Ah, Walrus Audio. These fine gents from Oklahoma are making some of the coolest little pedals on the market today. My first run-in with Walrus was at Winter NAMM 2014, where they had just announced the upcoming release of their Descent Reverb pedal, which turned into a must-own item for my pedal board. Fast forward to Winter NAMM 2017 where I spied this cool little box called the RED High-Gain Distortion pedal. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!
One of the coolest parts about Walrus is their awesome pedal housing designs and the RED is no different. According to their website, the “original artwork features a scientist looking into a microscope discovering the virus that is, The RED.†In a world saturated with pedals and boutique pedal companies popping up all the time, this art by Adam Forster certainly stands out as unique.
The best part for me about this pedal is how versatile it is for both rhythm and lead guitar, whether you play shoegaze, black gaze or even death metal. The two-way Texture switch allows for a variety of tonal possibilities by switching between two sets of diodes for both maximum compression and minimum compression, allowing you to capture a wide range of distorted overdriven tones. The 3-band EQ allows for greater adjustment of distortion to further dial in the tone you might be going for.
This pedal is great for a variety of skill types as well, giving you so much for a decent price point. If you are a metal musician looking to dabble into the world of pedals, the Walrus Audio RED is a great foray into analog stomp boxes. And if you are a new guitar player, give this pedal a try and I think you will be amazed at the results. Between this and a good tuner, you can be well on your way to the tone you’ve been searching for.
Check out the demo video below for an awesome sample of what the Walrus Audio RED can sound like in practical application.
About the author:
Monique Hernandez-Fuentes is a pedal enthusiast from the Northern California Bay Area who also writes for GuitarTricks.com.
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