Hagerman Thermionic Reinforcer...Mega Tube Clipping!

Jim Hagerman makes some absolutely killer pedals. But this might be his best yet.

Enter the Thermionic Reinforcer - possibly the best name for a tube pedal ever! The first channel is similar to his blue tube Overdrive - albeit with the additional Contour control to control your guitar’s signal on the front end. But the second side is where things get really interesting…

As we know, most tubes clip asymmetrically. That’s why we love ‘em. And - over the years, several famous ‘amp modders’ have introduced diode clipping circuits to amps to get a harder edged distortion character to certain channels. But Jim has managed to achieve this same effect using a second tube…no starved voltages or solid state circuits; no, this is a tube that clips hard, and symmetrically. What…?

Channel 2 is a spitty beast…and an angry spitty beast at that. Though channel one is a more traditional tube OD…lovely rich harmonics, and dynamics under the fingers for days. So with the two together under your foot…what’s not to love…??

What do you think? Amazing saturated tube tones? Amazing hard-edged clipping?Comment below!

Guitar is a Ron Kirn Barnbuster with Wilde/Bill Lawrence Micro Coils. Amp is a Vajra JTM45 clone running into a Zilla Studio Pro 2x12 cabinet loaded with Scumback S75-PVC AlNiCo and Celestion AlNiCo Gold speakers. Recorded with Aston Spirit Condenser, '70s Sennheiser MD441 and sE RNR1 ribbon mics, with a Schoeps CMC6 room mic.

0:00 Intro
3:44 Playing


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