TEST: Solar Guitars Chug

 One thing you have to give Ola Englund, who has converted from an active musician to an influencer, is that it feels like not a month goes by without a new solar product appearing on the market. As managing director of Chug Express SL, which is based in Spain and into which Solar Guitars has been merged, Ola Englund is focusing on consistently expanding his portfolio in addition to his advertising videos, which also seem to be daily, and which have now gone beyond the development of string instruments for the first time. We now have the high gain pedal Solar Guitars Chug for testing, which, according to the advertising message, is supposed to take over the high gain channel of an amp.

The concept of the Solar Guitars Chug

As befits a real influencer, Ola Englund also needs a pithy saying that should become his trademark. "Will it chug?" is a humorous unique selling point with which O. E. tests various guitar / pedal / amp / cabinet / speaker / microphone constellations in his videos for their sound capabilities. In this sense, the naming of the pedal is a logical continuation of its word creation and a very successful marketing move.

The pedal itself makes no secret of its field of application in the manufacturer's attached description. The concept aims to add another high gain channel to an existing amp by using the Solar Guitars Chug in front of the clean channel, or you can use the pedal as a standalone preamp and try to achieve a good sound using a power amp/cabinet or speaker simulation solution.

The pedal uses an extensive 5-band tone control with separate gain feed for the treble or bass and an internally installed noise gate, which is intended to put a stop to the inevitably generated noise.

The construction of the Solar Guitars Chug

The Solar Guitars Chug pedal comes in a solid metal design, with four countersunk Allen screws fixing the upper front plate to the lower metal tray. The pedal only consumes 100 mA of power and should therefore be able to be operated with almost any 9V DC power supply. A power supply is not included and battery operation is not provided. In order to be able to operate the pedal without a pedal board, four adhesive rubber feet are included with the pedal.

The pedal comes with a simple, four-language manual, in which the translation program uses angular and not exactly practical translations to quickly convert the original English text into Spanish, French and German. Perhaps you should have a native speaker from the local music scene take a look at it and translate the already correct text into a musician-compatible version. The external image is good.

To compensate for the cable extensions that occur, the Solar Guitars Chug Pedal has a buffered bypass, which in my opinion turns out to be the more sensible decision, especially in the high gain range. The "holy grail" of true bypass may make sense in the blues area due to the treble attenuation from a total cable length of 6 meters and more, but normally the guitarist wants to lose as little treble as possible in bypass mode. If you want to do without a downstream buffer pedal, you have the option of doing so with a buffered bypass. Be careful, always pay attention to the order in which the pedals are on the board.

There are a total of 6 double-axis potentiometers on the Solar Guitars Chug Pedal for controlling all parameters, although with two control ranges (middle and gain) the two axes have been combined into one controller. The user can choose between five frequency ranges (depth, bass, middle, treble, presence) in the upper row, while the lower range takes over the output volume, the threshold of the noise gate, the gain level and the two level controls for the low and high frequency ranges.
A red/green combination LED also visually indicates whether the noise gate is blocking the incoming signal (red) or letting it pass (green), depending on the threshold setting. Unfortunately, the green LED in particular has the problem that you can no longer tell whether the pedal has been switched on or not when the light is a little stronger. This can cause problems, especially at open air events in daylight.

In my opinion, installing a noise gate within a high gain distortion pedal is a very sensible feature, as you cannot avoid buying a separate noise gate pedal if you do not want to deactivate the distortion pedal immediately when you are taking a break from playing. Remember, if turning down the guitar's volume control does not produce the desired effect, a noise gate must be put in the signal path. If you have ever tried to find the optimal threshold when using the guitar's volume control, you will know what I am talking about. However, this is not important for simple on/off metal thumping, as you only run the risk of a fading chord being strangled if the setting is too hard.

The Solar Guitars Chug Pedal in practice

Despite all the flexibility of the extensive sound control, the double potentiometers give cause for criticism in two ways when it comes to practical suitability. Firstly, you can only see the control position "black dots on a black background" if you turn the pedal against the light and get a rough idea from the reflections of the recesses. Readjustments on stage? Only by ear!

The double potentiometers also have the unpleasant property that if you move the inner potentiometer, for example, you turn the outer potentiometer at the same time, without touching it. The same applies the other way round: move the outer potentiometer and adjust the inner potentiometer as well. In plain language, this means that you can only adjust one of the double potentiometers separately by holding the axis of the other potentiometer firmly. A fiddly job beyond compare. Perhaps just a few fastening screws are tightened too tightly, but without visual control and guaranteed double action, managing the parameters is really completely impractical.

It is interesting that the Solar Guitars Chug pedal produces comparatively little background noise even when the gain control is fully turned up. In this sense, the noise gate has significantly less to do than with various competing products. Apart from that, however, it works very tastefully, regulates smoothly and leaves a very good impression.

In terms of sound, you might get the impression that the Solar Guitars Chug pedal has 2 bass and 3 treble controls. The midrange control is set very high in terms of frequency and would perhaps even pass as a treble control on other pedals. The pedal's presence control offers a frequency range where the description "chainsaw" would be a huge understatement. In general, the Solar Guitars Chug pedal is very treble-heavy. In all of the sound files included, the treble and presence controls were between 8 and 9 o'clock, i.e. almost completely turned down. So if you're looking for the classic Scandinavian chainsaw massacre scratching, you've come to the right place.

As a basis for the sound files, I used my best "pedal amp", the Sound City Master 100, which generated a very neutral, slightly distorted sound as the basic setting. The guitar was an LP Standard from 2014, and the cabinet was a Marshall 412 with Celestion G12 75T and two Shure SM57.

The fact that the Solar Guitars Chug pedal is designed exclusively for high gain can be seen from the fact that even with the gain control turned all the way down, we are almost in the lead range in terms of the gain structure. The amp can be boosted very nicely using the out control, but the high distortion spoils the typical booster characteristics a little. But the pedal was not designed for this area either.

In general, the pedal "bites" very strongly in the basic sound, the tendency of which can never be completely removed due to the strong treble characteristics. In return, however, the pedal can be used to give the dullest amp a massive boost of treble. For example, a single-channel amp whose clean sound was deliberately set to be soft and low in treble can be massively inflated with the Solar Guitars Chug pedal and built up into an independent second channel. All in all, the Solar Guitars Chug pedal is a very flexible metal distortion pedal that, in my opinion, still has a few small teething issues, but these can be fixed with relatively little effort in the MKII version.

Conclusion

With the Solar Guitars Chug Pedal, the Spanish manufacturer has a distortion pedal in its portfolio that has been uncompromisingly bred for high gain. The very extensive tone control allows for many adjustment options, especially in the treble range, and enables the setting up of an independent, additional channel on the amplifier.

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Additional Informations:

Recognizing the importance of effect pedals in shaping a guitarist’s sound, Solar Guitars decided to diversify its offerings. The journey into effect pedals began in the late 2010s, with a focus on creating pedals that would complement the company’s guitars and provide musicians with high-quality tools to enhance their tonal palette.

The design philosophy behind Solar effect pedals was similar to that of their guitars: user-centric, robust, and tailored to the needs of modern musicians. Ola Englund’s extensive experience as a touring and recording artist played a crucial role in defining the features and functionalities of these pedals.

## The First Release: Chug Pedal

In 2021, Solar Guitars introduced its first effect pedal, the Chug Pedal. This distortion pedal was specifically designed to deliver the tight, aggressive tones favored by metal guitarists. The Chug Pedal featured a unique circuit that provided a wide range of distortion sounds, from subtle overdrive to full-on high-gain saturation.

The Chug Pedal was met with positive reviews from both critics and users. Its versatility, combined with its rugged construction, made it a popular choice among guitarists looking for a reliable distortion pedal that could handle the demands of both live performance and studio recording. The success of the Chug Pedal encouraged Solar Guitars to continue developing new pedals and expanding their product line.

## Expanding the Lineup

Building on the success of the Chug Pedal, Solar Guitars set out to create a comprehensive range of effect pedals that would cover various aspects of a guitarist’s signal chain. The company’s approach was to release pedals that were not only high-quality but also addressed specific needs within the guitarist community.

### Solar Flanger

Following the Chug Pedal, Solar Guitars introduced the Solar Flanger, a pedal designed to produce a wide array of flanging effects, from subtle modulation to intense jet-like sweeps. The Solar Flanger featured intuitive controls that allowed users to easily dial in their desired sound, making it suitable for a variety of musical styles beyond just metal.

The inclusion of a robust metal housing and true bypass switching ensured that the Solar Flanger could withstand the rigors of live performance without compromising on sound quality. This pedal quickly became a favorite among guitarists seeking a reliable and versatile flanging effect.

### Solar Delay

Next in the lineup was the Solar Delay, a pedal that offered both digital and analog delay sounds. This pedal was designed to provide musicians with the flexibility to create everything from short, slapback delays to long, atmospheric echoes. The Solar Delay featured multiple modes, allowing users to switch between different types of delay and modulation.

The Solar Delay’s combination of high-quality components and user-friendly design made it a valuable addition to any pedalboard. Its versatility and reliability ensured that it could meet the needs of a wide range of guitarists, from those playing ambient music to those in heavy metal bands.

### Solar Reverb

Recognizing the importance of reverb in creating depth and space in a guitarist’s sound, Solar Guitars introduced the Solar Reverb pedal. This pedal offered multiple reverb types, including spring, plate, and hall, allowing users to tailor their reverb sound to their specific needs. The Solar Reverb was designed to provide lush, immersive reverb effects without overwhelming the original guitar tone.

The pedal’s high-quality construction and straightforward controls made it a favorite among guitarists looking for a reliable and versatile reverb solution. The Solar Reverb’s ability to deliver a wide range of reverb sounds made it an essential tool for both live and studio use.

## Innovation and Technology

One of the key factors behind the success of Solar Guitars’ effect pedals is the company’s commitment to innovation and technology. Ola Englund’s hands-on approach to product development ensures that each pedal is designed with the needs of the modern guitarist in mind. This user-centric design philosophy has resulted in pedals that are not only high-quality but also intuitive and easy to use.

Solar Guitars places a strong emphasis on using high-quality components in their pedals. This attention to detail ensures that each pedal delivers consistent performance and durability, making them reliable tools for both live and studio applications. The use of true bypass switching in all Solar pedals ensures that the guitar’s original tone is preserved when the pedal is not in use.

## Community Engagement and Feedback

Another crucial aspect of Solar Guitars’ success in the effect pedal market is their engagement with the guitarist community. Ola Englund, being an active musician and YouTuber, has a direct line of communication with his audience. This connection allows Solar Guitars to gather valuable feedback from users and incorporate it into their product development process.

The company frequently involves the community in the design and testing phases of new pedals. This collaborative approach ensures that the final products meet the real-world needs of guitarists. The positive response from the community has been instrumental in shaping the direction of Solar Guitars’ pedal development.

## Challenges and Future Directions

Despite the success of their initial pedal releases, Solar Guitars faces several challenges as they continue to expand their effect pedal lineup. The highly competitive nature of the effect pedal market means that the company must continually innovate and offer unique products to stand out from the competition. Additionally, maintaining the high standards of quality and reliability that Solar Guitars is known for requires ongoing investment in research and development.

Looking ahead, Solar Guitars is committed to expanding its pedal lineup and exploring new technologies. The company plans to introduce more pedals that address specific needs within the guitarist community, as well as continue refining their existing products based on user feedback. Ola Englund’s vision for Solar Guitars includes not only maintaining their reputation for high-quality instruments and pedals but also pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the world of guitar effects.

## Conclusion

The history of Solar Guitars’ effect pedals is a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation, quality, and user-centric design. From the initial success of the Chug Pedal to the expansion of their pedal lineup, Solar Guitars has consistently delivered products that meet the needs of modern guitarists. Ola Englund’s hands-on approach and deep understanding of the demands of the metal genre have played a crucial role in shaping the company’s product offerings.

As Solar Guitars continues to innovate and expand their effect pedal lineup, they remain dedicated to providing high-quality tools that enhance the creativity and performance of guitarists worldwide. The company’s journey from a guitar manufacturer to a respected name in the effect pedal market is a remarkable story of vision, dedication, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. As they look to the future, Solar Guitars is poised to continue making significant contributions to the world of guitar effects.