The Minneapolis, MN ZVEX guitar effects company has been an extremely reputable builder for a couple of decades—their Fuzz Factory distortion box was one of the devices that kicked off the mania for boutique effects in the first place—and they may have crafted THE ultimate boutique pedal: a terrific sounding, incredibly lovely, prohibitively expensive, and completely impractical vibrato. It’s called the Candela, and at $6000, you’re not going to see it on many pedalboards very soon. In fact, its unique 19th-Century-meets-Rube-Goldberg construction and 15lb weight make it totally unsuitable for live performance regardless of its price. But its most notable feature is its power source. Where most guitar effects take a 9-volt battery, the Candela is ingeniously powered with a tea candle. I suppose it must go without saying that holy shit I totally want one.
 

 
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