SONICAKE Acoustic Guitar Preamp Multi Effects Chorus Delay Reverb XLR Output

I gig quite often and lugging around my huge pedaltrain and my deluxe reverb combo is not always an option. I'm trying to set up a new blues project so I wanted something inexpensive yet flexible and twiggy blues seemed to fit the bill perfectly.For less than the cost of a boss pedal, you get four great sounding effects plus a switchable cab simulator.Construction:This thing is tiny yet extremely robust( see the picture with the plectrum for size scaling). The switches seem very durable, the knobs are nice and smooth and it's just around the right weight. The knobs are dressed with silicone covers so adjustment is easy and stable. A huge plus is that each effect's knobs light with a different colour making it easy to see which effect is on and also the settings. It was also a very pleasant surprise that a power supply and an anti slip mat are included.Sounds:Twiggy blues has anything to get you from clean chicken pickin country to power blues a la S.R.V. The included effects are a compressor(comp), an overdrive(blues), a slapback echo/delay(slapback) and a lovely warm reverb(air).The compressor is a two know dynacomp style compressor. It can be used to even out dynamics, make your strat sound nice and round or at more extreme settings give a nice volume boost and sustain, especially when used in conjuction with the overdrive.The overdrive has all the controls you'd expect(vol,tone,gain) and is a very smooth low to mid gain overdrive. It is more amp like getting you those very sought after dumble tones. Works great with both single coils and humbuckers and with every guitar I tried it,it never sounded mushy, quite contrary was always well defined ,warm and cut through great. Although I've got more than 20 drive pedals,this one sounded similar to none. It's more like a warmer in between of a tube screamer and a blues driver.Quite interesting.The slapback delay can go up to 500ms. It's suprisingly non colouring, especially at this price point,sounding better than delays which cost double than the whole twiggy blues.It has the typical three controls allowing control over repeats, delay time and mix level.Aftrer the delay there is a switch which activates or deactivates the cabinet simulator. Although nothing mindblowing, it is a perfectly usable cab simulator which sounds to me like a nice and round american style 4X12. Tried to record directly and performed quite satisfactory.Last but not least is the reverb. It is a very classy and quite defined medium to large room with a very subtle underlying shimmer. As the name(air) suggests, although it only has a level knob,it opens up the sound making it way more 3d and textured.Overall it is an astonishing value for money which won't disappoint, not only at this price point but anyone who wants to get a quality country to power blues sound without busting the bank or breaking your back. Works great, power consumption is only 150ma so you can incorporate it easily to your existing setup and use your own power supply, while sounding absolutely amazing both connected to an amp or direct.

I have to say again, it's a bargain.Build QualityWell made metal casing, feels durable and will last. The buttons feel small to big hands, but work well enough. I have no concerns this will break anytime soon. It has a very useful XLR DI out, this seriously helps when plugging into a mixing desk.The PSU is include, which is nice. But, it's a bit flimsy, I've not got high hopes for that living a long life, but its a great addition to get you started.SoundFor the price, it sounds much better than it should. I can hear it has digital undertows, but the effects all work well and are convincingly good. Changing settings is a bit fiddly, they are quite sensitive, but with a bit of tweaking you can get some pretty decent sounds from this humble pedal. It certainly will help you sound better at a open mic where you don't usually get much choice.Has built in tap tempo, but the awkward one where you have to press and hold switches. That said, for £60, pretty awesome if you have the patience to use it.Pre amp - calms down the tone of your guitar and makes it sound balanced, there is definitely some compression going on, it's reasonably subtle and doesn't add much volume.Chorus - This one stands out, it's full and surprisingly lush sounding. Only downside is it can be quickly overbearing if you push it. So I use it subtlety.Delay - Is an analogue type delay effect, does what it says on the tin.Reverb - Sounds like Hall to me, this really livens up the depth and range, esp good if you're a picker. Can be very dark if you push it..I've used at home and in a live setting, I have to say I really like it. It's perfect for beginners and guitarists who occasionally record or play live acoustic shows. It definitely makes your guitar stand out and I've had some raised eyebrows when discussing it with my muso mates.I'm not sure the others in the range are quite as convincing, but the Sonicwood is a little bit of a diamond in the rough..