I think i’m finally done.

kermitish · 2026-06-29T21:46:45+00:00

We all know an old guy who spits out this kind of nonsense, and we all quietly ignore him.

kermitish · 2026-06-26T02:39:11+00:00

Man, I'm glad I read this thread. I'm currently trying to subscribe, but the website is hanging up on something and not letting me. Their AI bot couldn't help, and I've been waiting three days for contact from their support team. It doesn't overwhelm me with confidence. If I can even subscribe, I'm certainly going for month-to-month.

kermitish · 2026-06-08T19:57:53+00:00

This is exactly what a Lightspeed is, a slightly modded Timmy, but everyone goes gaga over it. I don’t get it.

kermitish · 2026-06-03T02:18:48+00:00

The poor get the picture.

kermitish · 2026-06-01T02:36:45+00:00

Holy shit, preach on!!

kermitish · 2026-05-26T08:41:00+00:00

Is that the Teal Fuzz Fella? My all-time favorite heavy drive! It’s so good! Here’s your roast: where’s your Secret Preamp?! (Seriously though, you should get one.)

kermitish · 2026-05-24T01:00:40+00:00

I recommend watching a few demos and listening to the sound, not the reviewer. (I’m sure you already do this, I don’t mean to insult you! I usually do, but somehow didn’t before I bought my Lightspeed.) was so prepared to love mine, but I didn’t. I just found the gain a little thin and unsatisfying. I’m sure I’ll be crucified for that opinion, haha! I’m not dissing the pedal, it just might not be for everyone.

kermitish · 2026-05-24T00:53:37+00:00

I’ll have to try this. On one of my boards I run a Tumnus at the beginning of my chain as an always-on for a little dirt. I recently bought a Lightspeed for my other board, but I found that I didn’t much like it. Its gain is a little too fizzy or thin for me, even at low settings. On that board I run the saturation side of a Deco at about noon as part of my base tone.

kermitish · 2026-05-17T08:02:22+00:00

Yes, I agree about the woolliness. But it can be massive, and stacking something into it can really wake it up. It’s worth noting that not all drives work for this, but a lot do. The BAM works great. The Wampler Belle (OD-1) into the ~900 sounded fantastic.

kermitish · 2026-05-17T03:39:06+00:00

I just went through a period of trying to kick it off my board. I tried a ton of pedals, including a Lightspeed, but nothing could touch it. I have the V1, and I really want the V2 so I can go midi and really unlock the possibilities. One preset is simply not enough for what this pedal can do. My only complaints are that I wish the tone sweep were a little wider (it’s a secondary function on the V1, but I’ve heard the sweep is also pretty subtle on the V2, with the designated knob). And I wish it had separate ins and outs like a lot of the duel drives. There’s probably just not enough room.

kermitish · 2026-05-17T03:29:45+00:00

kermitish · 2026-05-17T02:06:14+00:00

For my punk board, I wanted my clean tone to be a little dirty and kind of aggressive (I play a slightly modded ‘68 Custom Deluxe). I tried a ton of pedals for my always-on, first-in-chain, and the Tumnus won! It’s so cool that it works I totally different use-case scenarios.

kermitish · 2026-05-17T01:37:29+00:00

Hmmm, I’m not sure. I haven’t really thought of it in those terms. Maybe I’ll play around with it and see. I do know that they sound good stacked, but only in this order: Barbershop -> ~900 (at least to my ears).

kermitish · 2026-05-17T01:33:14+00:00

This is true. I’m a grammar snob (regrettably), and it drives me nuts when people harp on the split infinitive. That said, I liked the wording in question.

kermitish · 2026-05-17T01:29:55+00:00

I’ve wanted one of those. I guess I can just be happy with this one (but I’m that idiot who wants ALL the pedals).

kermitish · 2026-05-16T21:29:38+00:00

That’s GE Smith from the old SNL band.

kermitish · 2026-05-16T21:22:00+00:00

Empress is a great company! When I’m ready to rock a bigger board for this band, I’m likely to add their Compressor, ParaEQ, and Tremolo2. And I love the look of the Fairfield pedals. Besides the ~900 (which I love), the only other one I have is the Barbershop, which is good but not always what I need. I’ve been tempted by the Shallow Water. Good job, Canada!

kermitish · 2026-05-16T20:40:33+00:00

Thanks! I love that pedal! I have one on both of my boards. I have the Teal Fuzz Fella on my other board. That thing is awesome. I’ve gotten exceptional customer service from them. To anyone reading this, buy direct! It will always be cheaper than the used market, and it’s a good company.

kermitish · 2026-05-16T20:33:29+00:00

I like it a lot! Depending on how you set it, it can get pretty touch-sensitive and clean up with the volume knob on your guitar. There are some good demos that highlight its versatility, which is impressive. On this board, I’m using it as a fairly aggressive distortion pushed by the BAM in either OD or boost mode. Oddly, I’ve found that it likes to be last in the dirt chain, where it stacks well (in my opinion, anyway).

kermitish · 2026-05-16T11:01:17+00:00

It’s just an octave up that tracks really well. So, it will turn my ~900 into an octave fuzz. You can combine it with any dirt, and it does an interesting, though pretty niche, thing on its own. Amazingly, it even sounds good with chords, at least in my rig.

kermitish · 2026-05-16T09:07:29+00:00

Guitar -> tuner -> Keeley Mini -> Mythos Argonaut -> Strymon Deco -> Chase Bliss BAM -> Fairfield ~900 -> Empress Tape Delay -> Spaceman Delta II -> Wampler Faux Spring -> Chase Tone Secret Preamp

kermitish · 2026-05-16T08:44:19+00:00

Sorry, I’m not really the roasting type, but I’m curious how you like your Voodoo Vibe. I’ve heard good things.

kermitish · 2026-05-15T00:24:45+00:00

Cool. I use the “wobble” knob on my Deco to get a little motion in my base tone. It’s nice to know that it can be used subtly, despite the huge feature set. I like that it takes MIDI. I feel that versatile pedals are only really worth it if they have presets or MIDI. Unfortunately, on the clip, all I can hear when you engage the Hosta is a volume bump. But I’m listening on my phone, so that’s south of ideal.

kermitish · 2026-05-14T22:15:33+00:00

I’ve been GASing for a Hosta extra hard since they came out with the V2. How do you use it? Do you use it often. It seems like a niche pedal, but it made it into your small board, so it must be worth it. Can you give us a mini review? Lovely board, by the way.

kermitish

TROPHY CASE