ROAD
TEST
Strymon Iridium Amp Modeler
& IR Cabinet Pedal
By Omar Shabbar
O
ne of the most well-respected
pedal companies in the market
has released a new offering and it’s
taking the industry by storm. The
Strymon Iridium uses amp simulation and cab
impulse responses to squeeze three fantastic
amps into a board-ready pedal. Although amp
sims and cab IR have been around for decades,
the Iridium is turning the heads of vintage gear
traditionalists and demanding to be taken seri-
ously. I had to get my hands on a unit and find
out what all the fuss was about.
Overview
First, let’s talk about the unit itself. Like every-
thing Strymon makes, you know it’s going to
be quality, and the Iridium is no exception.
The pedal has three different amp emulations:
round (Fender style), crunch (Vox style), and
punch (Marshall style). These three amps are
found on virtually every amp sim these days and
are becoming the industry standard because of
the wide range of tones all three amps afford.
There are three different cab types for each
of the three sims, which are designed specifi-
cally for the amp that they’re partnered with.
That means we have nine different amp/cab
combinations from the outset, but there are
many more than can be unlocked by plugging
the pedal into the computer via USB and cus-
tomizing.
Aside from the basic drive, level, bass, mid-
dle, and treble knobs, the Iridium has a very
unique room knob, which is a perfectly suited,
subtle yet lush room reverb. Strymon has built
its reputation in large part on the backs of its
BigSky and blueSky reverb pedals, so it’s no sur-
prise that the room reverb is fantastic.
The pedal has two footswitches: a bypass
and a Favorite switch, which allows you to in-
stantly recall a desired preset. On the back, we
have all the standard jacks plus a handy head-
phone jack on the front.
Iridium vs Other Amp Simulations
The Iridium is simple to use and it’s clear that
Strymon designed the pedal so that guitar-
ists at any level can easily dial in a great tone.
Most importantly, though, it sounds great. It’s
quite convincing and could fool just about any
22 C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N
blindfolded critic into thinking this was a
real amp. But nowadays, it’s not hard to find
an amp sim and cab IR that sounds convinc-
ing and authentic. What I believe separates
the Iridium from the rest of the pack is the
user-friendly layout: it’s a simple two-switch
pedal with straightforward, tactile control.
For the many guitar players on the fence
about the proliferation of amp simulation,
the Iridium is nothing but accessible and
that may be the difference-maker.
Utility Pedal
Perhaps the most unique thing about the
Iridium is its multi-functionality. Really, it
can be used in so many different situations.
The obvious utility is a gigging amp. You
can plug the pedal right into a powered
monitor, the EFX return of another amp, or
straight into the PA for nine convincing guitar
sounds. The pedal sits on your board so you
have complete control of your amp right in
front of you. I know many guitarists already
have the Iridium in their gig bag purely as a
backup amp. It’s smaller and lighter than any
backup you may be carrying around already
and could really save your show.
Plus, the headphone out means you can
plug your whole board into the Iridium and
practice with headphones on. When I practice,
hitting the cues on my board is just as impor-
tant as getting the right chords.
If you’re recording guitar at home or in the
studio, it can be used as a preamp that goes
straight into your interface so you don’t have
to worry about amp volumes or proper miking
techniques.
Niche Market
Of all these utilities, I believe having the unit as
a backup amp is the most useful and realistic. If
you’re a traveling guitarist who needs a backup
amp then this unit is perfect. It sounds great,
it’s small enough to fit in your gig bag, and
you can practice with headphones on-the-go;
however, if you’re not gigging and traveling all
the time, which most of us aren’t, you may not
need this pedal.
I believe this is the main snag with the Irid-
ium: the market for this product is somewhat
limited. If you’re in that niche, you should check
out the unit because it’s fantastic for what it
does, but it may be overkill for many. The nine
onboard amp tones sound really good but
there are also a lot of sounds you can get with
a couple of drive pedals and a tube amp, which
you might already own.
If the Iridium was your main amp, you’d
need a speaker of some kind, which can be
just as expensive and heavy as a tube amp.
You could give your guitar signal directly to the
sound person from the Iridium, but I know a lot
of guitar players aren’t comfortable with that.
Summary
Ultimately, the Strymon Iridium sounds great,
is well-built, and is very simple and straightfor-
ward to use. I suggest trying it out if you’re at
all curious by all the attention it’s been getting;
just make sure it meets your individual needs
before making the investment.
Omar Shabbar is a gigging musician based out of
Toronto. He’s also an onsite guitar tech at The Root
Down Studio (www.therootdownstudio.com) and a
self-proclaimed gear head. In the rapidly changing
industry of modern guitar gear, Omar attempts
to discern innovation from distraction. Check out
his YouTube channel, featuring dozens of gear
reviews and performance clips, at YouTube.com/
OmarGearReview.