Z.Vex Vexter Super Ringtone review

Complex ring modulation for the adventurous

  • £283
  • €399
  • $349
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Given its plethora of controls, it's no surprise to find that the Super Ringtone has a vast palette of tones on tap

MusicRadar Verdict

A rhythmic ring-mod that might find favour with experimentalists.

Pros

  • +

    Highly tweakable. One for sonic pioneers.

Cons

  • -

    An expensive pedal to take a chance on. Complex.

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If you think ring modulation is weird, how does a 16-step sequencer of ring modulators grab you? Z.Vex's Super Ringtone offers similar functionality to the recently-reviewed Super Seek Trem.

"It's hard to find your way at first, but there are sounds to be found here that will work nicely in a musical context"

There are various ways to set the speed of the sequence and to adjust the glissando between steps. From basic conventional ring modulation, the sound here can take you on a very strange journey indeed, with a lot of weird stuff superimposed over your playing.

There's so much tweakability, it's hard to find your way at first, but there are sounds to be found here that will work nicely in a musical context - you can get some cool and quirky grooves going just from hitting one chord, for instance.

An internal trim pot lets you change the ratio of the dry guitar to effect if you want more subtlety - perhaps adding some subliminal shading to your tone.

This isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea but it makes a powerful statement and could keep you pleasantly occupied for hours.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.