In a cross-border collaboration that screams flannel shirts and muddy festivals, Summer School Electronics and Supercool Pedals have announced the release of “Smoking in the Boys Room.” This new dual-effect pedal serves as a love letter to the 1990s, combining two distinct circuits to recreate the legendary Seattle grunge tones that defined a generation.
By fusing a modified buzzsaw distortion with a watery analog chorus, the two boutique builders have created a comprehensive “Nirvana-in-a-box” solution for guitarists seeking to capture the spirit of Kurt Cobain with modern reliability.
A Cross-Border Tribute to Grunge History
Designed and hand-built by two independent manufacturers—Summer School Electronics in Syracuse, New York, and Supercool Pedals in Peterborough, Ontario—this pedal is more than just a utility tool; it is a nostalgic reimagining of the classic stompboxes many players grew up with.
The pedal artfully fuses two independent circuits into a single enclosure:
-
The Distortion: A Summer School Electronics take on the classic orange DS-1 style distortion. It retains the beloved “buzzsaw” edge of the original but introduces a modernized mid-range snarl and a revamped tone circuit to cut through the mix.
-
The Chorus: A Supercool Pedals creation inspired by the Small Clone, delivering organic, watery analog modulation with adjustable rate and depth.
“Smoking In The Boys Room is our love letter to the 90’s… a modern reimagination of the classic pedals we grew up with.”
Modern Features for Classic Tones
While the sound is purely retro, the engineering is strictly modern. Unlike the vintage units that inspired it, Smoking in the Boys Room features true mechanical bypass on both circuits, eliminating the signal-sucking buffer issues often associated with vintage mass-market pedals.
Perhaps the most practical feature for shoegazers and grunge enthusiasts is the external order toggle switch. This allows players to swap the signal chain order on the fly—running distortion into chorus for a classic studio polish, or chorus into distortion for a chaotic, lo-fi noise-rock texture.
Key Features and Specifications
-
Dual Circuit Design: Independent distortion and chorus effects in one unit.
-
Buzzsaw Distortion: DS-1 inspired circuit with improved tone control and mid-range presence.
-
Watery Chorus: Small Clone-style analog chorus with depth and rate controls.
-
Order Swap Switch: External toggle to change the effect chain sequence instantly.
-
True Bypass: Mechanical bypass on both sides for pure signal integrity.
-
Boutique Build Quality: Hand-built across US and Canadian borders.
-
Nostalgic Aesthetics: Artwork saturated with deep 90s/Nirvana lore, accompanied by a full-color manual, printed fabric bags, and “box candy.”
-
Power: Standard 9-volt operation with stranded DC input.
Pricing and Availability
Smoking in the Boys Room is available now through authorized dealers and direct from the manufacturers. The pedal retails for $299.99.
For more information, audio demos, or to purchase, please visit:
-
Summer School Electronics: www.summerschoolelectronics.com
-
Supercool Pedals:www.supercoolpedals.com
More Great Stompbox articles at Guitar Bomb!
#Summer School Electronics #Supercool Pedals #Smoking in the Boys Room
Donner, Fender, Gear4Music, Positive Grid, Sweetwater, and Thomann that help finance the running costs of GuitarBomb. We will receive a small commission if you buy something through these links. Don’t worry; you pay the same price, and it costs you no extra to use these affiliate links for your purchases.
