Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Electronic Audio Experiments Shrinks and Evolves its Halberd Discrete Transistor Overdrive
Key Points
The Halberd Transistor Overdrive V2 is presented as the third pillar of John Snyder’s Gain Pedal Trifecta alongside Longsword Distortion and Model feT Preamp. The writer owns Snyder’s Dude Incredible (Percolator + IVP), bought from Joe Light’s Joe’s Pedals, and would likely buy the V2 there.
V2 is more pedalboard‑friendly and versatile. Controls: Post (Level), Pre (Gain), Tone (High), Low (Depth), Voice = Clang / Standard / Deep. Clang boosts upper mids for tighter attack; Standard is the V1 sound; Deep adds gain and low‑end fullness for a fuzzy tone.
Snyder says he aimed to capture germanium‑transistor note decay, using filters to remove silicon’s buzzy harmonics without sounding muffled, yielding a tone “smoother than the original Halberd” with refined high‑end. Demos listed: Dem 2–6. Mentions Joe Gore’s Gross Distortion with two banks of 12 clipping diodes each.
The Halberd Transistor Overdrive is really the third pillar of John Snyder’s Gain Pedal Trifecta - alongside the slightly more celebrated Longsword Distortion and of course excellent Model feT Preamp. I have acquired only one of Johns’ pedals to-date - the now discontinued but great Dude Incredible (Percolator + IVP). I’ve long been trying to figure out what to get next, and because of its now new pedalboard-friendliness and added versatility - it looks like the new V2 Halberd is currently my best candidate.
I acquired my Dude Incredible from good friend Joe Light’s Joe’s Pedals - and would likely get the new Halberd from there too. I’m a huge fan of transistor overdrives, and have been having a lot of fun this year with Joe Gore’s Gross Distortion - which takes the transistor overdrive concept to another level with no less than 2 banks of 12 different clipping diodes each.
While the halberd has that gorgeous vintage grit - in fact three different ways now courtesy of its new Voice toggle-switch.
Controls - Post (Level), Pre (Gain), Tone (High), Low (Depth), Voice = Clang / Standard / Deep
Voicing :
- Clang - ↑ UP : pushes gain in the upper mid frequencies for a tighter attack and sharper range of tones
- Standard - • CENTER : same sound as the V1
- Deep - ↓ DOWN : adds gain and low end fullness to achieve fuzzy sound
As John Snyder says :
"I wanted to capture the smooth and even note decay of a germanium transistor. I spent many hours developing specialized filter stages to trim away the buzzy harmonics of the silicon transistor without sounding muffled. The end result is, in fact, even smoother than the original Halberd. Even at its most aggressively biting settings, the tone has the refined high end response of an already-mixed guitar track."
My priority list is getting very complicated nowadays - but this certainly goes in on that in a pretty high slot.
Anyone else here getting in a V2 Halberd at some stage?
Demos
Dem 2
