Landmine Distortion Pedal

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MIKE PALERMO IS A CANADIAN guitarist and music store proprietor who once had a serious problem. After trying every distortion on the market, he couldn't find a box that fulfilled his twisted need for bombastic tone. His solution was simple and effective. Mike fashioned a steel casing to resemble a WWII landmine, stuffed it full of explosive circuitry and started placing his pedals in places where important people would step on them. Nice guy, huh? Needless to say, the hand-built distortion box has blown away everyone who has hit its switch.

The olive-drab-green Landmine is completely analog and has controls for level, low, mid and high adjustment, plus amp and mixer outputs that can be used simultaneously. All lettering is appropriately painted with a military-style stencil. Through clean Fender and Victoria amps, the Landmine produced crushing low-end, ass-kicking midrange report and fiery top end attack. But it was the distinct and offsetting textures of tubelike distortion and chainsaw fuzz that really tweaked my ear. Palermo has succeeded where many have failed before him, magnificently blending two dissimilar distortion types into one righteous high-gain ordinance.

If you're looking for a boutique overdrive that can introduce wicked tone in your arsenal, by all means, step on the Landmine and prepare to be destroyed.

Eric Kirkland
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