McPherson White Fuzz Review by JP Carroll
There are plenty of off-the-peg guitar effects pedal options available from the High St shops, so if you’re going to go the extra distance to buy a ‘boutique’ pedal you want to enjoy a boutique experience. Right from opening the box tightly housing theMcPherson White Fuzz plus bonus accessories, the first impression you’ll get is of attention to detail.
This hot little number is a fetching no-nonsense blend of creamy grey trims, an evidently solid metal build with quality parts on display.
Not only is the main unit attractive, but included is a canvas pouch, a leather pick holder wallet and some guitar picks to boot.
Handmade in the Bay of Plenty, this is a boutique guitar effects pedal with an emphasis on integrity.
Outwardly the White Fuzz sports three tone adjustment knobs, Volume, Fuzz and Sizzle tightly grouped around a ‘Fat’ switch, and the footswitch with an LED to indicate function. I played the White Fuzz through my Mesa Boogie 50 Express, 50W tube amp with matching 2×12, and a Fender Strat with a DiMarzio passive humbucker in the bridge.
Enough small talk, let’s get into the meat and vege!
With the Fuzz at 12 o’clock, Sizzle at around 9 o’clock and the Fat switch set to off, I got a Tube Screamer effect on the clean Mesa channel, with plenty of articulation on an otherwise overdriven tone. It was warm and clear, and broke up more when struck harder.
Cranking the Sizzle to 12, flicking the switch up to ‘Fat’ and the Fuzz to 3 o’clock I found a saturated, warm tone, akin to the likes of Royal Blood’s ‘guitar’ sound.
This pedal is a very modern sounding Fuzz with clarity enough to sit in the mix without leaking over everything else that’s going on. Stylish, functional, practical, fun, and ultimately endearing.
If you’re looking for a boutique pedal to enjoy on the side of your main squeeze, McPherson’s White Fuzz will add that spark of excitement your pedal board has been looking for.
Antique Overdrive Review by Mark Bell
McPherson Antique Overdrive
It’s always a pleasure to come across well-designed, hand-built guitar effects, and if they happen to be made in NZ, well so much the better. There are a handful of innovative Kiwis building stomp boxes now – the legendary Paul Crowther Hotcake of course, and other classy acts like Red Witch and G2D. This new overdrive sits comfortably in that company, striking a nice balance between classic vintage tone and modern design features.
True vintage pedals generally only do one thing well, but the McPherson Antique Overdrive sports a few innovations that make it a very versatile unit. In addition to the standard Drive, Tone and Volume pots there’s a Boost control that offers up insane amounts of extra volume. A small toggle switch offers a choice of channel voicings, one mild, sweet and transparent, the other tighter and ramped up in the gain stage.
Further versatility comes in the form of two footswitches, the left one turning on the overdrive and the right one, labelled Solo, allowing you to dial in more (or less if you prefer) volume via the Boost Drive control (a curious little knob poking out the rear of the unit). Engaging the Solo switch turns off the front panel Drive control and engages the rear panel Boost Drive, providing for two quite independent drive settings, a nice touch.
The pedal sounds great in all its configurations, whether used as a clean boost or for full-tilt soloing – natural, fat, organic-sounding tube-style overdrive so nice it gets the saliva going! – Mark Bell
