The Lo-Fi Loop Junky remains among the most unique pedals in Zachary Vex’s pedal line, which is saying a lot. It didn’t fill many common needs when it debuted, even by the adventurous standards of loopers. But it produced one of the most distinctive ranges of tones you could ever use for looping—a mixture of compression and vibrato-warble that gave loops the character of warped records, warbling tape, and other very lo-fidelity treats. And while its merits weren’t as obvious to straight-ahead players, looping players that wanted to add a little more character—well, in this case a lot more character—to their loops without tap dancing around three other pedals fell in love with the Lo-Fi Loop Junky.
With the Instant Lo-Fi Junky, Z.Vex adapts the effects that make the Loop Junky’s loops so, well, junky and puts them in a stomp box without the looper. The result is a tone-tweaking tool that very happily strays from the ordinary.