The latest podcast appearance from two valued suppliers features Mark from Summer School Electronics and Jamie from Supercool Pedals joining Matt and Dave on the Guitar Dads Podcast. For those unfamiliar with it, Guitar Dads is a long-running show created by two players who describe it as a podcast for “guitar dads, by guitar dads”. In practice, it centres on thoughtful conversations about gear, music, industry stories and the realities of balancing playing with everyday life. The tone is relaxed and knowledgeable, rooted firmly in the experience of adult musicians.

In this episode, the focus is the new Smoking In The Boys Room pedal, a collaborative release between Summer School Electronics in Syracuse, New York and Supercool Pedals in Peterborough, Ontario. Both builders have established reputations for analogue designs with strong visual identities and a clear musical purpose. Rather than following trends, they reinterpret familiar circuits in ways that feel practical for working players, and this project reflects that approach.

Smoking In The Boys Room is a fully analogue dual distortion and chorus pedal designed for guitarists and bass players. Each effect can be used independently or stacked, and a dedicated external toggle allows the order to be switched, enabling distortion into chorus or chorus into distortion depending on the desired texture. The distortion circuit draws inspiration from the well-known orange distortion of the 1990s, but with a revised, more mid-forward voice and a modified output buffer that keeps the signal solid across longer cable runs and more complex pedalboards. At lower drive settings it adds bite and focus to an already breaking-up amplifier; at higher settings it delivers thick, grainy saturation suited to heavier riffing and lead work.

The chorus side is voiced for lush, watery analogue modulation, with rate and depth controls that remain usable across their full sweep. Subtle settings add width and movement without overtaking the core tone, while higher depth and speed settings introduce the distinctive swirl associated with alternative and grunge textures of the 1990s. Because the order can be swapped, the pedal offers two distinct feels: distortion into chorus provides smoother, more polished modulation, while chorus into distortion produces a rougher, more smeared character familiar from many recordings of that era.

During the conversation on Guitar Dads, Mark and Jamie explain how the collaboration developed, the reasoning behind pairing these two circuits, and the practical decisions that shaped the final design. They discuss keeping the signal path fully analogue, the importance of true mechanical bypass on both sides, and the inclusion of top-mounted input and output jacks to simplify pedalboard wiring. They also address how the pedal responds to picking dynamics and guitar volume changes, something evident in the accompanying demonstrations: the distortion cleans up naturally without sounding thin, and the chorus responds in a way that feels lively rather than static.

The build reflects a clear focus on reliability. The enclosure is solid all-metal, with clear LED indicators for each footswitch, and it runs from a standard 9V centre-negative supply. Current draw is modest, measuring around 6 mA in bypass and approximately 9 mA when both effects are engaged, making it straightforward to integrate into most existing boards. It is designed to withstand rehearsals, touring and regular use rather than serving as a studio novelty.

As is typical of Guitar Dads, the discussion moves beyond straightforward product promotion. There is context around 1990s alternative tones, reflections on how players use distortion and modulation today, and an honest look at what it means for two independent builders to collaborate across borders. For players interested in how pedals function in real-world rigs, it makes for an engaging and worthwhile listen.

The full episode is available via major podcast platforms and on the Guitar Dads channel. Those wishing to follow future releases and collaborations can keep up with Summer School Electronics and Supercool Pedals on their social media channels and subscribe to Guitar Dads for further interviews and gear discussions.

For anyone considering Smoking In The Boys Room, the episode provides useful insight into what the pedal is designed to achieve, how it performs in practice, and where it sits within the broader landscape of analogue distortion and chorus effects.

Toi view more pedals from Summer School Electronics and Supercool Pedals, please click the links.

Guitar Dads Instagram

Guitar Dads on Youtube

Summer School Electornics on Facebook

Summer School Electornics on Instagram

Summer School Electornics on Youtube

Supercool Pedals on Instagram

Supercool Pedals on Youtube

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