Josh Scott says this distortion pedal is the most unfamiliar affect he’s seen “in a protracted time” – and it’s aloof on shelves

JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott’s equipment ideas elevate some severe weight. Certainly, old nods – no longer least his seriously inferior tip-off on DigiTech’s Putrid Monkey – possess seen oldschool prices rocket at alarming charges. Now not too long within the past, even when, Scott dedicated a recent livestream to a distortion pedal he says is “the most chilly and unfamiliar distortion gadget I’ve seen in a protracted time.”

And it’s no longer some out-of-production obscurity, either. It’s a pedal that changed into handiest announced in January and is available for an obtainable mark of spherical $200-250: particularly, the Korg Nu:Tekt Harmonic Distortion.

The box is the brainchild of Fumio Mieda, the Eastern pedal dressmaker on the wait on of the Shin-ei Uni-Vibe and, as we outlined when the HD-S launched earlier this three hundred and sixty five days, is a originate-your-dangle-pedal kit that facets three different, cascading distortion circuits.

“It’s big, big piquant,” enthuses Scott. “They’re made to be built by you. You don’t must solder. You don’t must know guidelines on how to attain the rest, you magnificent must pop them collectively.”

Pointless to claim, while he makes particular mention of the intelligent decal website online that’s included (“Who doesn’t desire a Fumio Mieda decal?”), it’s no longer magnificent the novelty element that has Scott fervent, more the tone and topology of the circuit.

“This element without lengthen caught my attention,” says Scott. “I’ve seen the complete lot. I imply, literally, at this point… Very generally while you idea the claim of an ‘genuine’ affect, it’s like [pauses] ‘Is it?’ This feels so different.”

As Scott explains, the HD-S has three harmonic effectively-organized pots that will also be adjusted to replace the sound of the distortion stages. They’re designed to be ‘website online and neglect’ but you magnificent need a screwdriver to tweak them.

“All of them work collectively,” notes Scott. “The pedal has a sound. You’re no longer going to toddle from Bluesbreaker to Metal Zone, that’s no longer going to happen. It has a distortion attribute… I’d assign it somewhere between a killer DS-1, a shrimp bit of RAT, all the answer to a Univox Superfuzz – and that’s insane. I do know what I’m saying is insane, but it’s the interplay right here.”

Scott – in his mainly, informative, laconic manner – explains the most spirited thing about the circuit, including the extensive sweep of no doubt-useable sounds available from the Tone regulate sooner than concluding, “I will notify in all honesty… that is the most chilly and unfamiliar distortion gadget I’ve seen in a protracted time, like, historically –[and it’s] designed by Fumio Mieda – I imply, magnificent big chilly.”

Alongside, the HD-S, Korg also launched the TR-S Vitality Tube Reactorwhich makes exercise of its Nutube tech to emulate the texture of a tube ampearlier this three hundred and sixty five days, while the principle pedal within the vary – the Nu: Text OD-S overdrive pedal – arrived in 2020.

For more recordsdata on the Nu:Tekt HD-S, head to Korg (opens in contemporary tab).

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Matt is a employees author for GuitarWorld.com. Sooner than that he spent 10 years as a freelance song journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Entire Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Magazine and Digital Sound. In 2020, he launchedCreativeMoney.co.uk (opens in contemporary tab)which targets to portion the guidelines that assign ingenious lifestyles more sustainable. He performs guitar, but ought to aloof no longer be allowed shut to your lengthen pedals.