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Custom Guitar Pedals and Effects
Songbirds is proud to offer Custom Guitar Pedals and Effects right in the store! Co-owner Justin Morrisini builds and refurbishes and kinds of great guitar pedals to take your sound to the next level. From classic overdrive to roaring fuzz, Songbirds has everything that you need to dial in the perfect tone. Songbirds will always match or beat competing prices of similar Guitar Pedals. Justin specializes in creating and updating classic circuits that are out of production, but he also takes requests.
Let Songbirds know if there is an elusive pedal that you're hunting, and in the meantime, check out all of our Custom Effects below! Also, check out our Reverb Shop for pedal postings and unique gear from Justin's collection. Like what you hear? Guitar pedals can be purchased at Songbirds or on Reverb. We prefer purchases at Songbirds if possible.
Meet Justin, the Pedal Wizard!
Fuzz: Elephant Foot Fuzz
The Elephant Foot Fuzz is our flagship Fuzz circuit with a bunch of surprises under the hood. A clone of the classic Fuzz Face, the Elephant Foot Fuzz is a true vintage fuzz with original soviet-era germanium transistors. These produce a warm, smooth fuzz that is perfect for emulating the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson, David Gilmour, John Frusciante, and more. What's more, this pedal cleans up beautifully with your guitar's volume knob. As this is a faithful vintage replica, this pedal works best as the first circuit in your signal chain and with the gain knob maxed out at all times. Rock on all the way to the Dark Side of the Moon!
Fuzz: Si14
Si14 is the cousin of the Elephant Foot Fuzz. A clone of the classic Fuzz Face, the Si14 uses modern silicon transistors for a brighter, more modern sound. Where the Elephant Foot Fuzz is perfect for tones of the 60s and 70s, Si14 is right for modern prog rock, math rock, and metal. This pedal also cleans up beautifully with your guitar's volume knob. As this is a faithful vintage replica, this pedal works best as the first circuit in your signal chain and with the gain knob maxed out at all times. Turn that amp up and let the Si14 rip!
Fuzz: Icarus
Icarus is my personal favorite fuzz and the rebuttal to the Big Muff circuit by Electro-Harmonix. Where its competitor has a tendency to be wooly and muffled, Icarus stays bright and searing through its entire range of gain. This pedal is capable of some serious power – turn it on for the hottest fuzz solos of your career! With the gain turned down, Icarus is also capable of some classic fuzz tones heard on giants like The Smashing Pumpkins and the Black Keys. Rock on, but don't fly too close to the sun with Icarus!
Distortion: Fire Starter Distortion
The Fire Starter Distortion is inspired by a legendary groundbreaker of guitar circuitry – the MXR Distortion Plus! This pedal is a cousin of the Queen Bee Overdrive (DOD 250) but cranked a bit hotter and wilder. Turn up the Fire Starter Distortion's gain knob all the way for thick, natural distortion that is capable of covering classic rock, modern rock, and everything in between! Dial the gain back to find warm breakup that is similar to the Queen Bee Overdrive. Have fun, but don't let your amp catch fire with these awesome tones!
Distortion: Golden Fleece
The Golden Fleece is a roaring, brutal distortion that is perfect for grunge, hard rock, and even some classic rock! It is a clone of the Acapulco Gold by Earthquaker Devices in its original form. This circuit packs a ton of punch and is capable of pushing your amp or speaker toward a total wall of sound. Use the simple, one-knob design to dial in as much gain and volume as you like, and clean up the signal by rolling back your guitar's volume knob. Internally, the Golden Fleece cascades overdrive through two clean op-amps which produces its signature thick and heavy sound. Your mythical quest for tone is over – try out the Golden Fleece!
Overdrive: Purple Pig
The Purple Pig Overdrive is a smooth and warm platform for natural overdrive. It produces awesome blues and lead tones that are perfect for soloing and standing out from the band. The Purple Pig is our first pedal in the smallest available enclosure – save space on your pedalboard and still pack a punch! Use the Purple Pig as a dedicated overdrive circuit or a dirty boost with the onboard boost switch. This switch activates the pedal's knob for complete control over volume and gain. Nothing says blues and southern rock like the smoky sound of the Purple Pig and some good ‘ol fashioned BBQ!
Overdrive: Kloned Centaur
Guitar enthusiasts instantly recognize this circuit – it's the legendary Klon Centaur! This pedal is an exact clone of the original at a fraction of the price. Why pay multiple thousands of dollars when you can have the same sound with the Kloned Centaur? Famous for its transparent and warm overdrive, this circuit comes with heaps of headroom for clean or dirty boosting. It is one of the best stacking pedals of all time – try it with a Tubescreamer-type circuit for John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Eric Clapton tones. The Kloned Centaur even comes with a bonus switch for selecting clipping diodes. Choose between vintage germanium, modern silicon, or traditional op-amp for endless tone-shaping possibilities!
Filter: LoFi Lady
The LoFi Lady is another off-the-wall pedal with super cool application possibilities! It's designed to sound bad – on purpose! This circuit makes your guitar signal sound like it has traveled back in time to an era of transistor radios and low-quality audio. Instantly make your guitar sound like it's in the studio with Hendrix, Joplin, or Dylan by switching on the LoFi Lady. What's more, the pedal comes with a gain control to add distortion to the mix. When fully cranked, this pedal nails the sound of early Black Sabbath! The LoFi lady works best when combined with other pedals. Experiment with some of your other favorite circuits to get the tones of Korn, Muse, Black Keys, and more!
Overdrive: Queen Bee Overdrive
The Queen Bee Overdrive is one of our best-selling pedals, and that's because it's based on one of the most legendary guitar circuits of all time: the DOD 250! The Queen Bee Overdrive has given its predecessor a bit of a facelift with a more modern but just as gritty operational amplifier, an LED indicator, and ultra-clean 9v power. The Queen Bee Overdrive has an impressive range of tones from slightly dirty all the way to edge-of-distortion classic rock. I love this circuit because it is truly responsive to how hard you play the strings. Set it just at the edge of breakup to hear clean tones at quiet playing and beautiful overdrive when your pick digs into the strings!
Overdrive: Cranker
The Cranker is one of my all-time favorite pedals. It is a no-fuss, no-mess Overdrive that breaks up like an amp's dirty channel. The Cranker only comes with one knob: turn it up for more gain and volume! It is extremely versatile as it cleans up beautifully by rolling the guitar's volume down. The Cranker can be used as a dirty boost for your guitar solos or an always-on effect that pushes your amp or speaker toward warm Overdrive. What's more, The Cranker makes for an excellent stacking pedal. Combine it with your other favorite circuits for some gritty and exciting tones!
Filter: Cosmic Quack
Everyone needs a wild and wacky pedal on their board, and the Cosmic Quack is one of my favorites! It is an Envelope Filter pedal that can create the funkiest of tones. By carefully adjusting the controls, the Cosmic Quack produces vocal “wah” sounds with each pick attack on your strings. This is not an auto-wah that constantly modulates at a predetermined rate – the Cosmic Quack really sings with your playing! It comes loaded with an onboard switch that allows you to select between high and low wah vocalizations. Enthusiasts of reggae, funk, ska, and jam music will love the Cosmic Quack!
EQ and Preamp: MIDAS
MIDAS is a Preamp, Clean Boost, and EQ pedal all in one! It has loads of on-board headroom – this means that it can boost your guitar signal without pushing it into clipping territory. This is useful for solos or when you get buried in the sound of a full band. It comes equipped with a three-band EQ for precise tone shaping of your guitar's bass, middle, and high frequencies. This is an active EQ, so you have complete control over boosting and cutting the frequencies that will make your guitar shine. All good guitar tones, both acoustic and electric, need a preamp to shine and sculpt the sound. Give MIDAS a try and create your very own tone!
Amp Simulator: The Judge
The Judge is a clone of the classic amp simulator, the Marshall Guv'nor. This pedal replaces your amp, meaning that it's perfect for use with direct input applications like recording and gigging with a PA. The Judge has the biting, crisp distortion that we know and love with Marshall amps. It includes a full tone stack for accurate EQ shaping of your guitar signal plus loads of gain and volume. What's more, there's an onboard switch to select between three different kinds of clipping diodes to further color your distortion: classic germanium diodes, modern silicon, or traditional op-amp. There's no need to buy an expensive Marshall amp when the Judge is in town!
Overdrive: Atlantis
The Atlantis Overdrive is a clone of one of the most classic overdrive circuits ever – the Marshall Bluesbreaker! This overdrive is transparent, meaning that it doesn't darken or color your guitar signal. Updated with modern LEDs, clean 9v power, and intuitive controls, this circuit is the single best emulator of what real amplifier tube breakup sounds like that I have ever heard. What's more, this model comes with an added potentiometer for Treble Cut. This allows you to roll off the biting frequencies of single-coil pickups or further fatten the sound of humbuckers. The extra switch allows you to select between two types of clipping diodes: original Marshall-style LEDs and silicon. The Atlantis Overdrive is an excellent stacking pedal for complete customization of your gain and crunch.
Modulation: Shaky Bones
Shaky Bones is an ultra-clean Tremolo pedal! Tremolo quickly fluctuates the volume of your guitar signal to produce a shaking, warbly sound that is pleasing to the ear. Shaky Bones can easily take you from the realm of smoky jazz chords to out-of-this-world alien wobble. Look for it soon at Songbirds!
