GEAR REVIEW
PRS RELEASES THREE UNIQUE EFFECT PEDALS | Jeffrey B . Scott
KEY FEATURES
• True Bypass
• Designed and assembled in the USA
• All-metal enclosures
• High-quality components , unique approach
It ’ s no simple task to express in writing what you should expect from these new PRS pedals , which is why I ’ m so glad we ’ ve got a video demo alongside this article !
The world of pedal builders is many and wildly varied . Over my years as a guitarist , I ’ ve owned and used hundreds of them from all kinds of builders . So , when an established guitar maker like Paul Reed Smith enters the arena , my expectations are understandably high .
OUT OF THE BOX PRS is no slouch when it comes to presentation . All three pedals come in a black box with a small booklet that outlines the controls and gives you several example settings to start with , including “ Paul Reed Smith ’ s Favorite ” for each one . Your favorite will be easy to find , though !
HORSEMEAT The Horsemeat Transparent Overdrive sets itself apart in its ability to dial in your tone with precise detail . It can take you from low-gain boost to heavily overdriven tones .
I found myself starting with the Gain at zero and using the Level and Voice controls to push the amp , but it ’ s capable of much more . In the studio , dialing up the Gain and tweaking the Voice controls helped me get the lead tone you hear in the video without any other tweaks . While it ’ s certainly a suitable replacement for any other transparent overdrive on the market , I ’ m impressed that it could serve in high-gain roles as well with no trouble . And to have individual control of Treble and Bass allows you to personalize the tone to suit your rig . $ 249.00
MARY CRIES Optical compressors are a unique animal , and PRS has brought this to life in Mary Cries in a great way . Easy to dial in , not overbearing or heavy-handed ; this is a compressor worth owning . The LED next to the Compression control gives you immediate visual feedback on your levels . ( A glance at the manual lets you know what to expect from the LED as you play ). The Output Gain is significant , and unless you enjoy a boost when you kick it on , likely , you will not use this control much above noon . But this compressor sings ! It is based on the famous LA-2A studio compressors , rack-mounted behemoths that have subtly affected records for decades ; that approach in a pedalboard format is something special . Side note : bass through the Mary Cries was fun , with the compression kicking in just enough to let it ring out and smoothing out the attacks just the right way . $ 219.00