The success continues! JAM Pedals has updated their beloved Harmonious Monk with new and welcome functionality, including:
- LOSE tempo
- Ramp function: holding down TAP allows you to ramp up to a second speed. You can set the second speed, and also how fast the speed should change.
- There is a second mode called Legacy mode that maintains and expands on the features of version 1, in that you can now choose to have x2 (eighths) or x1.5 (dotted eighths) when selecting speed.
- New waveform in the LFO - reverse sawtooth!
- CHOP (kill dry) function
- In addition to the 3 internal EQ trim pots of the first version, there is now also a pot for gain, so you can optimize the Harmonious Monk mk.2 for guitar, bass, keyboard, or whatever else you can think of.
- Now you can also specify the start mode of the pedal: ON or OFF when it receives power.
That Pedal Show has a deep love for the harmonic tremolo's unique modulation: a little phaser-like and a little pulsating. It can provide a complete texture across your entire guitar tone, or sit more discreetly in the background as a fantastic 'broadening' effect, either directly in mono or in a wet/dry rig. They wanted to correct some of the objections they had in other versions of the effect, and also add a superb volume-based tremolo: The result is Harmonious Monk!
The pedal uses a fully analog circuit with two selectable LFOs that provide varying intensity of modulation, in both Harmonic and Amplitude modes; in short, 4 basic sounds. There are controls for both depth and mix, so the effect can be adjusted exactly to the sound you're after.
The Subtle (-) mode in Amplitude mode provides a wealth of vintage-inspired tremolo sounds with the same adjustability as in Harmonic mode. Intense (+), on the other hand, lets the music stutter in staccato pulses that add drama and rhythm, right up to a fast gurgle that sounds otherworldly. There's also a footswitch that gives you access to two speeds instantly, internal trimmers to adjust the eq the way you want it, and the ability to either boost or cut the output level, to suit your rig.
Harmonious Monk covers a multitude of sonic possibilities and will inspire you to a whole new palette of timbres, textures, and most importantly, music. Let there be wobble!