FENDER POUR OVER ENV FILTER

THE BIG F ADDS AN ENVELOPE FILTER TO ITS EVER-EXPANDING LINEUP OF PEDALS. REVIEW BY TREVOR CURWEN.

Envelope filters, eh? One could make the case that Mike Beigel’s Musitronics got it right with the Mu-Tron III in the ‘70s, and that everyone since has been using that template and just adding their own bells and whistles. Fender’s first foray into the genre has a similar set of controls to a Mu-Tron on the right with the familiar three-way filter choice (high-pass, low-pass and bandpass) and an Up/Down switch. Here, however, there’s the addition of a distortion section on the left-hand side via a toggle switch.

Without the distortion, there are variations of auto‑wah, quacky shifted tonality and filter sweeps available with careful juxtaposition of the controls – but bringing in the distortion adds an instant edge and throatiness that can make those filter sweeps more synth-like, and get you closer to some talkbox-like sounds.

You can also use the distortion on its own, possibly adding some tonal shading rather than filter movement. As with the other pedals in Fender’s lineup, the knobs have LED lights that you can turn on and off via a switch on the side of the pedal. The Pour Over is housed in the now-familiar anodised aluminium Fender enclosure, and it really is a great design. It also features offset I/O jacks and a battery that is a cinch to change via a pull-down flap.

VERDICT

There’s plenty to explore here if you’re up for taking your pedalboard in a more left-field direction, with onboard gain adding grit and a synth-esque effect to the filter sweeps.

PROS

Wide range of transformative filter tones. Gain circuit can be used on its own. Another well-designed Fender pedal.

Very attractive price.

DISTRIBUTOR

Fender

Ph: (02) 8198 1300 Web: fender.com

CONS

Envelope filter remains a niche effect.