Gibson at Gear Expo 2022: Maestro pedals – shape your sound

GEAR EXPO 2022: By leveraging its iconic past and leaning into an innovative future, Gibson – the iconic American instrument brand – has set the stage for the next era of sound for present and future generations. 

When Gibson brought Maestro into the world 60 years ago, no one could have predicted its trailblazing success. Now, after decades, Gibson has revived the brand for 2022 with the debut of the Maestro Original Collection line of effects pedals with five new pedals – the Fuzz Tone FZ-M, Invader Distortion, Ranger Overdrive, Comet Chorus, and Discoverer Delay – all designed, voiced, and styled for the musician looking to shape a unique sound. 

As the founder of effects, Maestro’s influence has shaped music as we know it from The Rolling Stones to the Raconteurs, Pete Townshend to George Harrison, Clapton to Frampton, and the Foo Fighters to the Black Keys, Maestro has been there from the beginning to help artists achieve the sound they heard in their heads and their hearts, their signature sound. 

Each Maestro pedal functions as an innovative “two-in-one” pedal, with a single toggle that switches between two distinct voicings. Each features a straightforward three knob set-up, true bypass switching, and a more ergonomic, pedalboard friendly wedge profile.

The Maestro Original Collection

The Maestro Original Collection pays tribute in sound and style to the brand’s pioneering and much beloved classic models, while staying true to Maestro’s trailblazing spirit with modern features, expanded versatility, and advanced tone-tweaking capabilities.

As the founder of effects, Maestro’s influence has shaped music as we know it from The Rolling Stones to the Raconteurs, Pete Townshend to George Harrison, Clapton to Frampton, and the Foo Fighters to the Black Keys, Maestro has been there from the beginning to help artists achieve the sound they heard in their heads and their hearts, their signature sound. 

Each Maestro pedal functions as an innovative “two-in-one” pedal, with a single toggle that switches between two distinct voicings. Each features a straightforward three knob set-up, true bypass switching, and a more ergonomic, pedalboard friendly wedge profile.

Fuzz-Tone FZ-M

Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M

Maestro created the world’s first fuzz pedal - the Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1 - the legendary sound on the Rolling Stones’ pivotal song (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction which became the group’s first #1 U.S. hit. 

Introducing the new Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M, an all-analog pedal that boasts two-in-one functionality for increased sonic versatility with both an FZ-1 inspired fuzz sound and a thicker, more modern fuzz tone. 

Its 3-knob control layout gives you intuitive control. The Attack knob controls the amount of fuzz. The Tone control lets you adjust the timbre from bright and raspy to warm and wooly and anywhere in between. Use the Level control to set the output volume; it can go way beyond unity gain when desired. 

The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active. Watch and share the Fuzz-Tone FZ-M video: HERE.

Ranger Overdrive

Maestro Ranger Overdrive

Inspired by the overdriven tones of some of the world’s most cherished vintage tube amps, the Maestro Ranger Overdrive is a modern, all-analog overdrive pedal featuring a Mode toggle switch that provides two different tonalities; a warm, expressive, amp-like overdrive and a second tonality that’s slightly cleaner and exceptionally touch-sensitive; it blends in some of the clean signal and is a great choice for use as an “always-on” effect that can be controlled with your pick attack and your guitar’s volume control. 

The Ranger’s classic 3-knob layout provides intuitive adjustment of Gain (amount of overdrive), Tone, and output Level, with plenty of volume on tap to go well beyond unity gain. You can easily use the Ranger Overdrive as a boost to hit the input of your tube amp harder for even more grit and dirt. 

The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active. Watch and share the Ranger Overdrive video: HERE.

Invader Distortion

Maestro Invader Distortion

The Maestro Invader Distortion is a high-gain, all-analog modern distortion pedal with an aggressive, dominant sonic character and rich harmonics, generating a wide range of distorted sounds. 

The 3-knob control layout offers intuitive control over Gain (distortion amount), Tone, and output Level, with more than enough volume on tap to easily exceed unity gain when desired. Players can also engage a built-in noise gate with the top panel toggle switch. 

An internal trim pot on the circuit board allows the user to adjust the level of the noise gate’s Threshold. Using a small screwdriver, turn this control up for a higher Threshold level, and down for a lower Threshold level. 

The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active. Watch and share the Invader Distortion video: HERE.

Comet Chorus

The Maestro Comet Chorus uses iconic analog bucket brigade device (BBD) technology to deliver warm, classic chorus tones. 

This all-analog pedal boasts a Mode toggle switch for increased sonic versatility. The “Earth” mode provides an optimized, shimmering chorus effect, while “Orbit” mode adds some amplitude modulation to the chorused sound, more accurately simulating the sonic complexities of a rotary speaker. 

An internal trim pot allows the user to adjust the level of the Orbit effect to taste. The intuitive 3-knob layout lets you quickly dial up the Depth (amount of pitch variation), Speed (modulation rate) of the chorusing, and adjust the amount of pitch modulated signal that is blended in with the dry signal by using the Mix control. 

The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active. Watch and share the Comet Chorus video: HERE.

Discoverer Delay

The Maestro Discoverer Delay is a modern analog delay pedal that proudly utilizes legendary analog bucket brigade device (BBD) technology to deliver classic, warm, and inviting delay sounds. 

The intuitive 3-knob control layout lets users quickly dial up the length of the Delay time (with a range from 20ms to 600ms), the amount of Sustain (delay repeats), and adjust the level of the delays in the Mix. A toggle switch engages built-in modulation that applies anything from a slightly saturated, tape-like wow and flutter effect to a heavily pitch-shifted modulation effect to the delayed signal. 

Two internal trim pots allow the user to adjust the Rate (speed) and Width (sweep range) of the modulation that operates when the Mode switch is in the up (MOD-ON) position. Using a small screwdriver, turn clockwise to increase, counterclockwise to decrease the modulation Rate and Width. 

The true bypass footswitch triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo when it’s on, so you’ll always know when the effect is active. Watch and share the Discoverer Delay video: HERE.

Head to the Maestro‘s official site for more information.