The Internet Has Thoughts About Guitar World's TWA Source Code Review.
Guitar World says the man who invented the Tube Screamer just beat his own pedal. Owners paying $299 to find out are not arguing.
Source
“The Source Code, from TWA (Totally Wycked Audio), is one of the finest TS808-style overdrive pedals I've heard.”
What the internet actually said
“Just one of the Best overdrive I've ever used. Clear, warm overdrive with a lot of headroom.”
Godlyke · t.l.c.
“This pedal pairs well with other overdrives. On its own, it has a great sound that is easily adjustable.”
Godlyke · j.j.
“I'm finding it to be very versatile, sounding equally good with single coils and HBs.”
Totally Wycked Audio · h.h.
The Suede Read
Guitar World handed the TWA Source Code a headline most pedals never get: a near-perfect TS808-style pedal that could arguably be the new gold standard. That is a real claim against a real target. The Tube Screamer is one of the most cloned circuits in pedal history, and the person making this one is Susumu Tamura, the engineer who designed the original TS808 for Maxon in 1979. The review called it one of the finest TS808-style overdrive pedals the reviewer had heard, crediting a new input buffer and a Bite control the stock circuit never had.
At $299, the Source Code is not competing with the five Tube Screamer clones in a $60 bargain bin. It is competing with the idea that the man who invented the format already said everything there was to say in 1979. Guitar World's bet is that he had more to say.
Owners appear to agree, and not just the ones grading on a curve for the backstory. On the manufacturer's own storefronts, buyers called it one of the best overdrives they had used, praised the clarity and headroom, and said it paired well with other drives while holding its own alone. One reviewer flagged it as versatile across single coils and humbuckers.
Nobody here is complaining about $299 buying a variation on a 47-year-old circuit. When the guy who wrote the original algorithm ships a patch, the tax looks worth paying.
Spotted something the press fluffed? info@suedeai.org