Summer NAMM 2016: Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Micro promises miniaturised compression alchemy

Much more than just a smart pun in a box, the original Philospoher's Tone is a pedal we like, a lot.

When we reviewed this compressor stompbox back in 2012, we praised its versatility and if anything, its unique take on compression has grown on us.

So, we're very excited to see if the new modishly miniaturised version, the Philosopher's Tone Micro, does indeed perform as Pigtronix claim, delivering the smooth parallel optical compression and best-in-class sustain of its big brother - shredder supreme Paul Gilbert certainly seems impressed in his demo above.

Like its predecessor, the Micro features that all-important parallel blend knob, allowing you to mix your original tone with the compressed feed, restoring natural pick-attack and allowing musicality even at the extremes of the sustain control.

The treble control provides up to 6 dB cut or boost at 2KHz and you'll also get true-bypass switching and 9V operation, with internal 18V power rails for plenty of clean headroom, even when used with hot pickups and line-level signals.

The Philosopher's Tone Micro will be available in August for $119.

Features

• Noiseless clean sustain
• Blend control for parallel compression
• Treble EQ for boost or cut at 2kHz
• Runs on standard 9V external power
• Internal 18V power for maximum headroom
• True bypass switching
• Size = 3.75" x 1.5" x 1.75"