Could Nels Cline's ToneConcepts GOO pedal be "the solution to all your distortion needs"?

Wilco guitar hero and bona fide pedal nut Nels Cline has launched a signature distortion pedal with Toronto, Canada's ToneConcepts, which he calls "the most expressive, touch sensitive, and responsive distortion pedal I've ever experienced."

Visually inspired by classic 1958 horror flick The Blob, GOO packs controls for volume, shininess and viscosity, and promises to cover genres from rock to alternative to jazz fusion to blues.

These are big claims, but given Cline tested the pedal in the studio and on tour for 12 months, we trust his judgement - you can see him run through the pedal's sounds in the video above.

Only 250 of these tone monsters will be produced in 2016 - the GOO is available now from ToneConcepts for $289.

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.