The Raven pedal cannot be categorised with any other effects pedal as it really does stand alone in its ability to produce a certain type of sound. It is essentially chorus with the sole purpose of reproducing some of the finest sounds of bassist Paul Raven. Raven was also a producer who worked with the likes if Godflesh and Ministry among others.

Under the sound of the chorus can be heard a thick, full bodied fuzz working away. This idea had not been seen previously in the industry but it was felt that there was no existing mechanism that would allow the rigorous shaping of tone that a Journeyman of Raven standards requires.

As if there wasn’t enough support already for tonal flexibility, there is the Chop Chop switch which is essentially the ability for the lush chorus to be converted into a slurred vibrato and with just one flick of a toggle switch. There is no similar feature on the market today.

The stompbox pays further homage to its namesake with a dual role (Raven was a producer as well as a bassist) by taking on the guise of both a guitar effects pedal and bass guitar effects pedal). The Kaw switch alters the bass frequency which creates a large volume of flexibility whether in the recording stage or up on stage.

Despite all of this making it the uniquely wonderful stompbox that it is, there is one particular feature which sees it stand out from any other; its artwork. Raven called in an equally renowned professional in the form of artist Felix LaFlamme and they collaborated on the design. One look at their impressive result and it is impossible not to be blown away, matching the exquisite sounds that emanate from the device. What makes fans of Raven even more passionate about this design is that it is nowadays, limited. The Deluxe Raven takes a long time to produce being somewhat complicated. In fact, any musician is kept waiting four months before he can get his hands on it. Of course. He is never disappointed when he does.

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categories: guitar effects, guitar playing, guitars