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Seymour Duncan Announces the Diamondhead

A dual overdrive/boost pedal that aims to cop classic metal and hard rock tones.

Santa Barbara, CA (November 14, 2019) -- Seymour Duncan, a leading manufacturer of pickups and pedals, announces the release of its new Diamondhead Multistage Distortion + Boost guitar pedal. This latest addition to the company’s growing guitar effects offerings will have any classic metal or hard rock player ready to shred!

Diamondhead is a multistage distortion + boost pedal that captures the tone and feel of a hot-rodded tube amp being pushed by a drive or boost pedal—the guitar sound that defined classic '70s and '80s metal and hard rock.

It all starts with the drive—from breathy and raw medium gain sounds to screaming high-gain harmonics, Diamondhead is deep and three-dimensional, with clarity and touch response.

Three powerful active EQ controls maximize the potential of the gain section. A tightly defined bass control boosts and cuts at 80 Hz, with surgical precision—making the low end huge, but never muddy. A broader mid-range control set right at 800 Hz allows for massive scooped chunk, hyper aggressive modern attack, and everything in between. The Treble control, set at 6 kHz, adds sizzle, cut, and attack.

The SAT Switch (based on our 805 Overdrive) adds a 24dB pre-gain boost that tightens up the low end for more aggressive and defined attack. Subtly rolling off lows and highs, it allows the mid-range to cut through, creating chewy, harmonic saturation.

Independent from the Drive section, the Boost (activated with the left footswitch) offers 0 to 15 dB of available gain and can be used as a lead boost or to push an amp on the edge into overdrive. Try using it with a slightly dirty amp as the first gain stage and adding the Drive section for your highest gain sounds. 

Diamondhead also shines as a pre-amp. By running it into the effects return of your tube amp or in front of our PowerStage power amps, you’ll be rewarded with a hot-rodded high gain amp tone with body, bite, and character.

If you’ve gone through a pile of overdrives, distortions, and boost pedals searching for that quintessential 80s metal or hard rock tone and haven’t been satisfied, then make Diamondhead the heart of your rig. It’s versatile enough to handle any covers set and precise enough to surgically dial in your own tone while capturing the rock n roll spirit of a high gain head pushed to the edge. 

Features:

  • Powerful active EQ
  • SAT switch adds 24db pre-gain boost and tightens up the low end
  • Independent boost with zero to 15db of gain

Instead of laying down thousands of dollars to modify a classic amp, dig into the Diamondhead’s distortion, pack on the boost, or stack them both for an all-out attack. This two-in-one pedal slides into stores on November 12th, at a street price of $229.

Watch the company's video demo:

For more information:
Seymour Duncan