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Koll Guitars Debuts the High-Rise Overdrive

"Steel" meets "concrete" in the famed luthier's first effects pedal.

Koll

Portland, OR (Januuary 19, 2020) -- Koll Guitars, the boutique electric guitar company founded by master luthier Saul Koll in 1986, has released its first effects pedal, the High-Rise overdrive. Koll is also displaying a prototype of its forthcoming guitar amplifier, the Kombi. After 36 years of crafting sought-after guitars, these releases extend Saul Koll's unique design aesthetic into new gear categories.

The High-Rise is a premium overdrive pedal with massive frequency range and incredible touch sensitivity. High-Rise responds dynamically to a players’s guitar tone settings and enhances them; it doesn’t mask them. The “Steel” circuit acts as a clean boost, bringing clear, organic overdrive to any amp or pedal combination. The “Concrete” circuit delivers additional gain, grit, and saturation. Together, the two circuits offer a myriad of tonal possibilities for a wide range of playing styles. Explore and achieve new tones from each side individually, or use them together to elevate your sound to new levels.

"I remember buying my first overdrive pedal when I was 13, a Little Big Muff, and how it totally changed my life," said Saul Koll. "Since then I've used dozens of different overdrives and distortion boxes, and the High-Rise is the culmination of what I like in a boost."

The High-Rise overdrive pedal was created by Saul Koll and Portland effects maestro Jack Deville, with graphic design by acclaimed designer Aaron Draplin. It retails for $225, a limited first batch is available for pre-orders now and will ship March 27. Koll also plans to release additional new pedal models later this year.

Koll also unveiled a prototype of its first guitar amplifier, the Kombi, an EL84-based 5-watt combo amp with spring reverb and a single 10" Celestion Greenback speaker. The Kombi draws on Saul's love of old Marshall's, Vox's and funky pawn shop amps, with a design and tone that slants British. Developed in collaboration with Benson Amplifiers, the Kombi will ship in Summer 2020. Pricing and release details TBA.

"We only make things that we truly want to use, and the pedal and amp are great examples of that idea," said Koll. "And working with friends in Portland is also important to us, people like Jack Deville and Chris Benson, who have the same attention detail and craftsmanship. It's so fun to collaborate with other builders and combine our expertise and ideas."

The new pedal and amp will be on display at the Koll Guitars and Benson Amplifiers booth #3241 during NAMM 2020, along with a selection new guitars all hand-crafted in Portland, Oregon.

For more information:
Koll Guitars