PRS Transparent Overdrive, Dual Analog Flanger and Optical Compressor
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00:00What's up, it's Paul from Guitar World, and today I'd like to say that it would make no
00:13sense for me to say something like, the wait is over on what I have over here, because
00:19many of us didn't see this coming.
00:22That's right, your eyes do not deceive you, PRS Guitars made some pedals.
00:27Let's take a quick look at them.
00:31Yes, you heard that correctly, PRS, or Paul Reed Smith, maker of many of the finest electric
00:38guitars and acoustics, and even amplifiers, have now thrown their hat in the stomp box
00:42ring and released three new guitar pedals.
00:45The Horsemeat Transparent Overdrive, the Wind Through the Trees Dual Analog Flanger, and
00:51the Merry Cries Optical Compressor.
00:54All of these PRS pedals feature through-hole soldering, which broadens the component selection
00:58and allows for the best sounding parts to be used, and they are also true-bypass.
01:03According to PRS, the Horsemeat Transparent Overdrive is a built-from-scratch circuit
01:25designed to enhance guitar tone without coloring it.
01:28The pedal uses germanium diodes for a smoother and fuller overdriven crunch that closely
01:34approaches immediate distortion as you increase the gain control.
01:38You can see the controls for the treble and bass to boost both the high and low end frequencies,
01:44while the voice control offers more tailoring of the harmonic content for added richness
01:48to your tone.
01:49Depending on the setting, of course, the Horsemeat can be used as a clean boost, straight overdrive,
01:54or push the front end of the amp's preamp section to enhance the amplifier's distortion.
02:24PRS likes to say that the Wind Through the Trees Dual Analog Flanger pedal is best described
02:44as two flangers fighting each other, or what I'd like to say, two flangers mixed into
02:49one another, resulting in a sound reminiscent of the wind whipping through the trees, hence
02:55its colorful name.
03:01The pedal features manual depth and rate controls per flanger, as well as global regeneration
03:14and added highs controls.
03:16There's endless flanging to be had with the Wind Through the Trees.
03:23Based on the classic LA-2A rack mount, a hand-wired and tube-based compressor, the Mary Cries
03:29Optical Compressor pedal aims to thicken your guitar tone, curb signal peaks, increase sustain,
03:35and push your tone with definition and clarity.
03:47This pedal can also be used as a boost as well as a straightforward compressor, or even
03:54better, use it as a clean boost with a hint of compression.
03:58What's nice is the pedal's blue compression light shows you when the compression is actively
04:02kicking in.
04:03PRS should have used the slogan, Expect the Unexpected, for their brand new pedal launch,
04:14with the Horsemeat as a wonderful textured overdrive, Mary Cries as a simplified studio
04:19quality, optical compressor, and the dual vintage flanging from their Wind Through the
04:23Trees analog flanger, PRS has come out of the gate swinging with three high-end stomp
04:28boxes built to last a lifetime, with classic sounds most guitarists will want to investigate
04:34further.
04:35Definitely check them out.
04:44Thanks for watching.