Hamstead Soundworks aims to open up a solar system of high-gain tones with all-new Comet: Interstellar Driver pedal

Artisan effects pedal specialist Hamstead Soundworks has unveiled the Comet: Interstellar Driver – a versatile, meticulously voiced overdrive pedal that seeks to open up a kaleidoscope of high-gain sounds.

Sporting a sleek, minimalist black chassis, the compact Comet vows to deliver everything from boutique-sounding drives to heavy fuzz tones by way of a versatile circuit-changing toggle switch and two-band EQ.

The toggle switch in question flicks between two settings, DRV>EQ and EQ>DRV, which change both the order of the drive and EQ circuits as well as the type of clipping and gain structure circuitry. 

As the name would suggest, the DRV>EQ mode places the drive circuit before the EQ in a bid to offer up a dynamic and transparent clipping character. 

In comparison, the EQ>DRV reverses this circuitry and seeks to serve up a raw, organic clipping style that can be pushed all the way to curate a super-saturated fuzz tone.

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Once the desired voice has been selected, tones can be further tweaked via Gain, Bass, Treble and Level controls.

Under the hood, an internal High Gain switch squeezes out even more gain from the feature-packed circuit, with the pedal boasting up to 30dB of level boost.

A final internal control appears in the form of a Global Hi Cut adjustment pot, which can be used to tailor the high frequencies in order to suit any rig or tonal preference.

Other functional appointments include TheGigRig’s OptoKick footswitch for robust reliability, silent optical switching and an all-analog design designed by Peter Hamstead in the brand’s labs in Cambridge, England.

The Hamstead Soundworks Comet: Interstellar Driver is available now for $259.

For more information, head over to Hamstead Soundworks.