Thorn Soundlabs Pedals | Evaluation

Nashville-based pedal producer Thorn Soundlabs have made fairly a splash since their debut in 2024. Providing an in depth vary of pedals starting from compressors and tremolos by way of to bass-specific preamps and distortions – all replete with an enormous vary of tone-sculpting prospects because of an expansive (however not over-complicated) management set. Whereas Thorn had been sort sufficient to ship their total vary for evaluation, that’s an enormous enterprise for a single video. Everyone knows guitar gamers love acquire pedals although, so we took a have a look at 4 of their finest filth pedals.

The Unhealthy Money is a inexperienced “Screamer” sort pedal, which I’m certain can have lots of you rolling your eyes and exclaiming “does the world really want one other TS-style pedal?”. That’d be a good remark if it weren’t for the completely large vary of tones this pedal can produce. It’ll do the basic “inexperienced booster” tone with the perfect of them, providing a juicy midrange-forward push that’s supreme for soulful blues traces or pushing your 5150 over the sting, but it surely additionally has greater than sufficient acquire, low finish density and excessive finish extension to be a one-and-done pedal to your total overdrive sound.

The Silver Spurs is a Marshall-In-A-Field with a distinction. Whereas the overwhelming majority of MIAB pedals on the market intention to seize the sound of a Tremendous Lead, or possibly a JCM800, the Silver Spurs is an emulation of the aggressive, mid-rich tone of a Marshall Silver Jubilee. Actually, it completely rocks. The compression, the harmonic content material, the howl on huge bends… all completely on the cash. There’s additionally greater than sufficient room on the 4-band EQ to match the Silver Spurs to any amp you occur to be operating it into. The acid take a look at for any pedal of this sort is how effectively it handles the wide-open high finish and inherent midrange scoop of an AC30 fashion amp, and thru our Victory Copper, the Silver Spurs completely excelled.

I like a fuzz, it’s no secret. The Black Swamp is an absolute gem of a fuzz pedal although. With a vastly full-featured EQ, the a Character swap to manage how open or choked-off the pedal will get, a switchable exhausting clipping mode to take the sting off brittle amps and a really helpful Damping management to both comfortable up the low finish or blow it out fully, it’s an actual Swiss Military Knife of a fuzz pedal. It likes clear amps, it likes soiled amps, it likes each single coils and humbuckers… what’s to not love right here?

The Magma Steel Distortion is an fascinating beast, as a result of it occupies an fascinating house within the pedal market – a one-and-done distortion pedal, however for Steel gamers. Sometimes, Steel guitar gamers are both “amp distortion” individuals, or use modellers for his or her distortion sounds. However as a member of a touring Heave Steel band myself, I can extoll the advantage of getting a distortion field like this in your gig bag – even only for emergencies! It’s completely joyful operating right into a clear amplifier, or into the front-end of essentially the most ubiquitous gainy backline amp – particularly a JMC800. The addition of an in-built noise gate is a really welcome characteristic, and eliminates the necessity for a separate pedal to maintain noise and suggestions beneath management.

Thorn Soundlabs pedals are designed in Nashville (one thing that fills me with confidence, as they’ll little doubt have been play-tested by a few of the finest guitarists in Music Metropolis), however they’re manufactured in China, which explains the very affordable asking value contemplating how a lot vary every pedal affords. All the pedals checked out on this evaluation supply huge tonal shaping prospects, and actually ship the nice sonically. For those who’re looking for a brand new overdrive pedal (and let’s be trustworthy, who isn’t?), you must examine these out at your earliest comfort!

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