Boutique German guitar effects company Orion Effekte released a new pedal this month, and if you were to refer to it as Kafkaesque, you'd be paying it a compliment. Orion's Kafka Reverb was named for and inspired by the late modernist writer Franz Kafka, whose work is recognized for blending nightmarish fantasy with monotonous realism in surreal stories exploring anxiety, existentialism, and isolation.
The Kafka Reverb promises to explore multiple dimensions with its expansive sound, featuring a five-knob face. Users can craft the size and sound of your reverb effect using the corresponding Size and Sound knobs and adjust the length of the reverb, from short snapbacks to self-oscillation, using the Reflection control. The other two controls, Direct and Reverb, can be adjusted in parallel for even more control.
The noisebox also features a loop-in path, with send and return jacks for connecting more effects pedals, and if you connect a volume pedal, you can manipulate the reverb dynamically via foot controller. The new circuit is packed into a silver enclosure that features the opening lines of Kafka's famous work, The Metamorphosis, in its original German, with the name "Kafka" stamped across.
Be sure to check out the full demo above for a more expansive look at what this pedal can do. Currently, the Kafka Reverb is available exclusively in the EU, and while supplies last, Reverb users can pick up an exclusive, limited pre-sale edition of the pedal in a gold chassis.
