It is January and then the Namm traditionally takes place in sunny California, this year it is the Winter Music Namm 2020.
For those who don’t say anything, it’s one of the biggest music fairs in the world and many manufacturers launch their new products here. Below is an overview of the most important news in the field of guitar effects, limiting myself to the brands that you can buy at Pedaltown.
Chase Bliss Audio
Chase Bliss comes with two (new) pedals at the Winter Music Namm 2020. Actually, they are both not new, a first version of the Preamp MKII was already on display last year and the Blooper was already for sale last year through a crowd fund action on Kickstarter. Both pedals have now gone into production and will be available soon. The Preamp MKII Automatone is a preamp, based on a Chimera amplifier from Benson Amps, and a fuzz in one. The standout feature of the pedal is a full digital control with motorized faders. The Preamp MKII costs 869 euros, will be available from May 28th and can be pre-ordered from today.
The Blooper is a pedal that merges high-quality looping with creative manipulation. It’s a different, refreshing take on looping as we know it from the Boss and TC pedals. The pedal lets you record and undo, redo, and externally sync up to eight layers. The Chase Bliss Blooper costs 579 euros, is available from March 17th and can be reserved from today.
Then there’s another pedal that Chase Bliss developed with Meris: CXM 1978 Reverb. It is a digital studio reverb based on the Lexicon 224. Further details are unknown at this time.
Walrus Audio
Walrus Audio comes with a completely new pedal, Mako D1 High Fidelity Stereo Delay. It’s a delay pedal with five, studio-quality, high-quality, custom-developed programs. The programs are Digital, Mod, Vintage, Dual and Reverse. The pedal has Tap Tempo and presets. The delay time of the D1 is between (minimum) 60 ms and maximum 2000 ms. It is striking that the pedal can be controlled via MIDI. Walrus Audio Mako D1 will be available from February 1, costs 328 euros and can be ordered from today.
Furthermore, Walrus Audio has updated the Julia Chorus to version 2. On this version the jack inputs and outputs are on the top and there is a new soft-bypass switch. Adam Forster’s artwork has also been updated. Walrus Audio Julia V2 is available from today and costs 209 euro.
Updated versions of existing pedals
In addition to Walrus Audio, a number of other manufacturers will also release updated versions at the Winter Music Namm 2020. Red Panda comes with V2 of the Context, the Red Panda Context V2. Officially nothing is known yet, based on the appearance there is now a ‘spring’ and ‘grain’ mode, a two-band EQ and a preset switch.
Earthquaker Devices comes with the third version of the Afterneath. New to this pedal are nine new modes. Furthermore, you can now connect an expression pedal and use it to control the ‘drag’. You can also choose between trails/no trails switching. The pedal will be available from April 15.
EQD komt ook met een update van hun gelimiteerde Sunn O pedaal. de Sun O))) Life V2. Het pedaal is compacter dan de vorige versie en daarnaast kan je nu met een expressie pedaal het volume van octaaf blend instellen. Er zit flexi-switch op het pedaal en analoge ‘octave blending’. Er worden er wereldwijd in totaal slechts 2.500 van gemaakt, dus wees er snel bij!
Two Notes
The French firm Two Notes comes with an update of the Torpedo Captor, the Torpedo Captor X. The Captor X is a compact reactive loadbox, amp attenuator, virtual cabinet and IR charger for home, live and studio use. With a whopping 32 composite virtual cabinets, 8 microphones per cabinet and 8 reverbs, there is no better solution for tube amps. Two Notes Torpedo Captor X costs 549 euros, will be available mid-March and pre-order now.
Gamechanger Audio
The well-known pedal maker from Latvia is again this year with surprising news: the Gamechanger Audio Light pedal. It is an analog spring reverb pedal that uses optical infrared sensors. The sensors record the full harmonic spectrum of the spring reverberation and translate it into an audio signal. This creates unique and interesting reverberation sounds. The pedal will cost 299 euros and will be available from autumn.
More news on the pedal front
VS Audio pedals have been exclusively available in the Netherlands at Pedaltown since 2019. This Greek pedal maker comes with a new Chorus pedal called: Alchemy. It is a stereo BBD (Bucket-brigade Device) chorus with a full analog signal path and 6 presets. VS Audio Alchemy costs 249 euros and is in stores. JHS Pedals comes with a signature pedal by Paul Gilbert. JHS PG-14 costs 239 euros and is expected on January 31 and pre-order now.
Furthermore, Catalinbread is releasing two new pedals, a fuzz/eq pedal, named GIYGAS and a boost pedal: Epoch Boost. Prices and delivery times are currently unknown.
Death By Audio Effects releases a new reverb pedal: DBA Rooms Stereo Reverberator. Delivery time and price of this pedal are not yet known.
The Chinese Mooer comes with a number of new pedals, including the A7 and the D7, both additions to the micro series. The A7 Ambiance is a reverb pedal with 7 different effects. Furthermore, the pedal has Infinite Trails and an intriguing Chaos button. The D7 Delay has 6 different delays (tape, liquid, rainbow, galaxy, modverse and low bit) and a 150-second looper. It also has tap tempo and presets. Both pedals will cost 99 euros, delivery times are not yet known.