Hamstead goes cosmic once again with the Comet Interstellar Driver
The Comet is a versatile high-end overdrive that puts fuzz on the menu too, and it sounds out of this world
Hamstead Soundworks has added another astronomically inspired overdrive to its lineup of high end pedals. The Comet Interstellar Driver offers a wide range of drive tones, from subtle breakup to fuzz.
Featuring controls for Level, Bass, Treble and Gain, the Comet offers a simple but powerful solution for changing the character of the drive, with a handy toggle switch allowing you to place the drive circuit before the active 2-band EQ or after it, and changing the the circuit for the clipping and gain structure.
Placing the drive circuit before the EQ section yields a classic transparent drive that can then be shaped by what Hamstead describes as a "studio style" EQ stage. Alternatively, feed the EQ section into the drive circuit and give it a little extra push, taking it from juicy drive right on through to fuzz.
There's a no shortage of power under the hood. The Comet's Level control has up to 30dB of boost behind it, while the active 2-band EQ controls can boost or cut up to 15dB from your bass or treble.
This being a Hamstead Soundworks design, there are of course some easter eggs. Inside the enclosure you will find a switch to activate a high-gain mode plus a global Hi-Cut to adjust the treble response to your rig, which could come in handy when switching between bright and dark guitar amplifiers.
The Comet has an all-analogue circuit designed by Peter Hamstead, and uses silent optical switching and The GigRig’s OptoKick footswitch. It is priced $259 and is available now. See Hamstead Soundworks for more details.
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Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
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