Had I known I was going to be dropping on a vintage 100W tube amp, maybe I could have skipped a few for budget reasons but I'm pretty pleased with the plunder. Only had limited play time with any of them, but here's the initial impressions:
Boss HF-2
I get the hype around this one – it's a nice hybrid of the classic BF-2 type flanging with a bit more watery shimmer like the EM-type flangers. I really like it, and it's a delightful addition to my old-school Boss modulation arsenal. Weirdly, I thought the top to this one just had the same problem in the listing that the others seemed to, but nope, the treadle on this example is so sun-faded it's hard to read. Seems to be a formerly green label (it's like the ink was stripped from the foil). Oh well, I paid well below market price and it still sounds great, so no worries there. Swirly, smooth flanging, and does the "flanger as chorus" thing beautifully with some knob-twisting.
Boss LMB-3
I've historically used either a generic DynaComp , a CS-3, or one of those little Flatsons/Kokko 3-knob budget compressors, they've pretty much always done what I want. I just don't use compression much. But live, with a bass, I feel like I've needed something to smooth out the percussive spikes when I'm hammering downstrokes. Done. My needs are simple, and I have no taste. Stuff like this was usually good enough for most of my '80s/'90s guitar heroes before the Pedal Boom, and I've read to keep the Enhance down at zero. It's going on a little Boss-based Bass VI board I've been putting together. And at only $40, why not mess around with another Boss pedal if it ends up doing the thing? If not, I have a few novice bassists I can pass it to.
Boss DD-5
No other delay was able to fill the spot on a live board that I'd traditionally used a DD-5 for. So I got another DD-5 for that board. Sue me, it rules.
Rowin "Frenzy"
The smallest pedal I own. A pretty gnarly fuzz, but I've only tried it through an unfamiliar amp, so I'm eager to try and figure out what it can do. Both modes have a unique EQ to them I haven't figured out – not bad at all, just not what I expected from a discount fuzz pedal. Super-nasty and I'd been putting one off for a while, but once I found one on a mega-sale, it seemed worth picking up, and it's small enough that as long as there's enough power, it would be easy to sneak onto a board that needs a fuzz blaster.
Kokko "Vibrato"
I don't use vibrato much, but I like it when I do. I have the Behringer VB-2 knockoff, it's great. My only gripe is having to switch modes to go from latched to unlatched. This seems to be NUX-derived, and I've had good luck with their momentary switches on things like the Atlantic, Damp, and Edge. Seems like magic that they seem to just understand intuitively. Haven't used this one much, but it's nice that I can just step on it to get it up in momentary mode, or tap it once for latching. Sounds about like I'd expect, I'm not going to A/B it to anything because I'm not some sicko, I just like guitar pedals. This one is pretty slick and only a $20 bill.
Sonicake "Wave Crush"
Need some time with this, seems like it can get into extreme territory. Bought it to use largely as a bit-glitched distortion/fuzz pedal, before modulation and time effects – but also for the Vinyl Simulator. Seems to do the former pretty well, and the latter seems like I'm going to need to dial the intensity waaaaay back to fine-tune what I'm looking for. But again, this one was a cheap way to get a lo-fi fix, and Sonicake has generally delivered for me.
Movall "Falling Star"
Maybe my favorite so far. I'm a digital delay fan, not as experienced with analog (or analog-styled) delays – just a Memory Boy. But this one has a nice range of control, sounds good, the switchable modulation is great. It's small, pretty sturdy, feels like a cheap way to get a Deluxe Memory Man sound at your fingertips. Obviously, not as luscious as a classic, so keep your pants on, purists. But one of the better budget delays I've tried, and if you're curious, it's hard to go wrong – it sounds good, has good controls, is small, and is inexpensive. My first experience with Movall, I'm impressed by this one. Very, very easy to get lost in and lose 30 minutes.
M-Vave Mini Universe
So many modes. Sounds pretty good, the controls are more extensive than previous M-Vave reverbs I've tried, and some of the more out-there sounds seem like they'll be fun to play with. The Shimmer seems almost frustratingly tweakable, and the Cloud setting is quite nice so far. I like the Swell setting on my Dig Reverb, but this one has... uh... "Blom"? Been a while since I've been able to spend time on my MidiVerb II, but I love a good Blom for some slow, spacey stuff like Slowdive's "Pygmalion". Pairs great with the Movall delay for pretty, blissed-out late-night ambient fun.
