gear giveaway

Preamp Pedals

New Pedal: Catalinbread Airstrip Preamp

Hand-built in Portland, Oregon, the Catalinbread Airstrip is a tribute to the legendary custom-built 1972 Trident A-Range console. These consoles relied on discrete transistor circuitry that imparted a signature warmth and character to the signal, and were used on records by iconic British artists such as David Bowie, Elton John,…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Catalinbread Airstrip Preamp

Sinvertek N5 MGAT-1 Preamp

The Sinvertek N5 MGAT-1 Preamp is the latest release by a Chinese boutique company that might be the best-kept secret in the pedal realm - in particular for those guitarists who enjoy gain pedals that allow for a variety of tonal options. A Plexi variation to their popular N5+ drive,…Click on the title for more

Sinvertek N5 MGAT-1 Preamp

Soldano SLO Plus Dual Channel Overdrive

Seattle via L.A. high-gain amp maker Soldano entered the pedal market not long ago with the SLO overdrive, a stompbox version of the (loved by many) Overdrive channel of their two-channel SLO amplifier, based on a cascading gain design. The Soldano SLO Plus pedal reintegrates, in a slightly wider case,…Click on the title for more

Soldano SLO Plus Dual Channel Overdrive

New Pedal: Tubesteader Roy Vox-Style Tube Preamp

With the Vox-style Tubesteader Roy preamp, fellow Montrealer Olly Balan releases his first compact dual-channel pedal tube preamp - with double emphasis on the "compact," since fitting all of the above in such a small case is a remarkable achievement. Inspired by the vintage Vox AC30 Top Boost amp, Roy…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Tubesteader Roy Vox-Style Tube Preamp

JHS Colour Box V2

The JHS Colour Box was born in 2014 as a pedal that allows guitarists to recreate through a simple stompbox the classic sound and tonal palette of a guitar plugged directly into the preamp of a high-end studio console (a sound made famous by the Beatles on "Revolution"). Today the…Click on the title for more

JHS Colour Box V2

New Pedal: Analog Music Company SHSL Mk3 (So High So Low) Preamp + Filter

The Analog Music Company SHSL Mk3 (an acronym for "So High So Low") is a preamp pedal inspired by two other devices: the pleasantly colored preamp section of the Moogerfooger pedals by Moog, and the high-pass/low-pass filters found on the vintage KORG MS-20. As an extra nod to synth players,…Click on the title for more

New Pedal: Analog Music Company SHSL Mk3 (So High So Low) Preamp + Filter

Friedman IR-J Dual Tube Preamp (Jake E Lee Signature)

The Friedman IR-J is the third comer in the "IR" pedal tube preamp series recently launched by the US brand. The manufacturer is keen to stress that the two 12AX7 tubes inside the pedal aren't there just to "warm up" a digital or solid-state circuit, but are the beating heart…Click on the title for more

Friedman IR-J Dual Tube Preamp (Jake E Lee Signature)

Benson Amps Preamp Overdrive/Distortion

The Benson Amps Preamp Overdrive/Distortion (listed at $249) sports a circuit Based on the company's Chimera 30 watt guitar amplifier (going for $1949), but substitutes FET transistors for the vacuum tubes. The result is an extremely amp-like and versatile clean boost/overdrive/fuzz pedal that imparts rich harmonics and a very musical EQ to your…Click on the title for more

Benson Amps Preamp Overdrive/Distortion

Universal Audio UAFX 1992 ANTI High Gain Amp

Universal Audio is back with a new member of their UAFX series with the Anti 1992, a stereo pedal that meticulously recreates the iconic sounds of the metal of the '90s, packing a world of distortion into a compact stompbox, whether you're a fan of Scandinavian death metal or Southern…Click on the title for more

Universal Audio UAFX 1992 ANTI High Gain Amp

DryBell The Engine Dual Preamp

Our Croatian friends at DryBell, who have built a super-solid reputation with their Uni-Vibe emulations and the more recent utility pedal Unit67, unveiled at our NAMM 2020 Stompbox Booth a prototype of their first preamp/overdrive, and it looked right away like something special. Sporting a "Foundation Preamp" subtitle, the DryBell…Click on the title for more

DryBell The Engine Dual Preamp

Cusack Music Project 34

The Cusack Music Project 34 is a preamp/overdrive pedal based on an old component that, as often happens with vintage technology applied to audio, is finding a renaissance for the character it imparts to the signal. Enter the Selenium rectifier. Used between the '30s and '50s in older amps such…Click on the title for more

Cusack Music Project 34

Friedman IR-D Tube Preamp

For the uninitiated, in the world of guitar amplifiers, preamps are perhaps the most important section in an amp, because that's where most of the tone is crafted. The Friedman IR-D is a two-channel tube preamp by a US company that built its reputation as an amp manufacturer, and represents…Click on the title for more

Friedman IR-D Tube Preamp