Damnation Audio presents the Ugly Twin

Damnation Audio has teamed up with Pissed Jeans guitarist Brad Fry to create the Ugly Twin, an all-analog octave/boost/fuzz pedal.

Despite being designed in collaboration with a punk rocker, this pedal is at home in a wide range of genres, from blues to classic rock to metal, and, of course, all the shades of punk. Here’s a quick overview of the Ugly Twin’s features.

The three circuits are stacked in series, going from octave to boost to fuzz. They can be used independently, but the real fun happens with all three engaged simultaneously.

The first circuit is a classic dirty analog octave up, great for solos that need a bit of ‘hair.’ Strum an open chord in this mode and you’ll descend into inter-modulating chaos. Flicking the “Twin-Ugly” switch here adds a preset boost in front of this circuit.

Next in line is a classic transistor boost that nudges your amp into overdrive and manages the gain heading into the fuzz circuit. Damnation said this stage does a good job at sitting between the two other circuits, “[mediating] any disputes they may (and will) have.”

Finally, there’s the fuzz. It has a hybrid silicon/germanium transistor design with a three-band EQ to take you from sweet amp-like tones to an all-out assault. If you crank all the dials up, Damnation Audio advises you to “stand the hell back.” 

Controls for this pedal are: “Level,” a three-band EQ, “Boost” and the “Twin-Ugly” switch that provides the aforementioned boost.

Lists for $249. More information at damnationaudio.com.