Jacques Meistersinger

Pedal is in excellent condition w/velcro.

Please see my other listings.

Construction Zone
The Meistersinger is a well built, solid little box of wow. Its substantial construction suggests it’ll handle a busy gigging life and stay in place (and intact) if you take the stage without a pedalboard. The silver-and-blue color scheme with matching blue indicator light is attractive and seems fitting for a chorus effect. There are other thoughtful touches throughout, including a top-mounted AC jack and a battery compartment that eschews the traditional snap-on, wired battery connector in favor of sturdy-feeling, fixed battery contacts. It makes battery changes faster, easier, and eliminates the hassle of trying to cram the wire back in the battery compartment. The three knobs for rate, depth, and e.level are smooth, responsive, and tight.

Mission Control
The Meistersinger is intuitive to use, though that doesn’t mean it’s simplistic from a sound perspective—there are myriad sound options available via the three knobs. The rate knob controls the speed of signal repeats, from simple doubling (almost like a second guitarist) to a manic, jackhammer-like pulse that can be downright dizzying, depending on how you set the depth. The depth control adjusts the intensity of pitch change in the chorused signal, and the effect ranges from the sonic equivalent of a subtle wave to a surging roller coaster.

While Jacques’ claim that the Meistersinger’s e.level function is a unique feature is debatable, its real effectiveness is not. It’s a wide ranging and sensitive control that enables very nuanced blending, from just to a hint of chorus to an over-the-top character with just a bit of dry tone. For players frustrated by the heavy-handed, one-dimensional nature of a lot of affordable chorus pedals, this function could make a big difference.

Jacques of All Trades
Jacques’ attention to making the Meistersinger a very practical performance tool is apparent from the second you kick it on. There’s no perceptible volume drop or boost in brightness—a malady common to many affordable modulation effects. The Meistersinger allows you to play without having to change picking or strumming style to compensate for a volume change. Despite its analog circuitry, the Meistersinger produces very little, if any, additional noise, and the detuned chorus effect sounds much more natural than digital units I used for comparison—a quality that was especially apparent when I plugged in my acoustic guitar. The Meistersinger doesn’t suck tone, either. It’s almost impossible to discern any change in the guitar’s dry tone as you engage and disengage the effect—a seamlessness highlighted by the silent-relay true-bypass switch, which activates the unit with nary a peep.