Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker Marshall - Angus style pedal

The concept of "amp in a box" pedals is compelling, and few companies do it as well as Crazy Tube Circuits. The Athens, Greece-based builder's latest endeavor is the all-analog Heatseeker, which aims to re-create the sound of AD/DC, Angus Young, and all things Marshall in general. At the heart of the Heatseeker is three classis amp models -- 45, SL and MV -- along with full EQ capabilities and a unique "Wall of Sound" WOS switch. And CTS went the extra mile to include their version of the Shaffer Vega wireless transmitter circuit, which for years has been a key part of the Angus sound. The Heatseeker is not a wireless unit, but uses the "good sounding bits" that made the Schaffer system a must-have of many 70's guitarists. Let's dive into what's going on:

45 - An homage to the iconic JTM 45, and if you are a single coil player this might be your favorite position, as the JTM 45 itself owes a lot to the Fender Bassman. Warmer, looser than the other settings with a lovely grittiness, the 45 has a great old-school vibe that is very responsive to playing dynamics. You can coax quite a bit of distortion out of it, but it does not have the tighter modern Marshall feel. But being single coil and P-90 people, it's possibly our favorite place on the pedal

SL - Clearly the Super Lead part of the Heatseeker, with a natural brightness and lean midrange that will humbuckers will love. But with a Strat you'll been dialing the treble control back quite a bit. But you have to do that on a real Super Lead, right? Get it dialed in and you've got sparkly crunch that is tight and crisp, and the open midrange characteristics don't obscure any of the details. Just add Les Paul or SG and you'll rock the night away.

MV - More saturated, more mids than the SL, and with more of a mid-focused snarl. To many, this will be the classic Marshall high gain crunch sound, compatible with both single coils and humbuckers. If you are channeling modern guitar heroes this is probably where you land, while if your tastes run more old school the SL might be your pick. 

Enhance/Boost - This is the "Schaffer" wireless section, but you can think of it as clean boost with a variable enhancement knob. In the original Shaffer wireless system, the compression/expansion system needed to transmit the data (remember this is VERY early non-digital wireless) was found to give the final sound great dynamics and sense of openness. Somewhat similar to how the "EP" preamps tend to make the sound pop, Shaffer circuit makes the guitar sound more dimensional an alive. The level control adjusts the overall volume, and the enhancement knob controls the amount of "Shaffer effect." Leave it on all the time or use it as a situation boost, it's practically worth the price of the pedal.

WOS - So now that you've got a Marshall, don't you want a wall of 4x12's backing you up? The Wall-of-Sound toggle selectively increases specific low and midrange frequencies -- along with a small volume boost -- to give you the feel of a big stack of speakers moving a lot of air. It's really very convincing, although depending on your amp and speaker setup it can get a little too heavy. It's almost best to leave it on and get it dialed in rather than use it selectively.

Speaking of speakers, you can run the Heatseeker direct into a power amp, DAW or sound board, but it has no built-in speaker emulation. It truly can be an amp-in-a-box, but it will sound best with some type of speaker emulation when going direct or into a full range speaker.

While some pedal companies have been releasing no-frills and "white box" pedals in an attempt to boost sales, the Heatseeker is actually the real bargain. Like many recent CTS releases, the Heatseeker is truly two pedals in one: Three very accurate Marshall emulations with a lots of tweak-ability, and an excellent "Shaffer" clean boost that would normally cost you close to the price of the Heatseeker. If you love the Marshall sound you'll love the Heatseeker. And if you've wanted a great sounding boost but don't have the space, then it's a win-win.


In the words of Crazy Tube Circuits: 

For those about to rock... we created the Heatseeker!

The sound of a classic wireless system meets three iconic amps that helped shape the history of rock. From its inception/invention, in the mid-70s, this wireless system has been the secret recipe to major rock guitar rigs. The magic ingredient lies to its analog preamp/ tone enhanc­ er circuit that expands the dynamic response and harmonics of any signal that goes through it. By producing a modern recreation of this hidden gem, we have ensured enough percussive attack to spice up your tone.

Utilizing an all-analog JFET circuit, running on 27 volts via an internal voltage boost, we have captured the tone and feel of three British tube amplifiers synonymous with the sound of rock and roll with excellent clean-to-mean dynamic response. Our "WoS" (Wall of Sound) circuit opens up the soundstage by increasing output and adding thundering lows and dense high mids. The effect is similar to "adding" a wall of amp heads and full stacks to your rig!

A passive effects loop gives you the option to connect your beloved pedals between the two sections, building your ideal rig.

Controls:

BOOST/ENHANCE SECTION

Enhance: Enhance (accentuate) your guitar signal's dynamic response and harmonics as you turn clockwise.

Level: Control the output of the BOOST/ENHANCE circuit. Turn it up (clockwise) for up to 15db of clean gain (with the enhance knob maxed out) to drive your amp or distortion pedal harder for greater gain and sustain.

AMP SECTION:

Volume: Control the amount of amp drive/saturation. From a sparky vintage clean to thick rock and hard rock tones.

Amp voicing toggle switch: A smart switching setup adapts the internal circuit to match the sonic qualities of three iconic amps:

45: Beautiful cleans to dynamic and crunchy rhythm tones.

SL: Super iconic lead sounds.

MV: Late 70s master volume valve saturation tones.

Bass: Adjust the amount of low frequencies.

Mid: Adjust the amount of mid frequencies.

Treble: Adjust the amount of high frequencies.

Presence: Boost or cut the upper mid and high frequencies. Use in conjunction with the treble control to set the high end frequency response.

Master: Set the output volume of the AMP section.

Wall of Sound (WoS) toggle switch: Engage the "Wall of Sound" circuit. We have carefully tuned this circuit at the output of the AMP section to increase the soundstage.

FOOTSWITCHES: engage or bypass the BOOST/ENHANCE and AMP sections. Both sections are true bypass via high quality relays.