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All Reviews

Simplicity sings in an elegant Electra Distortion-derived overdrive.

Stupidly simple. Dynamic and touch responsive. Beautiful distortion profile that mixes a creamy core with sizzle around the edges.

Bridge-position single coils can sound crispy.

$125

Ananashead Cream Amp
ananashead.com

4.5
4.5
5
4.5

If you’ve ever considered a monkish withdrawal from pedal maximalism, Ananashead’s Cream Amp is a fine place to start your journey. It’s a low- to mid-gain distortion derived from the legendarily simple Electra Distortion, a gain device built into Electra guitars in the 1970s, which later found favor among DIY pedal builders and modders. In this Barcelona-built take on the circuit, it’s easy to hear why this simple circuit maintains such enduring appeal.

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Now the world’s best-known 6-string duo, Gabriela Quintero and Rodrigo Sánchez have long-reaching roots that extend from metal to Irish folk music and distill into their unique take on nylon-string-acoustic-guitar music.

Photo by Ebru Yildiz

On their new album, In Between Thoughts… A New World, the acoustic duo goes half-electric, plumbs programmed beats, adds slide guitar, and explores nondualism—following a creative path that opened due to the Covid shutdown.

Grammy Award-winning guitar virtuosi Rodrigo y Gabriela started recording what would become their latest album, In Between Thoughts… A New World, in February 2021. At the time, crafting a new album wasn’t the catalyst for making new music. They really just wanted to write, jam, and record without an agenda while locked down during the pandemic.

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Phase and envelope filter swirl as their own flavors and in many shades of a fascinating, functional whole.

Many cohesive mashups of modulation and filter. Forgiving envelope filter. Cool, compact size. Easy to operate.

Phase voice may be too flat for some.

$199

Way Huge Attack Vector
jimdunlop.com

4.5
4
4
4
A lot of players perceive phasers and envelope filters as one-trick ponies—good for a hook once in a blue moon or suited to very specific styles: prog, psychedelia, Bootsy Collins funk, or playing in your local Grateful Dead cover band. Way Huge’s Attack Vector, which combines an envelope filter and a phaser, and lets you operate them independently, sounds cool in both modes. What’s especially cool is how often the two effects can multiply each other’s strengths used in tandem. This extra functionality and palette of sounds means a range that can span utility, tradition, and the bizarre.
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This feature-rich distortion palette will sculpt shred with precision.

Lots of range. Easy and intuitive to use, despite a detailed control set.

Even with the gain set to zero, it stays crunchy, so you can’t use the EQ and noise gate for cleaner sounds.

$249

Ibanez Pentatone Preamp
ibanez.com

4.5
4
4.5
4

During a long-ago brief dalliance with shredderism, I bought a Boss Metal Zone. Although that phase didn’t quite stick, my affinity for the iconic distortion pedal did. There’s something about that EQ section that’s always felt so appealing. When I plugged in the Ibanez Pentatone, I felt like I was reliving that first dive into the high-gain zone.

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Subdued style takes nothing away from the feel and function of this future-leaning, performance-oriented flattop.

Excellent build quality. Player port provides an intimate playing experience. Super-smooth and inviting playability.

Some traditionalists may find the midrange-forward voice brash. Player port will be one style compromise too many for some.

$1,799

Gibson G-Bird
gibson.com

4
4.5
4.5
4

Gibson’s reputation as a builder of iconic electric guitars sometimes obscures its reputation as a builder of iconic flattops. But even among an acoustic lineup stacked with legends, including the J-45, L-00, and J-200, Gibson’s Hummingbird is an instrument with pop-culture star power. And even music fans that don’t know a Gibson from a Goya recognize and are attracted to its extroverted beauty.

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