If you’ve ever played in a live band and seen someone place their beer a little too close to your pedalboard, you know the panic that comes with drinks being near equipment but one company is flipping that idea on its head.
A new overdrive pedal from Rainger FX called the “Minibar” is designed with a small container on the top for players to pour a drink into so they can control the distortion levels.
Read More: James Hetfield schedules first public appearance since starting rehab
The Minibar doesn’t actually work until a drink has been poured inside the container so you can’t just run it dry.
The container, which says “pour liquid here” inside of it, has a green LED light that reads the liquid poured in determining the sound.
The ease with which it conducts a guitar’s AC signal determines the gain while the liquid’s opacity sets the treble and bass. Essentially, the pedal will give different sounds depending on what drink you pour in so a beer could have a very different sound than something like a milkshake.
Beyond the liquid container, the pedal hardly has any controls aside from a volume knob and a power switch.
Interestingly the company has a note about olive oil not producing a sound at all in their frequently asked questions section for the pedal. According to the company, they “don’t fully understand the chemistry going on here, but there are a few liquids that don’t get any kind of response…. Don’t know why – but olive oil seems to be one of them. Remember – this is an experiment!”
They also note that dissolving salt in the liquid increases the gain setting.
The pedal is available here and can be picked up for £99.17
What do you think of this guitar pedal that requires pouring a drink into it before it works? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
