Suhr

128 Guitarist June 2015
SUHR EFFECTS PEDALS £179 EACH
PEDAL ROUND-UP
Suhr Rufus
PRICE: £179
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Fuzz pedal
FE ATURES: True bypass,
switching between
2 modes
CONTROLS: Fuzz, level,
bass, mid, treble switch,
FX Link switch,
CONNECTIONS: Standard
input, standard output, FX
Link stereo mini-jack
POWER: 9V battery or
9V-18V DC power supply
DIMENSIONS: 64 (w) x 114
(d) x 32mm (h)
Suhr Shiba
Drive Reloaded
PRICE: £179
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Overdrive pedal
FE ATURES: True bypass
CONTROLS: Drive, level,
tone, Smooth switch,
FX Link switch
CONNECTIONS: Standard
input, standard output,
FX Link stereo mini-jack
POWER: 9V battery or
9V-18V DC power supply
(8mA)
DIMENSIONS: 64 (w) x
114 (d) x 32mm (h)
www.suhr.com
S
ilicon transistor-based, the Rufus
has more tonal tweaking power
than many fuzzes as it features
both a three-band EQ, and a three-
position treble switch, which can be
used to cut or boost the amount of high
frequencies. It also has two modes of
operation: normal or fat (with increased
low end) that can be switched between
by holding down the footswitch – the
LED lights up green or red respectively.
Alternatively, this can be carried out by
an external footswitch, which can be set
to latching or momentary action.
Delivering great-sounding fuzz
whether you like thick sustain or edgier
garage/grunge-type sounds, this pedal
has practical options and is not finicky
about positioning on your ’board, as it
accepts the output of a buffered device.
Verdict
Fuzz pedals can be very ‘niche’ but the
Rufus transcends that by virtue of its
tonal variation, twin voices and signal
chain flexibility. It’s not cheap but it’s a
fuzz that’s more versatile than most.
T
he Shiba Reloaded tweaks the
overdrive circuit of Suhr’s 2009
original to create a pedal that is
more amp-like, has a tighter low-end,
focused mids, and features 50 per cent
more gain. Balancing drive and level
knobs, the range runs from a clean boost
to raunchy driven amp sounds, taking in
shades of light crunch along the way. It’s
full-bodied, without overdoing the mids,
yielding a naturally open sound that will
keep your basic tone intact and serve as a
way to ‘transparently’ take your amp up a
gear – whether that’s adding crunch to a
clean amp or making a driven amp sing.
The tone knob lets you crisp up or tone
down the upper-mids, while a three-way
Smooth switch lets you subtly roll off
two different amounts of top end: useful
to take some of the sharpness out of a
Telecaster’s bridge pickup.
Verdict
One of the most naturally playable
overdrives around. What’s the easiest
amp mod to enhance your tonal options?
Putting one of these in front of it…
Suhr Effects
Pedals
£179 each
WORDS Trevor Curwen
PHOTOGRAPHY Joby Sessions
We like its guitars and amps, now here
are some pedals from the US firm…
M
aybe better known for its guitars, or
indeed its amps, Suhr has also made
pedals for several years and has
recently introduced new reworked versions of
some of its designs under the ‘Reloaded’
banner. Its pedals have the unique ability to be
operated via a remote footswitch plugged into
its FX Link mini-jack. This works in
conjunction with a three-way switch: one
position allowing use of the remote footswitch,
the other two determining whether the pedal
powers up in a bypassed or active state.
GUITARIST RATING
Guitarist says: A fuzz for all seasons, with
variety and versatility in spades
GUITARIST RATING
Guitarist says: Amp-enhancing overdrive
with a choice of smoothness
GIT394.rev_peds2.indd 128 15/04/2015 18:26