
The latest multi-effect from Wampler is a dreamy if sometimes difficult-to-master delay/reverb combo.
Great, instantly useable reverb and delay tones. Impressive breadth of sounds in one box. Solid construction. Good value.
Controls and operation can feel confusing.
$299
Wampler Catacombs
wamplerpedals.com
āModeling versus tubeā might be the gear world title fight of the 2020s, but āLED menu versus none on multieffectsā is a pretty riveting undercard. I have sympathies in both corners. The ocean-deep onscreen interface of theMeris Mercury X, for instance, was a bear to navigate, but it also yielded some of the most exciting and tweakable reverb Iāve ever heard. At the same time, Iāll always be partial to having every control I need at my fingertips, and every parameter a knob twirl away from just-right.In theory, the digitalWampler Catacombs fits into the second category, the one I prefer. Itās a super-loaded reverb and delay combo pedal, with seven delay algorithms and five reverb options that sound great. Though in practice, Catacombs sometimes turned out to be a bit more complicated to navigate than I expected.
Lost in the Catacombs
The Catacombs is one of those pedals that begs a dedicated read of the manual before you dive in. Wampler says that the interface enables users to ānavigate effortlesslyā without the use of onboard screens and menus. I was excited by this: Like I said, I donāt love getting lost down tiny LED display rabbit holes and would much rather have all I need at hand. The Catacombs technically satisfies that desire, but it also demonstrates tradeoffs involved with that design ethic. Iām alright with certain controls pulling double-duty, but when every single knob shares two functions, things can get hairy, and doing your preparation up front pays big dividends.
You have to press and hold the left footswitch for a second to access the alt controls (labeled in blue), including reverb selection on the main rotary knob. Though this doesnāt complicate matters too much when using a reverb or delay exclusively, it can be tricky when using a reverb and delay simultaneously. A few times, I scrambled to switch control modes to tame a super-loud runaway reverb or a self-oscillating delay, and the feeling of frantically spinning knobs with no impact because youāre not in the right control mode isnāt a good one. Additionally, you might not know where a given parameter is set because each knob is shared between the delay and reverb effect. The eight onboard preset slots take some of this guesswork away. And Catacombs would be a cinch in the studio once the control navigation becomes second-nature, but I got nervous thinking of trying to navigate any of these quirks during a set.
Entombed in Ambience
Catacombsā operational challenges donāt take too much away from the whole experience because it sounds so great. Each of the six delay programs, and each of the five reverbs, were instantly useable and familiar. Side by side with my Walrus Fathom and EarthQuaker Avalanche Run, the plate, hall, and spring reverb modes held their own, and something about the pedalās wet/dry mix made my playing feel especially alive, present, and cinematic at most settings. I was especially fond of the spring reverb with the decay maxed outāit was juicy and metallic in all the right ways.
The delay modules were just as satisfying. They include three algorithms for tape-style delays, two analog-style delays, and a single digital echo, and each mode offers a distinct texture and experience. The ability to quickly switch the effects from series to parallel offers fun and useful experimentation, letting you apply the reverb algorithm to just your dry signal, or to the repeats, too. I especially enjoyed sticking the plate reverb on my dry signal and leaving it off the delay, creating warped senses of space and continuity.
The Verdict
Though it sounds excellent, immersive, and inviting, I was flustered more than once while trying to bend Catacombs to my will. In some respects, I was reminded of a menu where youāre given three desirable options and have to pick just two. In this case, the options are affordability, sound quality, and user-friendliness. Catacombs is certainly reasonably priced and sounds excellent. But because it navigates a difficult middle path between skipping a cost-bumping digital menu and being more complex than more-straightforward, what-you-see-is-what-you-get units, you should make sure youāre comfortable with that compromise.
Jack White's 2025 No Name Tour features live tracks from his album No Name, with shows across North America, Europe, the UK, and Japan.
The EP is a 5-song collection of live tracks taken from Whiteās 2024 edition of the tour, which was characterized by surprise shows in historic clubs around the world to support the 2024 album No Name.
No Name is available now via Third Man Records. The acclaimed collection was recently honored with a 2025 GRAMMYĀ® Award nomination for āBest Rock Albumā ā Whiteās 34th solo career nomination and 46th overall along with 16 total GRAMMYĀ® Award wins. The No Name Tour began, February 6, with a sold-out show at Toronto, ONās HISTORY and then travels North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Japan through late May. For complete details and remaining ticket availability, please visit jackwhiteiii.com/tour-dates.
Whiteās sixth studio album, No Name officially arrived on Friday, August 2 following its clandestine white-label appearance at Third Man Records locations that saw customers slipped, guerilla-style, free unmarked vinyl copies in their shopping bags. True to his DIY roots, the record was recorded at Whiteās Third Man Studio throughout 2023 and 2024, pressed to vinyl at Third Man Pressing, and released by Third Man Records.
For more information, please visit jackwhiteiii.com.
JACK WHITE - NO NAME TOUR 2025
FEBRUARY
11 ā Brooklyn, NY ā Kings Theatre
12 ā Brooklyn, NY ā Brooklyn Paramount
17 ā Boston, MA ā Roadrunner
18 ā Boston, MA ā Roadrunner
21 ā Paris, France ā La Cigale
22 ā Paris, France ā La Trianon
23 ā Paris, France ā La Trianon
25 ā Utrecht, Netherlands ā TivoliVredenburg (Ronda)
26 ā Utrecht, Netherlands ā TivoliVredenburg (Ronda)
28 ā London, UK ā Troxy
MARCH
1 ā London, UK ā Troxy
2 ā Birmingham, UK ā O2 Academy Birmingham
3 ā Glasgow, UK ā Barrowland Ballroom
10 ā Hiroshima, Japan ā Blue Live Hiroshima
12 ā Osaka, Japan ā Gorilla Hall
13 ā Nagoya, Japan ā Diamond Hall
15 ā Tokyo, Japan ā Toyosu PIT
17 ā Tokyo, Japan ā Toyosu PIT
APRIL
3 ā St. Louis, MO ā The Factory
4 ā Kansas City, MO ā Uptown Theater
5 ā Omaha, NE ā Steelhouse Omaha
7 ā Saint Paul, MN ā Palace Theatre
8 ā Saint Paul, MN ā Palace Theatre
10 ā Chicago, IL ā The Salt Shed (Indoors)
11 ā Chicago, IL ā The Salt Shed (Indoors)
12 ā Detroit, MI ā Masonic Temple Theatre
13 ā Detroit, MI ā Masonic Temple Theatre
15 ā Grand Rapids, MI ā GLC Live at 20 Monroe
16 ā Cleveland, OH ā Agora Theatre
18 ā Nashville, TN ā The Pinnacle
19 ā Nashville, TN ā The Pinnacle
MAY
4 ā Austin, TX ā ACL Live at the Moody Theater
5 ā Austin, TX ā ACL Live at the Moody Theater
6 ā Dallas, TX ā South Side Ballroom
8 ā Denver, CO ā Mission Ballroom
9 ā Denver, CO ā Mission Ballroom
10 ā Salt Lake City, UT ā The Union Event Center
12 ā Los Angeles, CA ā Hollywood Palladium
13 ā Los Angeles, CA ā Hollywood Palladium
15 ā Santa Barbara, CA ā Santa Barbara Bowl
16 ā Oakland, CA ā Fox Theater
17 ā San Francisco, CA ā The Masonic
19 ā Seattle, WA ā The Paramount Theatre
20 ā Seattle, WA ā The Paramount Theatre
22 ā Vancouver, BC ā Commodore Ballroom
23 ā Vancouver, BC ā Commodore Ballroom
24 ā Troutdale, OR ā Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
A dose of magic gain potion.
Works like a little vial of magic gain potion. Fattens without obscuring individual frequency bands.
None.
$129
Solodallas SVDS Boost
solodallas.com
The Schaeffer-Vega Diversity Systemāan early and very successful wireless systemāexcelled at the tasks it was designed for. But there was more magic than met the eye. Though designed to sound as transparent as possible, it nonetheless colored the signal in a way that people like Angus Young and Eddie Van Halen found essential.
SoloDallas explored the possibilities of this circuit before in pedals like theSchaeffer Replica, but the new SVDS Boost strips the formula to essentials. Minimalist controlsāone knob, thatās itāmake this boost no less delicious. Iām not surprised Angus Young was smitten with the original SVDS. An SG and Marshall 18-watt amp sound fantastic naked, but the SVDS Boost has the rare talent for fattening everything without seeming to favor or obscure any frequency band too much. And as zest to the PAF/Marshall style formula, it makes the kind of rowdy, organic, airy, large, and punch-packing Marshall sound you would dream of getting in a studio or hearing on the radio. There are many shades of this basic awesome color in spite of the single knob. Unity gain lives in the earliest third of its range. From there you certainly get more volume, but mostly you bathe in various hues of compressed, saturated, thick, and dynamite growl. You donāt need a Gibson and a Marshall to use it to devastating effect, either. A Telecaster and Vibrolux snap with attitude and whip-crack energy with the SVDS in the line. And with both guitar/amp combos, the SVDSā wide dynamic responsiveness to volume and tone attenuation assures that things stay cracking when you need more control.
Learn about this iconic guitar's journey, its mods done by Frank, and hear how it sounds in the hands of his son Dweezil.
Neil Youngās ā70s hits are some of the most recognizable radio rock jams of all time. But Neilās guitar playing continued to grow over the ensuing decades, as he traversed styles from blues to country to electronic to rockabilly and beyond, eventually developing one of the most tonally decadent, fully formed improvisational voices in the entire guitar universe.
Neil Youngās ā70s hits are some of the most recognizable radio rock jams of all time. But Neilās guitar playing continued to grow over the ensuing decades, as he traversed styles from blues to country to electronic to rockabilly and beyond, eventually developing one of the most tonally decadent, fully formed improvisational voices in the entire guitar universe.
Like any discography thatās been growing over the course of more than half a century, it can be hard to decode Youngās work. And with such an adventurous spirit, it could be easy to make some missteps and miss out on his best guitar works. In this episode, Nick guides Jason through some of his heroās finest moments.
More news from Neil always seems to be on the horizon, so hereās your chance to catch up.