KEELEY
ELECTRONICS
MEMPHIS SUN
REVIEW BY SAM HILL
STREET PRICE $179.00
If there was a Mount
Rushmore-esque effigy
dedicated to guitar pedal
builders in the modern era,
it seems likely that Robert
Keeley’s likeness would be
carved into stone. From
modded Tube Screamers
and Boss pedals to unique
original designs, Keeley is
one of the leaders in superb
stompboxes available
for musicians today. The
company even practices
creative cooperation, the
likes of which can be seen
by a collaboration with JHS
Pedals in the Steak and
Eggs. One of those unique
designs, the Memphis Sun,
sets out to achieve lo-fi
reverb and echo sounds
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GEAR REVIEW
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à la ‘50s Sun Studios, the
Memphis, Tenn. landmark
that saw iconic artists such
as Howlin’ Wolf, Junior
Parker, Elvis and Johnny
Cash write and record there.
Room delivers room style
reverb. The knobs are
labeled Time, Regen/Mod,
Reverb, and Mix. The pedal
is powered by a nine-volt
adapter.
Arguably much smaller
than an actual recording
studio, the Memphis Sun
is conveniently compact
and features four knobs
along with a three way
mode selector switch.
The first mode, Echo 600,
imparts echoes up to 600
milliseconds in length,
as the name implies. The
second mode, Sun, achieves
the signature double
tracking and slapback
sounds as the legendary
studio recordings. Finally,
In Echo 600 mode, delays
are warm and fade away
into the background after
a handful of repeats. It’s
important to note that this
is not intended to take
the place of your favorite
delay pedals; it is tuned
with a vintage voice and
does not act like a standard
delay pedal does. There
are no unlimited repeats
that crash into a wave of
oscillation, but this isn’t a
bad thing—the Memphis
Sun is refined. The Time
Keeley Electronics Memphis Sun