New pedals, same HFX

I’ve been running Hamilton Effects for just over a year now. I launched at the beginning of 2025 with the Twin Boost and the Embers Fuzz, and over that year I’ve been building pedals, doing custom projects, teaching guitar, and doing guitar tech work alongside it.

Coming into the new year, I’ve spent some time reflecting on where I actually want Hamilton Effects to sit. Not just how the pedals sound, but what they are at their core.

What people are actually buying

One of the things that’s become clearer to me is that when someone buys a pedal from a small builder, they’re not just buying tone or aesthetics.

They’re choosing to trust a person. They’re investing in a small company, in the decisions behind the circuit, and in the taste of the person who made it.

That’s made me rethink what the Embers and the Twin Boost should be.

Up to this point I’ve been working towards a kind of “do-it-all” version of each pedal. Something that can cover everything and work for everyone. And while I’m really pleased with what I’ve made, living with them over time has made it obvious that they could be better.

So about a year in, it feels like the right time to pull everything apart and rethink it properly.

Pulling things apart

Over the last few months I’ve been quietly taking the circuits apart, reworking them, and thinking more clearly about what I actually want each pedal to do. Not just in terms of sound, but in terms of how they behave and how people interact with them. The goal was that each pedal should be the best version of itself. This led to:

Core

The Core pedals are the full expression of what I think each circuit should be.

They have more control, more flexibility, and more room to explore. You can shape them, spend time with them, and find your own sounds within them. They use higher quality components, and I’ve worked closely with a designer to make sure they look as considered as they sound.

Alongside that, there’s also HFX Core, which is a way of saying thank you to the people who invest most in Hamilton Effects. It’s also a space for me to explore ideas that sit slightly outside of pedals.

Faded

Alongside Core, there’s Faded.

These are simpler, more accessible versions of the same ideas. More immediate, more utilitarian, and quicker to dial in.

Where Core invites you to explore, Faded is about getting to a sound quickly. They focus on the central identity of each circuit, with everything else stripped back.

They’re also finished in a way that will age over time, more like a guitar with a nitro finish. Not dramatically, but enough that each pedal develops its own visual character as it’s used.

The plan

The plan is to take the first versions of these pedals to the Noise Maker Market at the end of March, as the first place people can see and hear them.

After that, I’ll be releasing them in small batches over the following weeks.