NUX Amp Academy Stomp Just Got A LOT Better For Free

Nux Amp Academy Stomp V2.0.5 - NuX listened

The NUX Amp Academy Stomp was already one of my favourite budget amp modelling units, but version 2.0.5 adds a couple of features that users have been asking for pretty much since launch.

And best of all? It’s free.

The thing that most Amp Academy Stomp users will be excited about is a brand-new modulation block, finally giving the the unit access to effects like chorus, phaser, flanger, tremolo, rotary and Uni-Vibe-style sounds.

Now, in the world of modelling units, it isn't exactly revolutionary, however it is something that a big proportion of the community have been asking for since day one. I understand why NuX didn't include it to start with (it is the Amp Academy, not Rig Academy - right?). That being said, you were relying on whatever outboard effects to bolster your setup. Now you can add modulation directly into the Amp Academy, so realistically this has now gone from the brain of your rig to potentially the entire rig itself. It is worth mentioning also, you can move the block around the signal chain too. This is a huge signal that NuX are listening to what people want from their units.

There are some familiar-sounding effects in there too. The phaser does exactly what you’d hope, particularly when paired with a bit of gain, while the rotary is genuinely lovely. The Uni-Vibe is another one where I’d probably crank the effect further than the default setting because, well, subtlety isn't always what we're looking for with a Uni-Vibe.

There's even a mono octave tucked into the effects section, with controls for up and down, which isn't something I heard many asking for, but it is a great addition to have. Although I'm not often an octave user, I found myself losing a good few moments getting lost in those thick octave down tones, adding weight to some simple rock riffs. Absolutely sublime. 

And then there's shimmer reverb.

I'll be honest, I'm not the world's biggest shimmer reverb enthusiast, and the one included here isn't perfect. Your mileage may vary, as they say. But it is another option, and it's hard to complain when all of this has arrived as a free update.

Native NAM A2 Light support.

Let's face it, this is the reason that V2.0.5 has been getting a lot of attention.

Alongside the existing NUX amp models, you can now load native NAM A2 Light profiles, including profiles from Tone3000. I tried a few of them, including a Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Pink Taco and a Tone King Royalist, and the quality was really impressive.

The thing that stands out with these A2 profiles is how responsive they feel. Roll back the guitar volume and the amp reacts in a very convincing way, add to that the fact you can run the A2 profiles but still have access to the dual IR engine as well, we are getting some serious versatility.

And that's really the exciting part of this update.

The Amp Academy Stomp already offered some very good built-in amp models, but adding native NAM A2 Light means you've now got another route to some seriously convincing amp tones without needing extra hardware.

Key Takeaway

Let's be realistic: not every part of the update is perfect, and the shimmer isn't going to blow everyone's mind.

But native NAM A2 Light, a proper modulation block, rotary, Uni-Vibe, octave and more… all in one free update?

Yep. NUX did good.

If you'd like one of your own, consider using my affiliate link below:
Nux Amp Academy Stomp affiliate link https://thmn.to/thoprod/620898?offid=1&affid=2735

I Tried Five AI-Generated Boss DS-1 Settings… So You Don’t Have To

AI is everywhere at the moment, and apparently that now includes telling guitarists where to put the knobs on their Boss DS-1. So, when I was on holiday recently, I came across a a slew of guitar pedal settings shared on Facebook page that I was suggested for me. It had all the hallmarks of just being pumped out by AI with the eerily generic, yet professional look to it. The post that really caught my eye was based around the Boss DS-1. At first glance, some of them looked… questionable. So naturally, I did the only sensible thing: I dialled every single one in to see whether they were actually any good.

The results were a little more surprising than I expected.

The first setting was called “Tight Rock Rhythm”, promising sharp attack and a focused riff tone. The settings were pretty conservative, with everything hovering around noon. And you know what? It wasn't actually bad. It was a perfectly usable DS-1 rhythm tone. Granted, it was essentially setting everything at noon, so it wasn't going to sound terrible, but first impressions are good. So far, AI was winning.

Next up was “Fat Lead”, supposedly designed to give you less bite and more body for smoother solos. Again, the settings were hardly revolutionary, but the resulting tone was actually pretty decent.

Two settings in and I was beginning to wonder whether I'd massively underestimated our robot overlords.

Then came “Bleach Grit”, apparently inspired by Kurt Cobain. The problem was that the settings were almost identical to the first tone. I figured, trying the same setting again isn't going to yield different results, so why not stick it into a driven amp?

It wasn't terrible, but needing to rely on a driven amp to make a supposedly specific DS-1 setting work was… let's say, less than convincing. Especially when I am pretty familiar with the DS-1 and I know you can get Kurt tones out of it when you know how to set it properly...

And then we got to the big one: “Vai Saturated Lead”.

The tone control was pulled all the way back. Anyone who's used a DS-1 knows just how sensitive that control is, so I was expecting an incredibly woolly mess. What I got was… not particularly saturated.

It certainly didn't sound like the high-gain tone the settings claimed to be targeting. In fact, calling it saturated felt rather generous. Finally, we had “Satriani Lead”. The settings looked suspiciously similar to the previous one, apart from the level being absolutely maxed out.

Unsurprisingly, it wasn't exactly a convincing recreation of Joe Satriani's tone.

So, after putting all five through their paces, my verdict was pretty simple: the generic settings weren't necessarily terrible, but the artist-specific ones were definitely not even close. I think this is myth busted: AI creates slop tones.

For now, if you want great pedal settings, I reckon we're better off sticking with the humans.

Guitar News: $15,000 Ibanez, A2 Gets Real and Tone3000 Levels Up

The guitar news is starting to wake up again after the summer, and this week’s episode had a few things that actually caught our attention.

First up, Ibanez has unveiled another ridiculously extravagant Steve Vai PIA — and when we say extravagant, we mean $15,000 extravagant. The new model features an ornate gold-leaf finish, gold hardware and the usual PIA design, with Vai’s signature DiMarzio Utopia pickups and Tree of Life-style inlays (but not the actual tree of life, this one is somehow different?).

It’s certainly not a guitar designed to disappear into the background. Whether it’s worth fifteen grand is another question entirely, but there’s no denying that Ibanez knows how to make a Steve Vai signature guitar look like a Steve Vai signature guitar.

And while we were discussing ludicrously expensive gear, Tone3000 has quietly dropped something considerably more interesting for the average guitarist: a new NAM plugin.

The new plugin takes the old NAM experience and turns it into something much more like a complete virtual rig. Rather than simply loading a capture, you can build a signal chain with multiple NAM profiles, amp and cab captures, pedal profiles, EQ and even convolution reverb.

It also connects directly to the Tone3000 library, meaning you can browse and load profiles without having to constantly jump between the website and your DAW. We were pleasantly surprised by just how much more useful it looks compared with the rather basic NAM loading experience we've had previously.

Then there’s NAM A2, which continues to make its way into affordable hardware.

After getting native A2 running on the Valeton GP180, the big takeaway was just how good it sounds. The profiles have a noticeable sense of clarity and openness, with more of that full-frequency, amp-like feel you get from playing through a proper amplifier.

That’s pretty exciting when you consider how affordable some of this hardware is.

In fact, we’re getting to the point where the budget end of modelling is starting to seriously close the gap with the expensive stuff. And that might be the most interesting bit of guitar news of all.

There’s plenty more A2 testing to come, too — including the possibility of a proper blind test between A1, A2 and a real amplifier. That could be interesting… and potentially rather humbling. 

First impression of Native NAM A2... Spoilers: It is GOOD!

NAM A2 Is Getting Very, Very Interesting

There’s something rather exciting happening at the budget end of the modelling market.

The gap between a £160-ish modeller and the high-end, expensive stuff is getting smaller. And the latest example is NAM A2 running natively on the Valeton GP180. Well, A2 lite at least.

No conversion. No clever workaround to make an old profile fit. Just native NAM A2 profiling running inside a box that costs around £160.

And, more importantly, it sounds good. I mean, really, really good.

The first thing that struck me when listening to the A2 captures was just how amp-like they feel. There’s a really convincing response to your playing, particularly when you start digging into the strings. It doesn't just sound like a digital approximation of an amp — it reacts like one.

Don't get me wrong, NAM A1 conversion was good, but this is something else.

The Catch? DSP

Of course, there had to be a catch.

A full NAM A2 profile on the GP180 is seriously hungry for processing power. The NAM block alone uses 74% of the available DSP.

Add a cab and you're already getting dangerously close to the limit. Throw in a reverb and you're basically done.

In the example from the video, the combination of NAM, cab and reverb pushed the DSP to around 99%.

That's not leaving much room for your fancy effects chain.

But there's a clever way around it.

Put the Amp and Cab Together

The solution is to use a full NAM capture containing both the amp and cab.

That means the NAM block is doing the heavy lifting for both parts of the signal chain, rather than using a separate cab block and eating another chunk of DSP.

And suddenly the GP180 becomes a much more versatile tool.

Instead of having a NAM profile, cab and reverb eating virtually everything, you've got enough DSP left for the rest of your signal chain like compression, modulation, delay and drive, to name but a few.

That's a massive difference in usability.

You lose some of the flexibility of having the amp and cab completely separate — you can't endlessly swap combinations around and sculpt the sound in quite the same way — but you gain a much more complete pedalboard.

So you have an important choice to make.

Run A2 with a separate cab and you get a digital amp replacement. One sublime core amp tone, which you can augment with the rest of the pedals on your board..

Run a combined amp-and-cab capture, though, and you've got all of the versatility built into the unit itself.

You could also go for a hybrid approach... but that is a story for another time.

The Bigger Picture

For me, that's the really exciting part of this.

A few years ago, genuinely convincing amp modelling was very much limited to the expensive end of the market. Now we're looking at a sub-£200 unit running native A2 profiles that sound remarkably close to the sort of tones you'd expect from much more expensive hardware. Even rivalling stuff like the Tonex, which is the absolute gold standard for me.

It's not perfect. You don't get the same level of deep amp-and-cab tweaking, and the DSP limitations are very real, but there is no denying that this is a huge step forward.

Just listen to the core tones, they're seriously impressive. And if this is where the budget modelling market is heading, the expensive manufacturers might want to start looking over their shoulders.

Because that gap is getting smaller. Very quickly.

If you fancy one of your own and want to support the channel, consider using my affiliate link. Valeton GP180 (affiliate link): https://thmn.to/thoprod/636408?offid=1&affid=2735

NAM A2 vs A1 - The real low-down

 NAM A2 Isn't Just Better... It's the Moment You Realise What You've Been Missing

When I put together my recent video comparing NAM A1 and the brand-new NAM A2 architecture, I deliberately kept my opinions out of it.

The idea was simple: same guitar, same riff, same profile, same signal chain. The only thing changing was whether the profile had been created using the original A1 architecture or the new A2. Then I left it to you to decide what you were hearing.

Having spent a lot more time listening back to the clips, though, I think I've landed firmly on where I stand.

Clean Tones? Honestly... It's Hard to Tell

Let's start with the clean examples because I think this is where a lot of people expected there to be a dramatic difference.

Personally, I don't hear one.

Or at least, not one that really matters.

If there are differences, they're incredibly subtle. Perhaps there's a tiny bit more openness here or a touch more detail there, but we're talking about changes that could probably be matched with a slight tweak of an EQ control.

If somebody swapped between A1 and A2 in a blind test on a clean Fender-style amp, I'm not convinced I'd confidently pick one every single time.

That's not a criticism of A2 either. It's more a compliment to just how good A1 already was.

Then You Add Gain...

Everything changes.

The crunchy amp comparison was the moment that made me sit up.

Don't get me wrong, the A1 profile sounds fantastic. If you'd told me a few years ago that we'd have access to captures that accurate for free, I'd have laughed.

It's thick and punchy.

It has all the characteristics you'd expect from a great cranked amp.

If all you'd ever heard was the A1 version, you'd probably think, "That sounds incredible."

Then you switch to A2.

And suddenly your brain goes...

"No... that's incredible."

The best way I can describe it is that the entire sound seems to open up.

It's almost like someone has pulled back a curtain that you didn't even realise was there.

The 1080p vs 4K Comparison

Trying to describe sound is always difficult because we end up borrowing words from other senses.

A1 is like watching something in 1080p. It looked fantastic for years. Then somebody puts the same footage next to a true 4K version. Suddenly you're seeing textures you didn't know existed.

The 1080p version didn't suddenly become bad...you've just realised what was missing.

That's exactly how A2 feels to me. The harmonics become clearer. There's more sparkle on the top end. The note separation improves. Everything just feels more three-dimensional.

Higher Gain Makes the Difference Even More Obvious

If the crunch comparison was impressive, the high-gain Soldano example removed almost all doubt for me.

That's where A2 really stretches its legs.

Higher gain naturally compresses a guitar signal, so any extra clarity is incredibly valuable. Instead of everything blending together into one wall of distortion, individual notes retain more definition. It's not a completely different sound. It's simply a more convincing version of what was already there.

So What Does This Mean Going Forward?

This is probably the part that excites me the most.

We've already seen several manufacturers publicly say they're working on bringing NAM A2 support to their hardware.

Companies like Sonicake, Valeton and NuX have all posted that they're looking at implementing the new architecture across compatible products.

At the time of writing, nobody has confirmed exactly which units will receive support or when that might happen.

Realistically, I'm not expecting every entry-level modeller to suddenly gain A2 overnight. Ultra-budget devices with very limited processing power may simply not have the horsepower.

That said, one of the interesting suggestions surrounding A2 is that the architecture is actually more efficient than A1.

If that turns out to be true, it opens up some really interesting possibilities.

Could even some of the smaller, cheaper units eventually run A2 captures?

Right now, that's just speculation on my part.

But it's exciting speculation.

Budget Modelling Just Keeps Getting Better

One of the things I've loved watching over the last few years is how quickly affordable modelling has evolved.

What used to require expensive flagship hardware is now appearing in units that cost a fraction of the price.

NAM A1 already felt like a huge leap forward.

NAM A2 doesn't make A1 obsolete—it simply refines it.

It's another step towards making genuinely world-class amp captures available to just about everyone.

And if this is the direction things are heading, I don't think we're anywhere near the ceiling yet.

Personally, I can't wait to hear what comes next.

The Sonicake Pocket Master Finally Gets Proper Foot Control

Sonicake Pocket Control: The Missing Piece for the Pocket Master

The Sonicake Pocket Master made a strong impression as a budget-friendly multi-effects unit in 2025, offering impressive tone modelling and profiling in a highly portable format. However, its biggest limitation has always been usability in real-time performance, particularly the lack of practical foot control.

The whole control of the unit relies on small rubber buttons, which are fine for when it is sat on your desk at home but far from ideal for live playing. As a result, many users have treated it more as a studio or practice tool than a gig-ready rig - a great introduction to nam profiling, but more a proof of concept rather than a fully thought out unit.

The Pocket Control changes that.

The new Pocket Control is designed specifically to address that weakness. It adds four dedicated footswitches and is built around immediate usability rather than deep configuration.

Instead of requiring manual MIDI mapping, it ships with ready-to-use presets that handle the core functions most players need: patch changes, effect toggling, and looper control. This plug-and-play approach removes much of the friction typically associated with MIDI setups.

Live usability becomes the focus

The biggest practical improvement is in looping and live switching. Functions that were previously awkward or impractical using onboard buttons become far more usable with proper foot control, making the Pocket Master a more viable option for stage use. Now I've been told by many in the comments how they have managed to use it live, especially in worship boards going direct in - which is fantastic to hear, but most of those applications were where they had a single sound set up and used pedals to augment the rest. If you're looking to rely on what the unit itself has to offer a bit more, and it does offer one heck of a lot of stuff, then you simply can't do it with the built in rubber buttons.

Setup is straightforward, with both USB plug-and-play and Bluetooth options available, keeping the device flexible for different rigs and stage setups.

Broader compatibility

While clearly aimed at Pocket Master users, the controller is not locked to a single ecosystem. It includes presets for other devices, including the Valeton GP-5, and offers broader MIDI compatibility for users who want to integrate it into existing setups. It is nice to see Sonicake looking further than their own ecosystem for this and realising that they're not the only players in the nam profiling space at the budget end. Offering a preset specifically for the GP-5 is not only inclusive to those other users, but a savvy move also. Showing that it doesn't only work with Sonicake products, but all MIDI controlled devices lets people know from the get go that this isn't JUST a Sonicake product, it's a guitar community product that happens to work incredibly with Sonicake products from the get go.

TLDR

The Pocket Control doesn’t change what the Pocket Master is sonically, but it significantly improves how it can be used in real-world performance. For existing owners, it effectively fills the missing gap between a capable effects unit and a practical live rig.

If the Pocket Master was previously held back by control limitations, this accessory is designed to remove that barrier and make it a genuinely stage-ready solution.

Fender, Cease & Desists - Fret Talk 457 roundup

This week’s podcast very quickly descended into one of those “has one of the biggest guitar makers in the industry completely lost its mind” episodes.

The main story was Fender apparently going absolutely scorched earth with cease and desist letters following their recent German court win over Strat-style guitars.

And honestly, the whole thing feels like watching a car crash in slow motion - painful and inevitable.

The conversation started with Fender’s court case in Germany against a company making Strat-style instruments. Apparently Fender won by default, and now there are rumours flying around that companies ranging from boutique builders all the way up to companies like Thomann and Harley Benton have potentially been hit with legal threats over S-style guitars (no official news, so this is speculation at this point).

Which immediately triggered the age-old guitar community argument:

At what point does a guitar shape stop belonging to one company and just become part of music culture?

Because whether Fender likes it or not, the Strat shape is basically the electric guitar silhouette.

Even people who know absolutely nothing about guitars would probably draw one if you asked them what a guitar looked like.

That’s partly why the whole thing has rubbed so many players the wrong way.

Especially because guitar companies have spent decades carefully avoiding Fender trademarks already.

We all know that S-style is shorthand for a Strat type guitar, much like a T-style is a tele or a "single cut" usually means a LP shape.

The entire industry basically developed its own legal safe-word vocabulary years ago.

One of the funniest parts of the discussion was diving back into the old “lawsuit guitar” era from the 70s, where Japanese brands like Ibanez ended up making instruments that are now weirdly collectible because they got too close to Gibson and Fender designs.

Which somehow led us onto headstocks.

Because guitarists will always eventually end up talking about headstocks.

There was genuine appreciation for Schecter managing to basically reverse the Gibson open-book headstock shape and somehow get away with it.

A sort of subtle legal trolling.

Like the guitar equivalent of copying somebody’s homework but changing enough words so the teacher can’t prove it.

The overall feeling though was that Fender’s current approach just feels… bad.

Not “another overpriced signature model” bad.

Actual morale-killing bad.

The sort of thing that makes the industry feel smaller and less creative.

Particularly when smaller builders are the ones potentially getting caught in the blast radius.

For the rest of the conversation, check out the episode over on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@frettalkpodcast

A Poddy Good Time! Fret Talk Episode 456

 Marshall, Pac-Man and the Return of the “Why Does This Exist?” Guitar Gear Debate

This week’s podcast basically became an accidental deep dive into the weird state of modern guitar gear.

We started with the new Hendrix Marshall stack, got completely distracted by a Pac-Man Telecaster, and somewhere along the way questioned whether Jimi Hendrix has now become less of a musician and more of an endlessly renewable licensing agreement.

So, pretty normal guitar discourse really.

The Purple Hendrix Marshall Is Either Amazing or Completely Ridiculous

The biggest talking point this week was the new Marshall Hendrix anniversary half stack — a hand-wired Plexi-style monster covered in this wild purple splatter finish that genuinely looks like somebody let Grimace design a vintage amp.

And honestly?

We kinda liked it, eventually...

It’s got that very specific “stoner doom band rehearsing in a lock-up” aesthetic where you can practically hear someone playing one sustained note through a fuzz pedal for 12 straight minutes.

Spec-wise, it’s exactly what you’d expect:

• 100 watts
• No master volume
• Four-input Plexi layout
• Hendrix Fuzz Face included
• Loud enough to legally qualify as weather

Which immediately sparked the eternal question:

Who is this actually for anymore?

Another Hendrix amp.

Another Hendrix fuzz.

Another Hendrix commemorative thing.

At this point it genuinely feels like guitar companies have discovered a sort of infinite Hendrix content generator.

And to be clear, Hendrix absolutely deserves celebrating forever.

But there is a point where it starts to feel less like tribute gear and more like somebody at a board meeting saying:

“The Hendrix estate isn’t going to pay itself.”

The funniest part is that if Marshall had released this exact same amp without the Hendrix branding and just called it something absurd like:

“The Doom Wizard”

…people probably still would’ve loved it.

Including us.

Because underneath all the branding, it’s still an extremely cool-looking Marshall.

The Pac-Man Telecaster Is Peak 2026 Guitar Marketing

Then came the Pac-Man Telecaster.

A sentence I never thought I would be saying...

Fender has apparently decided that what guitarists have been desperately waiting for all these years is a Telecaster covered in Pac-Man graphics.

Ghosts.

Maze artwork.

Pellets.

The whole thing.

And we spent a genuinely long amount of time trying to work out what the connection between Pac-Man and guitars actually is.

Because usually with crossover gear there’s at least some vague thematic excuse.

But this really does just feel like:

“People recognise both of these brands, so technically this is content.”

The weird part is we probably would’ve respected it more if they’d gone fully unhinged with it.

Give it a built-in 8-bit fuzz.

Make the guitar sound like an 80s arcade machine, why not throw in one of those little emulators and actually have it play Pac-Man too.

At least then the guitar would feel connected to the idea beyond simply having Pac-Man printed on it.

It was so confusing that the more we spoke about it, the madder Alex got.

If you'd like to hear the full episode, head on down to YouTube and check it out. Give us a like too, it all helps.

https://youtu.be/x7GcLd65P6o

IK Multimedia TONEX One – The Budget Modeller That We Should Have Covered Sooner...

The IK Multimedia Tonex One has been out for quite a while now and, on this channel at least, it’s flown largely under the radar. On paper though, it’s coming in at under £150 and promises some seriously good amp modelling tones… so it feels well overdue that we actually sit down with it properly and ask the question: is this one worth a second look?

Let’s get into it.

First Impressions – Simple, But Smarter Than It Looks

At its core, the Tonex One keeps things pretty straightforward. You’ve got two main ways of using it:

• Stomp mode – treat it like a traditional pedal, switching a single amp model on and off
• A/B mode – flick between two different amp setups, like a mini two-channel rig

It sounds basic, but it’s actually a really practical way to approach things—especially if you’re coming from a more traditional pedalboard setup.

And straight away, the amp tones are what stand out. Clean sounds feel full and responsive, and when you start stacking gain or adding effects, it doesn’t fall apart like some of the cheaper modellers tend to.

Fuzz… That Actually Sounds Like Fuzz?!

This is where things get interesting.

A lot of budget modellers can do overdrive reasonably well, but fuzz? That’s usually where things go a bit sideways. You end up with something that feels more like a fizzy distortion rather than that slightly unpredictable, spluttery character you actually want.

The Tonex One gets surprisingly close.

There’s a real raspy, almost dying battery-style breakup going on when you push it, which is exactly what you want from a good fuzz tone. It’s not perfect (nothing digital ever truly is), but it’s a lot closer than you’d expect at this price.

Deep Editing If You Want It (But Not If You Don’t)

On the pedal itself, things stay nice and simple—gain, EQ, volume, and a few extras tucked behind alternate controls.

But if you dive into the editor, that’s where it opens up:

• Fully adjustable EQ with movable frequency bands
• Mid control with adjustable Q (so you can really hone in on specific frequencies)
• Presence and depth controls for shaping the overall feel

If you’re into tweaking, you can get properly stuck in. If you’re not, you can ignore all of that and still get great tones.

The Secret Sauce – Compression & Utility Features

There are a few “supporting” features here that genuinely make a difference.

Compressor – This is a big one. It acts like glue, especially on cleaner tones and light breakup sounds. Tightens everything up nicely without feeling overbearing.

Noise Gate – Surprisingly solid. You can run it pre or post, and it handles high gain without that awkward “chopping” effect.

Reverbs – Originally limited, but updates have expanded this. The plate and spring in particular are very usable.

These aren’t just throwaway extras—they actually round out the unit into something you could comfortably gig with.

Modulation & Effects – Covers the Bases

Recent updates have added a bunch of modulation options:

• Chorus
• Tremolo (very Fender-esque if you dial it right)
• Flanger
• Rotary

Nothing wildly experimental, but all the essentials are there—and importantly, they sound good. You can place them pre or post as well, which adds a bit more flexibility.

Expanding It – Where Things Get Interesting

Out of the box, you’re somewhat limited in control—no MIDI, no Bluetooth, etc. That’s clearly part of how they’ve kept the price down.

But… there are workarounds.

Pair it with something like the Pirate MIDI Polar Plus, and suddenly:

You can access all 20 onboard presets

Add extra footswitch control

Effectively unlock MIDI(ish) functionality

Throw in something like an M-Vave Chocolate Plus, and you’ve got a much more flexible, gig-ready setup.

Tone Library – This Thing Is Stacked

One of the biggest strengths here is the ecosystem.

You’ve got:

• A solid selection of built-in tones
• A huge library via IK’s ToneNET (user-generated content)
• The ability to create and tweak your own setups

Whether you’re chasing a clean combo sound or something more gain-heavy, there’s a ridiculous amount of choice. It’s actually quite hard to make this thing sound bad.

So… Is It Worth It?

Honestly? This feels like a bit of a sleeper hit.

The IK Multimedia Tonex One sits in that awkward middle ground where it’s priced like a budget unit, but performs closer to something like a Line 6 HX Stomp than it probably has any right to.

It’s not perfect—you can see where corners have been cut to hit the price point (and more realistically, nerfed so it doesn't eclipse the bigger Tonex)—but what matters is the end result. And the end result is:

• Great amp tones
• Surprisingly good effects
• Enough flexibility to grow with you

If you’re looking to dip into amp modelling without spending a fortune, this is absolutely one to have on your radar.

NuX Amp Academy Stomp – The Sleeper Hit of 2026?

Every now and then, something lands on the desk that doesn’t just feel like another incremental update—it feels like a bit of a statement. The Amp Academy Stomp might just be one of those.

On the surface, it looks like another compact amp modeller. Dig a little deeper though, and you realise there’s a lot going on here. So much so, in fact, that editing it on the unit itself almost feels like doing things the hard way—just use the app, trust me.

Power Amp Section – The Secret Sauce

Let’s start with what might be the most interesting feature: the power amp section.

This lets you mix and match different power amp types with different preamps—even combinations that don’t exist in the real world. Want a Fender-style preamp running into something a bit more British on the power side? Go for it.

Now, the differences aren’t night and day, but they’re just enough to matter. It adds another layer of tweakability that you don’t often see in units at this level.

Old School Inputs, New School Flexibility

One of the really nice touches carried over from previous NuX units is the amp input modelling.

High/low inputs on vintage Fender-style amps

Four-input Plexi setups with jumper options

It’s the kind of detail that doesn’t scream for attention, but once you start using it, you realise how much it adds to shaping your base tone.

Cab Sims – Where Things Get Seriously Impressive

The cab section is where this thing really starts flexing.

• You’re getting:
• Stereo cab sims as standard
• Independent level control per cab
• High and low cuts
• Panning for wide stereo spreads or tight blends
• Multiple mic options with 20 positions per cab

It’s properly in-depth without feeling overwhelming. You can go from subtle studio-style blending to massive, wide stereo tones without breaking a sweat.

And if that’s not enough? You’ve got a bunch of IR slots ready to load in your own favourites.

Noise Gates, Drives & The Essentials

When you start pushing gain, things can get messy—but NuX have thought about that too.

You’ve got two flavours of noise gate:

• A more traditional ISP-style gate
• A frequency-targeting option, similar to an EHX Hum Debugger approach

That second option is particularly handy for surgical clean-up without killing your tone.

On top of that, there’s a solid selection of drive pedals built in to push your amp tones further. Nothing too wild, but more than enough to cover your bases.

Reverbs & FX Loop – Keeping It Practical

Reverb-wise, it’s a nice, sensible selection including Spring, Plate,  Room,  and a surprisingly usable shimmer. They haven’t gone overboard here, which is what this unit is about. Amp sims at the core, everything else surrounding it to support that main feature. 

If you want more? That’s where the FX loop comes in—and crucially, you can move it around in the signal chain. Perfect if you want to drop in something like a TC Electronic Plethora X1, X3 or X5 for modulation duties and build out a full rig around the unit.

NAM Compatibility – And Yes, It Does the Thing

Now, here’s the bit people have been waiting for.

The Amp Academy Stomp supports NAM (Neural Amp Modelling)… and it lets you run those profiles alongside the stereo cab section.

It is impressive.

A lot of units at this level force you to choose between NAM and cab sims. Not here. You get both. It’s very much the next step on from what we saw with units like the Tiny Stomp—but pushed further into proper gig-ready territory.

Built for the Stage

Speaking of gigging, this isn’t just a studio toy.

The footswitching options really hammer that home:

• Assignable switches for effects
• Scene-based setups (verse, chorus, lead, etc.)
• Flexible control over your entire signal chain

It’s designed to be used live, not just tweaked at home.

A Bit of a Sleeping Giant?

The NuX Amp Academy Stomp feels like one of those releases that’s quietly slipped under the radar… for now.

It’s got:

• Deep amp and cab control
• Proper stereo flexibility
• NAM compatibility done right
• Genuine gigging potential

If something like the Tiny Stomp feels like the perfect home or studio companion, this is the next step up—a fully-fledged, gig-ready rig in a compact box.

NuX have been oddly quiet about just how capable this thing is. But give it time… once people catch on, this could very easily be one of the standout units of 2026.

Deep Dive with the Soran Tiny Stomp – More Than Just a Budget Modeller

After dropping the initial video on the Tiny Stomp, it felt only right to spend a bit more time with it. Not just a quick demo, but a proper sit-down, poke-around, “what actually is this thing capable of?” kind of session. 

Safe to say… there’s a lot going on under the hood.

First Impressions – it is more than just a nam player than can do cab sims at the same time.

The beauty of something like the Tiny Stomp is that it invites you to just explore. You can find yourself dialling in tones you wouldn't usually lean towards because that effect is there. One thing that was asked about time and time again in the comments was the looper. On the recent live stream, I had the tiny stomp on the floor and could activate the looper with my foot. For those wondering if the buttons are substantial enough, I did a few loops on the live stream and it worked perfectly well. I probably wouldn't trust it putting full weight on it, but whilst sitting down then you certainly can. We added some of the built in drums into the mix too and, surprisingly, they stood up really well. Not studio quality, by any stretch, but not soulless 90s midi drums either. It is definitely a win for me. 

Delay Section – Simple, But Covers Ground

Working through the delay options, you’ve got your usual suspects:

Digital (bright and cutting)

Modulated (a bit of that MXR Carbon Copy-style movement)

Tape (warmer, softer repeats)

Reverse (because chaos is sometimes necessary)

None of them are reinventing the wheel, but they all do a decent job. The modulated and tape delays in particular add a bit of character, especially when you start stacking them with gain.

Amp & Cab Pairing – Where It Gets Interesting

Switching over to a JCM800-style model, paired with a V30-loaded 4x12 cab, things start to feel very familiar—in a good way.

Where this unit actually punches above its weight is in the cab and mic options. You’re not just stuck with a static cab sound; you can tweak mic types and placement:

MD421 for a balanced punch

E906 for that upper mid bite

SM57 (because of course… it’s the benchmark)

It’s these little touches that make it feel less like a toy and more like a genuinely usable bit of kit.

Modulation – A Pleasant Surprise

Cheaper multi-FX units can be a bit hit-or-miss when it comes to modulation—but the Tiny Stomp actually holds its own. There’s a particular vibe-style effect in there that nails that slightly uneven, lopsided wobble you’d expect from vintage units.

It doesn’t feel overly clinical or perfectly symmetrical—it’s got a bit of character to it, which is exactly what you want.

The Weird Stuff – Hit and Miss (As Expected)

The pitch shifter, for example, is… fine for single notes. Start throwing chords at it and it begins to struggle a bit. That’s not exactly a shock at this price point. Remember, this thing comes in at less money than a stand alone pitch shifter tends to cost, it is all relative.

On the flip side, the fuzz models are actually better than expected. A lot of budget units tend to not really get the character of fuzz, with it being more of a bass-heavy distortion more than anything. Now, I'm not saying this is a perfect recreation of a vintage Fuzz Face, but absolutely usable in a pinch.

 Why This Thing Is So Fun

The Soran Tiny Stomp isn’t about perfection—it’s about possibility. It’s a compact, affordable unit that lets you:

Experiment with different amp and cab combinations

Explore effects without needing a full pedalboard

Get genuinely usable tones with minimal fuss

More importantly, it makes you want to play. You start off testing features and end up just jamming—which is always a good sign.

It might not replace your full rig, but as a grab-and-go creative tool, home practice and demo recording just stepped up the game. 

Revisiting the Boss OS-2 OverDrive/Distortion – Underrated or Underwhelming?

Today we’re giving the old OS-2 another crack at the whip. It’s long been labelled the runt of the Boss drive litter—but is that actually fair? Or has it just been misunderstood all these years?

On paper, this thing should be a bit of a winner. You’ve got two circuits in one box: an overdrive and a distortion, with the ability to blend between the two using the Colour control. That’s a pretty forward-thinking idea, especially considering when this pedal first dropped.

 The Overdrive Side – Perfectly Fine… Just Not Special

Let’s start with the overdrive side. If you’re familiar with classics like the Boss OD-3 OverDrive, Boss BD-2 Blues Driver or even the humble Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive, you’ll know Boss can absolutely nail this kind of circuit.

The OS-2… doesn’t quite reach those heights.

It’s not bad by any stretch. You can get some nice **low-gain grit and boost-style tones**, especially with the gain kept in check. In fact, it behaves best in that lower-to-mid gain range. Push it too far though, and things start to feel a bit noisy and a touch unrefined—particularly by modern standards.

There’s also that classic older Boss quirk: **the tone control sweet spot**. Sit in the wrong part of the sweep and things can get a bit fizzy or a bit dull. Find the middle ground, though, and it behaves itself nicely enough.

The USP – Blending OD and Distortion

Now, this is where things get interesting.

The OS-2 isn’t really about the individual circuits—it’s about how they interact. Boss clearly had a vision here, and you can see that Boss clearly saw potential in this idea with later pedals like the Boss JB-2 Angry Driver.

Set the Colour control right in the middle, and something quite cool happens. You get this tight, crunchy definition from the overdrive side, with a softer, mushier distortion layered underneath. It’s arguably the best sound in the pedal—the actual sweet spot where everything clicks.

The frustrating bit? It feels like the individual building blocks aren’t quite polished enough to fully realise that idea. It’s like a great concept that just needed a bit more refinement.

Pushing an Amp – Does It Redeem Itself?

You’d think a pedal like this might come alive when used as a boost into a driven amp—and to be fair, it does a decent job.

But again, it’s a crowded field. There are plenty of pedals that do this better, cleaner, and with more character. The OS-2 holds its own, but it doesn’t exactly stand out.

So… Is It Actually Any Good?

Here’s the honest take:

It’s not as bad as people say… but it’s also not exactly a hidden gem.

It lands somewhere in the middle as a perfectly usable, slightly unrefined drive pedal with an interesting core idea. There are players out there who absolutely swear by it—and for certain setups, I can believe it works brilliantly. But it often feels like they’re getting great tones in spite of the pedal rather than directly from it.

Final Thoughts

If you can grab a Boss OS-2 OverDrive/Distortion cheap on the used market, it’s definitely worth a punt. There’s enough in there to have a bit of fun with, especially if you lean into that blended sweet spot.

At full price though? Absolutely not.

You could easily look towards something like the Joyo King of Kings for less money. Ok, it doesn't do exactly what this does but you can get overdrive out of it, you can get distortion out of it and, more importantly, it sounds great in most settings.

The OS-2 isn’t a disaster. It’s just… a bit average. And in a world full of incredible drive pedals, “average” is sometimes the hardest thing to justify.

An exciting update in the world of NAM profiling...

 NAM Architecture 2 – A Big Step Forward for Amp Profiling?

Something pretty exciting has been happening in the world of Neural Amp Modelling, and I wanted to take a bit of time to talk through it properly. There’s a new update on the horizon called Architecture 2 (A2), and while it might sound like a fairly dry technical upgrade on the surface, the implications for guitar players could actually be huge.

Before we dive into what A2 actually is, it’s worth taking a quick step back and looking at where NAM came from in the first place.

A Quick Refresher: What is NAM?

Neural Amp Modelling (NAM) first started appearing around 2019 as a project under development. The idea behind it was fairly simple: create a system that could capture the sound of a real amplifier and turn it into a digital profile.

That concept itself wasn’t new. Companies like Kemper had already been doing it for years with things like the Profiler, and more recently the Quad Cortex had joined the party with its own capture technology.

The catch with those systems is that they’re tied to their own hardware. If you make a Kemper profile, you need a Kemper to use it. If you move to another platform later, those captures don’t necessarily follow you.

NAM approached the problem from the opposite direction.

It was built as an open-source platform, meaning the technology was free, the captures were shareable, and nobody was locked behind a hardware paywall. In theory, it made amp profiling far more accessible to everyday players.

The Early Limitation: Computers Only

The first practical NAM setups started appearing around 2022, but there was one big limitation.

You needed a computer.

NAM ran inside a DAW as a plugin, so it was brilliant for recording, but if you wanted to use it live you were essentially bringing a laptop rig with you. For some players that was fine, but it wasn’t exactly the most convenient setup.

The real shift came around 2024–2025, when companies started figuring out how to make NAM portable.

When NAM Hit the Pedalboard

That’s where units like the Valeton GP‑5 and the Sonicake Pocket Master came into the picture.

These little boxes suddenly made it possible to run NAM-style tones on a pedalboard-sized device. Instead of needing a laptop, you could throw one of these units in your gig bag and have access to amp captures wherever you wanted.

More recently we’ve also seen things like the Soran Tiny Stomp pushing that idea even further.

However, there was always a small compromise hiding behind the scenes.

The “NAM-ish” Workaround

Full NAM profiles are extremely CPU intensive. Running them at full quality requires quite a bit of processing power, which smaller and more affordable hardware simply doesn’t have.

So companies found a clever workaround.

When you import a NAM profile into devices like the GP-5 or the Pocket Master, the unit converts the file into a lighter internal format that the hardware can actually run.

The result is something that sounds incredibly good — more than good enough for most uses — but technically it’s not running the full-fat NAM profile that you would get inside a computer.

You’ll often see comments online from people pointing out that the bit-rate or fidelity isn’t identical to the DAW version. They’re technically right… but at the same time the tones coming out of these little units are already seriously impressive.

For a lot of players, it’s been the perfect introduction to NAM without needing to wrestle with a full computer setup.

Still, there has always been a lingering question in the background:

What if we could run full NAM profiles on smaller hardware?

Enter Architecture 2 (A2)

That’s where the new update comes in.

The NAM developers have been working on something called Architecture 2, often shortened to A2.

In their own words, A2 is designed to be “lighter, better, and slimmer.”

The big goal here is to reduce the processing demands of NAM without sacrificing the quality that made it so exciting in the first place.

If that works the way people hope it will, it could mean something pretty significant:

Full-quality NAM captures running on smaller, more affordable hardware.

In other words, the gap between studio NAM and portable NAM could start disappearing.

When Might We See It?

The early timeline mentioned March 2026, which is right about now. As of writing, the rollout hasn’t quite landed yet, so we may be running a little behind schedule.

That’s not unusual with projects like this.

Realistically, it wouldn’t be surprising if we start seeing A2-powered hardware sometime later in 2026, perhaps around the third or fourth quarter once manufacturers have had time to integrate the new system.

And if that happens, things could get very interesting very quickly.

Why This Could Be a Big Deal

If A2 delivers on its promise, we could potentially see:

Higher fidelity NAM captures on compact hardware

Less reliance on file conversion workarounds

Even more flexibility when combining amp captures with IR cabinet simulations

That would be a huge step forward for the entire ecosystem of budget modellers and portable profiling units.

For players who have been enjoying the convenience of things like the GP-5, Pocket Master, and Tiny Stomp, the next generation could offer the same portability but with even closer-to-the-real-thing tones.

The Bottom Line

Neural Amp Modelling has already come a long way in a fairly short space of time. What started as a computer-only experiment has quickly grown into a platform that’s appearing in pedalboard-sized gear that anyone can afford.

Architecture 2 looks like the next big step in that evolution.

If it works the way the developers hope, we could be heading towards a world where studio-quality amp captures fit inside tiny, affordable hardware units.

And honestly?

That’s a pretty exciting place for guitar gear to be heading.

The Soran Tiny Stomp impressed me, like REALLY impressed me...

The Soran Tiny Stomp – The Budget Modeller That Finally Fixed That Problem

If you follow the channel, you might have noticed something slightly unusual last week. Within the space of a few days we dropped three full videos and a stack of shorts all covering the Tiny Stomp from Soran Audio.

That wasn’t an accident.

I was excited. Properly excited.

This little box feels like a genuine step forward for the mini amp modeller / multi-FX world, especially at the super budget end of the market.

To explain why, we need to rewind about a year.

When NAM Went Portable

Around this time last year we covered the Sonicake Pocket Master, and that thing landed with a bit of a bang. The big deal at the time was that it brought NAM profiling to a portable unit.

Now NAM (Neural Amp Modeler) itself wasn’t new. It had already been around for a couple of years as a DAW-based tool, letting people capture and share amp profiles in a free open-source platform. The problem was that you pretty much needed to be sat at a computer to use it.

The Pocket Master changed that. Suddenly you could take NAM profiles out of the studio and onto a pedalboard.

Naturally, the floodgates opened.

We saw companies like Valeton jump in with things like the GP-5, and Sonicake themselves started rolling the tech across the Matribox range. Since then we’ve had more refined units aimed squarely at players who actually want to take these things out gigging.

But there’s been one persistent little annoyance.

The One Thing Everyone Wanted

Most of these budget NAM-capable units share the same limitation:

You can’t run NAM profiles and cab sims at the same time.

Whilst that might not be like a massive deal breaker, in practice it restricts what profiles you can use.

NAM captures can represent different stages of an amp signal:

• Just the preamp

• Preamp and power amp

• The full amp and cab together

Because these portable units couldn’t run cab sims alongside NAM, you were basically forced to use full-rig captures that already included the cabinet sound.

And to be fair, that’s workable. There are loads of great full rig captures floating around for free.

But it does limit your choices.

In the back of everyone’s mind there was always the same thought:

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could just run NAM and IRs together?”

Well… Now You Can

And that’s exactly what the Tiny Stomp does.

You can:

• Import NAM captures

• Import your own IR files

• Run them together at the same time

That means you can pair a pure amp capture with whatever cab IR you fancy. Or run NAM with the built-in cab sims, which are actually surprisingly good (and in-depth too).

You can even skip NAM entirely and run the built-in amp models with IRs if that suits the tone you’re chasing.

In other words, it finally delivers the flexibility people have been asking for since NAM first landed in portable units.

But Soran weren't content in just adding one bit of versatility, they said "hold my beer...."

A Signal Chain That Actually Makes Sense

Another thing that often crops up in these smaller modellers is static signal chains.

You get an amp block, a cab block, a couple of effects blocks… and most of them are locked in place. You might be able to shuffle a few things around, but generally the layout is fixed.

Soran clearly looked at that and thought:

“Why?”

On the Tiny Stomp you can move any block anywhere in the chain.

Seriously. Anywhere.

During one of the videos I even moved the cab block before the amp, which obviously makes absolutely no sense in the real world… but the point is it lets you do it.

Is it always useful? No.

Is it great for experimentation and creativity? Absolutely.

It’s Not a Helix (But It’s Not Trying to Be)

Now, to keep things realistic, this isn’t a full-blown modular playground like a Line 6 Helix or even something like the Sonicake Matribox II Pro.

Those units let you pile on multiple instances of effects until the processor gives up. Want eight phasers in your signal chain? Go wild.

The Tiny Stomp isn’t quite that level of flexible.

But here’s the thing.

It’s a sub-£100 modelling unit.

At that price point, the fact that it offers:

• NAM support

• IR loading

• NAM + IR simultaneously

• Fully movable signal blocks

is genuinely impressive.

Why We Made Three Videos About It

So yeah… when you put it all together, you can probably see why I got a bit carried away and ended up making three videos about this thing in one week.

The Tiny Stomp isn’t trying to compete with the big boys. What it’s doing instead is raising the bar for ultra-budget modellers.

If you want something with more footswitches and deeper gigging functionality, the Matribox II Pro is still probably the most versatile budget modeller out there.

But if you’re looking for maximum tonal flexibility for the smallest amount of money, the Tiny Stomp is pushing the category forward in a really interesting way.

/watch this space, Soran just moved the needle with this one.

A Blue Tube Screamer? It's £18? Ah, go on then...

This one’s going to be short and sweet.

The Shaevle Blue Tuber is, let’s not beat around the bush, a green overdrive in a blue overcoat. Three knobs. Volume, Tone, Gain. True bypass. All-analog circuit. If you’ve ever seen a Tube Screamer, you already know what this is trying to do.

And honestly? It does it.

This is a straight-up TS-style overdrive in exactly the way you’d expect. It’s got the mid-hump. It thickens up Strat single coils beautifully. It’ll do the low-gain, clean-ish solo boost thing. It’ll push the front end of a tube amp into that singing saturation (which is that tonal nirvana  I'm aiming for, at very least). And yes, it’ll tighten up heavier amp tones too — trimming the flubby low end and pushing those all-important mids back into the spotlight.

So far, so predictable.

The reason we’re even talking about this is the price. As of writing, it’s sitting at £18.55 on Amazon.

Now, ultra-budget pedals aren’t exactly rare these days. AliExpress and Temu are full of them. The problem is, you usually feel the compromises. Narrow sweet spots. Tone controls that are basically “bad, usable, worse.” Gain sweeps where 80% of the rotation is off-limits. They technically work, but they’re not refined.

The Shaevle is a bit different.

The tone control is actually well voiced. You can sweep it without fear. There’s usable ground across the range rather than one tiny magic notch. The gain range is solid too — from glistening, edge-of-breakup tones through to a proper classic crunch. It doesn’t feel like a one-trick box.

And on a completely superficial note, it’s reassuringly heavy. Does that mean anything? Probably not. But in my head, heavy pedals equal quality. Science may disagree.

This isn’t ground-breaking. It’s not innovative. It’s not going to change the overdrive landscape. What it is, is a genuinely solid Tube Screamer-style pedal for under £20.

For a beginner buying their first drive? Perfect.

For someone building a budget board? Easy win.

For a backup to throw in a gig bag? Why not.

Shaevle are quietly shaping up to be one to watch if they keep delivering this level of quality at these prices. Sometimes boring and done well is exactly what you want.

 This week we’re revisiting an old friend of the channel — the NUX Horseman. It’s popped up in its own demo, and in more Klon-style shootouts than I can remember at this point. There’s a reason for that.

It’s good. Really good.

A Budget Klon That Keeps Showing Up

The Horseman is NUX’s take on the legendary Klon Centaur circuit — that mythical mid-’90s dual overdrive that now costs the same as a small car if you want the real thing.

NUX have built the Horseman around the same core concept: transparent-ish drive, loads of headroom (thanks to an internal voltage converter pushing things up to 18V), and that slightly gritty, amp-like breakup that made the original so popular. You get the standard three controls — Gain, Treble, and Output — plus two modes: Gold and Silver.

Gold mode is your classic Centaur-style voicing. Silver mode gives you a bit more gain on tap — think of it as the hot-rodded version. Switching between them requires a long press of the footswitch, which isn’t the slickest system in the world, but you can access that without bending down to the pedal itself, so it works I guess.

You can also toggle between true bypass and buffered bypass on startup. Yes, it involves a bit of button-holding and LED colour interpretation, but it’s nice to have the choice — especially since the Klon buffer is half the magic for some players.

Blind Tests and Big Praise

A few years back, my good friend and partner in crime, Lee did a blind Klon shootout over on Tonepedia. We’re talking everything from an incredibly affordable Mosky Silver Horse all the way up to an actual Klon Centaur. There were some serious contenders in there too — KTR, J Rockett Archer, the usual well-respected names.

Blindfold on. No bias. Just tones doing the talking.

The comments about the NUX were along the lines of, “If that’s not the Klon itself, it’s probably the KTR.”

Lee came away from that video with a new found respect for NuX and it's easy to understand why.

And considering the price difference between a Horseman and an original Centaur… well, you don’t need me to finish that sentence.

The Klon Thing (And Why I’ve Changed My Mind)

Now, I’ve said before that I’m not the biggest Klon fan. I play a lot of Strats, a lot of single coils, and those guitars often benefit from something that fills out the mids a bit more aggressively. A Tube Screamer does that. A Klon… not so much.

But over time, I’ve come to appreciate what the Klon circuit actually does well.

It’s subtle. It adds that “amp just starting to break up” grit. It doesn’t smother your tone — it enhances it. Push the gain and you start getting that upper-mid bite, not unlike a Boss Blues Driver.

Where it really comes alive, though, is into a driven amp. Take a crunchy British-style rhythm tone and hit it with a Klon-style boost and suddenly you’re squarely in classic rock territory. Tightened low end, singing top end, more sustain and a tone that growls.

That’s the sweet spot.

And the Horseman does that convincingly.

More Than Just a Clone

On the technical side, NUX have gone with Schottky diodes for the clipping stage (since the original germanium parts are incredibly hard to find consistently these days), and they’ve built in their own voltage converter circuit to get that higher headroom feel. Whether you care about the internal topology or not, the important thing is that it behaves like a proper Klon-style circuit should.

It can do clean boost duties brilliantly — low gain, high output, push your amp harder. Or you can dial in more drive and let the pedal do the clipping itself. It’s flexible without being complicated.

And in typical NUX fashion, it’s compact, solidly built, and sensibly priced. I've said it once and I'll say it again, NuX give you absolutely loads for your money with their stuff. They are never lacking in features, nor does the tone come second.

So… Is It Worth It?

If you’re chasing a Klon-style overdrive and don’t fancy remortgaging the house, you could do a lot worse than the Horseman. In fact, you’d struggle to do much better in this price bracket.

It’s featured on the channel multiple times for a reason. It holds its own in blind tests. It sounds right. It feels right. And it captures that elusive “transparent but better” thing that made the original so famous in the first place.

If a Klon is on your wish list, the Horseman deserves a serious look.

Want one of your own? Consider using my affiliate link:
https://thmn.to/thoprod/497299?offid=1&affid=2735

 This week’s video was a proper budget scrap: three “analog-style” delays, all chasing that bucket brigade vibe, all under sensible money, and all bringing something slightly different to the table.

If you’ve ever looked at real vintage analogue delays and then quietly closed the tab when you saw the price, this is for you.

The Contenders

We put the Joyo Analog Delay, the Mooer Ana Echo, and the TC Electronic Bucket Brigade head-to-head. On paper they all live in a similar space — warm repeats, darker voicing, classic feel — but under the hood they’re doing things a little differently.

And that’s where it gets interesting.

Joyo Analog Delay – The Sensible All-Rounder

Let’s get this out of the way first: the Joyo isn’t a “true” bucket brigade delay. It uses a PT2399 chip with filtering to get that darker, analog-style sound rather than a genuine BBD chip.

Does that matter? Not really.

It sounds good. Really good, actually — especially for the money. It tops out around 440ms, which is plenty for most practical uses, and it covers a lot of ground. Slap-back? No problem. Subtle doubling? Easy. Slightly more ambient textures? Absolutely doable.

If I had to label it, this is probably the best all-rounder of the three. It doesn’t have the strongest personality, but it also doesn’t have many weak spots. And it’s often the cheapest of the lot, which makes it very easy to recommend if you just want “a good analog-ish delay” without overthinking it.

Mooer Ana Echo – Vintage Vibes on a Budget

The Mooer Ana Echo is the purist’s choice here. It runs a genuine MN3205 bucket brigade chip and is very deliberately inspired by the Boss DM-2 — right down to the slightly backwards-feeling control layout.

If you’ve used a DM-2 before, you’ll know what I mean.

This one tops out at around 300ms, so it’s the shortest delay time of the three. It doesn’t really excel at slap-back tones — it can do them, but it’s not where it shines. Where it does shine is in those washy, ambient, slightly murky repeats that almost become part of your core tone.

It adds character. It softens the edges. It feels vintage in the best way.

And considering what a real vintage DM-2 goes for these days — or even the Waza reissue — the Mooer is a bargain by comparison.

If you want warmth and vibe over versatility, this is probably the one that’ll grab you.

TC Electronic Bucket Brigade – Crisp, Modern Analog

Then we’ve got the TC Electronic Bucket Brigade. This one uses a modern Cool Audio BBD chip — the same family of chips you’ll find in a lot of modern analogue designs (and yes, in plenty of Behringer-owned circuits too).

The big headline here is 600ms of delay time — the longest of the three. If you're after longer, luxurious repeats, then look no further.

The repeats are noticeably crisper and more defined than the other two. Because of that clarity, this one absolutely excels at shorter slap-back tones. It blends beautifully with your dry signal without turning to mush.

On top of that, you get modulation on the repeats. Subtle wobble at shorter settings, lovely movement at longer ones. That feature alone pushes it into MXR Carbon Copy territory — just without the Carbon Copy price tag.

If you want analogue feel but with a bit more modern usability, this is a very strong option.

So… Which One?

Honestly? You’re not getting a bad pedal out of this bunch.

They all cover that bucket brigade flavour in their own way, but they each lean in a slightly different direction:

• Joyo – most versatile and budget-friendly.
• Mooer – warm, vintage, characterful.
• TC Electronic – clearer repeats, longer delay time, added modulation.

Delay is one of those effects that can be as subtle or as dramatic as you want it to be. It can sit there doing gentle doubling, it can add a bit of reverb-like space, or it can become part of the rhythmic identity of what you’re playing.

The best one here isn’t about specs — it’s about which personality fits your playing.

And at these prices, the real danger is convincing yourself you only need one.

Consider using the affiliate link if you would like to buy one:
TC Bucket Brigade
https://thmn.to/thoprod/530567?offid=1&affid=2735