Durham’s amp and pedal manufacturer Dusky Electronics recently announced this new “non clean” boost pedal called Mandorla.
While clean boosts are all the rage these days, many guitarists appreciate the character that colored, non-linear devices add to their tone. In this circumstance, the “dirt” is associated to a MOSFET gain circuit inherited from vintage boost pedals from the ’60s.
The stompbox features two knobs: the “More” one deals with the output volume, while the “Meat” one is a bass filter.
Check out the video below, shot at our Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit 2019, and more videos below.
The Mandorla is a boutique colored boost pedal, inspired by vintage treble boost pedals from the ‘60s, with some modern twists. The MOSFET gain stage at the heart of the Mandorla is set up to take full advantage of the delicious non-linearity inherent to MOSFETS for gobs of even order harmonic distortion without clipping to produce a sound not unlike old tweed-era tube amps—clean, but colored. Even with gain set at unity, engaging the Mandorla sweetens and enhances—kind of a “more good” pedal. The Mandorla isn’t just for guitar—it sounds great on bass, keyboard, or any electric instrument.
The Meat knob controls the low end content from the pedal. With this knob all the way down, the voicing is very similar to vintage treble boosters of time immemorial. With the knob all the way up, the Mandorla is a full range booster with tons of low end available. At intermediate settings you can dial in or out just the amount of bass you need to sit in the mix with your bandmates. You might be surprised at how useful getting rid of some bass can be for helping each instrument in your band stand out and be heard.
The More knob controls the output volume—turning it up, there is plenty of clean gain available to drive your tube amp into sweet, musical overdrive.
