Gear Review: JColoccia Guitars Big Cannoli Overdrive Pedal

Without even knowing what it does, who wouldn’t want a "Big Cannoli" pedal on their pedalboard?

The gang at JColoccia Guitars didn’t just put a cool name on a box; they threw in a flexible overdrive, too.

The pedal knobs are Gain, Volume, Treble and Bass. In between the EQ sits a three-way toggle marked Tight, Cut and Fat. To my ears, Tight offers a creamy, compressed sound, Cut scoops the mids and Fat thickens things up quite a bit.

The pedal is powered either by a nine-volt battery (supplied) or a nine- or 18-volt power supply (not included). There’s an internal switch to bump up the voltage. This comes in handy if you want to roll off the Gain and use the Big Cannoli as a clean boost.

Dimensions are 3.75 inches wide by 4.5 inches long. The box is a sturdy aluminum Hammond enclosure. The switching is true bypass and the jacks are Switchcraft. Each pedal is hand built in the U.S.

On to the audio samples!

Clip 1: To show off Fat mode, here’s how the Big Cannoli thickens up a single coil Strat lead tone.

Clip 2: Cut mode offers a nice contrast to Fat mode helping dig a neck humbucker out of the mud.

Clip 3: Tight mode added a little compression to the middle pickup position on a Les Paul.

Clip 4: Again with Fat mode, this time with the Gain rolled all the way back and the pedal running on 18 volts, I got a solid clean rhythm tone on a Strat.

Web:jcolocciaguitars.com
Price: $149

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