J. Rockett Audio Designs Tour Series Archer Overdrive and Boost Guitar Effects Pedal

This is a really versatile pedal, it actually can do more than I had originally thought, after some experimentation I found this pedal can do a few things. It can do overdrive, like I'd say getting into the zone of crunch territory is about where it taps out before getting way to much output going on. It has a unique voice, I'd say it's kind of "hard", not harsh, but just a very strong and blunt kind of overdrive. I don't know how else to describe it, to me, this is probably the weakest link in the pedal as it has a tendency to get kind of dark and harder to distinguish the notes the more the overdrive is turned up, but still 100% usable. The highlight I think this pedal serves is as a "clean boost", it has a very slight mid-hump, and gives some "girth" to clean notes, it sounds excellent doing this, my favorite setting. It can also be used to push another pedal into some "output" driven overdrive, which is a very clean sounding tone, I like that as-well. That about sums up what the uses are of the pedal, I think it serves really well as an "enhanced" clean tone, and even getting into some unique overdrive territories, but I remain that it serves best as a clean boost. For the price though, I'm a happy camper and I think this is a keeper. Final Notes: This buffer will thin out your tone and add presence when it's off, I ended up returning it because my amp already is a bright amp and it just didn't sit well with my setup. The sound was fantastic, but it made my clean signal to harsh when off.

I never owned or played a Klon Centaur, but was intrigued by this pedal after viewing a Tone for Tache Guitarist video. I decided to order one after receiving a EHX SoulFood. The Archer has a wide array of tones and its controls have very subtle adjustments. It plays from a totally clear boost, to a bit of edge to a lovely OD'ed sound; and the tone control is very effective at dialling in the exact amount of treble/bass you need. The Archer also works great in combination with a stacked OD/distortion/fuzz pedal (I use an FullTone OCD and/or a MXR Mini-Fuzz Face). With gain turned down, The Archer will definitely emphasise the sound of the said dirt pedals w/o the mushiness you sometimes experience. Compared to the SoulFood, it has less overall gain when turned to the max, BUT definitely has a better sounding, more organic and more natural sound. That justifies the price difference IMHO. Well done, J Rockett!

Indispensable on my pedal board. I use it in one of two ways: always on with almost no gain, or for a gentle gain with a bit of grit. Either way, it sounds great and cuts through the mix. Put it before The Dude, and the combination sounds great. If I could only have one pedal, this would be the one.

They sent me a broken unit. When it was turned on, the signal was extremely quiet, even with the output and gain knobs turned up. The serial number on the box and the serial number on the pedal didn't match! Do yourself a favor and order from someone reputable. Ridiculous.

As a professional level guitarist of 45+ years, I have used a multitude of different pedals. The Archer is a fantastic stand-alone pedal for low to medium overdrive crunch (blues, country, classic rock), or paired with another overdrive, like an OCD, it opens a whole other realm of possibilities with smooth, thick, controlled sustain. It is now my 2nd favorite overdrive (replacing my Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer), and running a close second to my KLON Centaur, whose price has gone out of reach for the average musician. The ARCHER at $200 is worth every penny and a absolute gem of an overdrive!

Definitely a mirror of a KTR. I have both, and this pedal is as good as a Klon, just slightly different. This pedal has more gain, and the crunch is beautiful, not better nor worse. I'm not going to write a comparison review, but having a Klon and a Rockett, I am happy to still have the Archer. Great sounds throughout the tonal shaping spectrum, and a keeper, no doubt. If you want clean boost it's here ; if you want gain, it's here.

The right size and an affordable price. at a little below msrp. Device has a less intense 'noise' aspect and more of a warm. clean distortion. If I want to play Black Sabbath I use my "Super-Fuzz"" and get that heavy very distorted sound. Only problem I see is it is very noisy when you click on the switch to engage the pedal..

I'm in a phase of "build my pedal board" and this Archer unit came up as a solid boost / overdrive. I'm totally happy with it. In my case I'm interested in "just a bit of" distortion. This unit gives me guitar distortion on a tele bridge pickup at about the level of China Grove. Most of the time I play it with Output and Treble at noon and minimal Gain. That sound makes me pretty happy, feels like a big enhance from straight signal. The Treble control is not overpowering; changes tone, not a hard cut. I'd buy this again.