CONSTRUCTION
I was minding my own business, looking for exciting new products and I saw this pedal for under $40. Being a Flanger fanatic I immediately bought one and it’s been kicking around the studios for the last few months. I’ve staged it against some of my other Flanger favorites and been impressed with the thick well supported circuit board, the overall build and performance features. This is not a cast aluminum box, it is heavy duty steel construction, with thick side walls precision formed by machines. The pedal exudes a quality feel.
BATTERY POWERED OPTION
The information included with the Thunderstorm did not tell me if there was a battery inside so I had to open it up to have a look. There were some interesting observations along the way, like how nicely the screws fit the metal work, and for that matter, how nice the metal work is fabricated and painted. It’s all pretty close to flawless. When the steel clam shell enclosure is apart, the edges are not razor sharp steel (as they were on several vintage EHX boxes).
What I found inside was no battery included but there is a 9-volt battery clip there, waiting for you to put in a heavy duty Alkaline type battery. The battery clip snaps to a builtin holder so it’s not flapping around inside causing mayhem.
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| Note cutout is where battery goes, battery clip store there waiting |
When you reassemble the pedal the parts go together with great precision and all the screw holes line up perfectly. I remove the battery from all my pedals that can be ruined by battery leaks (I detest battery leak incidents, I’ve had too many gadgets ruined over the years due to batteries breaking down). Sometimes pedals can go for years without being used, that's when battery leaks sneak up on you.
CLASSIC FLANGER CONTROLS
The Thunderstorm features the full range of controls found on top of the line Flanger pedals. The “Manual” knob gives you the ability to set the center point for your Flanging effect. With this set to around 12 o’clock you get a wide sweep on either side of the effect-center as it swings back and forth according to the “Rate” knob position.
Sometimes I like a high level of “Feedback” added in to really make it grind. Feeding the Thunderstorm with a little distortion from a Bogner pedal yielded up a ton of fun playing and noodling around.
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| Thick steel enclosure walls, precision screw holes |
LIKES
- Super heavy duty formed steel construction
- Precision made enclosure
- Internal 9-volt battery option
- Top of enclosure jacks
- Four adjustable controls
- Low price
WHY?
The parent company that owns TC has had quite a bit of success reverse engineering analog chips from bygone eras. This has allowed them to reproduce classic products that are actually old analog designs with new components manufactured to today’s standards. I have no direct data but I suspect the TC Thunderstorm uses analog IC chips produced by one of TC’s sister companies. Regardless how they do it, the Thunderstorm brings you that classic analog Flanger sound, producing a deeper effect than digital pedals running Flanger presets.
EPILOGUE
If you are smart enough to know how to manipulate a Flanger, this one by TC is a bargain. I like the JHS 3 Series Flanger pedal a lot but the TC Thunderstorm is less than half the retail price and has more controls. If great Flanging effect is what you’re buying a pedal for, you can easily spend more and get less, or just get a Thunderstorm and enjoy the ride.
Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!
©September 2025 by Mark King, it is NOT ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author.
Have you messed around with a Flanger pedal today? Maybe it’s time to go create something beautiful. . . . . . . . . . . . .
