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Shrouded in mystery, the highly anticipated, limited-run Jemini Distortion pedal has arrived. A twin-stomper that's had Jem forum-junkies clamouring for details ever since it was spotted at 2008's NAMM show, one glance at the finish and signature reveals it to be the first Ibanez Steve Vai signature stompbox.

The finish is designed along the same visual lines as Vai's signature UV Jem guitars. With multicoloured swirls on the diecast zinc casing you are unlikely to trip over it onstage.

The Jemini has two very similarly voiced channels: the first being an overdrive and second being a distortion. It's been rumoured that Ibanez designed the Jemini to replace two of Vai's favourite pedals: a TS9 Tube Screamer and a BOSS DS-1 distortion.

Each channel has a trio of identical controls in the shape of independent drive, tone and level pots.

A notable addition is the bright/save switch. The other feature that stands out is the bright/save switch. It's not for storing sounds or adding sparkle to the tone though – it controls the intensity of lights!

For example, bright consumes 49mA current, which basically makes the circular LEDs very bright for, well, bright gigging conditions. Save reduces the current to 23mA for darker stages, and saves battery power in so doing.

Sounds

Here are a series of sound clips that show how the pedal pushes an amp that's set on the edge of break-up. This is the right-hand pedal, with all controls at 12 o' clock:

This is the left-hand pedal, with all controls at 12 o' clock:

This is the right-hand pedal with the volume and tone at 12 o' clock and the drive at 3 o' clock:

This is the left-hand pedal with the volume and tone at 12 o' clock and the drive at 3 o' clock:

Now the right-hand pedal with the gain on full:

And finally the left-hand pedal with the gain on full: