Over the years, Suhr pedals have become increasingly popular, finding their ways onto the pedalboards of countless guitarists. The original Riot itself has come a long way since its initial release back in 2009 and is still in high demand to this day. But for all its popularity, there were still some players out there who felt the pedal could use a few variations. By listening to these customer’s requests, the pedal creators at Suhr decided to give them what they wanted in the form of an alternate Riot stompbox. Which brings us to the Riot Reloaded — a revamped distortion pedal that might just be the perfect addition to your board.
The Features
We should definitely start things off by clearing up some confusion: the Riot Reloaded is NOT a replacement of the original Riot – they are two unique pedals aimed at two unique sounds. They might sound very similar and even share the same name, but the two are nonetheless their own. What are the biggest differences between the original Riot and the Reloaded version? First off, the Riot is a bit more compressed with its response while the Riot Reloaded offers more dynamics and a quicker response. Secondly, the Tone control on the Reloaded is more of a Mid Frequency control as opposed to an All Frequencies tone control that is present on the Riot. The Reloaded also features over 30% more gain over the original, a huge selling point that is sure to make plenty of interested buyers happy.
Like the original, the Riot Reloaded also offers a toggle for three different voicing options, making this a highly versatile pedal. The Classic voicing responds naturally to your instrument’s volume setting and is very reminiscent of distortion units with Germanium diodes. The Modern voicing features more of a bottom-end growl with a bit of an emphasis on the mid-range as well. And finally, the Scooped voicing produces a scooped mid-range with plenty of clarity.
Suhr Riot Reloaded available @ $200.00
Suhr presents the RELOADED series, the result of countless hours of listening, testing, and modifying our original distortion and overdrive circuits. Armed with a wide variety of guitars, amplifiers, and pickups, and using the award winning Riot and Shiba pedals as the foundation, Suhr developed the Reloaded to deliver a unique tonal palette, while retaining the pedigree of the originals, as well as incorporating the customer’s most requested features.
The Sound
One of the great things about a really nice amp is its ability to respond to the subtle dynamics and touch of your playing. While most pedals have a difficult time with this, the Riot Reloaded achieves this in a way few pedals can. Every nuance of your playing is brought out with its extremely dynamic response. Along with its sublime amp-like dynamics, the pedal also features dual gain stages for increased saturation and upper harmonics, resulting in improved mid-range clarity, more sustain, and a tighter three-dimensional sound.
All three control knobs do an equally great job at allowing you to create a wide variety of distorted tones that work equally well on both clean and already overdriven amps. And with its focus on the upper mid frequencies, the Tone knob, in particular, is great at creating a sweeter, more cutting overall tone, all without sounding too harsh or weak. All in all, the Riot Reloaded is surprisingly versatile for a distortion pedal, able to easily morph your sound from a mild growl to full full-fledged face-melting distortion with a simple twist of a knob.
Final Thoughts …
It’s fairly easy to tell that Suhr spent a good deal of time listening to player feedback when creating the Riot Reloaded. While it might share plenty of things with its predecessor, the Riot Reloaded offers enough new and exciting features that make it an enticing purchase even for owners of the Original. If you’re in the market for a versatile distortion pedal with plenty of gain, clarity, and articulation — not to mention features that are actually useful — look no further than the Suhr Riot Reloaded.
