Mr Black Deluxe Plus review

A sublime combination

  • £139
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MusicRadar Verdict

Twin Peaks Fender flavour in a practically sized package, featuring two effects that combine well.

Pros

  • +

    A fantastic combination of sounds.

Cons

  • -

    Fewer parameter options compared to the competition.

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The combinationof reverb and tremolo effects, as found in certain Fender amps, can be very appealing, so a pedal that combines the two makes sense for anyone who doesn't have access to an amp with those facilities and wants a compact pedal setup.

Strymon did it with Flint and now boutique manufacturer Mr Black has done it in a smaller pedal, albeit with far fewer parameter options.

The tremolo is typical smooth Fender Deluxe bias trem, from skittery to throbby, while the reverb does a good impression of a brightly voiced spring and goes wetter than a typical Fender amp and more towards the 6G15 territory of Dick Dale surf twangers.

Both together - which is what you get unless you roll back the Reverb knob or the Tremolo Intensity - it's a timeless combination. We'd have liked separate footswitches, but the pedalboard- friendly nature trumps that.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.