Artec Guitar Effects

I bought it used in Hungary for about 40 bucks. I use it with a homemade JCM800, a 2x12 cabinet with Peavey Blue Marvel speakers, TD passive guitars. This is definiteley a beginner stage pedal, but I think, this one is worth it's low price. First of all, this little stompbox generates more less noise, than I had excpected, which is a really good, litlle EQ-s can be very noisy sometimes. It has got a sturdy metal casing, very far from easily destructable. The pots are just regular ones, they do their job, but nothing special. IMO it is best used in frontfter a ditortion or overdrive pedal. Pros: Cheap, easy to use, low noise, acceptable quality for a low price Cons: Not the best in its leage, average sound qality

This is a distortion/fuzz pedal for guitars. It is an analog pedal made by Artec, a lesser-known company with an excellent reputation amongst those in the know. There are two 1/4" connections, input and output. There are no midi or computer editing capabilities and the pedal is not rackable. UTILIZATION This pedal has four knobs (drive, volume, tone, and boost) and has two switches (one for the effect itself, the other for the boost feature). Utilizing this pedal is really easy, and in fact, it is probably one of more awesome pedals to use live that I've encountered. This mainly has to do with the boost feature, which, combined with a fantastic sounding distortion, is quite useful in a live scenario. I often find myself wishing for a boost of some type when using my big muff, as it's loud but doesn't always ring out over the sound of the instruments. This pedal solves that problem quite nicely. SOUND QUALITY This pedal has a fantastic sound. There is a phenomenal amount of distortion with this box. The levels range from a reasonably heavy, classic-rock type sound, to a full on sonic assault. Combine that with the boost feature and you have a fantastically capable pedal. This pedal is capable of heavy distortions for ringing out chords, blistering leads, as well as lighter distortions as well. I wouldn't recommend it as an overdrive as it tends to usually be just too heavy for that. The distortion is comparable to the big muff, but with more flexibility and an added boost feature. OVERALL OPINION I like the great sound of the distortion this box provides, as well as the boost feature. At $200 it's really pricey, but it will probably be able to replace one, if not two of the pedals in your board. This is a truly fantastic pedal that will hold up well over the years. I'd recommend using it with some humbucking guitars like a Les Paul or a PRS. It also tends to sound better with a Marshall-style tube amp than a brighter Fender one.

(Originally written by cachalotblanc/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Vintage tube overdrive pedal. Connections: in and out 9-volt battery or external PSU operation. UTILIZATION Excellent finish with metal housing. Compact, sturdy and light pedal. Easy to use (it's an overdrive so you'll only need one minute to find satisfying settings!! ) SOUND QUALITY I already owned the Blues Overdrive (I wrote a positive review here) which prompted me to buy additional products of this brand. It's terrific!! It will blow you away!! The sound is warm and thick and the controls are ultra effective. You can get a ZZTop sound or a typical heavy metal sound as if you had a high-gain tube amp. It's the ultimate tube overdrive for every application regardless of the settings... Excellent!! OVERALL OPINION I just bought it and I tried it out with a Stratocaster, a Telecaster and a Les Paul copy plugged into an all-tube '73 Fender Pro Reverb. As a booster or an overdrive it gives you an additional amp channel. The combination with a tube amp is awesome. No noise and true bypass (very important!! ) Considering that this pedal provides a typical tube overdrive sound, it doesn't sound transparent... What about the value for money??? I haven't found anything better!! I'm a fan of this brand when it comes to distortion and overdrive. I would definitely buy it again.