Maestro Original Collection pedals

FM VERDICT
7.4
The Maestro rides again
with a mixed bag of effects
that bring about a vintage
look and sound, dripping in
harmonic distortion
mid-focussed affair which forgoes
some of the wispy qualities some
choruses display.
It can be a little too subtle on
lower Depth and Mix settings, and
the Rate knob sits well within the
sensible range, which may put off
those looking for more ‘weirdness’
for their modular setups. For
guitars, keys and synths the Comet
does add a juicy modulation that
won’t get in the way, and the Orbit
semi-trem sound brings extra
movement to the source. What it
does, it does well, but it feels like it
should do a bit more, be just a little
bit wilder.
Discoverer Delay
Instantly the Discoverer serves up
an identifi ably analogue BBD delay
sound. At the short end, the delay
makes a complementary pseudo-
reverb, with modulation Mode
bringing an extra dimension that
soon shifts into chorus territory as
the Delay knob moves up. Two
internal trimpots are available to
set the modulation depth and rate,
the range of which allows
everything from a slight swirl to a
rapid jelly wobble. The delay time
range is well set so the longest
doesn’t produce too much BBD
noise. The repeats have a well
balanced tone so they won’t get in
the way even with a high mix ratio,
but they don’t lack detail in the
fi rst instance either. The onset of
break-up is a little quick, which
will appeal to those looking for a
dirty or distorted feedback, but the
drawback is that as the Feedback
knob passes the midway point, the
sooner the decays distort
themselves into something
resembling a chirrup. At extreme
settings this almost transient decay
sound is fun to spin around in time
with the Delay knob, but it lacks
the richness of a more subtle
feedback breakup that steadily
degrades the signal.
Away from the extremes,
Discoverer provides a musical
analogue delay with a distinctly
vintage vibe for creating space and
rhythmic interplay that will suit
synthesists and reampers as much
as guitarists and keyboard players.
Original Collection
The highlights of the collection are
in the distortion arena, ie the
Ranger Overdrive and Fuzz Tone
FZ-M. The vintage funk and grit is a
consistent quality throughout, but
maybe the coherence of the control
set has hemmed them into being
too sensible or limited with regard
to Comet Chorus and Discoverer
Delay. Maestro is known for many
idiosyncratic yet beautiful creations,
such as the Bass Brassmaster
(absurd origin story, unique/bonkers
design, glorious sound), but
idiosyncrasy may not be profi table.
Though these are not expensive
pedals, they face stiff competition
from both the big names and some
of the simpler/cheaper offerings
from the small producers; just
under £150 is a sort of no man’s
land between mass production and
boutique. Fans of overdrive and
fuzz are advised to set foot there.
INVADER DISTORTION: A rhythm friendly amp
style distortion with a simple onboard gate and
internal trimpot to set the threshold
RANGER OVER-DRIVE: The LO mode keeps the
mid-centric overdrive on the dynamic side; HI
emphasises a more squeezed crunch
Maestro Original Collection pedals | Reviews
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FMU382.rev_gibson.indd 85FMU382.rev_gibson.indd 85 21/03/2022 18:0721/03/2022 18:07