Hagerman reckons its Reactivator Overdrive will breathe new life into your guitar
The 12AU7 tube-based circuit is a two-transistor, two-triode overdrive, which offers a wide array of valve-driven tones
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.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.
“An all-in-one suite for songwriting”: Mooer’s latest pedal is ridiculously light, insanely small… and could be the most portable multi-effects unit out there
“Trust me, the Hizumitas isn’t just a pedal – it’s an experience”: I swore off pedals, but Sweetwater’s time-limited 20% off EarthQuaker Devices Cyber Monday sale is too tempting to ignore