Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Acorn Amps shrinks down its Peavey Decade inspired Solid State Preamp Pedal
Key Points
Acorn Amps made a compact solid-state preamp based on the 1980s Peavey Decade Combo (a known Josh Homme favorite), keeping the preamp circuit, dropping the power section and output selector/mute, and adding a 'Thick' switch to beef tone.
Controls and features: High, Mid, Low, Pre Gain, Post Gain, Thick on/off, Normal/Saturation channel footswitch, bypass footswitch; two foot-switchable channels (normal: wiry/clean; saturated: aggressive); 1590B aluminium enclosure; true bypass; 9–18VDC power; consumes <100mA.
Models and pricing: BB-size $299; Compact MAP $179. Demos listed.
Note: the document gives prices in USD; we cannot convert or invent a date to restate them as "As of [date], the price was £X."
It is well known by now that one of Josh Homme’s favourite sounding Amps is the 1980’s Peavey Decade Combo - which has a somewhat ’wiry’ output.
Acorn Amps initially made a full replica of that Amp Circuit - housed in a BB-size enclosure - and including both Preamp and Power Sections - along with a switch that allows you to select 1 of 2 outputs or to enable a Mute. For the streamlined compact edition - they drop the Power Section and Output Selector / Mute - with all else retained, while they also add a cool ’Thick’ switch to further beef up your tone.
Controls - High, Mid, Low, Post Gain, Thick : On / Off, Pre Gain, Normal / Saturation Footswitch, Bypass Footswitch.
Both BB-Size ($299) and Compact ($179) pedals have largely the same control topology - and each will suit different rigs. For my purposes - the compact edition is the right choice and is the model I will be looking to snag for the Reference Collection!
FEATURES :
- Two foot-switchable tone channels - ‘normal’ for wiry, sparkling clean drive & ‘saturated’ for aggressive gain
- Toggle switch to add ‘Thick’ low end, added gain, and a signal boost
- Low, Mid, & High controls to dial in your tonal frequency
- Pedalboard friendly compact design assembled in a 1590B aluminium enclosure
- True bypass and powered by 9-18VDC pedal power, Consumes less than 100mA of curren
MAP : $179
Demos
