Although we’ve never had the pleasure of playing through an actual amp from Science Amplification, today’s pedal is as close as we can get right now to the real thing. Based on the circuitry from the amplifier of the same name, The Mother Preamp Pedal is a recreation of its dual channel tube-powered namesake, but refined into pedal format. Just like the full-fledged amp, it’s a modern take on the vintage high-wattage sounds of the early 70’s with added tonal range, control, and a voice all its own…
The Mother Preamp is designed to work equally well on your pedal board and into the front of your favorite amp, into a power amp, and recording interface/DAW (in conjunction with speaker emulation/IRs). The result is a wide-ranging utilitarian dual channel preamp that can add dimension and versatility to your rig with an eerily convincing Science signature tube tone. The all-tube signal path has been meticulously replicated in the Mother Preamp using carefully selected field effects transistors (FETs) to accurately mimic the tone and response of tubes running at high voltage.
The Mother’s two channels range from a wide open pedal-eating clean sound, to edge-of-breakup, and vintage crunch on Channel A. Taking off from there, Channel B goes through shades of gain into heavier saturation, never losing sight of its fundamental voice. The familiar feeling EQ section can be used for musical tone shaping or transforming the voice of your existing setup.
With its independently voiced dual outputs, the Mother Preamp can integrate seamlessly with your existing setup, or be used as a stand alone preamp. The normal Output jack is voiced to work best into the front of your amp like a typical EQ or drive pedal, virtually adding two more channels to your setup. The Mother can also provide “always-on” tone shaping with one channel and an additional gain and volume boost with the second channel.
The Mother’s secondary Power Amp/Direct Out provides the full-range response of the amp, designed to work into a more neutral power amp or your amp’s effects return/preamp in, effectively turning your preamp pedal into a full amp setup for live use. Alternatively, this output can be run directly into a recording interface along with your choice of speaker emulation, providing a no-frills tactile analog amp sim.
This is, hands-down, one of the finest preamp pedals that I have ever played…EVER. The moment I plugged it in and turned it on, I knew something special had just come into the office, and as I explored further, I knew I was right. The Mother Preamp Pedal gets you THAT amplifier sound, for a fraction of the price, without compromising any tone or quality. There’s a lot more info over on the Science Amplification website, if you’re interested – we also created a 10 minute demo video exploring this beautiful creation, so click below to check it out, and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel!!
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