
Caroline Guitar Company has unveiled the Conan-inspired Crom distortion/fuzz pedal.
Described as a “BC184 Supa Tone Bender style” stompbox – just like the brand's Olympia pedal – the Crom notably strives for a more punchy response thanks to its tweed amp-style tone control, which interacts with the gain parameter for a less-scooped sound.
Of course, with a pedal named Crom, you aren’t going to settle for orthodox pedal design conventions. To fully embrace its theme, Caroline Guitar Company has equipped its latest stompbox with Helmet, Mountain and Sword knobs.
In practice, Mountain is tone, Sword is gain and Helmet is the overall output control. As an added bonus, there’s a Turbo button on the side of the unit, which engages a boost function.
The Crom is completed by the bypass footswitch and an internal trim pot that lets you adjust the bias/gate of the device.
To demonstrate just how committed it is to the Conan theme, Caroline Guitar Company said of its latest pedal, “For years we have had players ask us if our pedals are appropriate for use in praise and worship settings. We have considered such a question blasphemous.
“Crom is an angry deity who lives inside a mountaintop, who doesn’t concern himself with the matters of mere mortals, and cannot be bothered to hear their pleas for help, their prayers for vengeance, or anything that might resemble a song of praise or devotion.”
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In reality, Crom won’t help you smite anyone from the top of a dark, gloomy mountain, but at least it will be able to grant you access to what sounds like a neat palette of high-gain sounds. It is priced $189 and available now.
To find out more, visit Caroline Guitar Company.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.

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