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What is it?
Following a trend started by the Hanami pedal, this latest offering from ThorpyFX has a colourful paint job that doesn’t follow the usual military theme.
It’s named after a South African antelope called the Greater Kudu because, as Adrian Thorpy told us recently, “it makes everything greater”.
What you’re getting here is a drive pedal that started out as a modified MXR Distortion+ but in the design process evolved into something with much more versatility – while still being easy to use.
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Specs
- PRICE: $238 | £209 | €209
- ORIGIN: UK
- TYPE: Drive pedal
- FEATURES: True bypass
- CONTROLS: Level, Bite, Drive, Clip switch (Soft/Hard/Soft+), Bypass footswitch
- CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output
- POWER: 9V DC adaptor (not supplied) 30mA
- DIMENSIONS: 65 (w) x 125 (d) x 53mm (h)
- CONTACT: ThorpyFX
Build quality, usability and sounds
That versatility comes about via a choice of three toggle-switched clipping options that basically set the pedal for optimal operation depending on what amp you’re using. Besides this, the usual Drive and Volume knobs are complemented by a Bite knob for EQ functions.
Now, we kid you not, but there’s a South African sport of ‘kudu dung spitting’ where the winner is the contestant who can spit a pellet of kudu dung the furthest distance. A bite is the last thing you’d want in that situation… But with this Kudu’s dirt, the Bite knob is essential as it adds in presence and treble, really focusing the tone.
The Soft clipping option provided by silicon diodes offers drive with squidgy compression as a direct contrast to the more in-yer-face LED-driven Hard clipping, while the Soft+ option delivers elements of both to our ears.
All of this means that whatever amp you’re using – clean or already compressing and saggy – there’s a setting here to complement it.
The actual gain ranges from clean through to a medium gain that’ll make a clean amp at bedroom levels really sing, and there’s strong clarity at all levels as well as great touch-sensitivity and clean-up characteristics.
The transparency that sees the Kudu blend with any amp also translates to stacking with other dirt pedals where it’ll slot into a pedalboard and give them extra dimension.
Verdict
Verdict: ★★★★★
Beyond that always-on capability, the Kudu could be your go-to switchable asset that moves the game up a level when needed, either as your primary drive pedal or as a gain-stacking adjunct to other dirt pedals for boosts and enhancement.
Guitar World verdict: Truly an amp improver, this ThorpyFX pedal can offer those subtle shifts in perspective that you’d instantly miss if you turned it off. It’s endowed with a versatility that will deliver a positive sonic contribution to any rig or pedalboard.
Hands-on videos
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Pete Honore
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