Way Huge Electronics Ringworm Review

Where do you start with an effect like the Ring Modulator? It’s essentially the musical equivalent of Charlie from that ‘wildcard’ episode of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’; always unpredictable and always ready to destroy everybody else’s fun. Well that’s at least how it portrays itself on the surface.

For those of you unfamiliar with the effect, what it basically does is multiply your original signal with that of a modulated signal and reproduces them at harmonic intervals both regular and irregular. This in turn creates tones that range from bell like gongs, robot vomits, Bermuda triangle ride sounds, sci-fi nightmare squeals, alien computer jargon and most famously used by Dr Who’s nemesis The Daleks who would scream ‘Exterminate!’ .

As per usual with Way Huge Electronics, they give you control over many parameters. With the Ringworm we can select five different LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) waveforms:

- Envelope Follower (responds to volume/attack of playing)

- Random (unpredictably jumps between seven different frequencies).

- Square Wave (jumps between two frequencies)

- Step Sine Wave (Sequences up down through seven pitches)

- Sine Wave (Moves smoothly through two pitches)

We also have width and rate controllers that adjust the range and speed of the LFO accordingly. We have a frequency knob that adjusts the pitch of the internal oscillator and finally your best friend – the blend knob.

This is where this pedal and effect in general goes from the aforementioned alien/robot/Dr Who/See anything sci-fi related sounds to a very interesting tone sculpting tool. This is where the wild card goes from the guy who’s ruining everybody else’s fun by pissing in the pool to the guy that inspired the skinny dipping in the spa.

By fine tuning the blend control we can adjust these otherworldly and alien sounds to create underpinning tones that off set that generic guitar sound you might be working with. A perfect tool for sculpting those unique guitar sounds that can be heard on so many records – think Radiohead’s ‘Bodysnatchers’ or The National’s ‘Lemonworld’ as recent examples.

Patience is really the most important part of using an effect like this and Way Huge make a quite unpredictable effect about as intuitive and sculptable as it can be. So if you’re looking for pedal you can turn on a jam away then steer well clear.

If you like your guitar sounds thick and rich and accompanied with John Bonham drums then the Ringworm will probably make it hard for you to sleep at night. But if the idea of offsetting your standard guitar sound excites you and you fancy yourself a bit of a sonic architect then the Way Huge Electronics Ringworm might be the little shade of ‘field-gray’ you didn’t know you were after.

For anyone who wants to make peace with the aliens that bring our impending doom on December 21, 2012

Not for anyone who listens to John Mayer

Review by Gary Milk

8/10

Way Huge Electronics

Angry Troll Linear Boost

The mighty Angry Troll from Way Huge Electronics serves up gorgeous portions of volume and gain to pummel the input of your amp with up to +50dB of gain. It adds bite and punch while transforming your mild mannered tone into a beastly sonic onslaught! The Angry Troll’s two controls interact like a vintage mic pre amp. The Anger knob—a rotary switch with six Fists of Fury positions—adjusts the amount of gain created by the Troll’s op-amp, while the Volume knob regulates the overall output level. High grade components are used for a precisely tuned circuit that works like an extension of your amp. Another tone monster from the mind of Mr. Huge! · Delivers up to +50dB of boost · Precisely tuned to work like an extension of your amp · Adds a little dirt at higher settings · Heavy duty foot switch with quiet relay based true bypass · High grade components for low noise operation.


Click here for more info


Aqua Puss Analog Delay

The Aqua-Puss MkII is making its triumphant return, ready to bathe a tone-thirsty world in gorgeously smooth delay. One twist of the Delay knob takes you from a tight 20ms delay to a cavernous 300ms. The Feedback control regulates delay duration and intensity. But watch out. Extreme settings can send the Aqua-Puss MkII into self-oscillating psycho-freak-out mode! Meanwhile the Blend knob lets you set a balance between dry and delayed signal—from mild to wild. The Aqua-Puss MkII delivers all the spooky mystery of vintage analog delay and tape-based echo, with none of the hassle of creaky, ancient gear.

Click here for more info 

Fat Sandwich Harmonic Saturator Distortion

The Fat Sandwich represents a new era in pedal design for Way Huge. In addition to carrying on the Way Huge tradition of amazing tone, rugged construction and cool names, the Fat Sandwich delivers heaps of crunchy distortion goodness via its innovative multi-stage clipping circuit. Meticulously designed from the ground up, the passive tone stack was tuned to bring out the “sweet spot” with any guitar and amp combination. The Volume control produces tons of output, making it ideal for driving the headroom out of the most powerful tube amps. Additionally, the Fat Sandwich has two internal mini controls: the Curve knob lets the user fine-tune the corner frequency of the overdrive filtering and the Sustain control adjusts the gain of the final distortion stage. The Fat Sandwich is versatile and over the top—the consummate distortion pedal for any genre or playing style.

Click here for more info 


Green Rhino Overdrive

The legendary Way Huge Green Rhino has returned! The Mk II has all the gorgeous classic overdrive that you crave but it has evolved to include cool new features that make it even more rhinoceriffic. In addition to the Volume, Tone, and Drive controls, you get a 100Hz EQ knob to cut or boost your low end by 12dB. Your low notes can either shake the ground like a stampede across the savannah or cut through the mix like a charging rhino’s horn.

This pachyderm of a pedal also sports a Curve control to fine-tune the corner frequencies of your tone. All this amazing tone shaping makes other overdrives seem boring and one-dimensional by comparison. In front of a clean amp, with the Volume and Drive set at noon, you can go from pristine purity to a punchy, dynamic rhythm tone. Set the Drive low and crank the Volume and add tons of boost to wallop the input of any amp. Turn up the Drive control with the Rhino in front of a distorted channel and hear more gain and sustain than you ever thought your amp was capable of. And no matter how you use it, the Green Rhino Mk II will deliver clean operation, quiet relay-based true-bypass switching, and the rock-solid construction that Way Huge is famous for.

Click here for more info 

Pork Loin Soft Clip Injection Overdrive 

Make room for one more Way Huge original! The Pork Loin incorporates two distinct tonal pathways that are blended together—a modern soft clipping overdrive and a modified classic British preamp for clean. At the heart of the Pork Loin’s overdrive path is a soft clipped BiFET overdrive gain stage with a passive Tone control, rounded out by a Curve function that gives the user freedom to fine-tune corner frequencies. The Volume control regulates the masses of pork power that exude from its space age circuitry, leaving room for the Clean control to blend in its warm glistening clean tones. Additionally, the Pork Loin has three internal mini controls: Filter and Voice deliver extensive tonal shaping possibilities, while the overdrive Mix control allows the Pork Loin to be run as a clean preamp. With a wide range of dynamic tones, the Pork Loin is the premier overdrive pedal on the market today!


Click here for more info

Red Llama Overdrive

The often imitated but never duplicated thunder of the Red Llama is back! This is not a reproduction, but a continuation of where the groundbreaking archetype left off in 1999. Every single feature that made the Red Llama so mighty is still in place, right where Mr. Huge left them. Season to taste any amp, big or small, clean or dirty the Llama is the perfect compliment to them all, with a rich harmonic palette available on the austere control panel. Spin the drive knob and go from a gentle grind all the way up to massive distortion. Use lower settings for defined open chording or juiced clean tones. Go a little higher for crunchy power fifths, and crank it up for buttery lead tones and tight, bottom-heavy riffage. The volume control sets the desired amount of overall level, but be forewarned: The output capabilities of the Red Llama are legendary, with more than enough gain to force even the cleanest, most stubborn amps to submit their headroom.


Click here for more info


Ringworm Ring Modulator 

Dial in some crazy freaked out madness with the Way Huge Ring Worm; an analog modulator based on old school synth technology, with a new, designed-from-the-ground-up circuit. One twist of the 5-way selector knob takes you through five different waves of Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) lunacy, adding beautifully bizarre and unpredictable amounts of modulation to your otherwise traditional tone. The Depth knob controls intensity, and the Rate knob controls speed of the LFO, while the Blend and Frequency knobs controls the mix of the effect and pitch of the internal oscillator. An expression input allows an expression pedal to take over the function of the Frequency knob. Don't be afraid to explore the depths of the abstract with this looney Way Huge creation.


Click here for more info

Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz 

The most sought after and corpulent Way Huge pedal is back! The Swollen Pickle MkII surrenders super high-gain fuzz with copious amounts of smooth low-end to all who dare plug into it. With a twist of the Sustain control, you’re taken from mild crunch to Armageddon! The Filter control retains its trademark insane range of heavily band-pass-filtered tones, distinguished by remarkable girth and sizzle, and the Loudness puts out enough volume to clobber any amp! Newly added features include a tone stack Scoop control that elicits classic Swollen Pickle mid-scoop or a flat mid-frequency sweep, and a Crunch knob to adjust the compression intensity of the fuzz. Finally, under the hood, the Swollen Pickle MkII has two internal mini controls; Voice sets the intensity of the external scoop control from light to heavy mid cut, and Clip varies between two sets of clipping diodes for smooth or opened fuzz sustain.


Click here for more info

MXR and Way Huge Electronics

We're really excited to announce that we now have MXR and Way Huge Electronics effects pedals in stock! These guys have built some of the best effects pedals in history and have been heard on countless classic recordings. Click on the pedals below to read more about some of the range we have in stock, or even better come in and have a play!