Tone Report Weekly 192 | Page 23

Roland Guzheng Preamp Deep in the annals of Roland’s storied history, you’ll find plenty of Boss pedals, spawning a brand of its own, but you’ll also find many strangely-named Roland- branded pedals such as the Bee Gee, Bee Baa, Double Beat, and Funny Cat. Though these pedals were forged in Japan back before the import door was flung wide- open, many made it to the states and are now valuable collectors’ items. One Roland pedal never made it to the States, only popping up in the Chinese market: The GU- 10 Guzheng Preamp. This curious box finds itself in Boss’s XX-20 series enclosure and contains a fistful of popular effects, along with a preamp circuit specifically designed for the Guzheng, a Chinese type of zither that makes a guitar look like a toy. Catalinbread/ Subdecay Buster Jangle It’s not too often that two pedal companies collaborate on a pedal—the Chase Bliss Brothers and the Keeley- JHS Steak and Eggs are two modern examples—but Subdecay and Catalinbread put their collective heads together to release the Buster Jangle, and overdrive- boost combo that numbered just 23 pieces in total. The Boost side comes courtesy of Catalinbread’s Super Chili Picoso, whereas the Drive side is based on Subdecay’s Liquid Sunshine. The two are tailored for stacking purposes, and they excel when run together. ToneReport.com 23