Keeley Electronics and US gear retail giant Sweetwater have joined forces for an exclusive guitar effects pedal series that offers overdrive, fuzz and reverb pedals at a most-agreeable $99 price point.
The range comprises the Super Bass Overdrive and Distortion, the Suns Ultravoid Fuzz and Soft Reverb and it is available now.
All three are original designs with some familiar hallmarks. Longtime fans of Robert Keeley’s designs might recognise some of the Suns Ultravoid Fuzz from his Moon Op Amp Fuzz, a fuzz pedal that entered our orbit in 2022 promising rich, saturated Pink Floyd-style fuzz sounds for the David Gilmour obsessives out there.
The Suns Ultravoid Fuzz is like this but with a tweaked lower-end response. Expect a tighter fuzz, “sharper and more focused” with LED clipping that responds to your picking dynamics and yields lots of juicy harmonic content.
One of the themes of this collaboration is simplicity. You’ve got Level, Filter and Fuzz dials, and a footswitch to engage/bypass the effect.
The Super Bass Overdrive and Distortion is an amp-in-a-box overdrive pedal and there are no prizes for guessing which legendary British guitar amp brand inspired it. Once more we have a simple control setup with Level, Tone and Drive dials plus a toggle switch for Open and Closed voicings. “
This supercharged amp-in-a-box pulls no punches in channeling the hallmark haymaker that inspired it,” says Sweetwater, so expect vintage Marshall-inspired tones – Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, EVH et al – from this JFET-driven circuit. This should be one hard-working dirt pedal.
But maybe we have saved the best for last with the Soft Reverb. Again, it’s so simple. Just two dials, Dwell and Level? Brilliant.
And there are three different reverb algorithms to choose between, with a three-way switch offering spring and plate voicings for your everyday reverb needs, and the Soft Focus ‘verb that gives the pedal its name.
You’ve got dreamy shoegaze, old-school spring and the ever useful plate reverb all in one pedal.
Guitarists looking to fill some spaces on their pedalboards would do well do check these out. All three are designed and built in the USA. For more details and specs – and to order – head over to Sweetwater now.
