Martin
I'm Martin, and I have a problem (it's pedals). I play ambient and post-rock — big washes of reverb, delays into delays, the kind of pedalboard that needs its own roadie — so effects are where I live. I love going down the rabbit hole on a circuit: what's the buffer doing, how does it stack, what happens at the extremes of the knobs nobody dares turn? My reviews tend to wander, because that's how you actually find the magic in a box. I'll always show you the weird, useful corners.
14 published articles · most recent July 13, 2026
I'm Martin, and I have a problem (it's pedals). I play ambient and post-rock — big washes of reverb, delays into delays, the kind of pedalboard that needs its own roadie — so effects are where I live.
I love going down the rabbit hole on a circuit: what's the buffer doing, how does it stack, what happens at the extremes of the knobs nobody dares turn?
My reviews tend to wander, because that's how you actually find the magic in a box. I'll always show you the weird, useful corners.
Articles by Martin
How truss rod adjustments actually affect your guitar's playabilityThe truss rod isn't just for fixing a bowed neck — it shapes feel, action and intonation across the whole fretboard. Here's what's actually happening when you turn it.- How swell and volume-swell technique changes what you need from reverb and delayVolume swells aren't just a playing trick — they fundamentally change how reverb and delay pedals behave. Here's what to look for in your effects chain.
- Guitar string winding types explained: roundwound, flatwound and halfwoundRoundwound, flatwound, halfwound — string winding affects tone, feel and how your pedals respond. Martin explains what's actually going on.
How fuzz pedals interact with your guitar's volume and tone controlsFuzz pedals respond to your guitar's controls in ways overdrive and distortion don't. Here's what's actually happening in the circuit, and how to use it.- Acoustic guitar top woods explained: what spruce, cedar and mahogany actually doSpruce, cedar, mahogany — the soundboard wood shapes everything about how an acoustic guitar responds. Here's what each actually does to your tone.
- Fuzz into overdrive vs overdrive into fuzz: does the order actually matter?Stack a fuzz and an overdrive and the order matters enormously. Martin breaks down what each combination actually does to your tone.
- How looping practice changes what you want from your effects pedalsRegular looper use rewires how you hear your own playing — and quietly exposes every weakness in your effects chain. Here's what it taught me.
- How clipping works in overdrive and distortion pedalsHard clipping, soft clipping, asymmetric clipping — what's actually happening inside your dirt pedal, and why it changes how your tone feels.
- How your picking dynamics interact with effects pedals (and why technique changes everything)The way you pick doesn't just shape your dry tone — it fundamentally changes how every pedal on your board behaves. Here's what to listen for.
Reverb Types Explained: Spring, Hall, Plate and BeyondSpring, room, hall, plate, shimmer — what the reverb modes on your pedal actually do, and when to reach for each.
What Is a Fuzz Pedal? Big Muff vs Fuzz Face ExplainedThe oldest dirt sound in rock, demystified — what fuzz actually does, and how the two great fuzz families differ.
Analog vs Digital Delay: Which Should You Buy?Warm and dark or clean and precise? The real differences between analog and digital delay, and how to pick the right one for your sound.
How to Build Your First PedalboardSignal chain order, power, patch cables and the mistakes everyone makes first time. A friendly walkthrough to building a board that actually works.
Overdrive vs Distortion vs Fuzz: What’s the Difference?Three flavours of “dirt”, three different jobs. A plain-English guide to the pedals that make your guitar growl — and when to reach for each.