DSM/Humboldt has caused a stir on Instagram with the announcement of its first-ever digital pedal. Well, sort of.
In a recent post, the effects and amp modeler specialist turned heads with its absolutely bonkers Chilean Floorboard, which was dubbed “the longest and narrowest digital pedal ever created”.
Now, you can probably tell, but there is a slight catch. The Chilean Floorboard doesn’t actually exist. Which is a bit of a shame, because it looks a helluva lot of fun.
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Just look at the thing. There are 12 footswitches and nearly 40 dials placed horizontally to control its smorgasbord of effects. They include, but are not limited to, overdrive delay, compression, modulation, and a looper. Plus, there’s a glut of mini-switches too.
But the method to the madness is in making it a homage to the country in which it was designed. The firm calls it “an unprecedented format inspired by the unique geography of the country where it was designed”.
It has, it adds, “an endless signal chain, an unreasonable amount of controls, and enough footswitches to cover basically every possible situation.” We have no arguments there.
It is completely and uttelry and mad, and totally impractical, but we love it. Do the right thing, DSM/Humboldt, and make this a reality.
DSM/Humboldt do have some serious offerings in its roster, including the Dumblifier Dumble-in-a-box pedal, an innovative analog amp simulator, and a triple threat bass preamp in the Bass Master.
But given that the Chilean Floorboard isn’t listed on its website, and the sheer absurdity of the design, confirms to us this is just a very good joke.
Then there’s the pedal’s disclaimer.
“When in Chile, The Chilean Floorboard must always be operated sideways, following the longitudinal orientation of Chile,” it says. “If positioned transversely across the country, Argentina may apply import taxes, while exposure to the Pacific Ocean could compromise its tonal integrity.”
So, yes, the Chilean Floorboard is more of a rib tickler than it is a genuine solution to pedalboard space saving (in its own way). But in a world of lawsuits and stolen gear, internet-breaking moments like this are very welcome.
