Chorus, vibrato, and easy-to-program presets in an elegantly simple design.
Deep and varied chorus and vibrato sounds that are easy to manipulate and access via presets. Nice presence in top end.
Switching between chorus and vibrato can sometimes feel a touch clumsy.
$239
NativeAudio Pretty Bird Woman
nativeaudio.com
NativeAudio’s Pretty Bird Woman chorus and vibrato makes for a nice study in economical design. There are just two knobs for modulation rate and depth, a footswitch that saves and scrolls presets, and a bypass switch that doubles as a vibrato/chorus switch when you hold it down for a few counts. These simple functions govern two very rich and varied modulation voices. And it only takes a little time to see, hear, and feel how the PBW’s design economy and intuitive controls would make it invaluable in a live setup.
PBW’s chorus voice is present and cutting. At minimum depth settings, it dishes very nice 12-string approximations—shimmering sounds that are a touch more thrilling for the clarity in the top end. Middle-of-the-range depth settings, meanwhile, evoke an EHX Small Clone’s queasy wobble. And advanced depth and slower settings give the pedal a lo-fi rotary speaker feel. On the vibrato side, the PBW does a nice, if somewhat brighter sounding, take on a Boss VB-2. But lower depth settings and middle-fast rates yield swampy tremolo-like pulses, while slower rates and advanced depth settings generate molasses-y warped-record oscillations that would be killer in layered guitar mixes. Any four of these divergent sounds can be saved as a preset easily and on the fly by holding down the right footswitch. Scrolling is a piece of cake, too. Taken together, Pretty Bird Woman’s combination of simplicity and range is impressively practical.
Test Gear: Fender Telecaster, Fender Telecaster Deluxe with Curtis Novak Wide Range pickups, Rickenbacker 330, Fender Tremolux