Pedal builder Hagerman has announced the arrival of its new Reactivator stompbox, a two-transistor / two-triode overdrive pedal.
The Reactivator works by adding a clean gain boost in front of the 12AU7 tube section found in the firm’s pre-existing VALVE boost, following it with a tonestack with output buffer.
The pedal has been named after the reactivation process that was once used to repair tubes in ailing TV sets, which would restore brightness in old cathodes. The idea being that this does the same thing for your guitar tone, providing up to 20dB of gain (or 30dB with boost) in the process.
On the control side, the Reactivator offers true bypass switching, with two footswitches to engage or boost the signal, plus level, bass, treble and drive knobs.
Hagerman says the result is a supercharged saturated valve tone, which can be sculpted in a variety of ways, “from tonal warmth to growing distortion”. It also boldly states that “If you thought the Butler (Chandler) Tube Driver or Klon Centaur were good, wait until you hear this!”
If you’re intrigued, the Reactivator is available direct from the Hagerman site for a price of $179.
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