Harley Benton MiniStomp MicroCAB

This small pedal is a life saver for silent playing and direct recording. I own multiple cabsim devices, I was not fully cotent by any of them. Now my problem is solved. There is nothing like this on the market, as far as I know: small, simple, analog, with many - and, importantly, *usable* - cabinet simulation filters. Let alone at this price point!

The 11 presets offer such a diverse palette that it is hard to think someone can't find what they are looking for. In fact, the difference between the tones is so great that, in my opinion, some of them are quite exaggerated. For example, I find that the 4x12 GB setting is too dark and bassy, even for a closed back. Nevertheless, the provided tone and volume controls offer a great flexibility, which I have not entirely explored, yet.

The only minuses are those that virtually anyone else noticed: the notches of the rotary switch are too soft for the touch, and the dark inscription on black is unreadable in normal conditions. Nevertheless, these drawbacks don't make it at all unusable, it is easy to dial in by ear alone and find the tone you are looking for.

I am still shocked at how many different sounds HB could pack into this mini-stomp. Tough little stompbox. When they say "true" bypass they aren't kidding. No hiss, buzz or pop. You could hear a mouse fart when you turn this pedal off. I love the classic sounds it produces along with a number of newer cabinet emulators. The ONLY problem that I have with this pedal is the tiny red writing on the matte black finish. I ended up using a white permanent chalk marker to mark my favorites.