My favorite color being orange may or may not be the reason I first purchased the Cusack Screamer pedal. The fact that I spotted the bright orange pedal on Nigel Hendroff’s pedalboard was definitely the other thing that pushed me to purchase one.
3 years or so ago I was short on cash so I bought the first version of the pedal which was a bare aluminum enclosure with engraved artwork and black knobs. I got it for $90 and at the time the bright orange Version 2 of the pedal was still at $199 so I decided to find out if I liked it or not. That pedal was on my rig for quite sometime and then I let one of our guitarists have it to help him get started in using effects pedals. I have missed it since.
Recently I was prompted to purchase one of the bright orange Screamers with yellow knobs, because the company went through a re-branding and had changed their enclosure designs. Now I must admit the new enclosures (pictured above) are gorgeous and it was a solid move for the company, but I just had to have one of those orange ones. I know I am crazy. So I contacted Cusack and ordered one. They sent me one of the V2 orange ones and one of their new ones which we are currently doing a giveaway on.
For this review I tested both pedals and they are the exact same pedal, just different enclosure. This was confirmed by Cusack Music.
Quality You Can See
Like that original Screamer V1 that I had a few years back both pedals are meticulously crafted in Holland, Michigan. Cusack has spared no expense in putting the best parts into the pedals from top mount plastic jacks that won’t damage your plugs to click-less foot switches these pedals are made to last. The finish quality on them is impeccable as well. If you aren’t convinced by this then I have a story for you.
I had an input jack issue on that old V1 that I had and contacted the company to inquire about service. They had me ship it into them and they fixed it for free under warranty even though I was not the original owner. Then they paid to send it back to me. With service like that I know that even if their great build quality doesn’t stand up to the rigors of transporting my gear back and forth from church every week, that they will take care of me.
The Tubescreamer You Have Always Wanted
As the name suggests the Cusack Screamer takes inspiration from the Ibanez Tubescreamer but the name is where the similarities end. The Screamer has both more and less gain on tap allowing you to dial in great clean boost tones all the way to screaming lead tones. The three way toggle switch allows you to adjust the clipping mode to get even more flexibility and tones. I found that I love both the stock (left) and asymmetrical (middle) modes the best.
The Standard is the most Tubescreamer like with a very pronounced mid-range with tight low end and crisp highs. The asymmetrical mode is very tight and is the best if you want to use the pedal as a low gain, high head room overdrive or clean boost. This mode is great for brightening up humbuckers in the next position of that Gretsch Falcon or ES335 or boosting another overdrive into harmonic saturation.
While it can be used as a clean boost this pedal really excels at being a second stage overdrive. While the mid-range is super pronounced the pedal is not muddy like a standard Tubescreamer. The pedal remains clear throughout the tone knob sweep. I have found that I normally have it in the 11pm to 3pm position depending on the song, guitar and amp.
Pair it with Anything
Tubescreamers are famous for being finicky and picky about which amps and pedals you pair them with. For instance I have always hated the tone I get from a TS9 and a Vox AC30. It is just fizzy and harsh. Not the Cusack Screamer though. I paired it with the following amps and pedals and found it to be excellent in all situations. I have rated each pairing for overall tone to give you an idea of how it paired with some of the drive pedals and amps we have here.
- Pedals
- Bondi Sick As Overdrive – 7
- Mojotone Rook Overdrive – 8
- Fox Pedals Kingdom Overdrive – 9
- Pedal Monsters Klone Overdrive –10
- Cusack Screamer Fuzz – 10
- Tapestry Audio Fab Suisse – 8
- Amps
- Bad Cat Cub III 30 Head & 1×12 Cabinet – 10
- Morgan RCA35 Head & 1×12 Cabinet – 8.5
- Fender Blues Junior Tweed w/ Jensen Speaker – 10
Summary
If you are looking for a great non-transparent second or third stage overdrive pedal you have to take a look at this pedal. Cusack is a spectacular company that truly values and takes care of their customers and their products reflect that commitment. Honestly if I had to choose one overdrive pedal I would pick this one. Well I would pick the orange V2 because well, I love orange. Below are some quick pros and cons on the pedal.
Pros
- Great clarity
- Fantastic build quality
- Top notch customer service
- Flexibility to use with nearly any pedal and amp setup
- 3-way clipping switch provides great flexibility
Cons
- Top mount jacks can cause issues with pedalboard layout
- Plastic jack housings. I personally love them but some will likely view them as less durable.