WamplerPhenom Distortion Pedal (WAM

The Wampler Phenom Distortion pedal is part of Wampler's new $99 "Collective Series". This is part of a recent trend we've also seen from JHS ("3 Series") and Walrus ("Fundamental") to offer somewhat of a "budget" line to compliment their traditional "boutique" offerings. Some will say that $99 is still not a "budget" price point. Compared to the army of Joyo, Caline, etc. clone pedals from China, perhaps not. But it's nice to see Wampler offering something to match BOSS, MXR, and EHX entry-level price points, and having owned several Wamplers, the look and feel of this pedal is consistent with their more expensive offerings.The Phenom distortion pedal is a medium-to-high gain pedal with a powerful 3-band EQ. The mod switch toggles between "classic" and "bright" settings, and I found it very useful to go from humbuckers to single coils, or to pair with darker or brighter amps. On either setting, the EQ controls are capable of heavy lifting. This pedal reminds me a bit of the excellent MXR Super Badass Distortion, which also had a 3-band EQ and could cover a variety of different styles.I've seen Wampler describe the Phenom as both a "5150"-style distortion (think late 80's and 90's Van Halen) and as being based off their now-discontinued Plextortion pedal. I think both descriptions ring true. This pedal will not do a "clean boost", but it can be set with the gain knob around 9:00 for a Marshall Plexi-like crunch. Turn up the gain and it is capable of becoming quite heavy and saturated. I'm typically a low-to-mid gain overdrive fanatic, but I was looking for one pedal to cover the heavier stuff, and this certainly fits the bill. Wampler has done this in the past with pedals like the Sovereign (didn't like it at all for some reason) and Pinnacle (had it for a bit and then sold it). I think I prefer the Phenom over those other two, and it retails at half the price.One word of advice with this pedal: don't be afraid to work the EQ as you change both your volume and gain settings, and don't shy away from unconventional settings if the situation calls for it. Wampler drive pedals are known for being bass-heavy with the controls at noon, and it's often a good idea to try even a 9:00 or 10:00 setting on that knob to see if it tightens up the low end. The pedal has plenty of output and can sound quite bright or mids-forward if you ask it to. For rhythm work, I like to slightly scoop the mids and boost the treble.

Can not take batteries.Otherwise great for the money.Owned a RAT ALSO.

This pedal is an amazing value for the price! It’s a great balance between distortion and overdrive. Make no mistake it IS distortion NOT overdrive, but it’s not that kinda distortion that just sounds like angry bees when you turn it on, it has depth and clarity to it, and you can run it even as a soft gain, or a very high gain. The EQ on this pedal can drastically change the sound, I recommend really messing with it and the volume and gain knobs are so responsive. If your looking to play classic rock, grunge and heavy metal this is a must have pedal! Perfect amount of distortion to dial in those sounds without it sounding like a black metal distortion vibe. Highly recommend

It had some really nice controls and it looks really good. The sound was mediocre and I preferred the blues driver a lot more.

I’m so sorry to have to leave this review. I have always liked Wampler products. I guess this low price line of products does not receive the same attention and quality control as the premium products. That should not be an excuse however because MANY premium brands (PRS, Fender) make lower cost product lines that are amazing quality. Not so with this pedal. It has a Classic/Bright switch that does not work. You can’t even detect the change in noise floor when it’s engaged. My bet is that it did not get connected. What a drag. I wanted to love this pedal. I am a pro player my whole life, all I have ever done (Im 68 now and have been playing since I was 10) and have owned bucket loads of pedals. This could have been a nice product if anyone cared to see if it worked. Apparently the name brand does not guarantee quality anymore.

The control's dials fine work it's a pedal that works ok not great for the price.

Works well with my Strat and Les Paul. Just the right amount of dirt, but not overly gained out. Works well in my three piece band with a fender tone master twin reverb. I use it conjunction with a tumness for a lead boost.

I e been around since the time Brian started with modding pedals! Before he became a full time company with pedal production. I have bought many of his pedals, never once liked any of his pedals except for his mini boost pedal. That was the only pedal that I kept. I have this company many chances. But I guess the pedals they make are not for me! Sorry Brian.