The Pedal Papers #1 - Ibanez Tone Lok LF-7 Lo Fi

In this semi-regular feature, the Guitar Nerds give you the lowdown some of weird and wonderful stompboxes from the past.

THE PEDAL PAPERS #1 - IBANEZ TONE LOK LF-7 LO FI

Cast your mind back to 2001. Nu-metal was in full swing, red baseball caps were all the rage and making your guitar sound like a payphone was something that people desperately wanted to do. Step forward, the Ibanez LF-7 Lo Fi...

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Released as part of the Tone-Lok series, the LF-7 was essentially a glorified EQ pedal that allowed the user to cut high or low frequencies to simulate telephone effects. Two EQ filters were paired with drive and volume controls on push-push knobs that could be pressed in and recessed inside of the pedal. This unique "Tone-Lok" design was implemented to stop the player from moving the controls with their feet mid-gig.

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Not only designed for use with guitar, the LF-7 also featured drum and microphone modes, and Ibanez themselves even described it as being useful in "any mixdown context". Three early adopters of the LF-7 were Dino Cazares of Fear Factory and Head and Munkey of Korn. 

While it may not be the most useful pedal in the World, I still think that the LF-7 would be a great addition for a player with a pedal board that already features an EQ for tone shaping and needs the occasional filter effect. If you can find one, they are usually reasonably priced at around £40-60.

To hear the LF-7 in action, check out this demo from Youtuber Tim Diederich: