29 Pedals FLWR

[zhivago]

Great review Justin!

There's actually one of these units on sale used in the UK and I have it on my watchlist just to torture myself on a daily basis!!

[sal paradise]

Great review Justin!

There's actually one of these units on sale used in the UK and I have it on my watchlist just to torture myself on a daily basis!!

I saw that too after doing a little searching. TBH, I nearly insta-bought it from Andertons the other day.

I don’t need this. My playing style isn’t dynamic, and I’m perfectly happy with the boosts I already have.

[GreenKnee]

I’m perfectly happy with the boosts I already have.

I keep repeating this to myself on a daily basis.

The Klon KTR I have at the end of my chain is working nicely as a buffer when off, and is a great boost when I kick it on.
However, the 29 Pedals oamp still calls to me to do this exact same job even though it's a considerable chunk of cash.



Thanks for the review on the FLWR ilsf, glad you're getting along with it!

[zhivago]

Yeah it's a slippery slope with overdrives.

My Klon is still the #1 drive machine in my setup after so many years I have lost count...the Beano Boost side of my Sun Lion gets used a lot, and then there's the low gain side of my King of Tone that I use often lately...Adding anything to my current board would need a complete board re-design, so that keeps me from buying more overdrive/boost pedals.

Earlier this morning I was also looking at the Boss Waza booster they brought out a while ago...looks interesting, but do I need it?

God, I hate having days off work sometimes...all I end up doing is looking at gear online!

[fuzzjunkie]

That 3rd position on the gain switch does sound really interesting.

As someone who uses the upper switch on my JM (and Jags when I had them) I miss that a bit playing my Telecaster more often and I’m thinking about getting a Strat. Could be really useful.

Of course I don’t need another option. The Fairfield Four Eyes can cover that in boost mode, but I generally prefer it in a mid boosted Big Muff setting. And I have 2-3 other options that could be dialed in for a tone like that.

But I do like fuzzy overdrive. Or Underfuzz as David Torn likes to call it.

[welshywelsh]

My 29 Pedals EUNA is one of the best purchases I've made, so I'm glad to see this living up to the hype as well.

[dropthebeat]

Bought a FLWR due largely to this thread and am delighted. Main overdrive has been a SS/BS Fuck for years and they're weirdly two sides of the same coin - the SS/BS is wilder, tweedier, splattier etc. where the 29 is maybe more tame & refined (despite the 45db on tap), but they're both uncompressed, open, dynamic, and most importantly very BIG-sounding overdrives. I think "not transparent, but amp-like" is kind of my overdrive thing. As a bonus, they stack (29 > SS/BS) super well.

So, thanks!

(Also I'm extremely into the "refined plastic project box" aesthetic and yes, design is often just a facet of marketing, but it works for me.)

[BoringPostcards]

After some digging, I am tempted to get one of these. They are 400 bucks up here though. Ugh. Why do all the good pedals have to be well over 300 bucks these days?

[i love sharin foo]

Bought a FLWR due largely to this thread and am delighted. Main overdrive has been a SS/BS Fuck for years and they're weirdly two sides of the same coin - the SS/BS is wilder, tweedier, splattier etc. where the 29 is maybe more tame & refined (despite the 45db on tap), but they're both uncompressed, open, dynamic, and most importantly very BIG-sounding overdrives. I think "not transparent, but amp-like" is kind of my overdrive thing. As a bonus, they stack (29 > SS/BS) super well.

So, thanks!

(Also I'm extremely into the "refined plastic project box" aesthetic and yes, design is often just a facet of marketing, but it works for me.)

I’m glad it’s working out for you!! I really like mine. You are spot on about being uncompressed. I am still playing with different settings and different guitars/ pickups. Getting to know it. I love that it just sounds and feels like my amp, but bigger, fuzzier, yet clearer, and better. It was money well spent.

[Meriphew]

I've got three 29 Pedals on my board currently and love them all. I own a couple FLWR pedals as well, though they aren't currently on my board.

This pic of my board is a little outdated (a couple pedals have changed), but all the 29 Pedals are still on there.



I also mark the knobs on all my 29 stuff so that I can see the settings.

[Meriphew]

It definitely looks cool...I see it can boost up to 45db?!?

Talk about powerful!

FLWR is, I guess, an overdrive! It makes gain, about 45dB, and can get up into fuzz territory at max settings. It’s designed to help you find your own breakup point, where pushing with the guitar breaks up nice and amp-y, but pulling back cleans up. The “SHAPE” controls affect the first gain stage, while the “GAIN” control affects the second gain stage. The clipping diodes are a modular sub-assembly, you can experiment and find your own magic arrangement. FLWR has a medium input impedance, so plugging right in will be a little warmer than when FLWR is following an input driver like EUNA. The output impedance is slightly higher to allow for interactions with other pedals. The WHATEVER power port accepts 7.5 to 35 volts of AC or DC in either polarity. FLWR is True-Bypass when switched off.

I like the overall aesthetic too. The tiny knobs fit the look, but I think I would rather have something bigger? The box is almost Strymon sized, and the jacks placement bothers me a bit too. Why so close?

Solasound ODBs and clones like mine are capable of 45dbB boost too. I wonder if it’s based off that circuit? ODBs are famous for being able to go from a clean sparkling boost to fuzzy drive with enough gain to slam any amplifier. They also have clipping diodes. Mine can switch between germanium and silicon. This device has them on a modular board. That’s a cool touch. All pros there.

It seems like a con is the price. Around $270, but this is a very versatile pedal, high quality, and would look good on a pedal board. And if it is even loosely based off the ODB, it’s cheaper than the boutique clones available by $50-100.