Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil To Release New Version Of ‘BOOOOOM / BLAST’ Signature Guitar Pedal
Biffy Clyro singer and guitarist Simon Neil has announced a new edition of his acclaimed signature guitar pedal. The 3.0 version of his acclaimed BOOOOOM / BLAST pedal, now in a demonic red/black colourway, will be available to pre-order here from 11.00am GMT on Tuesday 21 November, and is expected to ship by 31 January 2024.
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BOOOOOM / BLAST 3.0 has again been hand-built by co-designer and long-term Biffy Clyro guitar tech Richard ‘Churd’ Pratt and is limited to just 200 units.
BOOOOOM / BLAST 3.0 uses the same design and specification as the previous two runs. It not only captures Simon’s distinctive and multi-faceted sound but has also been hailed as one of the loudest pedals available. Each unit will again be personally signed and painted by Simon, this time with a red paint stripe on black casing.
Each pedal will be packaged with a handwritten ‘thank you’ note from Simon, a booklet complete with introductory notes from the duo, a hard case box featuring the logo from Churd’s company Gone Fishing Effects, and two exclusive plectrum designs.
Churd joined the Biffy Clyro touring team around the release of their 2004 album Infinity Land. He has been a part of their rise ever since, as the band have ascended to become arena-filling, festival-headlining favourites. He and Simon have discussed making a pedal for several years, but their hectic schedules restricted their opportunities to make it a reality.
When the first wave of lockdown was confirmed and touring ceased, the pair focused their energies on making it happen.
It was a labour of love for them both. Churd designed the pedal from scratch, in the process teaching himself an extensive range of engineering and electrical skills. It was developed via a handful of prototypes as they painstakingly captured Simon’s tone. Upon completion, each dial was named referencing a song from Biffy’s back catalogue, each word chosen to give a slightly abstract feel for the effect generated.
Simon commented, “It’s the pedal that I’ve been looking for most of my life. We’ve taken our time to ensure that it’s everything it can be. It’s been a real labour of love.”
Churd added, “The aim was to capture Simon’s sound in a box, so anyone can play guitar and sound like him. It was much easier said than done! It’s one of the most transparent loud overdrive pedals on the market. With so many distortion pedals you get loads of fuzz and saturation, but with this the guitar still breathes. You still hear all the notes but with the extra weight and overdrive.”