Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Pettyjohn Electronics revives its Core Series - now 'Core X' in larger 1590BB style Raw and Engraved enclosures with an extra 5th Tilt-EQ knob
I recall the original Core Series very well - and picked up those 4 original compacts - per the below original range visual. You had the Edge, ODI, Rail, and ROUS (per bottom row of visual) - where 3 of those have now been revived and enhanced.
Pettyjohn then did a number of additional very limited small batch custom compact editions - which covered most of the same territory as these 11 new editions. I feel a couple of these might be brand new - certainly the Moss X Fuzz.
The New Core X Series is consistently priced starting from $279, and comes in raw aluminium enclosures - with colour-coded knobs, and mechanically etched labels / legends. All pedals seem to feature Volume and Gain controls, with Lows, Tilt, and Highs EQ's.
Those etched legends could probably do with some infill - as they're nigh illegible in their current format. As is usual for Pettyjohn you have a couple of additional Mods on offer as pedal options - which can take the price up to $349.
I question the brand impact of these new Core X Editions - as those feature far from my favourite knobs, and I don't feel there is sufficient visual appeal to them either - to really push those new pedals into the public conscience. Aesthetics are important in how you you feel about and relate to particular pedals. The Flagship Pettyjohn line as pictured above - has a mix of far better knobs and memorable wood facias, while the Core X Series is kind of marked out by its relative anonymity. I personally feel a little conflicted about these - the electronics for sure will be first class as is always the case with Pettyjohn, while these raw Core X pedals are something of a challenge for me from a perspective of visual appeal!
I feel that the original Foundry and Core series got the formula right with their colour-coded enclosures. I feel even the current wood facia flagship series could do with some finessing - the PreDrive3 is nigh perfect for me - while all the others I don't feel are entirely up to the quality they should be at. Overall Pettyjohn used to be very recognisable across their Foundry and Core series - and very evidently something has been lost in the transition. I know there were some challenges with enclosure sourcing - but there are solutions to those - other brands have managed that transition. These are genuinely pretty great sounding circuits - often exceptional - while the aesthetic side of most of the current output is not doing this brand any favours! The PreDrive3 is by far and away the best looking pedal from the now range of 16 I believe.
I really want Pettyjohn to succeed - while I'm not sure this current trajectory is entirely the right approach.
The 11 Core X Models / Editions now available are as follows, with further details below!
- EDGE - Edge of Breakup Saturator
- EMBR - Orange Stack Distortion Machine
- FIVE - Pushed Low Watt Amp Sweetness
- GLASS - Classy BluesBreaker
- MERICA - 1973 Radio-friendly Rock Tones
- MIDS - Classic JRC4558 Screamer
- MOSS - Original Soft-Clipping Fuzz
- NASH - Nashville's favourite Natural Overdrive [ODR-1]
- ODI - Boss's Original Asymmetrical OverDrive
- RARE - Klone Killer
- ROUS - Rodent of Unusual Size Distortion
If these had been in the original colour-coded enclosures I would have been more tempted - and would likely have gone for the MOSS X here at the very least - while my current mindset still needs some convincing. I would need to swap out the knobs at the very least, I feel that most of these circuits could live in compact enclosures. So these are not a particularly ideal fit for me necessarily,
Nice to see them back in circulation in any case!
All 11 are available - with options - from the Pettyjohn Electronics Core X Series Page.
EDGE - Edge of Breakup Saturator
"There is a sweet spot on almost every tube amp or overdrive pedal most guitarists know well. A magical zone where the circuit goes non-linear and starts to saturate. Harmonics excited by this process make everything sound alive giving the player a unique interactive experience with great tough-sensitive dynamics. The EDGE is a pedal specially designed to explore the sonic magic that happens when a circuit is pushed to the edge of breakup and it has a really cool LED that lights up when clipping has begun!"
EMBR - Orange Stack Distortion Machine
"If Orange County had a sound and could be captured in a pedal, this is it! The EMBR is a full stack distortion that sounds huge with chords and rips with leads. Perfect for Power Punk Pop Rock and general good times!"
FIVE - Pushed Low Watt Amp Sweetness
"The FIVE is our take on the sound and feel of vintage low watt amps being pushed into sweet saturation. We consider the FIVE to be a low to medium gain overdrive. Nate cooked this one up, looking to get that old small tube amp sound, one that's not a champ, but more like a old Gibson, Danelectro or something from a sears catalog in the middle of the 1900's. These amps were used a lot in 90's studio sessions, think something like those old Hootie and the Blowfish chimey rhythm tones that fit perfect in the mix. It also does bluesy neck tones well too and stacks like a champ, no pun intended!"
GLASS - Classic BluesBreaker
"Classic low to medium gain blues breaker inspired overdrive with high headroom and great touch sensitivity, great for those glassy, bluesy tones or always on tones. Voiced to be more "transparent" then others."
MERICA - 1973 Radio-friendly Rock Tones
"'MERICA... our country, is home of classic muscle cars, wrestle mania, and now the MERICA dirt pedal that celebrates it all! Dirtier than the dirty south and greasier than a trip to Cracker Barrel, this pedal encapsulates a full spectrum of the American sonic experience that has been blasting over airwaves since 1973."
MIDS - Classic JRC4558 Screamer
"Classic vintage Tube Screamer style clipping driven by a classic JRC4558, voiced for all the Mid range grind plus extended Highs and Lows and headroom for days!"
MOSS - Original Soft-Clipping Fuzz
Of all of these - having not heard any of these individually, and bearing in mind the Compact Core pedals I already own - then this is the most 'attractive' Model within this range - I love a Harmonic Soft Clipping Fuzz - and I can well imagine how this one might sound, and how much that would appeal to me - pictured above!
"The MOSS is a soft clipping fuzz pedal that exhibits extremely rich and complex harmonics without totally destroying your guitar or the feel. In fact, the MOSS can even be run as a touch sensitive low gain overdrive/fuzz at lowest gain settings! One of those FUZZ pedals people who don't usually like fuzz may enjoy, stacks great too!"
NASH - Nashville's favourite Natural Overdrive [ODR-1]
"Known as a major part of the Nashville sound, the green "Natural Overdrive" certainly has a cult following. The NASH is our take, less scooped perhaps, due to a different tone stack and also perhaps even more natural sounding... you'll want to hear it for yourself to decide!"
ODI - Boss's Original Asymmetrical OverDrive
"Based on Stephen's first overdrive pedal, the famous 1979 OD-1. Our version includes the essential JRC4558 and NOS Toshiba diodes and classic voicing with extended range and CoreX feature set. A nearly perfect all around classic overdrive, if you ask us!"
RARE - Klone Killer
"Double the headroom of the original, made with 4 authentic blue stripe NOS D9E germanium diodes from the USSR, driven by a TL072, a match made in overdrive heaven."
ROUS - Rodent of Unusual Size
"Blurring the line between overdrive and distortion, the ROUS, “Rodent of Unusual Size”, is a highly evolved member of the RAT family. Lot's of people dig it, we do too! (Hardwired for Fire mode from the Original)"
These are hot off the production line - so no demos yet - I will refer to as many demo varieties as I can find for the original Core Series!
Actually - I've searched high and low for examples of those small batch demo editions - there don't seem to be any beyond the original Core 4 which I own - and so I've just gone with the Shawn Tubbs group roundup below - which should give you at least some salient sound sample references. Sadly only 3 forebears of the current cast of 11!
Original Core Sound Samples
