The Vertex Ultraphonix is an overdrive inspired by ultra-rare (and ultra-cloned) Dumble Overdrive Special amp.
The HRM (Hot Rubber Monkey) version of this pedal emulates a particularly popular tube mod implemented on a limited number of those amps that resulted in a modification of the mid-range that brought it closer to the one produced by a British-style tone stack (read, a Marshall amp).
the Volume knob pushes the pedal’s preamp gain amount, while Accent controls the presence and slowly introduces more saturation into your signal. Ratio is basically a ix knob that lets you reintroduce your clean signal, while Tone lets you highlight lower mids ranging from 800 to 1.6k Hz.
Check out the videos of the Vertex Ultra-Phonix HRM, below. We added this pedal to our list of Best Dumble-Style Overdrives.
Ultra-Phonix HRM recreates the much sought after Dumble™ HRM overdrive tone that pushed the tweaked Overdrive Special Amplifier into stardom. Amongst the limited amount of ODS amplifiers produced by the legendary amp maker, a handful were armed with EL-34 power amp tubes rather than the 6L6 tubes found in most ODS amps. This gives the HRM edition of the Ultraphonix a quintessentially British voicing and EQ shift compared to the original version. The “Master” control determines the total output of the pedal. The “Volume” control adjusts how hard the pedal’s preamp is working, giving you more control over the amount of gain coming from the preamp. Turn up the “Accent” control to increase presence and slowly introduce more saturation into your signal. The “Ratio” control allows you to blend your distorted and clean signal, and the “Tone” knob allows you to accentuate different upper-mid frequencies, ranging from 800-1.6k Hz.
