At first glance, Greg Howe’s Lick Box looks like many other Carl Martin pedals. It has a High Gain channel that has lots of bottom end and crisp highs alongside a dynamic Crunch channel, which emphasizes the mids with very little compression, and of course the Carl Martin signature 12db Boost channel.

The High Gain and Crunch channels were voiced to Greg Howe’s specifications, but underneath its orientation toward Greg’s sound is a rethinking of how these three channels work together. You can use either the High Gain or Crunch channels on their own, and you can adjust the tone for each with its dedicated Tone control, and you can also add up to 12 db of crystal clean Boost to either of those channels. You can additionally turn on both gain channels together. By placing the High Gain first in the chain, you allow the Crunch voicing to overrule the High Gain while adding a few db to your volume. You lose some of the lows and highs, but this results in a focused and controlled mid-range that cuts through the mix. And of course you can add up to 12 db of clean Boost as well for meatier leads.

The Greg Howe Lick Box features cast metal casing, the high quality switches with ‘on’ indicating LED’s, and the new Carl Martin DC/DC converter circuitry. This new power circuit allows you to use a 9V Power Supply while still maintaining the +-12V circuitry that is crucial for component quality and extra headroom above most 9V pedals.