Engager Boost
114
GUITARIST FEBRUARY 2019
Fender pedals
The Fender pedal family expands with this dirt-dishing trio
MANUFACTURER
FENDER
MODEL
VARIOUS
CON TAC T
01342 331700 / WWW.FENDER.COM
PRICE
VARIOUS
PEDALBOARD
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Neil Godwin
D
uring 2018’s NAMM show, Fender launched six new
pedals developed by lead designer Stan Cotey’s team,
who had previously worked on some custom Fender
amps for the likes of Eric Clapton and The Edge. We took a look
at those (Pugilist Distortion, Marine Layer Reverb, Mirror Image
Delay, Santa Ana Overdrive, The Bends Compressor and Level Set
Buffer) last summer – three more pedals have since been released,
designed, says Fender, to deliver heavier and more gritty rock tones.
Featuring all-original circuits, these pedals have the same curvy
anodised aluminium housing as their predecessors with ‘jewel’
bypass LED, offset input and output jacks for closer spacing, plus
an easy battery-changing function that makes use of a magnetically
latched hinged flap at the end of the pedal, which pulls down and
flips back into place when you let go of it. The look is completed by
knobs with blue LED-lit position markers (with an on/off switch)
that help you see where your parameters are on a darkened stage.
ROUND UP
Engager Boost
£87
The Pelt Fuzz
£96
O
ffering up to 20dB of clean boost,
the Engager Boost features
three-band EQ to target that
boost just where you need it. The Level
knob delivers boost smoothly from its
unity gain starting position through
to the full 20dB, which is more than
enough to tickle a clean amp’s valves into
overdrive. Bring in the EQ and there are
plenty of opportunities to excite certain
frequencies. The Treble and Bass knobs
cover pertinent ranges – the treble’s
top-end enhancement being particularly
tasty. Perhaps more crucial for some,
though, is the Middle knob with its two
frequency ranges to operate in: one
throaty, the other more like an amp’s
presence knob, but both offering options
to project through a mix. There’s a range
of switchable boosts to take things to
another level or add an extra voice to a
drive pedal, but there’s another role as an
‘always on’ tone builder and buffer.
T
he Pelt supplements the standard
fuzzbox controls of Fuzz, Output
Level and Tone with a ‘Bloom’
knob and a pair of toggle switches to
shape its silicon-based fuzz. Besides the
standard sound, the Mid switch offers
either a slightly scooped midrange cut
or adds a mid hump for a bit more honk,
while Thick fattens up the bottom-end.
Combine those with the Tone knob that
rolls back from an edg y top-end to a more
woolly vibe, and you’ve got quite a tonal
range to play with. The range of dirt is
quite wide, too, from drive/distortion at
lower levels of the Fuzz knob through to
unmistakable full-on sustaining fuzz.
The unique asset here, though, is that
Bloom knob, which affects its textural
character. As you turn it from ‘Soft’ to
‘Hard’ you get an increase in note attack,
a spongier feel under your fingertips, plus
more sustain and harmonics, moving
towards a more sputtery fuzz experience.
VERDICT
Tightly focused EQ and optional
use as a buffer make this one flexible booster
VERDICT
Characterful modern fuzz with
a ton of options to dial in your exact needs
Pelt Fuzz
ger Boost
Full Moon Distortion
£135
F
ender says that the Full Moon
Distortion is its first ever
high-gain distortion and that’s
exactly what it delivers running all-out,
although it’s also capable of raunchy
overdrive at lower gain settings. It’s a
dual-footswitch pedal with up to 12dB
of post-gain boost available with the
second footswitch should you want to
kick the volume up a notch. The basic
voicing of the distortion is set by the
Texture toggle switch, which selects
between symmetrical and asymmetrical
clipping (most apparent in the thickness
of the midrange), while a top row of four
knobs provides plenty of EQ’ing options.
These include a nice interaction of Treble
and Hi-Treb knobs – one adjusting the
presence, the other tweaking the top-end
sheen. In addition, a Bite switch delivers
a shift in the upper midrange emphasis,
which is great for bringing out more
harmonics and pick attack.
VERDICT
Versatile source of heavier
distortion; practicality of two onstage levels
ull Moon D
istortion
VIDEO DEMOS http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT442.peds_fender.indd 114 14/12/2018 15:51