Today we have two pedals from a company that is quite well known in the guitar world. The reason everyone knows Roger Mayer pedals is, besides their quality, their long history linked to names such as Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, etc. But, above all, because it was Jimi Hendrix's go-to guru brand. With a calling card like that, you are already primed to hear sounds we all have in our heads. In this article we will look at two pedals from the company's extensive product list: the Voodoo Vibe, which is a vibrato with a small chorus section, and the Axis, which represents the fuzz sound. In either case, just by looking at the pedals you can tell they breathe Hendrix.

CONSTRUCTION
Looking at the Roger Mayer pedals, we realize how different they are from each other; it is as if they came from different brands. The Voodoo Vibe looks like a cool, proper, elegant pedal, etc., and the Axis is the complete opposite: big, space-age, with very few knobs, orange in color, and looking more like a spaceship than a pedal. In either case, both pedals look completely sturdy and ready to withstand gigs, rehearsals, recording sessions, etc.

We can start describing the Voodoo Vibe in terms of how it is designed and built. This pedal is relatively large, which you need to keep in mind when designing your pedalboard, since it will take up a bit more room than a conventional pedal. It is completely flat and the knobs are placed on top, where they are easy to reach. The footswitch is completely separate from them, which makes stepping on it a completely easy task, since we don't have to perform a balancing act to hit the switch. It has four knobs: speed, sweep, intensity and vibrato/chorus mix. Besides an input, we have three outputs (I thought this was a great idea): a normal output and two buffered outputs to be used when we have long cables, so as not to lose any harmonics. And finally, there is the battery holder, which is very innovative, since it minimizes the time it takes to change the battery; this is also useful, since in the middle of a gig you can't be fumbling around for where to put the connector, etc. Lastly, there is also the option of connecting a conventional 9 V power supply.

Turning to the Axis, we appreciate the simplicity of its design. Setting aside its space-age look, we see that the top of the pedal holds the footswitch (impossible to miss), and the side holds the input and output, as well as the volume and gain knobs. This has its pros and cons: the downside is that the controls are not as accessible when you want to change any of them but, on the other hand, they are much better protected from being stepped on, knocked and other mishaps. The battery is connected inside the pedal itself, so you have to remove screws and take off the whole bottom plate to install it.
This brings us to the fact that, for some reason (possibly out of faithfulness to Hendrix's original pedal), it has no input for connecting a power supply, so it only runs on batteries.

SOUND
This section is where much of the secret lies as to why Roger Mayer gets good reviews, regardless of its connection with the classic guitarists.

Starting with the "Voodoo Vibe," we already know it is a vibrato pedal with a chorus option. Personally, I think these are very useful effects you come back to often, which means they need to be very precise, since you will use them for longer than others that you will only use in some special ten-second part. What characterizes the "Voodoo Vibe" is that as soon as you plug in the guitar and turn it on, it already sounds incredible. It doesn't matter how you set it; in every position you will find something that catches your attention. Looking at the different controls, we can say the pedal has four knobs:

· SPEED: This controls the speed of the waveform.
· INTENSITY: We can choose how much output we want from the effect itself and, therefore, its depth.
· SWEEP: This control is related to the next control, MIX. In short, we can say that it rounds off the peaks of the waveforms, making them smoother, or not, depending on the knob's position.
· MIX: This knob lets us add chorus to the vibrato. I have to say that the chorus effect is quite gentle, and at times it has a touch of compression.

In terms of sound, when you plug in the pedal, you feel your own tone grow, to the point that harmonics appear that you didn't hear before. At the same time, you feel the waveform come and go in a natural way, and you appreciate the analog feel. With clean sounds it works wonderfully, and with crunch sounds it works really well. I ran the tests with a Les Paul and an SG with P-90s, and for amplification I used a Koch Studiotone.

Next, we move on to the most Hendrix sound of all. This pedal was conceived back in 1967 for Jimi. That is where its connection with the album "Axis: Bold as Love" comes from; you can also hear it on "Band of Gypsys." Tonally, you can appreciate how it defines each note you play, given that it is a fuzz and therefore you will get a very grainy distortion, and your notes will be completely defined, both chords and single notes. I have to say that it handles solo sounds without any problem, once again, even knowing it is a fuzz and therefore not usually the best candidate for that, but in this case there is no problem at all. Perhaps on single notes it can sometimes sound a little thin, but that is understandable, since the Plexis Hendrix used would have given it all the body the fuzz might lack on single notes. Now, what really makes this pedal incredible is the amount of sustain it can give you: if you strike a chord you can hold it forever, and if your volume is considerable you can get some of the most interesting feedback. Internally, the pedal is a compact circuit that seems to replicate in detail the one Hendrix might have used.

I ran the tests with a Strat with single-coil pickups and the SG with P-90s; for the amplifier I used a Koch Multitone.

CONCLUSION
Talking about these two pedals means discussing something many people already know; that is, their sounds are so extremely recognizable that everyone can identify them in a second. The Axis is the clearest case, since it is an effect Jimi used a lot, and therefore perfect for your '60s-'70s set; of course, it is also useful for other kinds of sounds. Perhaps its size is something to keep in mind within your pedal setup. The Voodoo Vibe, on the other hand, is much more versatile and anonymous, perfect for blending with any kind of guitar and amplifier. Its sound is simply great. Its price is also something to consider, but when we get to these levels of sound, the price naturally goes up too.