The little green box has graced the pedalboards of so many guitar legends. Here are 10 options across this subsection of variation and innovation, ranging from budget-friendly reproductions to over-the-top, all-in-one affairs.
Wampler Moxie Overdrive Pedal
This mini monster was inspired by the now sought after TS10 (thanks, John Mayer!) and features two different EQ settings via the voice switch and additional MOSFET gain via the fat switch. Featuring the classic 4558 chip, it can be powered with an 18-volt adapter for increased headroom.
JHS Bonsai
Having trouble deciding what Screamer to grab? Why not get the “greatest hits?” Josh Scott nabbed his favorites and faithfully recreated nine variations in a single stomp—warts and all.
Emerson Custom Scranton Screamer
Stick it to those geeks in Utica with this Dundie-winning overdrive that features an active 2-band EQ plus two different clipping modes (symmetrical and asymmetrical).
Origin Effects Halcyon Green Overdrive
The real twist in this circuit is the addition of the company’s adaptive circuitry, which adjusts the dirt voicing to the dynamic aspects of your playing. Based on the classic TS808, it also features an alternate mod mode aimed at boosting already cranked high-gain amps.
EarthQuaker Devices Plumes Small Signal Shredder
Dubbed a “small signal shredder,” this pedal offers the Trinity of Screamer controls (level, tone, and gain), but throws in a three-position toggle that allows you to move from no clipping to either LED or asymmetrical silicon for a looser feel.
Maxon OD808
The original designers of the 808 circuit offer up a faithful reissue full of that trademark compression and low-end cut. It also uses the same JRC4558 chip and has a lower noise floor than the original—useful for when you’re pushing high-gain stacks that are cranked to the gills.
Electro-Harmonix East River Drive Classic Overdrive
Pedal legend Mike Matthews’ take on a Screamer-style circuit is this wildly affordable and dead-simple overdrive that stays faithful to the roots of the original but tweaks the sound to give it a unique edge.
Way Huge Green Rhino MkV
A new, smaller version of Jeorge Tripps’ classic interpretation offers up two new controls for fine tuning your tone. The freq knob cuts or boosts either 100Hz or 500Hz while curve helps tame any harsh high end.
MOOER Green Mile Electric Guitar Overdrive Pedal
This extremely affordable Screamer-style pedal not only will save you space on your pedalboard, but it comes equipped with two different modes (hot and warm) to give you increased gain and presence.
Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive Mod Overdrive Pedal
Featuring a unique clean level control, Voodoo Lab’s flagship overdrive offers three different gain modes that go from vintage 808-style to more modern hi-gain fare.
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Hotone Wong Press
Cory Wong Signature Volume/Wah/Expression Pedal
Renowned international funk guitar maestro and 63rd Grammy nominee Cory Wong is celebrated for his unique playing style and unmistakable crisp tone. Known for his expressive technique, he’s been acclaimed across the globe by all audiences for his unique blend of energy and soul. In 2022, Cory discovered the multi-functional Soul Press II pedal from Hotone and instantly fell in love. Since then, it has become his go-to pedal for live performances.
Now, two years later, the Hotone team has meticulously crafted the Wong Press, a pedal tailored specifically for Cory Wong. Building on the multi-functional design philosophy of the Soul Press series, this new pedal includes Cory’s custom requests: a signature blue and white color scheme, a customized volume pedal curve, an adjustable wah Q value range, and travel lights that indicate both pedal position and working mode.
Cory’s near-perfect pursuit of tone and pedal feel presented a significant challenge for our development team. After countless adjustments to the Q value range, Hotone engineers achieved the precise WAH tone Cory desired while minimizing the risk of accidental Q value changes affecting the sound. Additionally, based on Cory’s feedback, the volume control was fine-tuned for a smoother, more musical transition, enhancing the overall feel of volume swells. The team also upgraded the iconic travel lights of the Soul Press II to dual-color travel lights—blue for Wah mode and green for Volume mode—making live performances more intuitive and visually striking!
In line with the Hotone Design Inspiration philosophy, the Wong Press represents the perfect blend of design and inspiration. Now, musicians can channel their inner Cory Wong and enjoy the freedom and joy of playing with the Wong Press!
Reverend Vernon Reid Totem Series Electric Guitar - Shaman
Silos features six presets, tap tempo, one full second of delay time, and three voices—two of which are styled after bucket-brigade and tape-delay sounds. In the $150 price category, it’s not unusual for a digital delay to leave some number of those functions out. And spending the same money on a true-analog alternative usually means warm, enveloping sounds but limited functionality and delay time. Silos, improbably perhaps, offers a very elegant solution to this can’t-have-it-all dilemma in a U.S.-made effect.
A More Complete Cobbling Together
Silos’ utility is bolstered by a very unintimidating control set, which is streamlined and approachable. Three of those controls are dedicated to the same mix, time, and repeats controls you see on any delay. But saving a preset to one of the six spots on the rotary preset dial is as easy as holding the green/red illuminated button just below the mix and preset knobs. And you certainly won’t get lost in the weeds if you move to the 3-position toggle, which switches between a clear “digital” voice, darker “analog” voice, and a “tape” voice which is darker still.
“The three voices offer discernibly different response to gain devices.”
One might suspect that a tone control for the repeats offers similar functionality as the voice toggle switch. But while it’s true that the most obvious audible differences between digital, BBD, and tape delays are apparent in the relative fidelity and darkness of their echoes, the Silos’ three voices behave differently in ways that are more complex than lighter or duskier tonality. For instance, the digital voice will never exhibit runaway oscillation, even at maximum mix and repeat settings. Instead, repeats fade out after about six seconds (at the fastest time settings) or create sleepy layers of slow-decaying repeats that enhance detail in complex, sprawling, loop-like melodic phrases. The analog voice and tape voice, on the other hand, will happily feed back to psychotic extremes. Both also offer satisfying sensitivity to real-time, on-the-fly adjustments. For example, I was tickled with how I could generate Apocalypse Now helicopter-chop effects and fade them in and out of prominence as if they were approaching or receding in proximity—an effect made easier still if you assign an expression pedal to the mix control. This kind of interactivity is what makes analog machines like the Echoplex, Space Echo, and Memory Man transcend mere delay status, and the sensitivity and just-right resistance make the process of manipulating repeats endlessly engaging.
Doesn't Flinch at Filth
EarthQuaker makes a point of highlighting the Silos’ affinity for dirty and distorted sounds. I did not notice that it behaved light-years better than other delays in this regard. But the three voices most definitely offer discernibly different responses to gain devices. The super-clear first repeat in the digital mode lends clarity and melodic focus, even to hectic, unpredictable, fractured fuzzes. The analog voice, which EQD says is inspired by the tone makeup of a 1980s-vintage, Japan-made KMD bucket brigade echo, handles fuzz forgivingly inasmuch as its repeats fade warmly and evenly, but the strong midrange also keeps many overtones present as the echoes fade. The tape voice, which uses aMaestro Echoplex as its sonic inspiration, is distinctly dirtier and creates more nebulous undercurrents in the repeats. If you want to retain clarity in more melodic settings, it will create a warm glow around repeats at conservative levels. Push it, and it will summon thick, sometimes droning haze that makes a great backdrop for slower, simpler, and hooky psychedelic riffs.
In clean applications, this decay and tone profile lend the tape setting a spooky, foggy aura that suggests the cold vastness of outer space. The analog voice often displays an authentic BBD clickiness in clean repeats that’s sweet for underscoring rhythmic patterns, while the digital voice’s pronounced regularity adds a clockwork quality that supports more up-tempo, driving, electronic rhythms.
The Verdict
Silos’ combination of features seems like a very obvious and appealing one. But bringing it all together at just less than 150 bucks represents a smart, adept threading of the cost/feature needle.
EarthQuaker Devices Silos Multi-generational Time Reflection Delay Pedal
