The Calhoun (pronounced cal (like california) , hoon) is the first signature pedal for legendary guitarist Mike Campbell who has played guitar with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, as well as Don Henley, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and many more.
It’s a 2-button overdrive and fuzz pedal with the same option to stack the pedals in any order (you do this with the toggle in the middle of the pedal).
2-in-1
The easiest way to imagine this pedal is if you draw an imaginary line down the middle and separate the 2 tones in your mind.
It’s as if there are 2 different pedals in one unit, they have been voiced to match with each other in terms of EQ, so that you don’t get any clashing frequencies.
Drive
The drive sound is an awesome example of mild overdrive. It’s got a lovely twang and bite that will let your rhythm tones chime without becoming muddy. It isn’t overly drive so that you can have great clarity but when you want more dirt, you can dial in the fuzz…
Fuzz
The fuzz is dirty but without sounding too woolly. It has a lot of bite but the treble can easily be controlled with the bias knob. Imagine the ‘bias’ as the brightness and you’ll be able to easily dial in your tone.