NPD: Magnetic Effects - Zola (boost/eq)

Supportact · May 2021

Hello, Just came here to chip in with my thoughts on this pedal. Not seen that much about it online so thought this might help...

I play mostly cleanish indie type stuff into a vox AC15 which is turned up loud but not really distorting. I've been using an old Boss SD-1 for ages (gain on zero) as a boost first in pedal chain because I liked the way it cut some of the lows and gave a nice present sound with both telecasters and humbucker type guitars. I found it maybe a bit too dirty with humbuckers even with the gain down so I looked around for something else. I considered loads of stuff including Echoplex type, Klones, loads of clean boosts, EQ pedals etc. This is sold as a 'high headroom' boost and eq, so I gave it a go.

Firstly, build quality is really good, feels solid and easily on a level with companies like Earthquaker Devices, Old Blood Noise Endeavors, JHS, etc. Secondly, this pedal is quiet. Really quiet. Even turning it all the way up it's astonishingly free of hiss.

Most of the demos online seem to be based around using the Zola to slam a strong signal into a valve amp so you get a highly driven heavy rock sound. No doubt it will do this no problem as it has loads of volume, but that isn't what I wanted it for, and in my view isn't its main strength.

Initially I plugged in and set it to unity gain, eq flat. Turning it off and on showed that it can be very transparent, and not really altering the tone at those settings. Turning it up, there's plenty of volume available which stays clean entirely (until your amp breaks up). After some adjustment I found that setting it just above unity gain with the bass on 10 O'Clock and the Treble just over 12 O'Clock gave a lovely clear sparkle and clarity to notes. Loads of pedals these days get marketed as adding some special magic 'something' to your sound (and from what I've seen this pedal has no hype of that nature) but it really does do that kind of thing. Or, more accurately I suspect it's actually just allowing more of the natural sound of the pickups through without diminishing the sound. I'm not sure what the technical reasons are, but I know after I'd played for a while and then switched it off, I really missed it. It seems to make everything a bit more articulate and responsive without altering your basic tone (even if you're not boosting the volume).

Thinking about any negatives, I'd say if you're after a boost which is going to add some dirt or 'warmth' to your sound then this won't be for you. Think 'clear' and 'pristine' rather than anything else (which is not to say you can't take that good sound and run it in to an overdrive or breaking up amp). Also, because the sound is much more defined (I would use the term 'detailed' raher than 'flattering' to describe the overall effect), you will find that any imperfections in playing or sloppy technique will become more apparent - which may or may not be helpful as I found out myself!

I've been reading this forum for a while but I actually joined in order to write this review, because I don't think the information and demos online really do it justice (or even explain what it can do!). Just to be clear I've got no affiliation to the company, I just bought this pedal and I'm really impressed with it.