The Electronic Audio Experiments Longsword is an op-amp based drive circuit where cascaded gain stages allow for tones ranging from clean boost to dynamic distortion to massively clipped fuzz, all with serious output volume available for driving the front end of an amp.
The equalizer combines bass and treble shelving filters with an active, semi-parametric midrange boost/cut control. A separate boost circuit with its own footswitch allows for dynamic shifts during the performance when needed.
Thanks to its broad frequency response, the Longsword works equally well with guitar, baritone, and bass.
The Electronic Audio Experiments Longsword is yet another contender in the endless void of op-amp based drive pedals, but it is one that takes the topology in a novel direction. Cascaded gain stages allow for the full range from clean boost to massive distortion, all without sacrificing tonal flexibility. The equalizer combines bass and treble shelving filters with an active, frequency-selectable midrange boost/cut control. This lets the user sculpt a diverse array of tones and carve out a niche in even the most dense of mixes. The Longsword has a broad frequency response which makes it work equally well with guitar, baritone, and bass.
Controls:
Level: output volume
Drive: go from light grit to heavy overdrive
Low/High: James/Baxandall tone stack (shelving filters)
Mid: active midrange boost/cut
Shift: selects frequency controlled by Mid pot
Diode: selects between clipping diodes, to alter dynamics and headroom
Up: MOSFET clipping, medium compression
Center: no diodes, minimal compression
Down: Silicon diode clipping, maximum compression
Boost (Footswitch): engages a front end mid boost
Boost (Knob): adds up to 20dB of gain when the Boost is engaged
