Wampler Pinnacle 2 Review

The Wampler Pinnacle 2 stompbox comes with the claim that it captures Eddie Van Halen's Brown Sound in a box.  It has Vintage and Modern modes to take you through the classic Marshall Plexi stack of the 70's to the 80's and beyond.  So put your headband and overalls on as we go through what this pedal can do.

Ease of Use

As far as functionality goes, few pedals are as purposeful. There are four knobs and two toggle switches.  The Volume and Tone knobs are pretty self explanatory.  I've never needed to put the Tone knob past 1 o'clock and thats plenty for even dark humbuckers.  Around 11 o'clock is more than adequate for single coils.  On the right side are the Contour and Gain controls.  I've found the Contour the least practical of all the features.  Turning it up molds the sound to a scoop tone but seemingly some attack is lost.  If you really need a scoop tone better to EQ the amp or go to an EQ pedal.

For an instant variation in tone, flick the Vintage/Modern toggle switch which changes the EQ again from a brighter to a darker tone with a slight amount of fuzz.  The all important Gain control needs no introduction.  Dial in to the highest setting at 5 o'clock the Pinnacle 2 exhibits a little more dirt and grit.  Back it off to about 3 o'clock, in conjunction with the Gain toggle switch and you get that creamy buttery overdrive that gets you in the vicinity of Satriani and Vai.  There is probably very little reason to turn this knob down, otherwise you've bought the wrong pedal!

Sound

As for the Van Halen Brown Sound, those in the know have described this pedal as more Van Halen II than Van Halen I.  But that’s a testament to how good this pedal is. While it's obviously not an exact reproduction of Eddies elusive tone it will get you in the ballpark. Throw in another distortion pedal before the Pinnacle to get more distortion for an Atomic Punk shred.  While you’re at it chuck in a Phase 90 (Script of course) and slap in a good Delay pedal after the Pinnacle and you’ll get even closer.

This pedal is both single coil and humbucker friendly.  Great sounds can be had by both.  You don't need to crank an amp to get good tone.  This pedal is very bedroom friendly and the magic starts happening at low volumes.  EVH tapping just requires a touch more volume but you can easily nail Hot for Teacher or even the Beat It solo.  No problem with rhythm crunch too, the Pinnacle can do Panama and Unchained intros with ease.  The Wampler Pinnacle 2 also plays nice with solid state amps.  Budding guitar heroes can now appreciate those 80's tones without an ear shattering Marshall stack.

Construction

As the name implies this is the second issue of the Pinnacle guitar pedal. The first being in a larger case and the Boost rotary knob now gets replaced with a toggle switch.  The new compact case is about the same size as a MXR or Love Pedal stompbox.  The red speckled metallic paint adds another touch of class.  The only thing missing are those Frankenstrat stripes and some kinda EVH branding.

 

A few of really, really minor niggles.  I would have preferred though to see screen printed text rather than a clear sticker.  It would make it look a bit more professional than home brew.  As well, don't be near Triffids as the blue led light can be quite blinding.  The foot switch also feels quite stiff in comparison to other boutique pedals, oil does not seem to help.  But none of these detract from this incredible pedal.  

Summary

If you are looking for an affordable way to get a Van Halen or even a Vai and Satriani sound then look no further than the Wampler Pinnacle 2.  Brian Wampler has set out to create a brown sound in a box guitar pedal  and he has nailed it.  If there is only one stompbox I could own the Pinnacle 2 would be it.

Pros

Brown sound in a box. 

Covers the array of 80's shred including Vai and Satriani.

Lots of options to shape tone.

Solid state friendly.

Bedroom level friendly.

Cons

Sometimes there is a waiting line. It took 6 weeks for mine to arrive.

9/10


http://www.indy-guitarist.com/
http://www.wamplerpedals.com/ 


Looks like they've reissued the old Pinnacle 2 for a limited time. http://www.wamplerpedals.com/pinnacle_2_reissue