Electric Guitar Review

OK, maybe it’s because a mid-’70s Big Muff was the very first effects pedal I ever owned, but I’ve been an Electro-Harmonix fan as long as I can remember, and I’m always a bit excited when they announce a new gizmo for the guitar.

Unfortunately, the company doesn’t tend to be really good at PR, but I suppose when you’re one of the world’s premier analog effects makers you don’t really have to be. These guys have a helluva’ lot of die-hard fans.

True to form, there doesn’t seem to be any kind of official product page to speak of––let alone mp3 samples or the like––but yesterday afternoon Electro-Harmonix unveiled the latest pedal in their XO line of full-size effects: the Germanium OD.

From what I can gather, the pedal was built to produce the kind of classic ’60s-style overdrive that only a true Germanium transistor can offer, along with the added convenience of an adjustable GAIN control, BIAS control, and a circuit VOLTS knob for dialing in what E-H calls “that sweet spot found when a battery’s voltage dips.”

Hmmm… I guess we’ll have to take their word for it.

I’ll post more info as it becomes available.