Custom Designs
OverviewOver the years we have made many custom pedals. These are built into our standard product enclosures. We now cover the face of these enclosures with custom made faceplates. These faceplates are black and all the features are labeled.
The following are some examples of these custom builds, which are available to order. Click on the picture in the top right corner of this page to scroll through pictures of these examples.
Contact us if you have other needs/ideas within the general theme of our product line.
UPDATE: several of these builds are not available currently, as we have decided to concentrate more on our standard product line up. With so many requests for these custom builds they are taking up all of my time, which is not allowing me to work on up-dates to our standard line or to work on moving some of the custom designs to the standard line, let alone build pedals from the standard line!
Please note that there is no trial period (to try the pedal out) for custom pedals.
Herald - Currently UnavailableThe Herald is a preamp based on the Vox AC30. It features both the Top Boost and Normal channels and uses two 12ax7 tubes (running at high voltage of course). The Top Boost channel is very similar to the Squire TB that is part of our standard pedal range, although in the Herald it includes a valve (tube) cathode follower stage, whereas in the Squire this stage is replaced with a mosfet source follower. The standard controls from the amp are all there, as well as a couple of additional useful features:
Top Boost - Volume (labeled Brilliant), Treble and Bass...plus Master and Bright switch.
Normal - Volume (labeled Normal)...plus Bright switch.
A global Cut control is added, although it should be noted that on the AC30 this control is actually part of the power amp and not the preamp. Like on the amp though, this control simply cuts top end. Finally an output switch provides front of amp level or full preamp level.
Cost: $600 USD
Troubadour V2The Troubadour V2 is inspired by the 5E3 tweed Deluxe amplifier.
A little background...the 5e3 is at first glance a very simple amp, with only two volumes (Bright and Normal) and a tone control. It also has 4 inputs - two for the Normal volume and two for the Bright volume. One interesting thing that happens with this amp is the interaction between the two volumes, even when only one channel is plugged into. If you plug into the Bright channel, the Normal volume control has a marked effect on the tone of the amp as it is raised, even though nothing is plugged into this channel. This (I presume un-intended) volume control interaction is a huge part of getting a variety of great tones from the amp. As this "un-used" Normal volume control is raised, the sound starts to clean up and open up, with more clarity and less congested mids. Great tones are available by manipulating the two volumes.
The Troubadour V2 features one channel - the equivalent of the Bright channel on the 5E3 amplifier. Volume 2 is the volume pot associated with this channel. The darker channel of the amp (the Normal channel) is not included in this pedal. However, there is still a second volume pot ("Volume 1"), which is actually a dummy control in that it does not control a gain stage. Rather it serves only to provide the volume pot interaction that is such an integral part of the amplifier. So while the Troubadour V2 only has the one (Bright) channel, the volume pot interaction found on the amplifier is still included with this design.
The Tone control is the same as the Tone control on the amplifier. A Bright switch adds some subtle but useful top end and an Output switch gives modes for front of amp use, instrument level preamp use and full strength preamp. The "Master" sets the final output level that gets sent to the power amp, amp or cab sim. This Master is necessary to be able to have access to the more driven sounds when the Volumes are turned up, while keeping the final output at a suitable level for whatever the application is.
The sound of the 5E3 Deluxe, like all amplifiers, is a combination of the preamp, power amp, speakers and cabinet. No preamp can realistically duplicate the sound and feel of the whole amp and as such I have never tried to design preamps or pedals that try or claim to do so. In general our preamps are simply preamps - designed to be very similar to the actual preamps found in classic guitar amplifiers. They deliver the most authentic amp tones when run into appropriate power amplifiers and speakers. In some cases the sound delivered by a preamp can account for a fair amount of an amp's tone, but in others the preamp is only a small part of the sound of the amp. I would say that in the case of the 5E3 tweed Deluxe, the preamp falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. It is a quirky and relatively unique preamp that is nothing like the more popular classic designs found in blackface amps, Marshals or Voxes.
A note about the earlier (V1) Troubadour...this version used two tubes in a larger enclosure and featured the second darker sound provided by the "Normal" channel of the amp. It also had a built in Cathodyne phase splitter circuit, as found in the amp (this is actually part of the power amp, not the preamp). This was included because it added the option of being able to drive this phase splitter stage harder (by activating the second footswitch) and thus have a second, higher gain footswitchable sound. While this worked quite well in general, I felt that this second channel did not provide something better than can be achieved by pushing the new V2 Troubadour with a boost or overdrive pedal. In addition the V1 pedal had so many features, knobs and switches it was really getting away from the simple design and control set of the amp it was meant to be modeled after. The V2 is amaller, uses one 12ax7 and is easier to power, all the while sounding just as good.
Cost: $450 USD
MasonThe Mason is a boost/mild overdrive pedal based on the Page pedal (part of our regular pedal line-up). It is built in the smaller Serf enclosure and has controls for Gain, Volume, Lows and Highs. The Highs control is the same as the Tone pot found in the Page, albeit with a slightly extended range. It is a low pass filter, cutting highs as the pot is turned down. The Lows control is actually an input impedance control, just like the "Input Z" control found on the Peasant and Artisan pedals. It works as a high pass filter, cutting low end as the control is turned down. When the Mason is placed first in line this control also interacts directly with the guitar's pickups and effectively lowers their resonant peak as the control is lowered. It functions great as a Bass control, but also allows your guitar pickups to accenuate midrange as their resonant peak is lowered. This feature makes the Mason an excellent choice for pushing other pedals and amps into more drive.
The base sound of the Mason is essentially very similar to a Page, although there is slightly more gain on tap and the Bass (or Input Z) control allows additional tones that the Page cannot achieve.
Cost: $450 USD
Marauder - Currently UnavailableThe Marauder is two Pages in one enclosure. It can be a Page followed by a Page DS or vice-versa, or it can be two of the same type. Each circuit has all the features of the original Page or Page DS, you can listen to either side one at a time, or you can stack them (note that you cannot change the order with a switch - this is fixed).
In the case of the standard Page circuit, the 2-way Highs and Lows switches are now 3-way switches. The 3rd position on the Lows switch adds more bottom end and the 3rd position on the Highs adds more high end. This is useful when stacking the Page into another Page (or Page DS), as the extra top end makes for a tighter and more defined drive tone.
To read more about these two circuits click on the links: Page and Page DS
Cost: $600 USD
Yeoman - Currently UnavailableThe Yeoman is a Page TS followed by a regular Page in one box. All of the features of the Page TS and regular Page are included and you can listen to either circuit or stack the Page TS into the Page (you cannot change this order).
As in the case of the Marauder, the Page side has 3-way Highs and Lows switches. The 3rd position adds more Highs and Lows respectively.
To read more about the two circuits click on the links: Page and Page TS.
Cost: $650 USD
Paso Doble - Currently UnavailableThe Paso Doble is two Page DS circuits in one enclosure. Unlike the Marauder (which can also consist of two Page DS's) the Paso Doble was designed to be placed after two preamps as part of a stereo rig. Activating the Paso Doble turns on both Page DS circuits in parallel, with one being fed by one preamp and the other being fed by the other preamp. Originally designed for Mick Taylor (of "That Pedal Show"), this allowed him to run the Maiden D into one side and the Constable into the other side and turn both sides on at once, for a stereo overdrive tone. Each side of the Paso Doble then feeds the rest of Mick's pedal chain and stereo power amplifier.
The Paso Doble has a Mode switch that allows the pedal to work in the above manner, but also allows it to work as two independent Page DS pedals that you can footswitch between. This way it can also be useful as part of a mono signal chain (or for use placed earlier in a stereo signal chain - before the stereo split).
When used in parallel mode, the stereo inputs and outputs are accessed via the stero (TRS) input and output jacks.
Note that both sides cannot be cascaded (as they can on the Marauder) - they can be run one at a time or together in parallel.
Other than this particular stereo signal chain facility, it is simply two complete Page DS pedals in one box.
Cost: $600 USD
Highwaymen - Currently UnavailableThe Highwaymen is another dual pedal fetauring two of our standard product line pedals in one enclosure. In this case a Peasant (circuit "A") is followed by a regular Page (circuit "B") and of course all of the regular pedal features are included (note that the Page's "Volume" control is now labeled "Master A"). Each circuit can be accessed on it's own or the Peasant can be cascaded into the Page. In addition, when in cascade mode an additional Master volume (Master A+B) is activated. This way you get a separate Master for your lead (or higher gain) tone.
Cost: $600 USD
DruidThe Druid is a different sort of product - designed to allow you to fine tune your guitar's response before the signal goes through your regular signal chain. It is an up-dated version of a prototype pedal I showcased on That Pedal Show in July 2019, which I then referred to as the "Architect". This pedal does not clip itself (unless pushed very hard by a strong boost) - it is all about tweaking your guitar's response to the Nth degree so that it can work optimally into your amp (or pedals, then amp).
First of all the signal hits a Tone pot ("Input T") and Input Tone Cap 3-way switch ("IT Cap"). This is simply the same as a typical tone circuit found in practically all electric guitars. The "IT Cap" switch gives you choices of a very small cap, a medium sized cap and a very large cap. These different capacitor values have a massive impact on how the tone circuit responds. Using the very small cap (this is normally a .0022uF) is great for rolling off just the top end, leaving the mids and lows intact - a great way to smooth out a spiky pickup sound. I like to use it to get smoother or "jazzier" tones out of my Strat or Tele. The medium and very large caps are good for typical guitar tone pot reponses. The large value is a .1 uF cap and is very good for getting Clapton's "Woman tone".
It should be noted that the input tone circuit in the Druid effectively gives your guitar '50s wiring. This has the beneficial effect of improving your guitar's clean up ability, especially with the .1 cap.
The "Input Z" pot is an input impedance control, allowing it to be set anywhere from 10K ohms to 1M ohm. This is the same control that is featured on the Peasant and the Artisan. Setting this lower than normal (most pedals and amps have a 1M input impedance) you effectively lower the resonant peak of your guitar's pickups into the midrage frequencies. This can be great when using the Druid to push another pedal or amp into more overdrive. At lower Z settings the resulting OD sound has less spiky top end, more midrage emphasis and your guitar's volume clean up is improved.
The "IC Cap" is an input coupling capacitor. The 3-way switch gives you 3 different cap values and interacts directly with the Input Z control. With a small IC cap the Input Z pot also works as a high pass filter, reducing low end as the pot is turned down. This helps tighten up OD tones and further improves your guitar's clean up response. However, if too much low end is cut as the Input Z pot is reduced you can select two larger input coupling capacitors. So if you want lower input impedance with a smaller reduction in low end, or no reduction in low end at all, the ICC switch enables this. For treble booster type midrange squarkiness, use the smaller input coupling cap, as some bass roll-off is an integral part of that sound.
The Druid has a 12ax7 with two gain stages - one is a normal gain stage (used for just that - to add clean gain, or volume) and the 2nd gain stage is a cathode follower, giving the pedal a low output impedance. The 1st gain stage has a Bias control. This allows you to set the tube bias from cold to hot. In addition there is a 3-way Bias bypass capacitor switch ("BP Cap"), with settings for no bypass, partial bypass and full bypass. These features let you fine tune the way the tube amplifies. Honestly in this pedal this feature is a bit over the top and not really necessary. A bias control can be more useful in a stage that does more clipping, like a later stage in an overdrive pedal with multiple gain stages or a fuzz pedal (this is how the bias control is used in our "Artisan" pedal). Because the Druid is designed to go first in line, you will not be able to push the 1st gain stage hard enough to get to the point where changing the bias will have a large impact on the sound (for example producing the spitty, gated sound associated with extreme bias settings in a fuzz pedal). Note that if you can put the Druid after a boost pedal with a strong output, the boost can push the gain stage in the Druid into clipping, at which point changing the bias will have a larger sonic impact. In this case the Druid will no longer be first in line though, which is where you really want it. I have included the bias control and ICC switch in any case, as it was originally on the "Architect" prototype that the Druid is based on, and it does allow those who really like to tweak things to really get in to the weeds so to speak...
The "Bright" switch is a 3-way switch and works in conjunction with the Volume control. It works in just the same way as many bright switches found in many amps. At lower Volume settings the effect is larger and this effect is reduced as the Volume pot is raised.
Cost: $500 USD
Brute - Currently UnavailableThe Brute is a solid state high voltage boost. It uses a JFET as the amplifying gain stage and a mosfet source follower output for a low output impedance. Although it is a solid state circuit, the audio signal path is still all hand wired on tag board in exactly the same way as the rest of our tube pedal line.
The control set couldn't be simpler, with a Volume control (labeled "Punch") and a 3-way voicing switch (labeled "Attitude"). Mode 1 is a flat-ish boost, mode 2 is hotter with a leaner low end and mode 3 is the hottest with a little less low end still and a fairly aggressive biting upper midrange response.
Mode 2 and 3 are excellent for pushing amps and pedals into more breakup, with lots of output on tap.
Cost: $225 USD