Cooper FX Arcades review: Plumbing the depths of lo-fi guitar effects

Let’s get one thing out of the way right up front: Yes, the main conceit of the $329 Cooper FX Arcades is a little gimmicky. It’s a guitar pedal into which you stick cards to apply different effects, kinda like a game console. But while the somewhat...

MOD Duo X review: A do-it-all music box with potential

There’s this growing trend of musical devices that try to do it all. The Organelle. The ZOIA. The Polyend Digit / Beebo. The Mod Duo. They’re basically computers that can be effects processors, synthesizers, loopers or samplers. They all have particu...

The best multi-effects pedal for new guitarists

When I first started playing guitar way back in 1995 (or maybe it was 1994?) the idea of a digital multi-effects pedal was still pretty new. The Zoom 505 was the biggest game in town, if you wanted a pile of effects in a compact package for a reasona...