Analog Man Sun Lion

This is a cool pedal in the sense that it combines two pedals, a boost and a fuzz. It took two classic pedal designs from the 60s (the names escape me right now) and combined them into one pedal. It has the classic 1/4" inputs with true bypass, which is nice. The pedal is analog, as the brand name implies. There are no MIDI capabilities, no computer edits, and there is definitely no racking.

UTILIZATION

The editing on this pedal seems like a lot at first, but when you imagine it as two pedals, you'll be glad they are so close together. First of all, there is a switch for both the boost and fuzz effects. There are also separate controls for each effect. The boost effect has a knob that controls the level of the boost, as well as a switch to choose which frequency range to boost. The tricky thing about this is that the highest setting on the switch controls the midrange, the center controls treble, and the bottom controls the low end. It seems as though the top two are out of whack. Anyway, the other side, the fuzz effect, has a few controls of its own. There is a volume knob, a fuzz level knob, as well as the interesting "Sun" knob, which controls the effect of the pedal, making it go from a guttural, dirty, murky fuzz to a bright, less fuzzy rock tone.

SOUND QUALITY

I love using this with my Strat more than anything, especially through my Twin. I love the sounds that both parts of the pedal achieve, especially when used in tandem with each other. The fuzz is a classic, awesome sound, great for really rocking out the rhythm parts. The boost is great when you want to switch to a lead tone (which is what I usually have it set to do). However, there are a ton of uses for both of these effects and the combinations that are possible are truly impressive.

OVERALL OPINION

The combination of effects with this pedal is amazing. However, it was so expensive that it almost bankrupted me, and I unfortunately had to resell it. The best thing about it was the tone, hands down. If you can find one of these, grab it and don't let go of it (at least not until you call me and try and sell me it!).