STOMPBOXES
The unit comes in 16-gauge steel housing with bypass and digital tap tempo
switches, and uses a pure analog signal
path. Control knobs are large but not
quite “toe-tweakable” size. The Depth
control, at the heart of the traditional
tremolo sound, has a wide range that
goes smoothly from subtle to pulsing
tremolo; the Wave control offers continuous waveform variation, from sine to triangle to square.
The unique Shape control for which the
pedal is named is a very cool feature,
allowing you to control the ratio of volume
swell to decrease, enabling the creation
of very appealing envelope-type sounds,
from percussive and piano-like chimes to
backward-sounding pulses. The Rate knob
works in two modes: in rate mode, it is
a speed control that goes from 1 to 20
cycles per second. In ratio mode, the Rate
knob controls the tap-to-note ratio, while
the tempo is set by the tap switch.
The sound was indeed lush, and gave me
no noise. I had a lot fun dialing all types
of effects, some of which were truly inspiring. This is much more than a tremolo.
– CB
Buy if … traditional tremolo effects bore
you.
Skip if … you’d much rather stay bored.
Rating...
4. 5
MSRP $225
Seymour Duncan
seymourduncan.com
Overdrives
Himmelstrutz Elektro Art Fetto
When I opened the box containing the
Fetto, handmade by Swedish tonehound
C.J. Himmelstrutz, the gonzo style of the
type and graphic immediately reminded
me of a Ralph Steadman design. The association led me to expect a brash, cheeky,
high-brow-meets-low-brow attitude, and
the Fetto didn’t disappoint.
An overdrive/distortion with an amp-like
feel, the Fetto has a Plexi-like gain structure with a wide range of Drive control,
great clarity and string definition even at
high gain, and nice harmonic complexity
even at low gain. More transparent than
TS-style pedals tonally, with less apparent compression, the Fetto has a unique
flair that seems a lot like a cross between
a fuzz and overdrive. Although its attack
is smoother than a characteristic fuzz, the
tone is loose and undisciplined up into
the mids; the mids are tight but vowelly,
and the top end tightens into a defined
crunch with rich, singing sustain. The
Fetto does not fatten single coils or add a
lot of coloration to your basic tone, so the
rig you’re using still sounds like your rig,
but it really does well at delivering a raw,
driven, articulate sound.
The Fetto also features true bypass, a
bright blue LED, a small footprint, and a
rock solid (and very heavy) case. If you’re
an unrepentant tone tweaker, you’ll love
that the fact that the Fetto also offers
four internal trim pots for even more fine
control over the pedal’s full range of tone
potential. – CB
Buy if … you’re looking for a solid performer with a different character than the crowd.
Skip if … you’re nuts about a
Tube Screamer.
Rating...
4. 5
MSRP $345.99
Himmelstrutz Elektro Art
himmelstrutz.com
Dino’s Guitars Rust Box
Italians have always seemed to possess a
knack for luxury and a hint of the exotic. It
is apparent in the vision of Alessio Casati
and Andreas Bagnasco, the luthier duo of
Dino’s Guitars. The long-time friends from
Savona, Italy have dedicated themselves to
the Italian tradition of craftsmanship manufacturing custom guitars, speaker cabinets,
and hand-wired pedals since 1995.
Dino’s Guitars Rust Box overdrive/distortion is the flagship of their pedal line. It’s
housed in a lightweight aluminum chassis and assembled using a mix of PCB
and point-to-point construction. Features
include dedicated Bass and Treble knobs,
as well as Drive/Gain and Master Volume
controls. There is also a three way mini
toggle switch that selects between three
distinct levels of distortion for a nearly
endless combination of distortion types,
ranging from just a hint of crunch to a
flat-out searing drive that any metal junkie
would love.
Rigorously tested with numerous guitars
and amps, the Rust Box showed great
diversity: it performed exceptionally
well with single coil pickups on a Fender
Stratocaster, a Dano ’ 63 Reissue, and a
Burns Steer Cutaway, all through a Fender
Deluxe. The Rust Box also worked well on
a ‘ 73 Fender Jazz Bass and an early-seven-ties Hagstrom Swede bass. The Treble and
Bass knobs helped tailor the Rust Box to
each instrument without over-coloring the
instrument’s personal character.
All in all, the Rust Box is a very well built
overdrive/distortion pedal capable of a
great variety of flavors. If you are looking
for an all-purpose box, it definitely warrants a closer look. – SS
Buy if … you’re into a great overdrive unit
with lots of tone shaping.
Skip if … you’re on a tight budget.
Rating...
4. 5
MSRP $260
Dino’s Guitars
dinosguitars.com
