Crazy Tube Circuits Ziggy V2 Vox/Marshall flavored overdrive and distortion

It's not hyperbole to say the Marshall amplification is the sound of hard rock and arena rock from the late 60's onward. Those imposing Marshall stacks have formed the backlines of countless acts, and the sound of a angry Marshall pushing all that air is an experience to be heard and felt. But times have changed -- sound reinforcement has come a long way -- and today the Marshall stack is more a visual statement than a necessity. But if you are looking for a dose of 70's crunch without the ringing ears, the Crazy Tube Circuits Ziggy pedal is a dual overdrive offering both a 70's Marshall Master Volume and a Vox Super Bass flavors. 

The Ziggy is an all-analog two-voice pedal and not a stacked two stage pedal. So let's start with the Super Bass side. The Super Bass is not the first time a bass guitar amp was used for guitar, but regardless of that the bouncy slightly saggy feel of a Vox amp comes through. This is all the more interesting since the Super Bass was a solid state amp. There is a lot personality here, and as stated by CTS not massive amounts of gain. But in the higher settings there is a very satisfying rich crunch, with plenty of low end response. We've never played through the real thing, but it's very Vox-y and lots of fun.

The Marshall side has the characteristic sizzle and note definition that is very articulate even at high gain settings. It's dirty and crunchy but not overly compressed, which allow both chords and single notes to really cut through nicely. This is the beauty of the big Marshalls and the Ziggy captures it quite nicely, and frankly better then many of the affordable "DSL" amps that have crazy levels of gain but are overly compressed and don't cut like a real Marshall. The Ziggy can't give your combo amp the gravitas and heft of 100 watts and four 12" speakers....as some things are a matter of physics.  

Some CTS pedals are very model-specific whereas the Ziggy gives you the feel of an era rather than a specific model number. And that's just fine with us, as it sounds and reacts like a real amp will satisfy the needs of both Marshall and Vox fans. Simple and effective, the Ziggy will give your pedalboard and authentic British accent. 

In the words of Crazy Tube Circuits:

The Crazy Tube Circuits Ziggy v2 is a British flavored dual overdrive / distortion designed with discreet MOSFET gain stages to respond like a tube amp with ultra touch sensitivity so that you can control everything from your guitar’s volume knob and pick attack.

A silent relay true-bypass switching circuit selects between 2 separate overdrive/distortion channels – low and high gain - each with its own controls for ultimate versatility.  Low gain channel is voiced after late 60s Super Bass while high gain channel sounds and responds like a late 70s Master Volume British amp.

Gain knobs on both channels also act as voicing controls adding more bass as you turn clockwise, choosing from jangly and sparkling clean to thick crunch while tone knobs behave as a presence control adding bite to your tone.
An internal circuitry provides 18V DC from a standard 9V DC power supply to ensure maximum headroom and tube like response.