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What I’d buy this week: some out-there pedals, and a neo-brutalist single-cut
Here are some highlights from the world of gear that’s coming out this week.
Image: Manson Guitar Works
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The gear world is still feeling the effects of last month’s gigantic NAMM drops, in that very little new stuff is arriving at the moment. All the big brands have already showed off their coolest stuff for the next few months. But the well of gear isn’t completely dry, and it gives me the chance to highlight at least one builder you might not have heard of, but absolutely should know about:
Champion Leccy Skitzy
Technically, this pedal isn’t available to buy just yet – it goes on sale tomorrow (23 February), but hey, that’s still this week, right? And, well, I trust Champion Leccy to deliver an awesome take on the format, as should you. A strange, dual-modulated reverb with multiple LFO choices, woozy tape-smears and a secondary mode for extra feedback and oscillation? Yes please! Megan L’s excellent demo video does a great job of summing up the controls and sounds better than I could do in words here, as there’s a lot of knobs, a lot of modes, and a lot of cool things you can do with it.
Check it out at Champion Leccy.
SolidGoldFX Aurras Vibraphase
More modulation here from SolidGoldFX. Taking on from its Athena, this mod pedal is a digitally-controlled mix of a Uni-Vibe and phaser (as the name might have suggested) – the result sounds pretty versatile, with everything from subtle wobble to deep, phasing pulses on offer. And digital control means extra handy stuff, like tap-tempo and the always-fun ramp feature.
Check it out at SolidGoldFX.
Matt Bellamy GEO Mask Guitar
OK, so this is definitely in the “money no object” side of this hypothetical exercise, but, just, look at it. Both versions of this insanely cool guitar come with a Sustainiac Stealth Pro sustainer system and Manson’s in-house PF-1 MB pickup, Gotoh 5 series hardware and a high-polish version of Manson’s custom control knob. Combine that with the multi-angled body design and you’ve got something that wouldn’t look out of place in Dune, but that you can also fail to play the Plug In Baby riff on. Neat!
Check it out at Manson.