Strymon has unveiled new-and-improved versions of six of its most popular effects pedals – DIG, Flint, El Capistan, Deco, Lex and blueSky.
On the surface each pedal seems to have been the recipient of a simple upgrade, but there are plenty of juicy new specs to get excited about, with all six pedals now boasting a wealth of alluring additional features.
According to Sean Halley, Strymon's head of marketing, the upgrades were made in response to players' requests.
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“At the end of the day, these pedals can recreate all of the sounds that were previously available in the original versions,” Halley said. “but now they sound and feel better, are far more powerful and flexible, and are ultimately easier to use than we could have hoped when each model was originally released.”
From a top-down perspective, each upgraded stompbox now sports enhanced MIDI capabilities – provided by the TRS MIDI jack for bidirectional communication – and offers robust implementation that allows MIDI clock sync and onboard storage for up to 300 presets.
USB-C connections have also been rolled out, granting users access to firmware and MIDI updating tools, with all-new premium JFET input circuits for “the ultimate in tone and touch response” added to the design.
Other notable universal upgrades include the introduction of a new ARM processor that consumes less energy while simultaneously offering more power than previous versions.
As for pedal-specific appointments, each of the six units feature expanded user interfaces, which aim to grant users easier and deeper control of important parameters and promise to conjure up sounds “faster and easier than ever before”.
In operation, the blueSky reverberator has been equipped with a dedicated Shimmer knob – paired with new Shimmer behaviors – as well as a new Spring algorithm and Mod switch that flicks between modulation depth for each reverb type.
The tape saturation Deco, meanwhile, has been treated to a new Tone knob for tone saturation control and a voicing that promises the compressed, fat tone of high-end cassette tape recorders.
A dedicated Tone parameter has also been strapped to the DIG digital delay pedal, with the El Capistan Tape Echo now boasting a new reverb algorithm governed by the new Spring knob.
The Lex’s upgrades are more substantial, with the rotary speaker emulator now flashing two new toggle switches for Mic and Ramp, and a pair of new control knobs for Volume and Dry.
Last but not least is the Flint tremolo/reverb pedal, whose interface looks identical to its predecessor, though features a boosted Speed knob that can now slow the tremolo down to near 1Hz. The Pre-Delay parameter is also now adjustable.
“We know that all of these pedals have a large and dedicated fan base,” said Dave Fruehling, Strymon co-founder. "It was important that the improvements and updates we worked on didn't take away from what made them so popular in the first place.”
The new v2 Strymon pedals are available now for $349 / £359. For more information, head over to Strymon. You can hear them in action below.
Lex
El Capistan
Flint
Deco
Dig
BlueSky
