Crazy Tube Circuits Hi Power

Crazy Tube Circuits Hi Power is a dual overdrive/amp-in-a-box with a Hiwatt tube amp on one side and a Colorsound Power Boost on the other. It was inspired by the sonic combination of two British tone machines. While the combination of these two units directly hints at the gear setup of David Gilmour used on Pink Floyd’s album: ‘Wish You Were Here’ the sonic options are endless.

The orange Colorsound Power Boost can deliver a transparent clean boost to an all-out fuzz driving a tube amp to sonic bliss. Crazy Tube Circuits  set out to clone the original unit featuring the true-to-the-original spec BC184 transistors running on 18V DC. The ultra-flexible 2-band Baxandall EQ circuit can add bite and low-end rumble to any setup. While earlier units didn’t feature a master volume this pedal has one included. Later versions of the Power Boost (grey) had lower headroom and are incorporated with a flip of a toggle.

On the left side you will find an all-analog circuit set out to emulate the sound and feel of a Hiwatt amp. From the big bold high-headroom clean sounds to the face-melting crunchy tones. Included is a full EQ section along with a presence control. A headroom toggle switch selects between the high headroom 100w with 4 x EL34s (think Hiwat DR103), or the lower headroom and compression provided by a 50W with 2 x EL34s (think DR504). Also added is a switch to select between input channels of the amplifier:  normal or bright channel options are available.

Also included is a passive effects loop to give you the option to connect pedals between the booster/overdrive and amp in a box or use the two sections as separate and independent effects when using an external bypass switcher / looper. Gilmour enthusiasts will love to insert their Big Muff, Tube Driver and Phase 90 in there. Note that all pedals inserted in the passive effects loop are still in the signal chain when any or both sections are in bypass.

The pedal is powered by a standard 9 volts power supply (not included) and draws 84 mA current.

Crazy Tube Circuits Hi Power demo video