Are you obsessed with the tones that David Gilmour was able to achieve on the Dark Side of the Moon album? Are you looking for a quick grab-and-go pedalboard that requires minimal setup? Or are you just looking for something cool and different to play through at your jam sessions that will make your bandmates go “what is that?” If you answered yes to any of those, then the Schu-Tone Luna Obscura is for you!
The Luna Obscura is an all-in-one pedalboard based on the effects used by David Gilmour during the Dark Side of the Moon era. Inside it houses a screaming and versatile silicon fuzz circuit, a powerful boost that can also double as an awesome overdrive, a sweet and swirling sounding vibe, and a unique multi-head delay that you won’t find anywhere else.
The silicon fuzz circuit is thick and saturated, with a strong, cutting edge to the sound. The added controls for Brite and Body give you additional control over the sound you are looking for. If you want to thicken up your sound and add some more bass, crank up the Body control. Use the Brite control to add in the top-end that you need, giving your fuzz tone a little more smoothness.
The boost section works perfectly as a tone shaping boost, but also as an overdrive circuit. With the drive control low, you can use the boost as a tone-shaper using the Bass and Treble controls. As you increase the drive, the overdriven characteristic of the boost comes shining through, taking you from light overdrive all the way up to crunchy rhythm tones. This interactive nature of the tone stack provides a smooth that can boost or cut both bass and treble frequencies while preserving the midrange frequencies.
The vibe portion of the pedal is based on vintage units, using a lamp and photocells to deliver the lush, swirly vibes. The speed control sets the rate of modulation from slow as molasses to faster, more up-tempo speeds. The Depth control adjusts the intensity of the effect, allowing you to dial in anything from subtle to pronounced swirling tones. The Volume control lets you match the vibe signal to your dry signal (or give it a boost), making sure you never lose volume when you kick this on.
The Delay section is unique to this pedal. The heart of the delay section is the 4 selectable delay heads. Each head produces a different delay time, which can be selected using a switch or dial. This feature allows the user to create complex and rhythmic delay patterns by engaging multiple heads simultaneously. The Delay control sets the overall delay time, from slapback at 200ms to longer, more ambient 800ms. Mix and Swell controls further tailor the delayed signal, making the repeats really pronounced, or letting them float away into the ether.
The Luna Obscura is a real labor of love for me. I setout to design an all-in-one pedalboard solution, and I feel like this product really delivers. These are available now in my store for $349, and also available for backorder to get on the list and become the next lucky owner of one of these amazing pedals.