The AXiom Overdrive Preamp OP-1 was designed to be the most capable, versatile, yet simple to use 100% analog overdrive pedal available. It can go from a transparent boost to a traditionally-voiced overdrive to a high-gain preamp with the turn of a few dials.
The OVERDRIVE control delivers classic overdrive pedal tones, while the cascaded PREAMP control dials in a tube amp-like preamp section - it's like a vintage overdrive pedal and tube preamp in one. Use it as you would a traditional overdrive pedal or as an "amp in a box" type preamp. The sloped MID control is voiced as an American style amp below 12:00 (for "Blackface" clean or scooped metal tones), and as a British amp above 12:00 (for barking mids). Along with carefully voiced BASS and TREBLE tone circuitry, the OP-1 can produce a vast range of light to crunchy to tube-melting overdriven tube amp sounds. It can be clean and clear, fat, warm, tight, mild or brutal depending on how you dial it in.
The OP-1 is equally at home driving a tube amp into saturation as it is at making a sterile solid-state amp sound like a cranked tube head or a warm old tweed. From country to blues to rock to metal, the OP-1 was designed to be the ultimate analog overdrive/preamp pedal.
- 100% analog circuitry
- 4558-based overdrive sections
- MID control voiced as an "American" amp below 12:00 and as a "British" amp above 12:00
- Matching color LED indicator so you can see which pedal is on even on a dark stage
- True bypass
- All AXiom pedals are individually handmade with manually screen printed graphics. Each pedal will have minor variations that make it unique.
DEMOS
The following demos were recorded direct with NO AMPLIFIER. The signal chain is:
Guitar -> AXiom OP-1 -> AXiom SCE-1 prototype (cab emulator) -> AXiom SCV-1 prototype (for stereo spread) -> interface -> DAW (reverb added, nothing else)
Demo #1: Fender Stratocaster with Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot Strat pickups
Demo #2: Fender Stratocaster with Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot Strat pickups
Demo #3: Gibson Les Paul with Burstbucker pickups
Demo #4: Fender Stratocaster with DiMarzio Virtual Solo pickup