shok's Reviews

Creative Delay

I have been using this pedal quite often in the last year and change.

I first came into contact with one at a music store in Texas while on the road with Magic Wands.

I went online and got one shortly after this encounter and it has lived on my bass pedalboard since.

The delays and feedback are fun. You can manipulate the speed with your foot.

I highly recommend pedals by Philippe and his Caroline Guitar Company. Good people. Good Products!

Also, I have used the pedal on an album which presently in the works which will certainly be heard by thousands and thousands of folks..... More on that once press happens.

NON-STOP FUN & CREATIVITY

For many years I desired this connecting link from guitar & bass.

In the short few months of having this, I have used it on several client jobs as well as it sparking sundry ideas!

These are notorious for coming with horrible setups, bridges and just ok pickups though for the price, it is great and you can find a decent luthier or tech or friend to get you sorted unless you are adept at this art.

I paid about $400 for mine and am glad I held out for so long as this one is magical.

I will have to update this but WACKO DISTORTION, Batman!!!

Thank you to my mates at Soma Labs for bringing me XMAS early this year!!!!

They showed up to my concert with a box and called it a "gift".

This pedal is a waveshaping, dual distortion, optical-compresso-limito tone wizard in a classy case.

I have a feeling this will get good usage both in the studio with clients and my own creations as well as on the road.

I finally landed one of these magical devices!!!

I first experienced this beauty during the spring 2025 performance by Nika aka Zola Jesus when this MS20-style filter was effecting her vocals during her piano and voice tour in Los Angeles.

After reviewing both versions of this pedal as well as several other MS20 and similar filters, I decided to keep looking for one of these though I would have a cap of $250.

While looking at actual Korg MS20 synths, I had the thought to poke around the usual watering holes and happened upon one for $260 which was located near my hometown, outside of Philadelphia.

I put in an offer for $240 as this also included shipping and it was accepted and here we are!

If you want to harness the aggressive grit of a classic filter, this may be the piece for you!!

Fantastic Pitch & Expression Pedal

Gamechanger Audio has become a force in the last decade.

I was getting a Casio DG-20 guitar and the fellow who was selling that had this and sold it for $150 which is a great deal!

It works well with the pitch algorithm created by Gamechanger and can manipulate either direction from low to high bends and what I particularly find useful is that while doing this, you can utilize the pedal for expression to control added reverb, delay, or whatever you would like from another pedal.

This concurrent movement may really breathe excitement into your music or sounds.

Neve meets Focusrite?

Rupert Neve had a moment with Focusrite.....

Back in the 90s, I wound up with a bunch of gear that I lucked into via a sale to a local music store back in the outskirts of Philadelphia called Medley Music.

A fellow who wound up inheriting a slew of loot from his grandfather funded a HUGE studio. He later fell into a drug haze and spent all of his money then started selling his relatively newly purchased gear BACK to the store from which it came. Of course they had to only give him a small fraction of the value and I was lucky enough to be the recipient of this, a Tascam DA-88 and more.....

Anyhow..... I used this exclusively for a number of years as my go-to vocal processor and tonal shaper.

In the last 25 years, I have since upgraded to some higher end pre-amplifiers and compressors / levelers though I do still love the Voicemaster. It is still in my main rack at the studio and once in a long while, it gets used, mostly for light work. I may experiment with it again later this year.

You can typically find one of these online for $150 and to have a fun filter / eq with other options including a simple gate along with the compression, you will find your ears to be happy with you!

Good and Light

A friend gifted me this guitar in 2024 since he didn't need two bases at his place. (Why not?)

I gladly accepted and this is the bass that now sits at my home as all the other basses are at the studio. This is a very lightweight instrument that sounds good for an entry-level low twanger.

I have not recorded with it and have only used it several times since the last year has seen much travel though I may experiment with it this Autumn.

I do enjoy the weight and it makes it fun to pull out and play here n there.

I may update this review in the future.

Classic Overdrive / Preamp Pedal

On Sunday the 29th of June, 2025, I went to purchase the notorious Digitech Crossroads Eric Clapton pedal for $30 and while talking with the seller (craigslist), it turned out he had an additional pedal for sale and since he was preparing to relocated out of town, he offered it to me for $40.

It was the original 250 pedal which is clearly noted by the use of the O versus 0 on the 25O (as opposed to 250 which may have been a purposeful design decision). There are a few additional indicators such as the justification of the model directly below the brand title and smaller knobs.

The 250 has a decent and classic sound, housed in a sturdy metal enclosure. Mine is in great condition though the LEVEL knob has been replaced though it does roughly match the original which is the GAIN knob.

Though I do have this sound with other pedals and the Digitech multi-fx units, it is cool to have the original in my ever growing collection and the studio.

Compact and Precise!

This ultra compact tuner pedal is easy to use with its display and minimal footprint. It seems to be built well and has been accurate with detection. I have this on my bass guitar pedalboard.

KILLER PEDAL

I finally recently got this pedal and am delighted by both the condition it is in as well as the tones I am getting running bass through this as I had acquired it for the guitar initially.

Fair inexpensive pedal

The tracking is ok. It is no match for my TC Electronics Polytune though.

A Master of the classic rack effects for guitars!

I got my first one in the early 90s and then quickly added two more to the studio / live rig for those who were performing with me at the time.

I have kept my first one and shed the two others just before the pandemic though I often wish I had kept them though I did get a hefty sum for them.

The Quadraverb GT abled me to achieve many sounds I utilized over the years, spawning many creative journeys!

While I have not used it in some time, I am sure it will eventually make its way into future projects or jobs.

This is a highly recommended piece of kit which will fit right at home for people.

I did "wind up" with two Korg A3's when working on a soundtrack. This is another interesting choice though I used that primarily to get the sound The Edge played on songs like "Mysterious Ways".

Convenient Pedal with a host of options

I got this pedal to replace another multi-FX pedal I use for live shows. EQ, AMP Simulation, Light Reverb and the possibility of extra compression were on the want list.

Overall, the pedal is easy to use once you get a hand of the updated architecture. The sound quality and build is decent and there are many options for routing.

I am still getting used to this several months later but I do feel it is a solid pedal and is great for someone who wants to slim down their pedalboard.

Fun and Robotic

I finally got this pedal right at the pandemic while working on a soundtrack and have used it several times when the funk needed an odd bite. This pedal is similar in ways to the BitCommander in that you can color the sound yet the bass remains solid!

BEAUTIFUL SOUNDSCAPE MACHINE

This will calm the beast and find the serenity you seek or cloud the air with darkness.... You are in control!

Works like a charm!

Easy to use. Clear indicators including all strings at once. Great as a mute too! I use it daily in the studio and on tours.

2003 Tech via DigiTech still holds up against the 2025 Vocal processors.

For a vocal processor which was released over 22 years ago as of writing this review, the VX400 is a pedal which is a strong competitor side by side with the current BOSS, TC Helicon and others!

The expression pedal is great! You can assign it to volume, effects sends and mix and rates.

I currently tour with a few bands who use the BOSS pedals since I had previously recommended those however, after having picked up a few old DigiTechs during the pandemic, I became comfortable with these.

PROS: I like Purple! The effects are varied and the ability to quickly edit and achieve the tones desired is fantastic! CONS: Bulky in weight and size. Gate and Compression settings could be better though it should work for most

Work Staple

The MD 421 has been a fixture in my arsenal for a number of years now and is most often used for TOMs on drum sessions. I have used it on Sax, Trumpet and Trombone however I do have other tools for that which I prefer.

Soma Labs - Terra is Terrrrific!

The kind folks at Soma brought over the Terra and I have been getting accustomed to its ways and magic!

This is a very expressive instrument which combines physical movement with analog and digital sound.

Some of the audio experiments will be includes on a forthcoming soundtrack for a Netflix documentary.

I may post videos soon. :)

Btw, the way the instrument is even set from the start, it is quite easy for a person to sound decent.

Fun

My mate, Dave Simpson, gifted this to me when I visited his amazingly wonderful store, Heron Music, in Bristol UK. Please visit his store.

This pedal is now being used on the GUST Sessions with Neil Davidge (Massive Attack, Halo, DNA) The pedal reminds me of the Korg and also the FM4 / Filterpro from Line 6.

If you can grab one, you will have fun!