A review by 12fret.com
A review from
12fret.com:
Guitarists are always after the proverbial Holy Grail of pedals that are going to get them that elusive high gain “mucho chunga” sound. We’ve seen our fair share of amazing products come through our doors and into your hands. With the Wampler Pinnacle, I am suffering from another “Here-I-go-again” syndrome.
Just when I though I had heard it all, I came across Brian Wampler’s amazing products. Brian Wamplers pedal mods and custom pedals have become legendary in the pro circles. Guitarists are always looking for distortion pedals that yield amp-like tones and have the dynamic overtones that only an amp and 4X12 cab can achieve. I stand corrected. The Pinnacle is a high gain overdrive/distortion that is voiced towards the Hot rodded Marshall/Bogner Ecstacy/Peavey 5150/ Soldano SLO100/ Mesa Engineering sound. In fact, it’s the pedal that gets the closest to the EVH Brown sound!
It’s masterfully made up of J-fet circuits peppered with high grade metal film resistors and diodes. It’s true bypass design keeps everything neutral in the signal chain and is remarkably quiet even at “gainiac” level of distortion. Remarkably dynamic, the Pinnacle responds to the subtlest of volume knob adjustments and cleans up very nicely. It consists of Volume, Tone (high frequency roll off), Vintage/Modern switch, Contour (sweepable mid control), Gain (duh!!!), On/Off switch and a boost switch for solo boost or adding more snarl to the equation.
Not only does this pedal sound amazing but it looks incredibly sexy as well. I can pretty much plug this sucker into any amp and get my sound … from the cheesiest of transistor amps to the clean channel of my Koch Powertone and VHT Pitbull. With minor adjustments I was even able to get my trademark Gainiac/Captain Crunch approved tone and everything in between. Amazingly enough, there is a lot of gain on tap…a lot even for me. There is enough gain here to choke a hungry Great White Shark. Yet in making such a fire breathing pedal, creator/alchemist boy Brian Wampler has managed to keep all the subtleties of the guitar and the dynamics of a tube amp while still keeping some amazing headroom levels. As we don’t have any stock at the moment, delivery time is about 2-3 weeks on Wampler pedals…take it from a self-confessed pedal addict/gainiac, it’s totally worth the wait.
Customer Comments on the Pinnacle
"I just got got the Pinnacle 2, and let me say Holy ...@#$%$#@#&*&^%%!!!!!!!!!
It far exceeded my expectations. This pedal is Eddie in a box. I have played hand wired "tweaked" Marshall's, real original Block letter 5150's, Soldano SLO 100's and this pedal does nail the Eddie sound. This is one of the few items I have played and feel it should bear the EVH logo/brand endorsement.
I have in just 15-20 minutes been able to dial up VH1, Fair Warning (Unchained made my shorts fall off, the clarity, warmth, and drive holy cow!!) I also dialed in the SLO For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge sound with Top of the World and Poundcake as well as the Dark "Balance" Tones. Most importantly is this. I am not going to get into the transparency of this pedal. It makes the amp sound like Eddie.
The cool thing that most people reviewing pedals don't say is this..the sound is authentic, it doesn't sound like a "pedal" generating or emulating a sound. I could somehow feel the old birch Marshall 412 cab just emanating the thick (and it is thick, full and brown, but not muddy).
This pedal is way more that you said it would be and you delivered beyond me expectations. (Oh by the way all of these tones came off of a Dr Z Stang Ray and a fender Twin, new stock at the Guitar Center)
I took this pedal down to the Guitar center in Richmond so my buddy could hear it, we have both been very curious. Both he, myself and about 10 other customers in the store we not just impressed but down right blown away. At the store we were running a hot rod tele (single bridge, mini hum in the neck) threw a new fender twin and getting obscene Eddieesque tones. There is no doubt what this pedal is made
At home I played it threw my Dr Z with a first year Ernie Ball Music Man EVH and let me tell it was as close as I could hope to get to the EVH sound with out 412 cabs, 100 Marshall's, Soldano's, 5150's etc. I'll end up with this on a Z Best cab to move more air but for a 212 open back class A amp it was as good as i could hope to get.
I am playing with it tonight (in a VH style band) and I will send you a much better thank you letter and if possible some sound clips.
Thanks more than you know, this is what I have been looking for for about 3 years now ever since I decided to downsize from the 5150 full stack."
"I have to say, that The Pinnacle is OUTSTANDING! It far surpasses my expectations! The tonal variety is very broad, and I don't think there is a sound that this thing is incapable of producing. I was simply amazed at the quality of the pedal both in its construction and sound capabilities. It does it all, and exceptionally well! I would vote this product the #1 pedal of the year if it were in a contest! You would have to buy a couple different amps and maybe a handful of different pedals to achieve everything that this pedal can do! From a bit of grit, to crunchy chord work, to heavy distortion, and even sounds similar to a fuzz pedal, this thing covers them all.
I tell you what, it is the best pedal I have ever come in contact with. It is my favorite pedal on my board! I'm thinkin' it'll be with me forever, and I'm going to ask to be buried with it when I die. I know sometimes people are sceptical about pedals when they first purchase them, and it may take weeks to get used to it, but if I am already this "in love" with it, I can only imagine what kind of relationship The Pinnacle and I will have in the future."
"I got the Pinnacle 2 pedal today, it looks the BOMB and sounds even better, im so impressed with it, the led's a bright as, the paint
job is sensational, and the tones are exactly what I wanted,back to the jam room, just a quick email to say mega thankx"
"Just wanted to drop you a note to say how outstanding the Pinnacle is. I bought a Plextorion, a Plexi-drive, and a Pinnacle, looking for something to give my Carr Hammehead set clean a distortion sound, and the Pinnacle was exactly the sound I've been chasing. I used it tonight with my Blues Jr at practice, with a parts Tele (Lollar pups), and it was just fantastic!!! I'm even tempted to use my Blues Jr w/ the Pinnacle at our next gig on the 10th (Blues Jr doesn't normally have enough volume, but the sound was so goo tonihgt, that I'm re-thinking my set-up for the gig). Again, just an outstanding pedal!!!"
"dear brian i just wanted to send you some feedback on your pinnacle 2 pedal, its THE BEST pedal ever, so good im thinking of getting another one. i cant believe how smooth it sounds,so true about the brown sound! its so good to read about a pedal,buy it,try it,and it actually does what it says it does. i liked it so much i bought your ego squasher,plextortion and ecstasy drive,cant wait for them. ive had heaps of pedals but none like the pinnacle 2.To all other guitarists this pedal is the bomb,warm overdrive and distortion,dont waste your time on other pedals this is it! "