2018 Picks:

Matt from Stomp Under Foot killed it with the Demogorgon Fuzz! Ike, Steve, and I all picked one up and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The thunderously thick tones this beast spits out has ruined me for all other fuzz pedals. It Dooms 11/10 on the Euclidean Doom Scale.

The house favorite Reverb is definitely the Ghost Echo from Earthquaker Devices. This reverb can cover anything from subtle to ambient and most spots in between. You can dial in anything from a nice spring-style reverb to full on atmospheric echos that almost border on delay territory. With the Version 3 update you can get even longer decay times for deeper sounding reverberations/echos.   

And finally, my new favorite amp in the shop, The Revv Generator 7/40. The Revv Generator covers so much sonic territory with an incredibly intuitive control layout, you could easily handle the last 6 decades of modern music and then some with this head. The cleans are great, the British-style crunch tones on the “Green” Channel 1 setting are awesome, and the high-gain lead tone on Channel 2 is pretty unique with several voicing options taking it from classic to modern.

2017 Picks:

The Archer ain't leaving yet, so to keep with my pedal-centric list I'll go with the J. Rocket Audio Designs Archer. I have yet to find an overdrive pedal that I enjoy playing through more than the Archer. With its high headroom, the Archer overdrive responds much more like an amplifier, with no latency or sag in the response and pick attack.

The Earthquaker Devices Acapulco Gold is my go-to Desert-Rock/Doom-Metal pedal. Completely crushing fuzztortion Sunn Model T type tones at only $129, you can't beat it. Don't let the lack of tone controls fool you, this pedal works heavily with the EQ of your amp.

To round out my list I would go with the MXR 10 Band EQ. Equalizer Pedals in general are by far the best pedal you can buy to improve your amp's tonal options and really add your signature EQ curve to your tone. They are also immeasurably valuable when you need too tame unwanted mud or high-end. Run an EQ through the FX Loop of your favorite amp and let the Equalizer Wizardy begin!

The Blues Deluxe has vintage-style Fender tones in spades and takes pedals like a champ. With the EQ in the FX Loop, and the Archer out front I can get some of my favorite classic rock and 70's metal tones.