The Electronic Audio Experiments Halberd V2 Transistor Overdrive and Dagger V2 Opamp Distortion are a perfect pair of Versatile Fuzz-Edged Pedalboard Weapons from the John Snyder Armoury

I featured the new EAE V2 Halberd Discrete Transistor Overdrive back in September, while I somehow managed to overlook the V2 Dagger which emerged earlier this July. That has been back in the news again very recently as John has just released another batch - where the first sold out pretty quickly. I have now acquired the Dagger also - and that joins the Halberd in the pedal-chain (slots #12 & #10 respectively) - I acquired both pedals from good friend Joe Light’s Joe’s Pedals boutique.

Halberd Controls : Post, Pre, Tone, Depth, Voice : Up Clang / Middle Standard / Down Deep

Dagger Controls : Volume, Drive, Low, High, Shift : Up Thick / Down Tight

Most know that the Dagger is a stripped down compact version of EAE’s flagship Longsword distortion pedal - while it has kind of evolved along its own lines of late. The V2 sees the addition of a Voicing/Texture ’Shift’ control at its centre - which yields Thicker tones when flipped up, Tighter/Cleaner tones when down. The Dagger and Halberd control topologies are pretty symmetrical really - while Low and High placements are reversed. The Dagger’s Shift control essentially adjusts low frequency contour - where more low end into the circuit generates more depth and more gain / fuzz-edged texture.

The Dagger / Mini Longsword is a superb Opamp Drive/Distortion which in Tight mode overlaps a little with the OCD - while it has a lot more range and tone-shaping than that. In Tight mode you can max out the Low control, while in Thick Mode I don’t really like that to go much above 3 o’c. With gain cranked in Thick mode it’s a little reminiscent of a Rat - not that exact texture - but still a similarly fuzz-edged distortion. Generally the Dagger delivers a wider and deeper range of tones overall - with more tone-shaping onboard.

The Dagger and Halberd are somewhat different texturally - obviously Opamp versus Transistor breakup - and they have slightly different accents and levels of sustain, and they can actually combine quite nicely for a slightly more textured + sustaining distortion overall. But you will need to tune both towards those ends - as both are capable of a lot of ’Bass’ and too much Bass does odd things to break-up texture!

Both pedals have a huge range of gain and tones - and don’t really need each other as a boost - while of course the combination can deliver its own interesting tones - with some due diligence applied. The Dagger really sits perfectly on slot #12 which readers will know is my main fuzzy-drive pedal slot. So for those purposes mostly deployed in ’Thick’ mode.

I always felt that the rust-coloured enclosure of the Halberd was the perfect match for its style of textured output - while in pairing with the metallic blue of the Dagger - possibly the Green version of Halbert is more of a colour-match. I typically feel there is a degree of synaesthesia with pedal enclosure colours - and the Rust in particular and very distinctive Metallic Blue seem rather aptly chosen.

My EAE tally is now up to 3 - Dagger V2, Dude Incredible (Percolator + IVP), and Halberd V2. I still intend to get the Model feT, and probably full-size Longsword too - with the Eldritch Blast possibly the 6th in line - only time will tell!

Do you have either of these yet - or are you considering one or the other?