the EH-1 Echohead delay, RG-1 Regenerator modulation & RF-1 Reflector digital reverb effects pedals. All share the same aesthetic elements and basic functionality; each is housed in a…
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Phil Feser
Eastwood EEB-1 and EUB-1 Basses
Horizontal Vibe
Eastwood’s EEB-1 and the EUB-1 take their design inspiration from Ampeg’s quirky mid-’60s Horizontal Bass series, the brainchild of Dennis Kager, an amp technician and guitar specialist who worked for the company at the time. The Ampegs (the fretted AEB-1 and fretless AUB-1) had non-symmetrical double-cutaway laminate bodies with f-hole cutouts that went through the…
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Phil Feser
Bass Bruiser
The HomeBrew Hematoma Bass Overdrive
Like a lot of gear-making companies whose stuff is warmly received, Joel and Andrea Weaver at HomeBrew Electronics have never rested on their laurels. Instead, the effects-pedal builders have launched piece after piece of super-usable, good-sounding, roadworthy pedals with cool names like the Psilocybe phase shifter, THC chorus, Medicine Bawl wah, Full Metal Jacket distortion,…
