I’ve had a few builds exceed my expectations. The most recent is the Aion Andromeda (Nordland ODR-C clone). I dont tend to like the sound of much “drive” in a pedal, with most of my playing on the clean side. On its own, with the drive just cracked a bit, it is not truly transparent (compared to the Transcendent, against which only turning my amp up a bit will get me that same boost without affecting anything else), but has a very clean sound. However, sometimes driving a mod pedal, it will sound cleaner than anything else I have. Good amount of overhead (esp. at 18v), and has both a wide frequency range and a very useable mid control. I don’t find the bass overwhelming in the least, but I mainly play through a 2 x 10 amp, so that may have something to do with it. I can certainly understand it’s appeal in Nashville.
The Mesmeriser also really wows me. To be honest, I’m not sure if my build is working exactly as it should; the lows have a bit more effect than the highs, but I don’t want to change a thing about it. (I do plan on building, or at least breadboarding, a second to see if I am right about how “correct“ mine is.) I like to use slow modulation, often set fairly dry, to add some meat to that really clean (in terms of lacking clipping distortion) guitar sound that I use, and while this is great at that, I love the sound very wet too. Possibly my favorite “Univibe” type sound when it’s very wet, and I have some beloved Univibe style pedals).
The Seabed Delay also took me by surprise. It’s my first experience playing a Mad Professor design, and I have instant respect for him. Such a simple circuit, with a great, natural sounding delay. I really didn’t need another delay, but it‘s still there, taking up board space, useful both as a slapback or a more atmospheric delay, that is surprisingly transparent.