EFFECTRODE SR-71 BLACKBIRD TUBE PREAMP

The ‘Blackbird’ is a real all-tube preamplifier in a pedal. It’s designed to add multiple channels to vintage or boutique guitar amps giving access to a wide tonal palette ranging from warm and fat blues drive sounds, through to classic rock distortion and harmonically-saturated, savage metal tones. The drive channel is based on the same 4 stage tube clipping circuitry found in the Dumble, Boogie and Soldano amps. These types of amps are in a class of their own, being exceptionally expressive and touch sensitive giving the player access a wide tonal palette from mild blues breakup to harmonically rich, saturated drive tones just by simply digging in or easing off with the guitar pick. The clean channel is a replica of the classic ‘Blackface’ circuit by Leo Fender and is capable of creating jazz, country and beautifully warm, glassy tones. Additionally, this pedal packs a huge degree of flexibility with a host of unique features that allow the fundamental drive tone of the pedal to be altered by adjusting tube bias points and swapping out tubes. The Blackbird is built to last and for rigorous touring – each preamp pedal is meticulously constructed from military-grade components and housed in a tough powder-coated aluminium alloy enclosure.

Features

• Two Truely Independent Channels: The clean channel is a replica of the classic ‘Blackface’ circuit Leo Fender created from the RCA Receiving Tube Manual and is beautifully warm and glassy sounding. The overdrive channel is a variation on the hot-rodded 4-stage Dumble/Soldano circuit and packs a huge degree of flexibility ranging from warm and fat blues drive tones, through classic rock distortion, to harmonically-saturated, savage metal tones.
• Classic Tone Stacks: Each channel has it’s own dedicated Bass, Mid and Treble controls based on the interactive tonestacks found on the Fender ‘Blackface’ Twin Reverb amp
• Adjustable Bias: External switch allows biasing to be selected for 12AX7, 12AU7 or 12AT7 tubes installed in the overdrive channel. Internal bias trim pot allows further adjustment for other types of dual stage miniature B9A tube such as 12AV7, 12AY7, etc. Swapping tubes allows the fundamental character of the drive channel to be altered to replicate a wide range of vintage guitar amps and create new sounds too.
• Tube swapping: The tone and gain characteristics of the Blackbird pedal can be further fine-tuned by interchanging tubes – the pedal is designed for easy access to the tubes for this purpose. In the time it takes to change a light-bulb the core tone of the overdrive channel can be tailored to your exact requirements – from subtle break-up, to mellow blues and vintage or saturated modern rock distortion, this pedal has wide versatility and all by simply removing a tube and replacing it with a different type.
• Tube Buffered Output: For connection to guitar amplifier. This output is a low impedance tube cathode follower stage with +10dBu of gain and is capable of driving long cable runs with lowest possible tone loss.
• Jensen C12N SPeaker Emulator: Inductor/capacitor circuit accurately reproduces the classic C12N speaker response. Discrete buffered output with +20dBu gain allowing direct connection to mixing desk, PC sound capture card, low imepdance (down to 8Ω loads) headphones or power amplifier.
• All Tube: The Blackbird is an entire tube preamp section in a pedal format. The signal path is 100% pure analog built with vacuum tubes operating at amp plate voltages. D.C. powered tube heaters ensure quietest possible operation
• True Bypass Switching: With Effectrode’s unique ‘anti-pop’ or ‘thump’ footswitching circuitry utilising sealed, gold-contact relay to eliminate the possibility of dirty contacts degrading the sound and minimial internal audio path.
• Extremely compact: The Blackbird is small enough to carry in a gig bag with your cables, tuner and other tools of the trade. You’ll be sure of unparalleled tone wherever you roam and it makes a great backup as a spare rig. No guitarist should leave home (or be at home!) without it!
• Named after the coolest plane ever built!: The Blackbird SR-71 operated at Mach3+ to allow the pilot to outrun ground-to-air missiles! Like it’s counterpart the Blackbird vacuum tube preamp puts you in control of your core drive sound.

MANUAL

SAMPLE SETTINGS

SOUNDS