Empress Effects Wave Canon MKII

Wave Cannon MKII: The 2.0 Version of Caroline's "Flagship"

The Wave Cannon MKII is designed as an unapologetic distortion: generous in gain, very rich in available volume, and built to avoid a classic pitfall of "vintage" drive pedals that sound good but don't push a very clean amp far enough or lose level compared to the bypassed sound. Here, the goal is simple: to give you a reserve of power and control to transform a clean channel into a true saturation wall, while remaining usable on more moderate settings.

This MKII continues the legacy of the Wave Cannon while embracing a more modern and direct personality: a distortion made to "overwhelm" the amp, with a palette of textures ranging from edgy drive to denser grains, almost fuzz-like in places depending on your settings and attack.

Who Is It For, and In Which Styles?

The Wave Cannon MKII is aimed at the guitarist who wants an expressive and lively distortion capable of covering multiple roles on a pedalboard: aggressive boost to make an already pushed amp roar, main distortion on a clean channel, or a texture machine for noisy passages. Its dynamics respond well to picking attack and guitar volume, helping to transition from a thick riff to a more open verse without necessarily adjusting the controls.

In terms of styles, it excels in rock, punk, garage, stoner, noise, alternative, and even metal if you're looking for a distortion with character rather than ultra-smooth "hi-gain" compression. In the studio, it's formidable for layering (double-tracking) with different Focus settings; live, its high output level helps maintain a strong presence in the mix.

Controls and Features: Sculpt the Chaos

The front panel remains intuitive, but each control has a wide range. Gain sets the amount of saturation, from controlled grit to thick, intense distortion. Volume controls the output level: useful for driving the amp's input (or preamp) to get more bite and sustain.

The core of the personality lies in Focus and Rumble. Focus scoops, flattens, or emphasizes the mids: perfect for deciding whether you want a riff that "cuts" through the mix or a broader, scooped distortion. The Rumble switch adds bass to the circuit, particularly useful at moderate gain to beef up a Tele, Jazzmaster, or a somewhat thin amp. Note: activating Rumble may momentarily cut the signal; this is normal behavior.

Finally, the Wave Cannon MKII has two footswitches: bypass and Havoc. The Havoc switch is momentary and must be held down: it triggers feedbacks, oscillations, and unpredictable reactions, which you can "tune" by adjusting other controls and your guitar. For Havoc to work best, the pedal should receive the purest possible signal: place it in the first position or ensure that pedals before it (true bypass, non-buffered) are turned off.

The Sound

The Wave Cannon MKII has that "amp-like" character in feel but with a deliberate dose of nastiness: a distortion that can remain articulate on clear attacks while happily getting dirtier when you open the gain. The spectrum is highly shapeable: Focus determines the sound's place in the mix, Tone adjusts brightness, and Rumble can transform an already muscular base into a true wave of low mids and bass for heavy chords.

The playing feel is one of its strengths: it can be edgy and responsive, and also become more "massive" and unpredictable when you engage Havoc. If you like pedals with a real personality (not just "more gain"), it delivers a very lively grain, ideal for giving your tone a signature, especially on a clean or slightly crunchy amp setting.

Technical specifications

Effects	Distortion / Overdrive / Fuzz, Distortion	Type	sector
Technology	Analog	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Red
EQ	Tone

Circuit	analog	Bypass	true bypass
Controls	Volume, Gain, Focus, Tone	Input	6.35mm TS jack (unbalanced)
Switch	Rumble (on/off)	Output	6.35mm TS jack (unbalanced)
Footswitches	bypass + Havoc (momentary)	Power supply	9 V DC, center negative (standard Boss PSA type or equivalent)