GEA R SPOTLIGHT
ISSUE 202 O C T O B E R 20
WAY H U G E
DOUBLELAND
SPECIAL
REVIEW BY DAVID A. EVANS
STREET PRICE $299.99
By chance, the very morning
I composed this review, I
saw one of guitarist Joe
Bonamassa’s semi trucks,
seemingly apart from the
convoy which typically
transports equipment,
props, and the like to and
from concerts. I mention
Bonamassa because Way
Huge’s new Doubleland
Special delivers a double
serving of the Overrated
Special OD, a distortion
effect which Way Huge
designed just for Mr.
Bonamassa himself.
Even before I plugged in
the unit, I liked what I saw.
The brushed aluminum
housing with black trim
52
G EA R S POTLI G HT
//
is reminiscent of ‘70s-era
pedal design. Vintage-style
skirted knobs adjust the
Volume, Drive, and Tone,
while two mini knobs adjust
two other parameters
associated with Volume and
Drive.
As I mentioned earlier, the
Doubleland Special is a two-
in-one unit: two overdrive
circuits are housed in one
case. A toggle switch flips
between two configurations:
one in which each circuit
is accessible singly, by the
Drive Select footswitch,
and another in which both
circuits can be activated at
once. Three blue-glowing
sliders adjust the second
Way H u g e D o u b lelan d S pec ial
drive circuit’s Volume, EQ
and Drive.
The single-channel drive
cleans up well. At its lowest
drive levels, the Doubleland
Special will add warmth and
a bit of color to one’s tone.
I should hasten to add,
however, that the effect is
transparent, and that any
coloration was the result
of knob tweaking on this
reporter’s part.
Both overdrive circuits
offer the sort of smooth,
cello-like texture that one
typically associates with
this sort of effect. At the
same time, the effect had a
bit of an electric edge to it
that was characteristic of a