Electro-Harmonix MicroSynth XO Guitar Effects Pedal

The Electro-Harmonix MicroSynth XO is a guitar pedal that creates fat analog synth sounds like those heard on classic recordings by some of the finest musicians in the world. From the classic vintage sounds of the great early Moog synthesizer to custom creations, the MicroSynth effects pedal delivers. Its compact 10-slider layout lets the sonically adventurous guitarist dial in a virtually limitless array of analog synthesizer sounds, from percussive stabs to backward-sounding bowed effects.

True bypass All-analog design 2-pole analog resonant filter 4-voice mixer section mixes: sub octave, original, octave up, and square wave Square wave voice can be used as a distortion tone Start, stop filter frequency sliders with adjustable rate for full control over the filter's sweep direction and speed Adjustable filter resonance control Adjustable attack time control for fading-in notes Tough and compact die-cast chassis

Get that fat sound you've been looking for—order now.

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Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.

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Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidity

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For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear

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A couple of important things to know before you buy this pedal:

First: Use the power supply that comes with it!!! I initially put mine on my Boss BCB60 pedal board and used the daisy chain power supply. Not sure if it was this or user error that resulted in my initial failure to get a good sound out of the pedal... but I think both played a role. If you read the instruction manual, it says the same thing. Using a daisy chain can ruin the pedal. This pedal needs all the juice it can get to work right... so use the adapter.

Second: Give it time. This is definitely not a plug and play pedal. The first day, I couldn't get anything good out of it. By the third day, I was making sounds I never thought a guitar could make.

Third: This pedal is great alone, but it really benefits from having a delay and a compressor. Some of the settings on it are not friendly to sustained notes. I use the pedal along with my EHX Little Big Muff to help the Muff cut through during solos (think Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins). Occasionally when sustaining a note, the pedal will cut the note off before you release the note (even worse when sharing a power source with other pedals). You can overcome this by adjusting your playing, but delay, compression, or a signal boost (distortion, overdrive or cranked volume) really help with that issue, as well as enhancing the beautiful sounds you can get out of this box.

Lastly: This pedal is by no means subtle. It is a beast! It's probably not for those seeking a mild and friendly tone. This pedal is for those looking to explore sonic territories in which few guitar players dare to travel...

P.S. It doesn't handle chords well, but it can do arpeggios fine.
This pedal has so many features it can be a bit overwhelming at first. The first night I had it, I almost returned it. I did some reading and played around with the suggested settings and that changed very quickly.

One of my bandmates has a very nice Korg Synthesizer, and I was able to mimic his tones with my guitar fairly easily.

I was also able to spice up my lead tones and get amazing octave effects, and some really beautiful feedback.
As with 99% of EHX's products, it's built like a tank and can take many years of liberal stomping.
It is a pricey pedal, but it's like 5+ pedals in one. Given you'd easily pay $80+ for a pedal that does one thing, this box is a steal.
Electro-Harmonix MicroSynth XO Guitar Effects Pedal
.Its relative goodness will vary greatly depending on what the user is looking for, and what they are able to achieve.In general you get pure analog, chewy, velcro-y, octave-y, distorted goodness. Its just so freaking cool. Put a phaser or delay after it (or a PS-5) in front of it and good god you can get some amazing sounds. I just got the most bitching laser blaster sound from it today- too cool. But what's that you say? When am I ever actually going to USE this pedal? I dunno. If you are in a Rolling Stones cover band, then never. If you write original stuff then you would still be wise to limit this baby to one or two songs per set. There is a reason that no famous guitarist uses the MS as their backbone like Tom and the Whammy, Edge and the MM, etc. You will have to find that out on your own.Also, there is a VERY harsh and abrupt gate on this pedal that will cut your notes off fast. As such don't expect to use just the "square wave" in place of a fuzzbox, unless you don't need any notes to sustain. This pedal is not made for epic solos, it's made for making you guitar sound like a keyboard or chainsaw or laser rifle.
Electro-Harmonix MicroSynth XO Guitar Effects Pedal
.Haven't quite figured it out yet, takes a little gettin' used to. The sounds you get are pretty epic though. The sweep can be fast or slow (controlled by the rate level). The octaves are legit, the square wave adds the extra distortion. I haven't figured out the ring modulator yet but just check the youtube vids for more on functionality. Pretty spendy but if you're lookin' for some crazy sounds, get it.
Electro-Harmonix MicroSynth XO Guitar Effects Pedal
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