Electro-Harmonix Classics Tube EQ Guitar Effects Pedal  

I play through a line 6 spider 3 75... yeah. Previously, i couldn't use distortion pedals through it because it sounded like crap. But when i put the tube EQ after my distortion it sounds freaking amazing. Like really. The only downsides are the price (which is a little ridiculous) and the fact that you cant use it with your amps distortion unless your amp has an effects loop. Also, it would be nice if it had a few more eq controls. However, is works wonders for the clean channels. I havent had any problems with the buzz people have been talking about, but my amp has a built in noise gate. Buy it if you want to use effects pedals with a solid state amp.

I was looking for a pedal to warm up and beef up my tone a bit. This pedal will do for you. The way this pedal warms and thickens the tone without muddiness is great. The only real problem I have had with it is that it is noisy. It has ground-loop type buzz to it and if you tweak the treble setting up anywhere past half-way a hissing is also introduced. I did really like the way it warmed up my tone so I went out and bought a Boss NS-2 noise suppressor and it knocked the buzzing and hissing right out. Now that the buzz is gone, I really enjoy what this thing done for my tone, truly. To sum up: Pros: Great tone, warmth, nice tube feel, low cost Cons: buzzing and hissing but that can be fixed by purchasing another $80 noise supressor. I gave this pedal an overall rating of 3.0 because of the noise and the need to buy another pedal to kill the noise. As a side note, the noise supressor is a nice pedal to have just because! So no harm done.

This thing WILL warm up your boring old solid state amp!  I ran it through the effects loop of mine and it really did add tone and character.  Beware of the power supply though...it's one of a kind so it will not be easy to replace if it gets broken or lost.

I got this thing to warm up my old trusty (but toneless) solid state 2x10 amp.  Run through the effects loop it REALLY made a HUGE difference!  The amp had NO character before but with this thing it has a lot of nice overtones and "sing" to it.  I haven't tried the expression pedal feature yet. Now the bad news (sort of):  where the ac adaptor plugs into the unit is unlike any I've seen in other pedals.  If you accidently mess up the adaptor (like if your drummer's cymbal falls and cuts the cord in half), you're not going to go to Radio Shack or most music stores and find a replacement.  This unit would probably be better as a rack unit with a "real" plug. The other "down side" is the cost...190.00 is a bit pricey for an eq, but if you're not ready to shell out the bucks for a big watt tube amp, then it makes since to go with this unit until you can upgrade.  It won't "magically" turn your solid state into a boutique amp, but it will add a BUNCH of soul and character to you rig.