Product Description

The Electro-Harmonix Riddle is a powerful and precise envelope filter fine-tuned for guitar frequency response. The Riddle guitar effect will deliver tight and smooth control over the complete 80 Hz to 5 kHz range, with a consistent and even sweetness. Need some edge? Engage Riddle's analog distortion and dial in anything from subtle bite to dominating crush. You can even plug in an optional expression pedal to control the filter sweep with your foot. With the ability to adjust Q, sweep range, and filter type, you'll also wind up with of the most versatile wahs available.

Envelope controlled filters are a unique type of sound modifier where the intensity of the effect is controlled by the user's playing dynamics. The volume and dynamic of the incoming audio signal is used to control a swept filter. As the volume increases or decreases so does the frequency of the filter. With 3 selectable filter modes, along with START, STOP, ATTACK, DECAY, Q and SENSITIVITY controls, The Electro-Harmonix Riddle guitar pedal makes all of the classic Q sounds available to you.

80 Hz to 5 kHz frequency response tailored for guitar Optional expression pedal control Fully-analog circuit Switch selectable analog distortion designed for guitar Start and Stop sweep control Low Pass, Band Pass, High Pass filter select Start and Stop for filter sweep and Q control Separate Dry and Effect outputs

Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage

Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.

Gold Coverage Includes:

Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidity

Other plan features include:

For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear

*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details

Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.

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This pedal has done something special to me. It sincerely got me to change my main board all around to make room for it. The effect is hard to control, but it is something that has become indispensable for my clean sound.The overall effect of this pedal runs the gauntlet between autowah, phaser, and filter. There are a lot of nice sounds in there. My favorite is dialing in a clean sound that will phase and wah just a bit, but it is totally pick sensitive! Really great to fill out and dress up a clean section. Listen to it wah and swirl around all your long chords and chuck-a-wah around your cross picking. It also boosts the high frequency like a wah. Welcome to shimery dynamic cleans that you can control with just your pick! I had to start pulling things off my main board to make room.One thing that is bad about it is the price. I think it's worth the money, but I also think it's NOT worth the price for everyone. People who just want an instant funk stomper might be better off with one of the Q-tron pedals for less money. If you are going to just stomp this pedal and bow-chick-a-mow-wow, you really aren't using all of its capabilities. You might want a cheaper and/or smaller solution.One thing I hope to get into is the expression pedal. Part of the pedal board rework was to move the wah pedal off and move the volume pedal on. Now I am hoping that I can modify a Switchblade A/B to a paired A/B and swap the volume pedal between being a volume pedal and an expression pedal for the Qballs. That would be such a slick way to get wah back on my board without having to free up that space.So overall this thing has been one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in a long while. Value looses -1.0 points because I think most people will find they can do more with less where a funk filter is concerned. And yeah, this thing is a tank like all EHX pedals. It's hard to recommend this as an impulse buy because it is hard to use and will not feel like a home run to most people. It's a tweaker's paradise though, and the fact that it's touch sensitive can really bring out your picking style. Cleans shimmer and swirl with this thing. You may find yourself saying 'what's a phaser' after you get used to this thing. I haven't tried the expression pedal, but I have high hopes for a versatile wah. I didn't mention the distortion because it is just distortion. I assume there is a trim pot inside that will let you tune it if you want a decent distortion sound. It's not the point of the pedal though. Plus, I have 3 different distortions and overdrives on my board already. This is one I find to be optional, but I could try to dial it in for a funk lead or something. That is all I have to say about that.
Electro-Harmonix Riddle Envelope Filter Guitar Effects Pedal
.I could not get a single usable tone out of this pedal. It sounds great in the video. Every combination I tried was awful. I do have over 20 years exp with guitar and pedals, so I don't think it's just me. Do yourself a favor and try it before you buy it, although MF is great about returns. I really wanted this pedal to work out. Maybe the dr Q would be easier to get decent sounds out of. I think this pedal has too many controls. They are all highly interactive with each other, which in this case seems to be this pedal's downfall.
Electro-Harmonix Riddle Envelope Filter Guitar Effects Pedal
....This thing is pretty rad once you take the time to figure it out. It definitely is a little tricky at first and as stated in other reviews, the controls are highly interactive with each other. You can dial in old school Q-Tron sounds, or a variety of other cool filter sweeps. I'd recommend watching the demo video on the ehx.com to learn more or to get ideas on how to work it properly.
Electro-Harmonix Riddle Envelope Filter Guitar Effects Pedal
.The Riddle is one of the most fully controllable envelope filters on the market; plus, its sweet, juicy sounds are specially calibrated for guitar, placing this bargain buy on the top shelf with boutique products that cost hundreds more. Despite the pedal's moniker, the interactive controls are intuitive once you twiddle them for a few minutes. Extreme settings can produce some mild noise, but that's not unusual for a filter. I found the distortion more useable than I expected; although a square-wave fuzz might have been interesting, the gritty overdrive adds extra kick to get your point across.
Electro-Harmonix Riddle Envelope Filter Guitar Effects Pedal
.I understand why they named this box the "Riddle." It took me a few hours to start to get sounds out of the box but once I did I started writing down a couple dozen variations. Fat and nasty dirty wah to thin and tinkly synths to classic auto wah, there's alot of stuff here. I would advise anyone to try one out before buying if at all possible as the controls are highly interactive and take some getting used to.I guess I can understand the other reviewer's frustration, but this is the funkiest box I've ever played with. Although it can do mellow arpeggios and angular progressive riffs, it was made to funk for sure. If you can't sound funky with this greasy box, you ain't go no funk in you. I even got a great simulation of the gtr sound from "Thank You" by Sly and the Family Stone," a sound that had always eluded me.One complaint is I wish they would have given the gain control a dedicated knob rather than sharing it with the Sensitivity control. I managed to get a reasonable balance with the distortion level vs. no distortion via the little knobby inside the unit. Also, the overdrive is nice and it would be cool to be able to have it on just on it's own w/o the wah. If you keep the start and stop controls parallel, you can kinda get this anyways.
Electro-Harmonix Riddle Envelope Filter Guitar Effects Pedal
.This pedal gives you too much control. The bottom limit of the filter is too low, and the top filter is too high. But all that is customizable to the extreme. One thing: set the decay knob as low as it will go so the sound filter will immediately stop when you stop playing. And put it before the compressor or you'll get monstrous changes in volume (I'd do this with a normal wah anyway). And use your own overdrive and distortion, the onboard one is limited. If you're looking for a sound you heard somewhere, this may not be your pedal--it may take too long to find it. If your looking for your own unique sound this is it.
Electro-Harmonix Riddle Envelope Filter Guitar Effects Pedal
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