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First Look: Warm Audio Centavo & Warmdrive

Warm Audio Centavo & Warmdrive Demos | First Look

The vintage-style gear specialists dive into the legacy of two classic drive pedals.


The Warm Audio Centavo is an accurate recreation of the most sought-after overdrive pedal of the 90's and beyond. Whether you're after the fabled clean boost tones, transparent overdrive, or you want to push your dirty channels to true grit, the Centavo has all of the adored tones of the vintage box. In addition, the Warm Audio Centavo has the infamous "MOD" selectable on the back. When in the "up" position, low-end response on the bottom strings is extended. With a true-to-original, custom-cast golden enclosure & all the signature sounds of the original, Centavo delivers an authentically legendary pedal experience.

The Warmdrive is a true reproduction of a highly revered pedal known for delivering the tones of an unattainable overdriven amp. The original pedal is known to go from silky-smooth tones reminiscent of a special overdriven amp at the sweet spot, all the way to sustain-rich distortion. The Warmdrive combines carefully-selected components & true-to-original circuit design to achieve the same tone and sonic profile of the legendary pedal. The "secret sauce" of the Warmdrive, just like the original, is the unique voice/tone control combination on the stomp box. Giving artists extra versatility, this control allows the player to modify the frequency both before (Voice control) and after (Tone control) the clipping stages.

(Info courtesy of Warm Audio's website.)

Supro Montauk Mini Rocker Amp Demo
- YouTube

A 6L6 power section, tube-driven spring reverb, and a versatile array of line outs make this 1x10 combo an appealing and unique 15-watt alternative.

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The two-in-one “sonic refractor” takes tremolo and wavefolding to radical new depths.

Pros: Huge range of usable sounds. Delicious distortion tones. Broadens your conception of what guitar can be.

Build quirks will turn some users off.

$279

Cosmodio Gravity Well
cosmod.io

4.5
4
4
4.5

Know what a wavefolder does to your guitar signal? If you don’t, that’s okay. I didn’t either until I started messing around with the all-analog Cosmodio Instruments Gravity Well. It’s a dual-effect pedal with a tremolo and wavefolder, the latter more widely used in synthesis that , at a certain threshold, shifts or inverts the direction the wave is traveling—in essence, folding it upon itself. Used together here, they make up what Cosmodio calls a sonic refractor.

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Kemper and Zilla announce the immediate availability of Zilla 2x12“ guitar cabs loaded with the acclaimed Kemper Kone speaker.

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The author in the spray booth.

Does the type of finish on an electric guitar—whether nitro, poly, or oil and wax—really affect its tone?

There’s an allure to the sound and feel of a great electric guitar. Many of us believe those instruments have something special that speaks not just to the ear but to the soul, where every note, every nuance feels personal. As much as we obsess over the pickups, wood, and hardware, there’s a subtler, more controversial character at play: the role of the finish. It’s the shimmering outer skin of the guitar, which some think exists solely for protection and aesthetics, and others insist has a role influencing the voice of the instrument. Builders pontificate about how their choice of finishing material may enhance tone by allowing the guitar to “breathe,” or resonate unfettered. They throw around terms like plasticizers, solids percentages, and “thin skin” to lend support to their claims. Are these people tripping? Say what you will, but I believe there is another truth behind the smoke.

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