We recently did a review on the stellar new volume pedal from Tapestry Audio called the Bloomery. We were so blow away by the quality of the Bloomery that we had to try out Tapestry Audio’s latest overdrive pedal the “Fab Suisse”.
Built on a classic Marshall Bluesbreaker style circuit foundation the Fab Suisse adds a 3 band eq and three way toggle switch giving you a near infinite number of overdrive tones ranging from subtle clean boost to screaming half stack.
Upon opening the box I was greeted by the same great “built like a tank” build quality and features that the Bloomery had. The engraved enclosure is very clean and the finish is superb. The layout and location of knobs is spot on with no spacing issues or off center lettering. The knobs also feature Tapestry’s proprietary knob stops which allow you to lock in your settings to prevent accidental setting changes during services. I was also impressed with the size of the pedal in light of all of it’s features. The three way switch was very reactive and drastically changes the tone depending on which position it is in. The three band EQ is also very responsive and yet smooth throughout the pot position.
Upon plugging it in I was not impressed initially. It was a bit fizzy and the low headroom was a little hard to get used to. After moving it around on my board a bit I found it’s sweet spot. I found that I love the pedal right after my compressor and POG and before my Pedal Monsters Klone and Bondi Sick As. I run the three way switch in the center which is the clean boost setting. I run the volume at around noon and the gain just past noon. I must say that I am very glad that I gave the pedal a chance. It is now on nearly 90% of the time and is a crucial part of my base tone.
The great thing about this pedal is that it is not your run of the mill Tubescreamer with a few changes. It isn’t a Klon clone and it isn’t a Morning Glory. It is in a league all of it’s own which is refreshing in the over saturated market of overdrive pedals. It is likely a pedal that will take sometime to fall in love with and it will take sometime to find it’s sweet spot within your rig but man when you do, you won’t go back.
As we mentioned in our Bloomery review we cannot say enough about Tapestry Audio and the owner Ryan. He has built a company that is passionate about quality and providing innovative products instead of just copying the industry leaders.
