This is my pedal collection. Several of them are actually Reed’s. There are pedals on the bench being fixed and other pedals in the mail, because of course there are. My pedal collection isn’t a stable thing so much as a constant flowing ocean of noise.
I’ve never been a singer or a songwriter. I can’t imagine my fat fingers and limited attention span ever allowing for anything near virtuosity at my beloved guitar. What I can do, however, is make an unholy racket. I can exorcise the ghosts in my heart. I can use the lightning bolts my TV Yellow Reverend shoots out of its headstock to slay the demons. Fuzz and anger and a Sunn amplifier can set the energy free and let it out into the world.
This isn’t so much a song as a primal scream. I wanted to show what it is I do, where I’m coming from. This is what my first night with the Sunn Sonic 1 head that I had long dreamed of sounded like. This is joy meeting noise. This is me.
One reason this blog even exists is because I have come to hate the jargon of guitar gear sites and forums. Words like ‘transparent’ and ‘crunch’ and ‘organic’ get thrown around without having any sort of concrete meaning. I’ve read whole reviews so jargon laden that they could be describing any number of pedals without really saying anything about the pedal in question.
I promise not to use the words ‘crunch’ or ‘transparent’ without clearly expressing how they apply in each circumstance. I will not use ‘organic’ at all unless someone is making pedals without chemical pesticides or fertilizers. That is my promise to you. What Clouds Do will be as jargon-free as possible and when jargon is used it will be spelled out. I will not use jargon or technical terms as empty buzzwords.
By the same token, I am very particular about using proper terminology. Nothing builds frustration for me quite like misappropriation of technical terms. A fuzz is a particular thing, as is a bit crusher or a vibrato. I endeavor to be as correct as I can be as often as I can. If I am wrong, I will make corrections.
I will not refer to tone unless that is the specific name of a pedal or a knob. I do not subscribe to the cult of tone. There is not tone, only an infinite of sounds.
Disclosure is an important thing to me. I try to always err on the side of disclosure when it comes to potential bias. Unfortunately, this can come across as name dropping or starfucking. The pedal business is a small, intimate affair. You will find that the simple process of shopping for a boutique fuzz will bring you in contact with the people who created them. I will always disclose what contact I have had with the manufacturers in question, even if it makes me sound like a name dropping douche.
Reed Miller of Bent Soundlabs is a close personal friend. Hell, I came up with the Bent part of the name. I have designed labels, named pedals, and shilled hard for Bent Soundlabs. I will never review a pedal Reed has built because of this relationship. I will write editorials about them, but I will always be clear about the relationship.
Sean Wright of Lollygagger FX is also a friend. I like Sean quite a bit and we have similar taste in music and pedals. I’m still going to review his stuff, but with a disclaimer. The Cherry Box is too cool not to share with the world.
Beyond that, I have had the great pleasure of talking to Joe Vella of Electro-Faustus, Tom Dalton of Fuzzhugger, and I have a serious crush on Devi Ever. I might be in love with Laura Bennett and her awesome painted enclosures.
I have had great experiences with Wilson Effects, DMB Pedals, and Earthquaker Effects. There are countless more companies making awesome stuff. My favorite fuzz of the moment was made by IdiotBox Effects.
If the time ever comes for me to review something from a company I’m not positive about, like JHS or Danelectro, I will both disclose my feelings and try my best to set them aside.
I think that is all I need to say on the matter. Questions, comments, or concerns below.
I’ve fancied pedals longer than I’ve fancied guitars. My introduction to the world of Guitar was an issue of Guitar World from shortly after the death of Kurt Cobain. Yes, that was like 20 years ago. The cover story was about the now legendary Unplugged in New York taping and all of the backstage drama. I remember there was a roundup of Telecaster clones, of which a yellow Peavey caught my eye. Most of all, I remember learning about pedals. Prior to this, I had not idea why sometimes guitars were swooshy or fizzy or had echoes. It was like witchcraft.
Three years later, I owned a secondhand Squier Bullet Stratocaster, black, and a 15W Fender amp. My first pedal purchase was a Russian Bubble Font Big Muff my friend Nick had purchased with the intent of sounding more like the Smashing Pumpkins. 16 years later and I still own that Big Muff. 16 years later and Nick is purchasing a clone of that Russian Big Muff from the pedal company I named, a pedal I call the Pussy Riot. 16 years later and I still think about guitar pedals every day.
This blog exists for the singular purpose of giving me a place to gather my guitar pedal related thoughts. That means reviews of stuff I’ve ended up with, rants about the state of pedal manufacturers, and maybe even interviews with pedal makers, if I can pry them away from their irons.
What clouds do is what I do. They float on by.
what clouds do 