Selenium, an alternative to silicon and germanium, helps make an overdrive of great nuance and delectable boost and low-gain overdrive tones.
Clever application of alternative materials that results in a simple, make-everything-sound-better boost and low-gain overdrive.
Might not have enough overdrive for some tastes (although that’s kind of the idea).
$240 street
Cusack Project 34 Selenium Rectifier Pre/Drive Pedal
cusackmusic.com
The term “selenium rectifier” might be Greek to most guitarists, but if it rings a bell with any vintage-amp enthusiasts that’s likely because you pulled one of these green, sugar-cube-sized components out of your amp’s tube-biasing network to replace it with a silicon diode.
That’s a long-winded way of saying that, just like silicon or germanium diodes—aka “rectifiers”—the lesser-seen selenium can also be used for gain stages in a preamp or drive pedal. Enter the new Project 34 Selenium Rectifier Pre/Drive from Michigan-based boutique maker Cusack, named after the element’s atomic number, of course.
An Ounce of Pre-Vention
As quirky as the Project 34 might seem, it’s not the first time that company founder Jon Cusack indulged his long-standing interest in the element. In 2021, he tested the waters with a small 20-unit run of the Screamer Fuzz Selenium pedal and has now tamed the stuff further to tap levels of gain running from pre-boost to light overdrive. Having used up his supply of selenium rectifiers on the fuzz run, however, Cusack had to search far and wide to find more before the Project 34 could launch.
“Today they are usually relegated to just a few larger industrial and military applications,” Cusack reports, “but after over a year of searching we finally located what we needed to make another pedal. While they are a very expensive component, they certainly do have a sound of their own.”
The control interface comprises gain, level, and a traditional bright-to-bassy tone knob, the range of which is increased exponentially by the 3-position contour switch: Up summons medium bass response, middle is flat response with no bass boost, and down is maximum bass boost. The soft-touch, non-latching footswitch taps a true-bypass on/off state, and power requires a standard center-negative 9V supply rated at for least 5 mA of current draw, but you can run the Project 34 on up to 18V DC.
Going Nuclear
Tested with a Telecaster and an ES-355 into a tweed Deluxe-style 1x12 combo and a 65 Amps London head and 2x12 cab, the Project 34 is a very natural-sounding low-gain overdrive with a dynamic response and just enough compression that it doesn’t flatten the touchy-feely pick attack. The key adjectives here are juicy, sweet, rich, and full. It’s never harsh or grating.
“The gain knob is pretty subtle from 10 o’clock up, which actually helps keep the Project 34 in character.”
There’s plenty of output available via the level control, but the gain knob is pretty subtle from 10 o’clock up, which actually helps keep the Project 34 in character. Settings below there remain relatively clean—amp-setting dependent, of course—and from that point on up the overdrive ramps up very gradually, which, in amp-like fashion, is heard as a slight increase in saturation and compression. The pedal was especially fantastic with the Telecaster and the tweed-style combo, but also interacted really well with humbuckers into EL84s, which certainly can’t be said for all overdrives.
The Verdict
Although I almost hate to use the term, the Project 34 is a very organic gain stage that just makes everything sound better, and does so with a selenium-driven voice that’s an interesting twist on the standard preamp/drive. For all the variations on boost and low/medium-gain overdrive out there it’s still a very welcome addition to the market, and definitely worth checking out—particularly if you’re looking for subtler shades of overdrive.
Summer School Electronics Class Reunion combines 90’s Russian Muff with 2020’s Trash Panda for a versatile drive pedal.
Each side features its own Drive and Tone knobs as well as Diode Selection toggle. (BLACK KNOBS= 90’S MUFF, GREEN KNOBS = TRASH PANDA) By tweaking the parameters, the user can open a world of tones which makes The Class Reunion a versatile drive, as well as a Riff-Writing-Machine.
The silicon setting on the muff side (BLACK KNOBS) is a more standard classic muff sound, while the LED setting creates a darker sound with more low-end. The LED setting on the Trash Panda side(GREEN KNOBS) is the classic amp-like overdrive from our Trash Panda, while the silicon setting is a lower output, but provides a crispier fizzier drive. By mixing these diode settings with the blend knob, the user can create so many sonic flavors, making this a reliable pedal for studio or live performance, as well as an addicting pedal to play at home and explore new tones and ideas.
Each pedal offers the following features:
- Independent Drive, Tone and Diode selection for each side of the circuit
- Master Volume and Blend controls
- Hand Built in Syracuse, NY
- Lifetime Warranty
- 9-volt operation and standard DC input
The Class Reunion is available at Summer School Electronics dealers, at a street price of $179.99.
For more information, please visit summerschoolelectronics.com.
Summer School Electronics Class Reunion Demo
Featuring four op-amp gain stages, this pedal delivers expansive headroom, while the softclipping saturates the signal without aggressively compressing it.
Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices, one of the UK’s most exciting new pedal brands has introduced the BB04 Full Range Drive, a saturated and non-transparent overdrive pedal inspired by the essence of two iconic "blues" pedals.
What sets the BB04 apart is its unique BODY switch which provides a shift in EQ parameters. Switch between thicker or thinner tones, while also providing a perceived gain and volume boost when engaged.
But what truly earns the moniker "Full Range" is the pedal's versatility. With the BODY switch, you have two distinct ranges of TONE and GAIN at your fingertips, depending on which side of the pedal you use, each offering a spectrum of overdrive flavors. From an edge-of-breakup clean, to tube-driven distortion, the dynamic interaction between the GAIN, TONE, and BODY controls offers you a full range of tones.
As with all Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices pedals, the BB04 Full Range Drive comes housed in a robust diecast enclosure adorned with unique tactile gloss artwork, marrying style with durability.
BUZZING BUGS AUDIO DEVICES BB04 FULL RANGE DRIVE GUITAR PEDAL
The BB04 pedal includes the following controls and features:
- GAIN - Controls the voltage of one of the multiple gain stages,
- TONE - A wide-range tone control that dynamically interacts with the GAIN and BODY controls
- BODY - Changes the parameter of the EQ, thinning or thickening the tone
- VOL - Controls the overall output of the pedal
- True bypass switching
- Diecast, robust metal enclosure
- Top-mounted jacks for maximum pedalboard efficiency
- 9vDC standard center negative input, PSU not included
The BB04 Full Range Drive has a price of £129.
For more information, please visit buzzingbugsfx.com.
