KHDK Electronics has partnered with Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian for a new boost/preamp pedal, the SGT D. As fans of the thrash legend may notice, the stompbox is named after Ian's cigar-smoking alter-ego from his mid-'80s crossover thrash project Stormtroopers of Death.
Limited to only 250 units – and seemingly already sold out – the SGT D is designed to push amps hard into distortion. There are two main parts to the pedal: a boost section, which is controlled by treble, bass and boost controls, and an amp section, which is fueled by an original analog circuit and features volume and gain knobs and a three-band EQ.
Each section boasts its own footswitch and can be used independently or in parallel with one another.
The pedal comes in an enclosure illustrated by Kurz Daniel. One of its most noteworthy visual touches is the LED which lights up on the end of SGT D's cigar when the effect is engaged.
Says David Karon of KHDK, "Scott wanted an all-in-one go-to pedal, something that he could use as his amp tone on fly rigs – or just plugging the pedal in front of an overdriven amp so the pedal affects mainly the dynamic response of his tone, the tightness of the bass, and the attack for palm-muting.
"After a few prototypes and reworks, the SGT D saw the light of day. Scott was incredibly hands-on throughout the process.”
The SGT D is available now for $249. For more information, head over to KHDK Electronics.
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Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.