Fans of blues legend John Mayer should lend their expert ears to this preview demo of the Cornerstone | Antique Classic Drive V3, a Tube Screamer evolution engineered to replicate the tone of the Connecticut-born guitarist, known for using both a Klon-style pedal and a TS together.
In the early ‘2020s the Italian builder rose to pedal prominence thanks to their widely acclaimed Gladio Dumble overdrive clone, and this stompbox was their first major release after that success story.
Most of the magic in the Antique Classic Drive comes from the EQ section, which allows a wide range of sculpting within the range of Jonh Mayer’s tones:
- The Tone knob affects the low-mid frequencies
- The Presence knob shapes high-mids and high-end
However, what’s new in V3 is a Hotmode consisting of an extra (smaller) volume and Gain knobs that can be triggered via a dedicated footswitch not only to boost the signal but also to increase the amount of distortion.
An extra COMP toggle gives the option to increase the dynamic responsiveness of the overdrive.
Also new is a design and color inspired by the classic Vespas, which is another good reason not to pass on this pedal.
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Cornerstone Antique Classic Drive V2
The main difference in V2 was the presence of he Mids toggle (instead of the Hotmode knobs), which affected the overall mid frequencies, delivering the following
- UP > classic TS tone (rich in mids)
- DOWN > milder mids for a more natural overdriven tone
Here are the videos of V2.
Have you ever tried reaching that John Mayer tone we know and love?
or
Have you ever played with a Tube screamer just wishing to have more control over the tone and dyanimc of the pedal?The answer to the above cases has a name: Cornerstone Antique.
The Antique is our take on the classic sounds which are notoriously recognized with the Tube Screamer.
Don’t worry, the Antique is not a clone, but while it definitely belongs to the Screamer-like family of overdrives, It has a well-defined tone specifically tweaked to achieve the bluesy sounds of John Mayer.The Gain and Volume controls are pretty much self explaining.
But here comes the magic designed to help you find a renewed inspiration when using a classic screamer sound:
The TONE control: it manages the low-mid frequency content.
The PRESENCE control: it shapes the hi-mids and high-end content.
MIDS (cut) toggle switch: it manages the overall mids content, in UP position is the classic TS mids, in DOWN position mids are cut.These three controls together allow you to discover a whole new different sounds and colors, all in the tonal range of John Mayer Trio sounds.
Finally, the COMP switch is managing the overall dynamic response of the pedal.
The Antique requires a standard 9V DC Negative power supply only.
