Keeley

If you need something inspiring and out of the ordinary we’ve
got you covered with these crazy contraptions...
105
T
he Ringmaster is an analogue
synthesiser and ring modulator with a
ton of controls. Even without diving into
the diff erent carrier and CV options, the front
panel can be a little overwhelming and takes
some time to dial in a good sound. Fuzzy,
grainy ring mod tones are the easiest to tap,
but with some tweaking there’s also tremolo
and sample-hold sounds possible, with
harmonised notes dancing around the input
signal. It feels at times like it might better suit
a keyboard rather than a guitar, but it’s hard
to think of a more feature-rich ring modulator
on the market.
I
f what you’re looking for is a pedal to
trigger inspiration, then it’s hard to go
wrong with the Valeton Coral MDR. MDR
stands for modulation, delay, reverb, and this
compact box gets every last mile out of the
digital chip nestled inside. There are eight
patches, with a further eight accessible via a
toggle switch, and the footswitch even works
for tap-tempo, though it’s a hair short of
foolproof. Some sounds are gimmicky, but the
sine and square wave tremolo are great, and
both the phaser and reverb ‘A’ are decent. It’s
fi ddly because of its size, but the core sounds
aren’t bad at all – so at this price, why not?
Pigtronix Ringmaster
Analog Multiplier
(RING)MASTER OF PUPPETS
Valeton
Coral MDR
VERY CHEAP, VERY CHEERFUL
BYPASS:
Boss: Buffered
Valeton, Pigtronix, Keeley:
True bypass
POWER:
Boss, Valeton, Keeley:
9V DC centre-negative
Pigtronix: 18V DC centre-negative
(included)
CONTAC T:
Roland: roland.com/uk
Zoom UK: zoom-uk.com
JHS: jhs.co.uk
Andertons: andertons.co.uk
AT A GLANCE
£299
£69
ROUND-UP
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
FEBRUARY 2019 TOTAL GUITAR
TGR315.gear_pedals.indd 105 02/01/2019 16:36