OohLaLa Manufacturing is a Minneapolis based company founded by Amada Marquez. The company’s mission is to help small effects designers bring their creations to a larger audience. Currently, OohLaLa carries the creations of three designers, Lorren Stafford of Black Box Effects, Devi Ever of Effector 13 and Bruce Bennett, legendary designer and maker of the Brown Sound pedal. Don’t let the name OohLaLa or the fuzzy animal “pedal pouches” fool you, these pedals mean business. Hand built and hand painted using water-soluble inks and lead-free solder, OohLaLa offers a unique line of guitar effects that are also earth friendly. The effects have metal chassis, true bypass, and run on either a 9-volt battery or standard Boss-style DC adapter.
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 | Download Example |
The Quicksilver is a very versatile pedal with plenty of options for almost any style of music. It offers 7 knobs: Delay Long, Delay Short, Tone, Mix, Wobble, Speed and Repeat. There are two footswitches: one bypass, and one that switches between Long and Short Delay. There are two small LEDs: red for Long Delay, yellow for Short Delay. Neither LED will light when the pedal is in bypass mode. You are provided with a standard in/out, expression pedal input, and an effects loop, which processes the feedback loop through external devices. The Wobble controls the amount of modulation going to the delay time. The Tone knob adjusts the tone of the delay signal— counterclockwise for a darker analog delay, and clockwise for a brighter tape delay.
When I first plugged into this pedal, I tried out the Long Delay option with the following settings: Delay Long at 2 o’clock, Tone at 10 o’clock, Mix at 2 o’clock, Wobble and Speed at 7 o’clock, and Repeat at 5 o’clock. I was treated to a healthy dose of long, drawn-out delay, and to my surprise, no out-of-control feedback from repeat build up—the notes just trailed off in the distance. Turning the speed knob up, the waves became faster, building over the slow churning waves. With the Short Delay at 2 o’clock, I backed off on the Repeat knob to 2 o’clock and turned the Wobble up to 10 o’clock to add some modulation. It was still a bit dark, so I turned the tone knob clockwise to brighten up the tone, to get a tight slapback-style delay. Using a telecaster, I achieved an icy chorused twang, with a roomier sound.
The effects loop allows you to route other effects such as fuzz, volume pedals, or delays, so that as the delay repeats, the sound becomes increasingly processed as the signal is routed through the other units. For the test, I tried out my Ernie Ball Jr. volume pedal and my Line 6 DL4. I found that I could control the ratio of dry signal to saturated signal using the volume pedal without the loss of any volume. Through the DL4 I was able to combine two different delays to create some bizzare effects. Using the reverse delay of the DL4 combined with the slapback delay of the Quicksilver, I achieved a slower build up of notes with a huge sound.
It’s worth mentioning that if the Quicksilver is in bypass mode, the pedals you run through its effect loop chain are unavailable, so players may want to use some expendable pedals in the chain. My only qualm with this unit is the absence of a Tap Tempo. Some players who are used to tapping out the delay speed on the fly may try using the expression pedal input feature, which allows you to adjust the delay speed. I didn’t have an expression pedal on hand to try this out, but I’m sure it would take some getting used to. I would recommend the Quicksilver to any guitarist or synth player looking for a great sounding analog and tape-style delay.
Buy if...
you're looking for a great sounding analog and tape-style delay.
Skip if...
you want a delay pedal with tap tempo.
Rating...
MSRP $475 - OohLaLa Manufacturing - oohlalamanufacturing.com |
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| Download Example |
The Soda-Meiser appears to be a basic fuzz pedal, but what it may lack in features it makes up for in all-out fuzz heaven. In heavy competition with the infamous Big Muff, this pedal is a lot more fun to play, with better harmonics to boot. The pedal layout is simple: you get two footswitches for Bypass and Boost, a Volume knob, Intensity knob, Chaos switch (it means what it says), and two big, bright LEDs, for Bypass and Boost. My favorite setting on this pedal was with the Intensity set at 2 o’clock without the boost; volume was adjusted according to the room. The intensity knob adjusts the amount of signal going to the fuzz circuit, similar to the sustain knob on a Big Muff. The Soda-Meiser provides amazing sustain— chords just droned on forever. The pedal also has a smooth bass response.
The mids sound great as well, but there is a roll off on the high frequencies. This caused a loss of clarity in my overall tone at lower volumes, but once I got the chance to turn the amp up loud, the highs returned. Turning the knob all the way clockwise gives you a scrambled sound, and total fuzz chaos. The boost pedal acts as an oscillator and is noisy but can provide some great fuzzed-out leads, comparable to an octave fuzz. Flipping the chaos mode switch, only the high notes survive—and forget about chords, they just break up in the sonic cruelty. Also, it is fair to note that when the boost switch is activated there is a loss in volume. The manual says adjust accordingly. In a live situation this may be a bit cumbersome for many players, so I would advise using a boost, compressor, or EQ pedal to bring the volume back up. The Soda-Meiser has the Big Muff sound, with harmonics and subtle nuances that remind me of the early Rat pedals. Fans of big, fuzzed-out stoner rock sound will love the Soda-Meiser.
Buy if...
just buy it! Best fuzz pedal I have ever heard for guitar and bass!
Skip if...
you don't like fuzz.
Rating...
MSRP $225 - OohLaLa Manufacturing - oohlalamanufacturing.com |
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| Download Example |
The Torn’s Peaker, another great play on words, is also a fuzz pedal, which is grittier overall compared to the Soda-Meiser. By design, the bass response isn’t very smooth; low chords tend to break up, but the midrange provides the clarity missing in the Soda-Meiser. It provides the same amount of features, minus the chaos switch—so you get Volume and Texture knobs, a Bypass switch and Mode switch, plus two huge LEDs to let you know when the circuits are active. The Texture knob actually acts more as a fuzz shaper than a Tone knob. Extreme right offers smooth harmonic textures, while the extreme left offers a fuzzed-out crunchy sound. The middle is fairly standard fuzz that’s still a bit on the crunchy side.
I found myself liking the crunch of this pedal with the Texture knob once again at 2 o’clock and the volume adjusted accordingly to room volume. I was able to get a good vintage crunch with plenty of note definition. I usually run my clean a little dirty, and this pedal would make a great overdrive when needed. Switching the mode will get you oscillating fuzz like the Soda-Meiser, but ultimately more static and destructive. Be warned that you’ll get a lot of background noise between notes, which can either be cool or a bit annoying. This effect does work well for some synth-like discordant leads. I found that backing off my volume pedal helped dissipate some of the noise. Some players may prefer to use a noise gate with the Torn’s Peaker, so as not to let all that noise get out of hand. Some may just let it ride. Buy if… you want a pedal to pull double duties: both fuzz and overdrive.
Buy if...
you want a pedal to pull double duties: both fuzz and overdrive.
Skip if...
you are looking for a richer fuzz, then buy the Soda-Meiser.
Rating...
MSRP $225 - OohLaLa Manufacturing - oohlalamanufacturing.com |
The Final Mojo
OohLaLa is manufacturing some very imaginative effects boxes, with some not-so-standard features. These pedals took a lot of experimenting, but after some tweaking I was able to find some useful and inspiring tones. Stoner Rock, Doom, Drone & Noise guitarists unite— these stomp boxes will inspire you to create some unique guitar tones. If you’re looking for pedals that are “off the beaten path” you will want to check out this line of effects.
We have even more pedal reviews for those with stomp cravings. Check out our roundup for the first 28!
In this review:
Mad Professor Little Green Wonder
Oohlala Ultraviolet
Demeter OD-1 Overdrivulator
Visual Sound V2 Route 808
Visual Sound V2 Son of Hyde
Tim Champion Clapthena
Tim Champion Fuzzar-o
by Adam Moore Designer Bjorn Juhl describes the Little Green Wonder on the Mad Professor website as, “a TS-style pedal, but one for those who generally don’t like TS-style pedals.” After playing this pedal for a decent amount of time, you’ll quickly realize that Juhl has found perhaps the most effective way to describe it. While it’s near impossible to write a review of the LGW without a Tube Screamer comparison or three – even if you’re trying to block it out of your mind, the metallic green housing and the name itself will function to remind you what you’re playing – the LGW follows faithfully in the Mad Professor formula of pushing circuits towards the more refined side of the spectrum. From the very start, you’ll likely feel like you’re plugging into an old friend; the Volume knob acts as expected, and reveals a huge amount of headroom hidden beneath the surface – cranking the Volume with the Drive all the way back reveals a more than capable clean boost. The Drive knob takes things from a barely-there grit to full on Stevie Ray in a fairly tight range, and at all settings the LGW was exceptionally responsive and dynamic – it felt like it was truly a part of my amp, not an add-on in the signal chain. And while a good Tube Screamer feels like this too, the sheer transparency of the Mad Professor LGW makes this pedal the ideal partner for any number of the complex boutique amps currently dominating guitarists’ X-mas wishlists. With less compression and more warmth than the other green box, the LGW steps out of the way and lets your [insert pricey boutique amp here] do all the talking. But if the LGW was just a high-end clone, we probably wouldn’t be this excited. The Body control is the real secret here, expanding its tonal range and voice. While there’s always an element of midrange present in the LGW, you now have a lot more versatility in how to harness it. With the Body control at noon, you’ll hear that classic midrange “hump”; pushing it to the right adds in a treble boost and gives the LGW extra clarity and cut; turning it to left adjusts the boost downward into the low-mids, imparting an full figure to the signal, perfect for those smooth solos and cool autumn evenings. It cleans up perfectly with a turn of the volume knob, and plays nicely with humbuckers, as well. If you’re yearning for a TS-type pedal that is in reality a lot more, you’ll definitely fall in love with this Little Green Wonder. If you can swing the price tag, do yourself a favor and plug into the latest, greatest export from Finland. Buy if...
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 | Download Example 1 Volume at 1:00, Mix at 11:00, Fuzz at 10:00, Low Freq at 4:00, Mid Freq at 7:00, Hi Freq at 4:00; a little bit of strumming on a scooped-out fuzz. |
| Download Example 2 Volume at 1:00, Mix at 2:00, Fuzz at 1:00, Low Freq at 6:30, Mid Freq at 2:30, Hi Freq at 12:00; a bigger-bottomed fuzz tone over a Flaming Lips riff. |
| Recorded with an Ampeg AMG100 and a modified Epiphone Valve Junior stack featuring an Eminence Red Coat 12”, through a Shure SM57 and into a ProSonus Audiobox interface. | |
by Adam Moore
Is there such a thing as too much fuzz? It’s a big question, and one that will likely stir up strong feelings among players; there has always been a certain amount of joy in feeding a chain of fuzz boxes signals, watching the sound become filthier and filthier before it implodes under its own weight. But sometimes you need to scale things back, to harness the power of the fuzz box for more socially acceptable uses – clean it up for public consumption. While the question of too much fuzz may never be satisfactorily answered by researchers, there is no doubt an invisible line in many guitarists’ minds, however distant it might be, where we stop mid-take and say, “This is too much.”
Oohlala Manufacturing is one of those companies continuing to toe that line between brilliance and absurdity, pressing forward with plans to cram as much fuzz into a confined space as is humanly possible – all while still sounding good, of course. Their line speaks for itself; boxes like the Soda Meiser can hang with the best of them, smartly transforming classics like the Big Muff and Ampeg’s Scrambler into a house blend of sonic destruction. Designs like the Synth Mangler manage to shoehorn multiple, purposely unstable fuzz circuits into playful packages, strongly making the case that there’s never such a thing as too much fuzz.
Regardless, when I received the Ultraviolet, the company’s strongest brew of fuzz, I found myself asking that seminal, existential question over and over again. The Ultraviolet is, for all intents and purposes, a quad-channel fuzz with three active filter sections. And in case that didn’t register, quad means four, as in the Ultraviolet sends your signal through four parallel fuzz channels. Three of these channels are sent through active filter sections to expand the pedal’s range, each one tied to a different section of the frequency spectrum (lining the top of the box and marked as Low Freq, Mid Freq and Hi Freq). You then have the option to blend those sounds back in with the remaining, unfiltered fuzz channel (the Mix knob) for a combination that is downright phat.
But it turns out that even though we can put a man on the moon, harnessing four channels of fuzz still remains somewhat elusive. While this pedal is thick and meaty, offering plenty of fuzzed-out muscle for true aficionados, there’s also a lot of complexity hidden inside – both in sound and in construction. Considering that the active filter sections interact to the smallest changes in your rig and playing, not to mention in relation to the other knobs, I found it a bit of a challenge to dial in exact sounds. I rushed things; I over-compensated. For every articulate, layered, harmonically intense fuzz I was able to coax out of the Ultraviolet, I probably encountered another one or two muddy settings, where I just couldn’t find the magic in the knobs. The Filter and Mix knobs can be a little confusing, and definitely take some time to settle into before you capitalize on their unique interplay, mixing the sounds and proportions of the various fuzz channels in the larger tone. The one Fuzz knob, controlling the general level of mayhem, is a bit of disappointment, if only in a psychological sense; for a box billing itself as four fuzzes in one, I’d love to be able to tweak four giant “FUZZ” knobs. That’s the kind of visual, tactile fun Oohlala is known for, and I wish there was more of it here.
All that being said, fans of Oohlala know that their designs are made for exploration – a statement made clear in the manual. Part of the fun lies in figuring out just how the damn thing works – that’s why we keep coming back for more. While most pedal geeks twiddle Volume and Gain knobs into submission, Oohlala users are turning banks of controls, manhandling joysticks and generally having a ball. Drop the manual and start turning. Once you “get it,” you’ll be able to extract a maximum number of sounds out of this thing, everything ranging from tinny, lo-fi sounds all the way to fat-assed fuzzes that steamroll everything in their way. The Ultraviolet will best reward those with patience and a sound stuck in their head that they haven’t been able to replicate anywhere else.
So how much is too much? If you got all the way to the end of this review and expected an answer, you’re probably the kind of person that loves to be told the answers, and that means the Ultraviolet probably isn’t for you. But if you’re into hands-on learning, hook up with the company doing the cutting-edge research and find out for yourself.
Buy if...
you think of yourself more as a fuzz scientist than a connoisseur
Skip if...
you just want a fuzz, thank you
Rating...
MSRP $275 - Oohlala Manufacturing - oohlalamanufacturing.com |