ODDFELLOW FX
THE BISHOP
REVIEW BY PHILLIP DODGE
STREET PRICE $164.99
I’ve been reviewing pedals
long enough that I can
usually place a pedal in one
of a few camps. The first
is pedals I’m dying to try,
either because the builder
has a great track record or
because the pedal offers a
new variation on a theme
I love. Then there are the
pedals that I’m just not
interested in at all. For
example, I’m not the guy
for distortion pedals (the
only distortion I’ve ever
liked was the Rat and its
variants), flangers, or most
compressors—they aren’t
sounds I need or use. Then
there are the pedals that I
just don’t want to review;
either because I don’t trust
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their origins or because I just
have a feeling they aren’t
going to be great
and then reviewing will be
a struggle.
to a few weeks ago when
I received the new Bishop
from Oddfellow: Clearly I
should have been paying
more attention.
And then finally, there are
the sleepers. These are
the pedals that weren’t
even on my radar and then
blow me away. The new
Bishop from Oddfellow is a
sleeper. I know Oddfellow
well enough; I reviewed
the second coming of its
Caveman back in February
of 2015. I liked it a lot. But
believe it or not, reviewers
don’t often get to keep the
pedals we review so when
our time was up, I carefully
packed up the Caveman and
sent it home. Fast forward
The Bishop is Oddfellow’s
first single-channel overdrive
and it’s an original circuit
design. For those interested
in such minutiae, it’s worth
noting that the circuit was
designed in collaboration
with Scotty Smith of
ProAnalog Devices fame.
Don’t worry about the gold
box with three knobs, it’s not
a Klone. Once you step on
it, you’ll know. The inherent
tone of the pedal is pretty
neutral, and there is a slight
cut in the low end that is
offset by a subtle boost (to
Oddfellow FX The Bishop