Solar Chug Lite high-gain distortion pedal

The original preamp pedal scales down without losing its appeal

- BY DARYL ROBERTSON

IF ANYONE CAN be hailed as the King of Chug, it’s online guitar personality (and guitarist with the Haunted) Ola Englund. This Swedish guitar virtuoso, YouTuber and record producer has mastered the art of extracting mind-blowing modern metal tones from just about any gear that comes his way, and he's used this knowledge to launch his own line of guitars and pedals under the Solar brand — allowing you to snag those face-melting tones for your own musical escapades.

The Chug Lite is marketed as a streamlined, compact and user-friendly sibling of the original Chug preamp pedal from 2022. It promises to deliver the same super-thick saturation as the original, but in a much more manageable package, perfect for those who crave simplicity but don't want to sacrifice tone.