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Pedalboard space be damned! Andy Timmons’ signature time machine delivers dual-delay potential in a single compact stomp.
Tons of delay tones and rangeful, powerful tools for shaping them.
A lot of functionality in a little box means close quarters for switches and dual-function controls that are tricky to change on the fly
$299
Keeley Halo
robertkeeley.com
4.5
4.5
4
4
There’s a zillion reasons to be excited about the Keeley Halo—a collaboration between Keeley and guitar ace Andy Timmons. For starters, it’s an express-train ticket to Timmons’ carefully honed delay sound: a spacious playground of echoes that dwells partly in the realm of reverb and lets Timmons’ fretwork breathe and gather momentum and size. It’s also a great pedal for players hooked on the possibilities of a dual-delay setup who have space constraints to consider. And it’s a perfect delay for players that want to dabble in multiple delay textures without the headache of programming and managing a million controls and presets.
Doubling Down
While it’s fairly easy to dive headlong into the Halo and get great sounds, the interface is more complex than a simple analog or digital delay. And because so many of the factory presets and delay types are characterized by delay subdivisions, it’s best to get your sea legs by setting the pedal for quarter-note delays. Even in quarter-note mode, though, it fast becomes apparent how much delay-shaping power you have at your disposal.
None of the five primary controls here will surprise experienced delay users. There’s delay time, feedback, effect level, and modulation depth and rate. But pressing and holding the feedback knob gives you access to a high pass filter, a tone control for the delayed signal, a tape saturation control, and the 5-position selector that moves between tape-style, BBD-style, quarter note, and dotted eighth modes as well as Timmons’ own Halo mode that is the pedal’s namesake. The Halo also has stereo ins and outs, a remote connection jack, and an expression pedal jack via which you can control any of the five primary parameters. You can also set up the pedal for tap-tempo functionality and an infinite hold or “freeze” function. Needless to say, Keeley left few stones unturned putting the Halo together.
Happy Toes
Once I got familiar with the Halo’s controls, it was pretty easy to get carried away with its capacity for tone sculpting. The Halo is powerful and spurs creativity. But it’s also easy to get lost in the early going, and if you’re aiming to get the most out of the Halo it’s vital that you embrace presets and, in some cases, a balletic sense of toe dexterity. These are not knocks on the Halo. Setting up and clearing presets is relatively easy, and so is scrolling through them. But practice at working through these footswitch commands is highly advised.
Once you do have the preset dance down, you may find yourself filling them up pretty quickly. Halo gives you the potential for crafting many and varied tones, and you may get hooked on the power of having so many at your disposal.
Timmons’ own Halo settings are lovely. The repeats tend to bloom ever so slightly and are tastefully backgrounded, even at extra-dry effects mixes, and this characteristic makes it a great fit for high-gain pedals. Most voices, in fact, tend to sit nicely with overdrive or fuzz. Both the bucket brigade and the tape delay voices in particular became favorites, largely because they sounded so fat with the addition of virtual tape saturation and darkening from the high-pass filter and tone control. Even in this dusky tone state, the Halo had plenty of room for fuzz and distortion without becoming a mess. This mix of headroom and personality isn’t an easy balance to maintain. Keeley executed that tightrope walk with aplomb here.
The Verdict
Nine times out of 10, a collaboration between a veteran pedal builder and a seasoned session and touring guitarist will yield a very practical piece of kit. The Halo is indeed that. The feature-rich design, dual-function controls, and the fact that it’s packed in a compact enclosure means that there’s a learning curve. And that might dent the aura of practicality for some. Players that like to keep it simple might find the Halo to be a handful, too. But it’s hard to imagine a do-it-all delay more capable than this cooperative effort from two crafty vets.
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Jackson Audio & Silvertone 1484 Twin Twelve Pedal Demo | First Look
A pillar of savage guitar rock sounds finds expression in a slick, silvery stomp.
Jackson Audio 1484 Twin Twelve Pedal
The Silvertone 1484 Twin Twelve amplifier of the mid 1960s produced a uniquely glassy and characterful tone that’s sonic benefits are still being utilized by guitarists like Dan Auerbach, Beck, Dave Grohl, and more. And now, courtesy of Jackson Audio, all of that classic character is available right on your pedalboard! The 1484 Twin Twelve Pedal is a dead-on-accurate re-creation of both the original amp’s tone and style, right down to the crystal red lens cap. The 2-band EQ makes enhancing that hearty low end or mixing in some bell-like treble a cinch, while the gain control unearths the realistic breakup of the Twin Twelve cabinet. Just ask our Sweetwater guitarists who’ve come face to face with the real deal — Jackson Audio nailed it on this one!
Jackson Audio
$249.00
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MG-400 houses 2 powerful DSP chips for high-definition White-Box Amp Modeling algorithm (TS/AC-HD) and Core-Image post-effects.
The Nu-X MG-400 is a value-packed modeler akin to his little brother, the MG-300. MG-400 houses 2 powerful DSP chips for high-definition White-Box Amp Modeling algorithm (TS/AC-HD) and Core-Image post-effects. Since releasing the MG-300, people have been blown away by the sound and playability, not to mention the ease-of-use tone tweaking and intuitive interface. And now, the MG-400builds upon the MG-300 feature set moveable signal blocks, extra 12 IR COLLECTION slots, flexible P.L block with MIN & MAX parameter setup, send/return fx loop, abundant SYSTEM MENU, and physical master volume knob, MG-400 is now the best value modeler for the money.
The white-box algorithm offers realistic playability and analog-chaos response. The concept of "Chaos makes the muse" perfectly applies to the analog circuit. When you tweak the knob, it affects itself as well as other parameters. For a linear digital system, the parameter is independent. The white-box algorithm offers real-time feedback, increment-by-increment. Nu-X TS/AC-HD replicates the same playability most guitarists crave in a real tube amplifier.
MG-400 offers 512 samples of IR, you can also load 3rd party IR files through the editor software. The included 25 guitar cab IRs combine 4 classic microphones with 3 mic positions to allow beginners an easy way to jump into the multi-effects experience. Also included are 8 bass cab IRs and 3 acoustic guitar IRs, giving you the ability to play bass on MG-400 or use an electric guitar to simulate acoustic guitar sound.
NUX MG-400 highlights include:
- 2.8” 320*240 color LCD with intuitive UI.
- NG, CMP, EFX, AMP, IR, EQ, MOD, DLY, RVB, P.L | 10 independent moveable signal blocks.
- White-box Amp Modeling & Pre-efx algorithm.
- 512 samples IR resolution and USER slot with each patch. (additional 12 IR COLLECTION slots).
- Input trim under SYSTEM MENU.
- Scene and Jam functionality.
- 5 output modes with global 3-band EQ for quick tone tweaking.
- USB recording interface, firmware update, QuickTone™ edit software.
NUX MG 400: how it compares vs the MG 300 and the MG 30
Nu-X MG-400 carries a street price of $219.
For more information, please visit nuxefx.com.
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