New Pedals: Joe Gore’s Cult Germanium Channel Boost

Accomplished guitarist and National Music Journalism Award winner Joe Gore has designed a line of pedals available via Vintage King, offering his take on a series of gain related circuits ranging from classic to quirky.

A throwback to the vintage days of the 1960’s, the Cult Germanium Channel is a dynamic and exciting take on a germanium-based design, one of the oldest types of designs for boost pedals. One of the coolest aspects of the circuit here is that you get to tailor the sound before AND after the overdrive section, allowing for more specific control.

The 5 knob control face is pretty straightforward. Using the ‘Pre’ control to affect the tone before the clipping section lets you go from raunchy low-end to something like a treble booster. The ‘Drive’ control has a versatile range, covering the whole spectrum. An active EQ section comes after the distortion via ‘Low’ and ‘High’ controls. Finally, the ‘Out’ control adjusts the overall level coming out of the pedal. Check out the video below. – Brandon Stoner