MusicRadar Verdict
Ace overdrive! It seems that, sometimes, only a valve will do...
Pros
- +
Valve-driven overdrive tones. Plenty of gain. Singing harmonics.
Cons
- -
Should include a power supply.
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The Nemphasis X7's wedge-shaped housing comes complete with vents on the side to aid heat dissipation from its single valve, but isn't so bulky that it takes up too much 'board real estate.
"Bring in the gain knob and the saturation builds for rich, fat distortion with singing harmonics aplenty"
There's no clean boost - with gain right down and level at about one o'clock, it adds a raunchy second channel to your clean sound with plenty left in reserve for volume jumps.
Bring in the gain knob and the saturation builds for rich, fat distortion with singing harmonics aplenty, delivered via a tone control that zeroes in nicely on the amount of throaty upper-mid and top-end presence that you desire. Nicely touch sensitive, too.
While there are shedloads of solid-state pedals that promise the sort of overdrive you'd get from a valve amp, there are far fewer that offer a valve as part of the circuitry, so it's always good to see a new one, especially one that's as much of a pleasure to play through as this. There should be an included a power supply, though.
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