gear giveaway

Preamp Pedals

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

Acorn Amps Migfet 50P V2 Preamp

Introduced in 2023, the Acorn Amp Migfet 50p is the company's take on the Sovtek MIG50 guitar tube amplifier in a compact pedal format. After popular demand, this V2 adds more gain to the circuit by swapping 12AX7 preamp tubes (found in the original amp circuit) with JFETs. JFETs can…Click on the title for more

Acorn Amps Migfet 50P V2 Preamp

Science Amplification Mother Preamp

The Science Amplification Mother Preamp is the first pedal released by the Washington-state-based company, the labor of love of amp builder Alex Gaziano. It's a recreation of the company's Mother MkIII amp, a dual-channel take on the vintage high-wattage sounds of the early '70s featuring an analog FET signal path…Click on the title for more

Science Amplification Mother Preamp

DSM Humboldt Simplifier X

The brainchild of Manuel Jano Acevedo of Humboldt Electronics and Daniel Schwartz of DSM Noisemaker, the DSM Humboldt Simplifier X is the newest member of the very successful family of Simplifier amp and cab simulators, and also the most beastly, as it appears obvious from the borderline insane number of…Click on the title for more

DSM Humboldt Simplifier X

Benson Germanium Preamp

The Benson Germanium Preamp is a variation on the Portland-based company's pedal that put them on the stompbox map: the Preamp, an overdrive/distortion that slowly conquered the ears of a growing number of guitarists. This Germanium version was built on the experience gathered by Chris Benson while working on the…Click on the title for more

Benson Germanium Preamp

Updated Pedals: Dawner Prince Diktator MKII

Coming to us from the Croatian sensation Dawner Prince Effects is the Diktator MkII, a complete redesign of the original unit released over ten years prior in 2013. Presented as a Preamp/Overdrive/Distortion, this is a pedal that can put your guitar through an evolution of drive stages all the way…Click on the title for more

Updated Pedals: Dawner Prince Diktator MKII

Updated Pedal: Hudson Electronics Broadcast AP-II

The Broadcast preamp pedal from UK builder Hudson Electronics has a stellar reputation and made several best-of lists when it came out a few years ago. The AP version of it, recently updated to the dual version, named Broadcast AP-II, is an evolution of the original design engineered in collaboration…Click on the title for more

Updated Pedal: Hudson Electronics Broadcast AP-II

Friedman IR-X Dual Tube Preamp

Built by a US company that knows a thing or two about amplification, the Friedman IR-X is a guitar preamp that, thanks in part to the two high-voltage 12AX7 tubes embedded in its circuit, faithfully captures the harmonic richness and touch responsiveness associated with full-sized Friedman amplifiers. Its two fully…Click on the title for more

Friedman IR-X Dual Tube Preamp

DSM and Humboldt Simplifier mkII Amp/Cab Simulator

The DSM and Humboldt Simplifier mkII is an update to a device manufactured by a team of two Chilean builders whose first version took the guitar world by storm back in 2020. An all-analog, great-sounding, stereo amp and cab simulator with an incredible amount of controls and options. Talking about…Click on the title for more

DSM and Humboldt Simplifier mkII Amp/Cab Simulator

Catalinbread Epoch Bias Preamp

The Catalinbread Epoch Bias is yet another circuit derived from what's arguably the company's most successful and consequential pedal to date, the Belle Epoch, an echo pedal inspired by the venerable vintage Echoplex EP-3 tape delay, a device renown not only for its effect, but also for the pleasing color…Click on the title for more

Catalinbread Epoch Bias Preamp