Origin Effects SlideRig and Cali76 Compressor Pedals

British effects manufacturer Origin Effects introduces two new studio-grade FET compressor pedals, the SlideRig and Cali76.

SlideRig
SliderRig

These pedals mimic the dynamic response of the UREI 1176, a ’60s era FET compressor that has been used in countless records.

With these pedals, Origin Effects hope to bring studio quality compression within the reach of guitarists, housed in a pedalboard-friendly, 9v powered chassis.

According to the press release, these pedals follow the motto of Origin Effects which is purity of tone. They describe the pedal design as having a fully Class-A discrete signal path, with old-fashioned, high-end circuit design ensuring incredibly low noise and the widest possible frequency bandwidth. The boutique effects manufacturer believe that this old-school design results in a full low end, sparkling highs and wonderfully transparent compression, with a bright, clean attack and tons of natural-sounding sustain.

Cali76
Cali76

The Origin Effects SlideRig Compressor pedal features two FET compressors chained together in one pedal for even more sustain and sensitivity. The Origin Effects Cali76 on the other hand is a straight forward compressor that offers a full range of studio compressor controls including attack, ratio and release knobs along with a VU-style gain reduction meter. While both pedals are designed for electric guitars, the Cali76 also works well with other audio sources like bass, acoustic guitar, vocals piano and even drums.

Here is the rest of the press release:

Origin Effects founder Simon Keats – an electronic engineer and analogue circuit designer who has worked for the likes of Vox, Focusrite and Trident Audio – explains how the Cali76 came about:

“The Cali76 was designed to get that musical UREI 1176 tone into the hands of guitarists. The 1176 just sounds so much better than the pedals most guitarists are used to, but of course the price is prohibitive, as is transporting a large rack unit around with you! So I stripped out the parts of the design that weren’t directly contributing to the tone and then optimized the circuit for battery operation. I’m used to building high-end, custom studio equipment and I wanted this pedal to be the same – sturdy and reliable, with wide-bandwidth, low-noise, Class-A circuitry throughout and no ICs in the signal path.”

Video demo of the Cali76:

Meanwhile, the unique SlideRig pedal was inspired by Lowell George’s timeless slide guitar tones on the Little Feat album Dixie Chicken. These were recorded using two UREI 1176s chained together in front of the amp, creating a sound that’s almost completely clean yet delivers incredible sustain.

“The SlideRig is something I selfishly designed for myself because I wanted to get that Little Feat sound!” Keats confesses. “It’s essentially two Cali76s in one box, without the metering and with the attack and release controls moved inside. Chained together, you get almost endless sustain and the guitar becomes super-sensitive.”

Video demo of the SlideRig:

Keats sent the very first pedal he completed to Little Feat guitarist Paul Barrere, who immediately made SlideRig #001 part of his live and studio
setup. “The SlideRig is unbelievable,” says Barrere. “It’s so clean! I’ve used it on the newest Little Feat recording and it’s remarkable how quiet
it is. And having two settings makes it perfect for live shows as you can step it up for soloing.” Other pro players who have already embraced the Cali76 and SlideRig include Ben Lloyd and Tarrant Anderson (guitar and bass, Frank Turner Band), slide virtuoso Michael Messer, guitarist and producer Paul Stacey (Oasis, Black Crowes) and steel guitarist Joshua Grange (kd lang).

Both the SlideRig and the Cali76 pedals are priced at $299 each. For more information, you can visit Origin Effects.

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