While Seymour Duncan has built its empire on the back of their amazing pickups, the company also offers a selection of great effects pedals. From the Dirty Deed Distortion to Vapor Trail Analog Delay, Duncan’s pedals are made with the same quality and craftsmanship as their pickups and also happen to pair great with them as well. Today we're taking a closer look at two new additions to their effects catalog – announced at this year’s Winter NAMM – the Catalina Chorus and Palladium Gain Stage! The Catalina Chorus is available for pre-order and set to ship out soon while the Palladium is scheduled to release sometime in March.    

Catalina Chorus

There are players out there that like their chorus pedals that create sounds that are subtle, familiar and traditional. Then there are those on the opposite side that want a chorus pedal that offers something different, something bold and unique. Whether you fall into the first or second category, Duncan’s new chorus pedal can deliver as it has been tailor made to merge the best of both worlds. With a fully analog character and an unprecedented level of control, you have the ability to create classic chorus tones or out of this world sounds in one great pedal. It has controls for Mix (from silent to unity to a +3dB boost for the wet signal), Rate, Depth and Delay, as well as a treble-attenuating Tone control for dialing in the clarity or warmth of the wet signal. And the Catalina also features a unique Dynamic switch which allows you to interact with the Depth control as you play. The Hard mode signals the chorus depth to increase as you play with more intensity, or flip it to Soft mode and you will receive more effect as you play lighter. There’s also a Threshold control to dial in the sensitivity of the Dynamic feature. The Catalina has a mono input and stereo outputs, and the footswitch is True Bypass. A versatile analog chorus with an innovative Dynamic Expression mode, this pedal gives you complete depth control depending on how hard you play.    

Palladium Gain Stage

The Palladium Gain Stage effects pedal is the first stompbox that actually captures the feel and responsiveness of a high gain tube amp. By focusing beyond just the tonal characteristics of Palladium, the guys at Seymour Ducan designed an innovative architecture that captures the full-bodied depth and character previously unattainable in an effects pedal. You can use it with a power amp or a clean guitar amp to create your ultimate high gain signature sound, and replicate your favorite high gain amp tones. Or use it in front of a distorted amp to tighten up the attack for rhythms or to increase sustain and saturation for solos. However you choose to use Palladium, you'll hear and feel the impact of great tone, body and depth in your unique sound. Palladium features three gain stages: a gain stage to control the overall saturation, a resonance control for low-frequency gain shaping and a boost control that adds overdrive to the beginning of the signal path. These three gain stages allow for a versatile range of tones, from classic rock at lower settings to modern metal at higher gain settings. The pedal also offers a comprehensive EQ, with bass, treble, presence and sweepable midrange frequency control, so you can make Palladium sound perfect with any amp.   Both   Like all of their pedals, the Catalina Chorus and Palladium Gain Stage are designed and assembled at their Santa Barbara, California factory by the same team responsible for their legendary pickups. To check out the rest of Seymour Duncan's effects, click here. If you need more information or help on any other piece of gear, don't hesitate to talk to one of our PAL pros using the Contact Us dialogue box below!    

Your Turn to Sound Off!

Which of these two pedals would you rather have in your setup?

Sound off in the comment section below!

[caption id="attachment_4562" align="alignnone" width="300"]catalina (1) Seymour Duncan Catalina Chorus Guitar Effects Pedal @ $229.00[/caption]