Palmer Pocket series – wobble, bang, float – product review from Guitar Magazine

Let’s be honest: In many ways, we guitar players are truly conservative – and that is a good thing. Effects with brand-new technology and state-of-the-art processors? Wonderful! But at the same time, every square centimetre of space on the pedal board is valuable. So it’s good that Palmer concentrated on small dimensions and the essential factors of each effect in their Pocket series.

At 6 x 10 x 5.5 centimetres, the pedals really do fit in a jacket pocket or the accessory pouch of a gig bag. In the process, they are so sturdily made that they remain undamaged even in the unprotected transport of a hard and mobile musician’s life – solid housing, recessed connectors and long-lasting switches and knobs make it possible.

If you want to mount the effects permanently on the board, you will be pleased about the manufacturer’s groundwork, because the two holes on the upper edge of the base plate allow for fast and easy fastening. And if you want to fall back on the standard Velcro solution, you only need to remove the layer of foam on the bottom.

The pedals can be operated using either the optional power supply or a 9-volt battery. If using the latter, four screws need to be removed and the housing completely opened to change the battery. This, of cours,e requires more time than opening a battery cover, but this solution is sure to be a result of the pedal’s small dimensions. If the effects are used with a power supply on the pedal board, this detail carries no weight.

There is no reason to complain about either the workmanship or the design of the effects. To the contrary: The design is well thought out. High time to put the sound miniatures to the test.

Palmer Pocket Chorus

One switch, three regulators: It doesn’t need more than that. The speed, rate and depth of the effect can be regulated on the Pocket Chorus, and these three options offer plenty of variety.

The result ranges from a softly floating thickening of the sound to a drastic “wobbling”, ideal for broad, clean sounds to picking and strumming. The small model even comes close to the sound of a rotating speaker, allowing the spirit of Jimi to float through the room with the appropriate settings. It’s worth carefully testing the entire spectrum and different settings, because despite its small construction, the Pocket Chorus provides a wide range of available sounds, from “Rooster” clean to Lukather in the 80s and all the way to “Machine Gun”. In the process, it holds itself back when it comes to background noise.

– Effect types: Chorus
– Regulators: Speed, Depth, Phase
– Power: 9-volt battery/9-volt DC power supply (optional)
– Measurements: 6 x 10 x 5.5 cm
– Rec. retail price: 49.00
– Price-performance: 3/5

Palmer Pocket Analog Delay

The Pocket Delay offers a maximum delay of 360 milliseconds – not as long as many digital effects, but in the average range for analog echoes. The user can regulate the delay time, the number of repeats and the intensity of the effect.

In a practical test before a tube amp with a switched-on pedal, a slight “fluttering” could be heard for as long as the pedal was on. This background noise could not be heard while playing, but it was noticeable at high volumes and during playing breaks.

Other than this, the pedal delivers what its name promises: analog delay sounds to thicken the sound and for more space – or as a playing partner for Cathedral-like passages and tricks like those from the likes of The Edge, Eddie or Yngwie. The Analog Delay works cleanly and with a tangible analog touch, meaning not clinically brilliant like many of its digital colleagues.

– Effect types: Delay
– Regulators: Time, Mix, Rate
– Power: 9-volt battery/9-volt DC power supply (optional)
– Measurements 6 x 10 x 5.5 cm
– Rec. retail price: 46.00
– Price-performance: 4/5

Palmer Pocket Distortion:

Those who need an extra serving of gain before the amp, for example to fatten up the sound during solos, could be on the right path with the Pocket Distortion.

Its orientation is more modern, with a clear, strong delay and high gain reserves. Added points are given for extremely little background noise – and for the fact that the effect works agreeably neutrally, meaning it doesn’t change the basic sound of guitar and amp unnecessarily.

The Pocket Distortion has a strong range. From a delicate, smoky crunch to high-gain, it never sounds shrill or sawing. The voicing almost goes in the direction of soft, warm fuzz. Iconic!

– Effect types: Distortion
– Regulators: Gain, Tone, Level
– Power: 9-volt battery/9-volt DC power supply (optional)
– Measurements 6 x 10 x 5.5 cm
– Rec. retail price: 35.00
– Price-performance: 5/5

Palmer Pocket Flanger

The Pocket Flanger delivers both softly floating sounds as well as drastic noises reminiscent of jets or helicopters. Fat sounds styled after Van Halen’s “Unchained” aren’t really its thing. Instead, it is wonderfully suited to spherical clean sounds as well as to extreme effects before a distorted amp.

It moves quickly from very subtle to the realm of the extreme, and once there delivers unusual sounds that are perfect for industrial and other harder styles. A slight background noise is also noticeable here during playing breaks.

– Effect types: Flanger
– Regulators: Rate, Mix, Depth
– Power: 9-volt battery/9-volt DC power supply (optional)
– Measurements 6 x 10 x 5.5 cm – Rec. retail price: 49.00
– Price-performance: 3/5

Palmer Pocket Overdrive

The series’ Overdrive gets to work tastefully yet powerfully. The voicing always ensures powerful and warm sounds, and the effect can be set to match the rig’s basic sound very well via the tone knob.

The range spans everything from a subtle crunch to heavier distortion. Used specially as a gain booster before an already-distorted amp, the effect cuts a fine figure. It sends the amp elegantly into higher gain realms, while staying true to the sound of the set-up.

– Effect types: Overdrive
– Regulators: Gain, Tone, Level
– Power: 9-volt battery/9-volt DC power supply (optional)
– Measurements 6 x 10 x 5.5 cm
– Rec. retail price: 35.00
– Price-performance: 5/5

Palmer Pocket Phaser

The purple Phaser strongly influences what’s going on in the sound. Options range from subtle modulation to superfat funk sounds, and the latter in particular is a strong point of the small effect across the board.

Whether before a clean or a distorted amp: Phasing rules over everything here. Extreme settings would be a real pleasure to Jimi or Zakk despite the noticeable background noise, and the play of funky single notes with activated effect truly has that famous addiction factor. That’s how fat the phasing miniature sounds!

– Effect types: Phasing
– Regulators: Rate, Depth, Phase
– Power: 9-volt battery/9-volt DC power supply (optional)
– Measurements 6 x 10 x 5.5 cm
– Rec. retail price: 49.00
– Price-performance: 5/5

This sticks with you
The Pocket series offers a lot of sound and well thought-out design at a very affordable price, especially the Delay and the Phaser. The entire series is a great, risk-free introduction to the world of effects. The effects sound very good, and even background noise and complicated battery replacement don’t carry weight at this price.

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Source: Guitar Magazine 1/2015, Germany: http://www.guitar.de/
Author: Marc Rolf

You can find all information on the Palmer Pocket series here:
http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/Products/Guitar-Effects/POCKET-CHORUS-Chorus-effect-for-guitar-PEPCHOR.htm
http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/Products/Guitar-Effects/POCKET-DELAY-Delay-effect-for-guitar-PEPDEL.htm
http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/Products/Guitar-Effects/POCKET-DISTORTION-Distortion-effect-for-guitar-PEPDIS.htm
http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/Products/Guitar-Effects/POCKET-OVERDRIVE-Distortion-effect-for-guitar-PEPOD.htm
http://www.palmer-germany.com/mi/en/Products/Guitar-Effects/POCKET-BOOSTER-Booster-effect-for-guitar-PEPBOOST.htm