The year is coming to an end and so to is my 52 pedals series. I’ve been slack with my post regularity, but the pedals that would appear in the list have been planned—for the most part—since the beginning of the year. How can I prove this? By writing about a pedal I actually tried at the 2015 Winter NAMM Show. Damn, Winter NAMM 2015 was a highlight for me this year. I have to do that again before I die. Well, maybe a different NAMM unless I figure out time travel.
Oh, the pedal I am writing about is the Nemphasis Dark Lady ‘Red Knobs’ Distortion. I actually have first hand experience with this one!
I loved the Dark Lady Distortion pedal. I should point out actually that there are two versions. The one I liked the most was the ‘Red Knobs’ version. I haven’t been able to find any video footage of that pedal, but the standard pedal’s videos will give a good enough impression. Watch these videos—they’re just down below these useless words—and then imagine a slightly more brutal tone than the one you’re listening to. That’s the only real difference. The ‘Red Knobs’ version is slightly more metal.
There are some little nuances with the Dark Lady Distortion pedals. For example, their knob labeling. The pedals come with Hair, Look and Legs controls. Legs is volume, Look is distortion and Hair is tone. Makes perfect sense right? You may also notice there is a two-way switch at the top of the pedal. If you haven’t noticed yet, it’s because you haven’t watched the video yet. Maybe do that now.
Did you see it? The pedal is in the bottom-right of the video.
The switch is a voicing control that allows you to switch between a compressed distortion type and a more harmonic-friendly distortion type. I tried both and loved both. If I had to pick, I’d have to say I do like a good harmonic.
This is an awesome sounding pedal—as well as being a pretty wicked looking pedal—and I’m glad I came across it at NAMM earlier this year. That’s one reason I saved it for the later part of the year. I needed to remind myself of some of the awesome stuff I came across in January. This was one of my favourites. I’d be stoked to own this pedal forever.
If you need more convincing, check this additional video out. It’s once again of the standard Dark Lady Distortion, but you get the idea. It’s an awesome sounding distortion pedal either way. #want
Disclaimer: I have played this guitar pedal. I have experienced first-hand the sound or effects of this guitar pedal. That does matter. It looks awesome, it’s obviously played by winners and I want one.