Have you Seen Flamma?

I want to take some time today to brag about a pedal brand from Shenzhen, China called Flamma** Innovation.

**We’re not 100% sure on the pronunciation, but I’m assuming it rhymes with “pajama.”

They launched in 2019 and dropped their first pedals in 2020. Basically, they’re a budget pedal line that you need to know about. Not should know. Need to know.

For the record, Flamma doesn’t self-identify as a budget brand, but I’m putting them in that category because the prices of these pedals are freakishly low (like, starting around thirty bucks and topping out at $100 for their pants-fanciest gear). In the jams in this week’s episode, we stacked two Flamma pedals at a time. As always, you’re going to get a little more out of this article if you watch the episode first, so I’ll wait here if you want to do that real quick.

You’re finished? Good. Let’s go.

FS03 Delay

Now, the first Flamma pedal on my list is one that I’ve already used in at least two of our live episodes: the FS03 Delay. And-- hyperbole alert --this is literally my favorite budget delay pedal I've ever played. Really. It’s $75, and I would put it on any board, any time, any gig. It’s that versatile. You’ve got several different modes to choose from, but my favorite is called “Galaxy.” “Galaxy” mode is tape delay mixed with a vintage Memory Man, and it’s beautiful.

FC07 Mini Drive

What’s interesting about the FC07 Mini Drive is the knob placement. Flamma Innovation basically threw the rulebook out the window and decided, “Yeah, we’ll have a large knob on our tiny pedal, but it’s going to be overdrive, not volume.” I respect that. I may even start doing JHS overdrives with the same layout. It’s cool.

Also, the FC07 Mini Drive is $29. That's a cup of coffee at your local Starbucks. You can work that into your budget, folks.

FC02 Mini Reverb

Next up is the FC02 Mini Reverb. It’s $39. I know I’m using a lot of italics in this article, but that’s the only way I can properly convey my astonishment. For the price you’d pay for a steak dinner with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you could basically build an entirely new pedalboard with Flamma gear. That’s worth thinking about next Valentine’s Day.

For reverb, you’ve got great options: studio, church and plate. In the jam, I used studio reverb, but you can pretty much go to town here.

FC05 Mini Mod

The FC05 Mini Mod holds a special place in my heart. Before we even get into the sound this thing produces, let’s talk about the color. It’s almost painfully neon green, and it fits perfectly into the color palette of the DOD pedals from the nineties. This is the kind of pedal you’d associate with a long-haired, tight-pants-wearing, loud-music-playing guitar hero.

Now, we’ve got plenty of standard modes on this pedal, but I’m going to challenge you to step outside your comfort zone a little bit. Yeah. I’m telling you to try the ring modulation. Do the other modes suck? Not at all. Is it boring to use the same kind of modulation every time you play guitar? Heck to the yes.

FC03 Mini Delay

The FC03 Mini Delay has some great modes to choose from-- namely, slap echo, tape echo and real echo --but in the jam I used the tape echo setting at a normal setting. Did I just tell you not to be boring in the last section? Correct. But there’s definitely comfort in picking a pedal effect that you understand, so I don’t mind admitting I used tape echo.

It’s a classic for a reason, y’all.

FC06 Mini Distortion

FC06 Mini Distortion is a totally usable pedal that has toggles for high and low pass; while I prefer the low pass for that thicker, warmer sound, the sky’s the limit here. Do what makes you happy. And just like the FC07 Mini Drive, the FC06 Mini Distortion has a big ol’ knob for overdrive and a regular sized knob for volume.

Also, you can buy this new for $29. That’s bananas.

FS01 Drum Machine & Phase Loop & FC01 Mini Drum Machine & Phase Loop

So, as I was playing through the wealth of guitar pedals in the Flamma Innovation line, Nick brought up two that I hadn’t planned on testing out: the FS01 Drum Machine & Phase Loop and the FC01 Mini Drum Machine & Phase Loop. Nick called them drum pedals, I call them drum machines. It basically means that if you have a lazy drummer on staff (*cough* Nick *cough*) they can pretty much let these pedals do all the heavy lifting.

That said, it still sounds pretty great, if you’re into that kind of canned, soulless rhythm section.

*Flamma FC01 Mini Drum Machine & Phase Loop*

FS02 Reverb

Next up is the FS02 Reverb, which I like to call the Big Reverb to distinguish it from the FC02 Mini Reverb we talked about earlier in the article. It has a ton of settings you can choose from, but one of my favorites has to be setting seven, which is modulated reverb. This also has a stereo setting, for those of you who don’t mind working a little harder to get just the right sound.

This is a full-sized, high quality pedal and it’s only $79. They’re basically giving these away.

FS05 Multi Modulation

The FS05 Multi Modulation also has a crap-ton of settings to choose from (you don’t get to call it ‘multi’ otherwise), and I really like using the tremolo setting which produces a kind of hard helicopter dish tremolo sound, and adds a kick to the song.

Flamma FS06 Digital Preamp

The Flamma line has a couple of cool things that emulate amps or cabinets, my favorite being their Flamma FS06 Digital Preamp. It’s cool to have this in such a portable box. Basically, the pedal shares the same format as the FS03 Delay where you hit the mode, you see the LED switch light up, and then you can choose from the pedal’s corresponding numbers on the side. These modes simulate everything from the Fender Deluxe to the Vox AC30.

I've played with this quite a bit, and it’s got an impressive range of options for the price. This definitely exceeded my expectations, in the best possible way.

FS22 Ekoverb

The FS22 Ekoverb is an incredible dual delay. It's dual because it has delay and reverb. You may remember that I love the Earthquaker Dispatch Master. It's the first love of my life (aside from my actual wife, Alice) and an amazing combo of delay and reverb. The Keeley Caverns delay/reverb is also pretty baller. I’d never tell you to not buy these pedals. However, I do have to drop one truth bomb here: the FS22 Ekoverb is $97. For two independently functioning effects in the same pedal. That’s basically $48.50 per effect. And it sounds pretty dang close to the Dispatch Master and the Keeley Caverns.

The Flamma Innovation line is a perfect example of “if it sounds good, it is good.” Don’t get caught up with labels. Just enjoy the gear you have. And if you need a refresher on why labels do or don’t matter, go watch The Breakfast Club.

Guest UserAugust 13, 2021