DemonFX Pedals - Any good?

[groooooove]

okay so,

I was looking to find a used analogman bass chorus. One of these was recommended at the bottom of the page from ebay.

was listed for $60 on ebay i think.

so i started googling.

ordering diret from ali express, the price was just too damn cheap not to try. I need some dirt for guitar, so i figured i'd try those.

i had used an analogman chorus on my board for years and while i cant a/b them, i can certainly give my thoughts on how they compare when i get it. the others will be interesting as well to get an overall idea.

from what i gather, they generally make actual exact copies of the circuit. some other reviews of various pedals do report the sound being as close to identical as can be.

No i don't like that they also copy the art and it's getting into counterfeit territory rather than homage. but at the end of the day, nearly every pedal is a copy of something else.

will definitely report back when i have them.

 

[Greg Pruitt]

okay so,

I was looking to find a used analogman bass chorus. One of these was recommended at the bottom of the page from ebay.

was listed for $60 on ebay i think.

so i started googling.

ordering diret from ali express, the price was just too damn cheap not to try. I need some dirt for guitar, so i figured i'd try those.

i had used an analogman chorus on my board for years and while i cant a/b them, i can certainly give my thoughts on how they compare when i get it. the others will be interesting as well to get an overall idea.

from what i gather, they generally make actual exact copies of the circuit. some other reviews of various pedals do report the sound being as close to identical as can be.

No i don't like that they also copy the art and it's getting into counterfeit territory rather than homage. but at the end of the day, nearly every pedal is a copy of something else.

will definitely report back when i have them.

I look forward to what you have to say about the pedals once you have some miles on them. I have nothing but good things to say about the DemonFx D7K preamp pedal.

 

[NKBassman]

Following for reviews.

 

[groooooove]

okay, i finally got the pedals.

full disclosure: I have little to no hands on experience with the analogman prince of tone, original blues driver, or klon pedals.

on those I'll keep my comments brief. whether or not they "sound like the original," though important to many people, i have no reference. Not that i don't care - they are cones - but why bother commenting on what they sound like compared to someone else demoing it on youtube.

what I can say is these DO NOT sound like cheap chinese copies. I have experience with higher end pedals as well as some cheap chinese import/amazon brands. These perform like the former. They sound great. The Klon clone in particular really has such a magnificent sound. All controls behave appropriately, not like some cheap pedals where things adjust in odd ways.

now,

the analogman mini chorus was a staple in my rig for many, many years. I know it very well. No, i do not have one in studio to compare it to. but yes, i am very confident in my comments.

This pedal is an exact replica and nobody can tell the different in a blind test.

Also mind you, i'm not a novice when it comes to chorus pedals. I currently own i think 4 of them. I have easily owned a dozen in my life, and use them all the time. This is as premium as any chorus pedal there is (both the analogman and this clone.)

I am absolutely blown away by this thing. Perhaps it would not be as road worthy as the original, as only time and use can tell. but as far as tone goes? This is a 10/10 home run.

I am actively trying to locate originals to a/b the other pedals to. I am pretty confident they will have similar results - perhaps not as perfect of a replica, but my guess is they'll perform very well.

If you order on aliexpress this pedal will be around $30. ones already imported seem to be about $60. delivery from china did take some time but man... for $30? a no brainer.

 

[CletusMarley]

I have the D7K Ultra. It's super cool.

 

[InkCow]

My Harmonic Booster arrived last week. I don’t have any firsthand experience with the original, so I can’t comment on how good of a copy it is, but it does add a lot of nice color to my tone. I was really happy with the sound of my Battalion preamp, but I will admit that I feel a little sad when I bypass the harmonic booster now. Like I’m missing a little something. Sort of the same kind of feeling a BBE Sonic Maximizer brings, but with a lot more tone shaping options.

Construction-wise, it feels fine: it’s surprisingly light (shockingly so), but metal. The weird thing is that that footswitch doesn’t click to engage or disengage. Works well enough, but you have to look down to see if the light goes on or off. Are the other pedals that you all have gotten like that?

Still trying to figure out how exactly I want to use it (i.e. always on, as a boost for my fretless through the Battalion, switching between and the Battalion as two distinct channels, etc.), but assuming it holds up, it’s definitely staying on the pedal board.

 

[dzem]

What I am interested in is to know the durability of DemonFX pedals. I have a friend who ordered a cheap 30 EUR looper (it was NOT demonFX brand) off of AliExpress and it broke down after a year. For the price he cant complain, but I am a bit hesitant to drop 60 EUR on the DemonFX A7K. Though for the price I am quite tempted. I just need it for rehearsals as the band I am playing with right now dont seem ready to go on stage atleast for the next six months and bass DI through IEM sounds like farts so I need atleast some tone purely for rehearsals.
Anyone has any ideas about durability of DemonFX pedals? If they can last me for over a year without breaking down I am good. I will buy one right now

 

[Greg Pruitt]

What I am interested in is to know the durability of DemonFX pedals. I have a friend who ordered a cheap 30 EUR looper (it was NOT demonFX brand) off of AliExpress and it broke down after a year. For the price he cant complain, but I am a bit hesitant to drop 60 EUR on the DemonFX A7K. Though for the price I am quite tempted. I just need it for rehearsals as the band I am playing with right now dont seem ready to go on stage atleast for the next six months and bass DI through IEM sounds like farts so I need atleast some tone purely for rehearsals.
Anyone has any ideas about durability of DemonFX pedals? If they can last me for over a year without breaking down I am good. I will buy one right now

Good question. I am a weekend worrier with the buds every now and then. I built a pedal board that I use to hold this and my other pedals. Because I am not on the road doing gigs, this product seemed perfect for me. If I were, I would have bought a different unit. I am not sure what kinds of breakdowns you have had with other pedals, so I cannot speak to those issues. This is my first Pre-Amp pedal, and I am more than happy with the tone I get with it (My primary concern). From what I can see in my daily use of the DemonFX A7K, it seems sturdy enough for what I do. The pots are quiet, and they seem firmly attached. I am not one of those guys who are inclined to open the box to examine the internals. I am not much of a DIY electrical kind of dude. The A7K seems as well put together as my Zoom MS-60B multi-effects pedal. However, I would not want to be dropping the A7K often. It is not a bit of road gear.

 

[stingray69]

yes. but i prefer the DG alpha omega's distortion tones a lot more (especially the omega side).

 

[stingray69]

Also:

 

[johnk_10]

i just ordered both of those.

 

[TheArchitect]

An obvious clone of darkglass, how it sounds you can hear in the video.

Is this a Vintage Deluxe clone? The layout is very similar to I think the V2?

I try very hard to buy from the original makers. They did the expensive R&D and I want to support them and the work they do. That said, these clones are pretty damn impressive. It makes keeping ones personal ethics intact quite difficult sometimes.

 

[stingray69]

i just ordered both of those.

Looking forward to your thoughts on them both.

I ordered the "X".

Should be here Tuesday.

 

[stingray69]

I want to say this is also something new-ish in their bass lineup.

 

[InkCow]

Is this a Vintage Deluxe clone? The layout is very similar to I think the V2?

I try very hard to buy from the original makers. They did the expensive R&D and I want to support them and the work they do. That said, these clones are pretty damn impressive. It makes keeping ones personal ethics intact quite difficult sometimes.

It’s a B7K clone.

I want to say this is also something new-ish in their bass lineup.

Another Keeley clone to go with the compressor.

 

[InkCow]

It’s a B7K clone.

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[stingray69]

After several hours evaluating the "X" distortion, all I can say is WOW! It's SUPER nice!

I dig it much better than the D7K - the way the "X" uses HPF/LPF crossover to separate & recombine the signal, allows for a much meatier low end on the bottom while the top gets the OD/distortion. The low end packs a noticeably bigger punch than with my D7K. The MIX knob is basically kind of like a tilt EQ and really works well for balancing & combining the tone. I was a bit worried that the "X" might not be able to cop all of the tones of the D7K, but in practice, it seems the other way around. The "X" can not only do the D7K tones, it also goes beyond them. Using the HPF/LPF/Mix you can get anything & everything from low-end grunty distortion to sharp/metallic top end that a lot of modern players are quite fond of - and everything in between. This pedal nails the subtle, barely-there OD, to full on raging distortion.

Other things to mention - the footswitch is not a typical click-type. It's more like a soft-press, there is no hard click when stepped on. No noise from the circuit. Overall noise-to-gain ration is very minimal. I'm highly, highly impressed!

 

[villegastx]

At least they are rebranding their clones. Their workmanship is amazing and it could be worse if they decide to flood the market with exact copies of expensive pedals like octabvres, chromatrons, klones and other hard to find collectibles.
This could get out of our hands in two seconds.
I collect old silver coins and bought a few fake coins on ebay last year. Fake precious metals and fake guitars are flooding ebay these days, and pedals looks easier to clone, because it could be harder to verify a pedal. Some serial numbers are writen with a sharpie.

 

[InkCow]

After several hours evaluating the "X" distortion, all I can say is WOW! It's SUPER nice!

I dig it much better than the D7K - the way the "X" uses HPF/LPF crossover to separate & recombine the signal, allows for a much meatier low end on the bottom while the top gets the OD/distortion. The low end packs a noticeably bigger punch than with my D7K. The MIX knob is basically kind of like a tilt EQ and really works well for balancing & combining the tone. I was a bit worried that the "X" might not be able to cop all of the tones of the D7K, but in practice, it seems the other way around. The "X" can not only do the D7K tones, it also goes beyond them. Using the HPF/LPF/Mix you can get anything & everything from low-end grunty distortion to sharp/metallic top end that a lot of modern players are quite fond of - and everything in between. This pedal nails the subtle, barely-there OD, to full on raging distortion.

Other things to mention - the footswitch is not a typical click-type. It's more like a soft-press, there is no hard click when stepped on. No noise from the circuit. Overall noise-to-gain ration is very minimal. I'm highly, highly impressed!

Is the “mix” knob a blend?

 

[stingray69]

Is the “mix” knob a blend?

Yes, it serves as a balance between the clean low end & the OD/distortion of the top end.

Drive sets how much OD/distortion is applied to the top end.

Using the HPF & LPF knobs, you sculpt the tone of both your low end & top end.

There is so much control over the tone of your OD & distortion it's ridiculous. One could literally take this to a country gig or a metal gig, no problem.