Strymon Riverside

ManualsBrandsStrymon ManualsDistortion PedalsRiverside

114

Guitarist FEBruarY 2017

Strymon

trymon pedals are known for accurate renderings

of essential effects using powerful DSP, but the

Riverside Multistage Drive is not totally digital.

Instead, it combines both analogue and digital for the

advantages that each confers: analogue for the natural

instrument interaction and dynamics; digital to provide

powerful and nuanced control over the sound.

It’s built around four cascading gain stages – a JFET

front end, followed by three digital stages utilising

complex circuitry that’s designed to simultaneously

tweak multiple parameters for optimum valve amp-like

sound, whatever the drive level.

Sounds

The Riverside has high- and low-gain modes, selected

via a mini toggle switch, that run from clean through all

stations of overdrive in between, to the gutsy saturated

distortion you’d get from a high-gain amp. A second

switch offers a mid-boost that comes just after the

first analogue stage, its underlying fatness pushing the

subsequent stages harder for meatier harmonically-

complex tones. Sympathetic bass, middle and treble

tonal control gets the sound just as you’d like it. The

midrange knob has great influence, whether offering

a robust, thickening boost or aiding clarity with

scooped mids. This EQ delivers the flexibility to easily

complement a range of disparate-sounding amps,

amply aided by a presence switch on the back that

offers three different options for the top-end.

While the range of sounds is pretty comprehensive,

the pedal’s practicality is enhanced by Strymon’s

Favorite footswitch, which can store a snapshot of the

front panel settings as a recallable preset, so you can call

up a completely different sound to the one set by the

current knob positions. There’s also the option to plug a

standard footswitch into the rear panel for up to 6dB of

switched boost, and an expression pedal to adjust any

single knob or a combination.

Verdict

The Riverside offers new levels of flexibility for a dirt

pedal. It’s a workhorse that can pair with the widest

range of amps, while offering a whole spectrum of

overdrive and distortion sounds. Not only does it sound

excellent, it’s dynamically reactive and gives you two

fully independent dirt channels, plus a clean boost and

sound-morphing should you wish to add the necessary

accoutrements. For those guitarists who firmly believe

analogue is the only way to go for distortion/overdrive

stompboxes, the sounds and features here could trigger

an attitude readjustment.

STRYMON riverSide £299

Strymon applies its hi-tech expertise to the humble drive pedal

Words Trevor Curwen Photography Joseph Branston

PROS Wide spectrum of quality sounds; Favorite switch with

instant access to two sounds; potent EQ; sound morphing

capability; switchable noise gate

CONS It needs 250mA of current (more than most dirt pedals)

Tech Spec

ORIGIN: USA

TYPE: Overdrive/

Distortion pedal

FEATURES: True or

buffered bypass,

variable-threshold

noise reduction feature

CONTROLS: Drive,

Level, Bass, Middle,

Treble, low/high gain

switch, norm/mid push

switch, presence switch,

bypass & Favorite switch

CONNECTIONS:

Standard input/output,

Boost switch input,

Expression pedal input

POWER: 9V DC adaptor

DIMENSIONS: 102 (w)

x 114 (d) x 44mm (h)

MusicPsych

0207 607 6005

www.strymon.net

Video demo http://bit.ly/guitaristextra

GIT416.peds_stry.indd 114 12/19/16 10:15 PM