Tone Report Weekly Issue 155 | Page 17

J. ROCKETT TRANQUILIZER This pedal fell criminally under the radar after its release, and did not really garner much of a splash in guitar circles. I feel this is a damn shame, since this is probably one of the best phasers I have ever heard this year (including some of the hallowed vintage models I have tried). While only having two stages, it manages to have the warmth and thump of a Uni-Vibe with the width and space of a phaser. Putting before a drive or fuzz is an absolutely religious experience that has to be heard to be believed. For the clip below, I focused on clean tones so you can really hear what it’s doing. ELECTRO HARMONIX SMALL STONE (BLACK RUSSIAN) Ok, so this is not a strictly “underground” pedal, but it’s going for stupid cheap on eBay and nobody seems to be buying them up. The “Black Russian” series of EHX effects are criminally underrated, and were made at the tail end of the Sovtek era. There are a lot of great deals to be had with the Sovtek Small Stones, as there value isn’t as high as the Sovtek Big Muffs. It’s got all the character of an old Small Stone without the annoying volume drop, which is more than enough for the price of entry. In this clip, I run through clean, phased, and then I switch on the wacky and awesome signature Small Stone “Color” switch. ToneReport.com 17