What's That Dude Play? » Rockett Pedals

Rockett/Sampson vibe proto at NAMM

Blake — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:59:47 +0000

While a lot of folks are still waiting for the commercial release of the Rockett/Mark Sampson Top Boost pedal shown in prototype form in 2011, the collaborators will have another early look stomp on hand at the NAMM show later this month – a stereo vibe. According to a post on Rockett’s website, the new vibe is based on the original Maggy vibe which is unique to just about any vibe on the market. The Sampson version will pulse up on the left and down on the right, according to Rockett. Word has it that the long-awaited top boost pedal will also be on display. The stomp is being described as a hybrid of the first channel of a DC30 and a classic Top Boost brimming with jangly Beatles sounds. It also has a mid-boost and a boost section. Stay tuned!

Rockett teases NAMM trio

Blake — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:50:35 +0000

The crew at Rockett Pedals have let slip a few details about a trio of new pedals the company will be showcasing at the upcoming NAMM show in Anaheim next month. First up is a collaboration with legendary fusion guitar great Allan Holdworth – the Holdsworth overdrive/boost pedal. The pedal is a tasty overdrive pedal with Bass and Treble controls… as well as a three-position boost that operate independent of one another. The overdrive will retail for $229.

Next is the Alien Echo… Rockett’s first delay pedal. The Alien is designed to recreate the old school analog sounds all the way up to dirty tape delay sounds. The pedal utilizes a foot-switchable random modulation function making it stage friendly. There also is a handy tone control for the repeated notes only. The Alien Echo will run $199.

Finally, the company’s long-awaited fuzz pedal (once called the Stage Five) – the WTF. Designed in collaboration with the fuzz guru Paul Trombetta, player’s can create realistic trombone/trumpet sounds along with standard fuzz and overdrive sounds. The WTF offers 12 different effected positions to create fuzzes that are extremely mild to over the top random octave craziness. The WTF will retail at $199.

Check out some mock ups of the pedals below.

Rockett to pick up Morgan pedal line

Blake — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:12:47 +0000

The boys at Rockett Pedals are in talks with amp builder extraordinaire Joe Morgan to revive Morgan short lived, very limited pedal line. Under the deal that is still being negotiated, Rockett will ‘re-issue’ both the Shadow Fuzz and Shadow Verb under the Rockett banner, but likely as ‘Joe Morgan Series’ pedals… or something to that effect. It is unclear at this point if the Shadow Boost will also be included in the relaunch. The Shadow Fuzz was a take on the classic Fuzz Face tone, but with a bit more control. The Shadow Verb was Morgan’s take on a classic amp reverb tone in a simple, one-knob stomp. More info to come!

NAMM: Rockett plans Mark Sampson signature line

Blake — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:09:28 +0000

The crew at Rockett Pedals had some interesting news to share at the NAMM show earlier this month. Chris, Jay and the team have hooked up with amp guru Mark Sampson (of Matchless and Star fame) to create a signature line of effects pedals – the first one being a sort of Vox in a box! You might remember that Rockett had a plan to come out with a Vox-y model a while back dubbed the AC63. The pedal got hung up in development, but was always something Rockett wanted to return to. Enter Mark Sampson. After some initial conversation, Mark agreed to look over some of Rockett’s effects. After a brief brainstorming session, the idea of the Vox in a box re-emerged.

The new plan was to get the Vox top boost sparkle and chime in a full-featured pedal. In fact, Rockett calls the new pedal a (Matchless) DC30 meets a Vox top boost circuit. The knob controls on the prototype are Boost Volume, Cut, Volume, Treble and Bass. The toggle switch in the middle is a Mid Boost that is expected to be a three-way that will allow for flat response as well as two positions that will flavor the tone as if the user was playing through ceramic speakers or alnicos. The new Mark Sampson signature line is expected to come in the same style enclosure that is currently housing the company’s Josh Smith Dual Trem. Rockett is targeting a price for the as-yet-unnamed top boost pedal of between $230-$250. The new stomp is expected to be available in late spring.

Rockett and Sampson are already mulling what could be next in the pedal line – possibly the overdrive circuit of a Vox in a stomp or the vibe section of an old Magnatone… the latter being a stereo pedal. Rockett expects the signature line will be limited in availability, but it is unclear if they are going to make these true limited editions with only so many made or if they plan to have only certain dealers to carry the line. Stay tuned!

Rockett/Trombetta take fuzz to Stage 6

Blake — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:52:19 +0000

A few days before the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo, word got out that the Jay and Chris from Rockett Pedals had hooked up with boutique fuzz-meister Paul Trombetta – maker of the Mini-Bone and the Fudge among others – for a new fuzz pedal and that a prototype of said pedal would be at the show. The news made the Rockett room one of our very first stops upon our arrival at the show. We rushed in and got the tour of the new fuzz… then heard it in action. The verdict? Ooooh maaaan… The new pedal – with the working name of Stage 6 – is slated for release in the coming weeks. Wanna hear it now? Check out a little demo starring the excellent Greg V below!

Rockett, Trombetta in fuzzy team-up

Blake — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:17:40 +0000

The crew at Rockett Pedals and fuzz guru Paul Trombetta have teamed up to offer a new fuzz pedal that will get its debut at this weekend’s Nashville Amp Expo. Not many details right now on this co-designed pedal, but if you know Texas-based Rockett and PTD then you know we’re all in for a treat. If you’re not familiar with either we’d suggest you check out Rockett’s Blue Note or Animal overdrive… or the new Josh Smith signature Dual Tremolo. For Paul, give a listen to the Mini-Bone or hit up Bobby D’s video on his custom Uber-zela fuzz. We’ll bring you more details from the show. Stay tuned!

Rockett shows off new Josh Smith trem

Blake — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:21:56 +0000

Texas-based Rockett Pedals posted a new demo video of its latest creation – the Josh Smith signature Dual Tremolo pedal. The pedal is based around the vibe of an old school brownface Fender tremolo. It never gets very choppy, but is super melodic on either side. The pedal has two independent tremolo functions each with its own Rate and Depth knob controls. There is also a Volume control knob to compensate for any volume drop associated with the trem effect. You can even roll the Depth down and use the pedal as a boost. Pricing and availability to come. Check out the short demo video of the new Dual Trem after the jump!

SXSW 2010: Rockett Pedals tremolo proto

Blake — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 03:00:46 +0000

Chris from Rockett Pedals had a cush corner booth at the Austin Guitar Show this weekend, but that’s not all he had. He gave WTDP? the first look at the company’s new dual tremolo prototype pedal. The as-yet-unnamed stomp features two channels, each with their own Depth and Speed knob controls. Rockett also added a Volume knob to the pedal to offset in drop in level. The effects are not stackable, rather run parallel allowing a user to toggle between two unique trem settings at the stomp of a footswitch. The production model will have added LEDs to indicate which channel is active. And yes, it sounds killer! The new pedal, along with a Rockett delay, are coming soon!

Name the new Rockett delay contest

Blake — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:26:54 +0000

Chris over at Rockett Pedals is looking for some input on the name of the company’s new delay pedal. The pedal is a true analog BBD delay with 900 ms of delay time, modulation with separate speed and depth controls, tap tempo, three-way EQ switch and thee usual Delay Time, Repeats and Mix controls. Head over to Rockett’s website and sign up for their newsletter. Once you do that, you will be able to make you name suggestion. The winner will get one of the new delays and $30 off each one of Rockett’s Pro Series pedal line. Sounds like a helluva deal to me!

Rockett tweaks Masterbuilt line

Blake — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:20:34 +0000

Chris over at Rockett Pedals said today that the company will be discontinuing the Rockett Boost – one of two current pedals in the company’s Masterbuilt line. With that bit of news also comes word of a new addition to the line – an overdrive that the builder feels is the ‘Godzilla of ODs’! No firm word on pricing other than it is expected to be fairly expensive. Rockett is shooting to have the new drive available sometime during the first quarter of 2010. Rockett had previously toyed with the idea of shutting down the Masterbuilt line to concentrate on the Pro Series line, but said customer demand prompted a change of heart.

Rockett uncages its Animal

Blake — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:07:55 +0000

Rockett Pedals will officially debut its new Animal overdrive pedal at the Arlington Guitar Show this weekend. The stomp sports four knob controls – Volume, Gain, Bass and Treble – and a mini-toggle dubbed Snarl. The Animal was designed to capture the spirit of an old ’68 Plexi in a stompbox. The Snarl switch allows the user to toggle between a standard and ‘hot-rodded’ Plexi tone. This pedal replaces the ’68 Stiff Arm stomp listed as ‘coming soon’ on the company’s website. Rockett recently brought pedal guru Tim Jauernig (of Gristle King, DGTM fame) as a partner and is working on a series of signature pedals for the likes of Greg Koch, Josh Smith and Greg V.

Wampler cuts ties with Tone Clone, Rockett

Blake — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:33:35 +0000

Brian Wampler aka Indyguitarist, founder of Wampler Pedals, sent out a terse e-mail to his mailing list today announcing the dissolution of his partnership wth new-launched DYI pedal company Tone Clone Pedals and Rockett Pedals. The Rockett tie-up was announced just eight months ago. The Tone Clone venture just three months ago. In his words: “Unfortunately, I have no future plans on partnering with Rockett Pedals or Tone Clone pedals. I will no longer be designing any future circuits for their use.” No details on the nature of the split – possibly artistic differences, or not. Brian is directing questions concerning Rockett Pedals and Tone Clone to their respective websites.

Rockett squeezes fresh Lemon Aid boost

Blake — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:41:50 +0000

Rockett Pedals has a new boost stomp available now – the Lemon Aid. The pedal offers a clean boost, treble boost and full boost all in one. Each boost position is adjustable via mini-toggles that can thicken or thin out you tone or cut the overall output to make the effect more subtle. The combinations of all of the available settings give you a myriad of boosts and tone shapes. The pedal is available now through the Rockett Pedal website for $189. While there, check out the other upcoming Pro Series stomps from Rockett including the 10 Ton Hammer, Chicken Soup and Blue Note. Peep a video demo of the Lemon Aid after the jump!

Wampler, Rockett team up for Flex Drive

Blake — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:47:20 +0000

Pedalsmith Brian Wampler has teamed up with the crew at California-based Rockett Pedals to create ‘a monster of an overdrive’ dubbed the Flex Drive. According to the partners, the stomp is a mixture of opamp and discrete clipping circuitry that gives off a warm and responsive feel. The pedal has three different overdrive textures as well as three different EQ options – giving the player nine distinct voicings from a thick, but crunchy overdrive all the way to an amazing open clean boost. The pedal is expected to be available in February and cost $189. We’ll post more info, and a pic of the pedal, as soon as we get it!

Rockett Pedals kicks on the Afterburner

Blake — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:33:37 +0000

Rockett and crew at Denver-based Rockett Pedals have a pair of demo videos up showing off the company’s upcoming Afterburner overdrive pedal. The company said the new stomp is designed to be used in tandem with the Rockett Boost pedal as a line buffer or to better shape the OD’s tone. “With this combination of pedals and the guitar volume I can get country punchy cleans, blues tones and down right mean Van Halen brown sounds all with the twist of one single knob on a Strat!” said Rockett of the dual stomp set up. No pricing information is available for the Afterburner, which according to the company’s website is coming soon.