Introducing the Eastwood Black Box Pedal Series
by Lincoln Smith
BB-01 MANALISHI DRIVE
Peter Green fans will have no trouble deciphering that the MANALISHI DRIVE is Eastwood’s homage to everyone’s favorite “Green” stomp box. Players many notice that the circuit has some similarity to popular “amp in a box” drives as well.
Depending on how the drive, tone, and volume knobs are set, it can easily work either as a drive for leads, or an always-on pedal for coloring your base tone.
BB-02 CLIP CMPR
The CLIP CMPR is based on the famous Dyna Comp circuit from the 1970s, but like anything else from Eastwood, the pros designing this circuit have added their own twist.
With “Attack” and “Clip” controls at 0, a player emulates a simple clone of the Dyna Comp sound, with the ability to alter sustain.
Now for what separates the CLIP CMPR from your run of the mill Dyna Comp: “Attack” allows the player to shape the initial response of the compression, and high-or-lowlight pick attack. The “Clip” control adjusts the input gain and acts as a high pass filter, combatting “swampiness” generally encountered with compressors, and resulting in a more transparent tone.
BB-03 BLUE VIBE
The BLUE VIBE is a chorus/vibrato based on the ever-popular Uni-Vibe of the 1960s, most often associated with Jimi Hendrix. With this pedal, a player can move from slow sweeping chorus sounds to a faster Leslie-like effect with a quick adjustment to “Speed” knob.
In Chorus mode, a player can adjust the “Color” knob to change the phase relationship between the wet and dry signals, providing a lot of bandwidth for exploration of tone
In “Vibe” mode, a player can navigate easily with simple depth and speed controls. (Mac DeMarco fans, rejoice!)
BB-04 COPI DELAY
In a market filled with affordable digital delay pedals, the COPI DELAY reaches for something more. It is a tribute to analog and tape delay. In fact, it may be more helpful to think of it as an “echo” pedal.
It has been voiced to modulate the classic tone of tape-recorded echos, popular to the 1960s.
Audiophiles will find themselves in a delay playground adjusting the “Delay” setting with the “Repeat” knob maxed out. Give it a try!
BB-05 MAG DELAY
TWO delay pedals?? Not so fast, conclusion jumper! The MAG DELAY and COPI DELAY are two completely different animals. The MAG DELAY shifts the effect approach from the 1960s to the 1970s.
“Depth” and “Speed” settings offer a variable pitch modulation effect, applied only to the delay signal (not the base signal!). With this functionality, the pedal and simulate a tape flutter effect at higher settings, while offering a more subtle chorus / vibe effect when applied more moderately.
The MAG DELAY also oscillates its delay signal when the “Regen” (feedback) knob is set high, allowing a player to ‘play’ the “Time” control to stunning effect!
BB-06 DUSTY SPRING
The DUSTY SPRING Reverb gives more bandwidth than you ever expected from a spring reverb, and it does it all in a lean two-knob layout. “Mix” (wet- and dry-signal ratio) and “Dwell” (decay) are the only settings that this pedal needs to pull out all the stops.
The DUSTY SPRING is based on the reverb circuits found in vintage 60s F-style amps, particularly the Super Reverb, and is perfect for anyone wanting to emulate classic surf tones.
In Eastwood’s words:
“Don’t let the simplicity fool you, the DUSTY SPRING can sound huge at maximum settings and super-discrete at lower settings (where you only realize what it’s doing when you turn it off!) and it can do anything in between”
***See the new series in action below, in the very capable hands of RJ Ronquillo: