John tests out Steve Ridinger's reimagination of the fuzzy drive pedal that began his stompbox-building journey in 1966.
Danelectro has introduced the newest pedal in its iconic product line: the Nichols 1966, a strikingly dynamic fuzz/distortion/overdrive based on a unique circuit designed by Danelectro’s Steve Ridinger as a teenager in the 1960s. At its core, the Nichols 1966 offers a broad range of fuzz and overdrive tones, with a highly touch-sensitive response that provides extra versatility for players who vary their right-hand pick attack and the volume knob settings on their guitar.
The Nichols 1966 also includes a two-position toggle switch for added EQ flexibility: you can select the pedal’s original 1960s Stock voicing or opt for a more modern Mid Cuttone profile for extra articulation on highs and lows.
Learn more here.
The MKII builds on the same circuit as the original 385, but adds A/B switching between two volume and gain settings.
In the summer of 2016, Walrus Audio announced an incredibly unique overdrive inspired by the built-in amp of the vintage Bell and Howell 385 Filmosound projector. For years, guitarists have modified and used the projector’s amp as guitar amps for their dynamic response and tone. Walrus captured that sound and squeezed it into a pedal called the 385 Overdrive. Now, after years of being tour and studio-tested, Walrus has made this incredible pedal even more dynamic with the 385 MKII.
The MKII builds on the same circuit as the original pedal but adds A/B switching between two volume and gain settings. This gives the pedal two separate sets of volume and gain that can be used like a preset to change volume and/or gain for specific parts. Also new for the MKII is the 385+ Switch: A feature that slams the front of the pedal’s circuit with a barrage of high gain, saturation, and loads of sustain rocketing the pedal into distortion-level territories.
External updates include top-mounted jacks and soft-touch, relay true bypass.
The 385 MKII is available in two different versions:
- Textured black enclosure with an illustration of an original 385 Filmosound projector by David Hüttner in yellow and red ink.
- Flat black enclosure with an illustration of an amp tube warm and ready to rock in cream ink by Josh Yosurack.
The die-cast enclosure’s exact size is 4.77” x 2.6” x 1.39” including knobs. Power requirements are 9VDC, center negative(100mA minimum). Walrus Audio is offering The 385 MKII for a retail price of $249.99
For more information, please visit walrusaudio.com.
Day #7 of Stombopxtober continues! Enter below for your chance to WIN the Keeley Electronics Noble Screamer!
Keeley Noble Screamer Overdrive Pedal
Imagine being able to combine your favorite parts of different overdrive & boost pedals in order to create hybrid sounds no one has ever played through before. That is exactly what we’ve engineered with the Noble Screamer. It’s a 4-in-1 pedal that gives you two very familiar drive circuits and two brand new amp-like distortion tones that no one has used before. It’s almost like pedal-modeling, except these are 100% analog circuits, and you decide which tone-control or clipping-section you want to play through. You can play through battle-tested, classic overdrive effects or innovate new music with hybrid tones, let your ears be the judge. Even with all of these features the pedal remains a simple and easy to use three knob overdrive. The innovation in the Noble Screamer doesn’t end there; our new design features true-bypass or buffered, truly silent switching, on the fly. The Keeley Noble Screamer Overdrive and Boost is entirely manufactured at Keeley Electronics and is the first in our new aluminum enclosure.