Here's what it's all about. The Pedals !

Octa-switch
When Carl Martin decided to create a baby-brother for his world famous Combinator, the details of simplifying an already simple effect controller made his head hurt. So Carl enlisted the help of Thomas Guldmann, and the Octa-switch Guitar Effect Pedal Switching System was born.

The concept is simple take your eight favorite effects pedals, plug them into the eight individual loops (all true-bypass gold relays) on the Octa-switch, and then designate what effects you want connected to each of 8 banks via the worlds simplest and smallest DIP switches located over the top of each of the eight bank switches. Thomas chose DIP switches because they are just eight individual on-off switches in a tiny package. So if your guitar effects are plugged into Loops 1-8, you simply turn the DIP switch on for each of the effects you want in Bank 1, and then Bank 2 etc up to Bank 8. You can use one or all of the effects in each bank, and once you have designated a bank, do us both a favor and cover the DIP with a bit of tape to ensure nothing happens to the DIP switch when you are not looking like an errant hand, or a flood of beer.

The Octa-Switch has a blue LED for every effects loop used and for each Bank (so once you are programmed, when you step on Bank 6 you will see the lights of all the effects you have assigned to Bank 6 and the Bank 6 LED).

The Carl Martin Octa switch is mono-in and mono/stereo out, with a choice of a buffered signal or not. The unit is powered by dual 9v batteries, or a regulated power supply like the Carl Martin Big John Power Supply, and is housed in an all metal case with heart-stopping (ok, well almost) graphics. So, the same basic options found in the digitally controlled units the famous guys are using, at a fraction of the cost.

Please note, the DIP switches are slide type, NOT push down. They are easily operated with a small screwdriver, a pen, or a very small finger. On large stages when running long connected cables, there is a definite drop in the high end of your guitar sound (more or less depending on the input impedance of your amplifier). The solution according to Thomas was once again simple. He built in a buffer circuit at the input, so the user can choose between 100% true bypass, or buffered bypass to beef up the signal.

Musictoyz.com Price $342.95

Combinator 2
If you use lots of effects pedals but get tired of pressing a bunch of footswitches to turn multiple pedals on or off, the Combinator 2 will put a smile on your face. With the Combinator 2, switching is easier, smoother, and you even save batteries.

The Combinator 2 features 8 effects loops, 18 programs, tuner output, master mute, a power supply providing 8 individual 9-volt taps, and 3 external switches on separate outputs.

Each pedal is connected to one of 8 individual effects loops (2 with stereo returns) and then assigned to one or more of 18 groups. Pushing the program switch for a group simultaneously engages all of the pedals assigned to it. Assign a fuzz pedal, wah, and chorus to program switch one and hit the switch once to turn them all on or off.

Programming is a snap. Just select a bank and press one of the program buttons, press the soft buttons corresponding to the pedals you want to include, press store, and you're done.

Musictoyz.com Price $622.95