Z-Vex Super Hard On

This is the perfect preamp pedal. The “Crackle Okay” volume knob is a negative-feedback control styled after classic 60’s recording console inputs. (They crackled when adjusted too.) Most vintage guitars suffer from steadily deteriorating magnets in their pickups, since permanent magnets aren’t really forever. The Super Hard-On’s input impedance is so high (>5 Meg) that it refuses any current flow from your pickup... maintaining the most magnetic field around each string, so you can hear exactly what your pickup sounded like the day it came off the winder. The output level can exceed 8 volts peak, and when it finally distorts, the wave is shaped like triode overload, not fuzz.

It’s so transparent no one will be able to tell you’re using a pedal. Perfect for making the most of a classic amp and guitar, because it simply makes your guitar bigger and pushes the amp harder, causing natural overload. This sound can be the solution to the ‘disappearing guitar’ effect you get sometimes on stage when you stomp on your distortion and sound weaker. When cranked, it sounds much louder than a fuzz or distortion under stage conditions.

The SHO’s input jack contains the battery switch. Please unplug from this jack to preserve battery life. NOTE: After plugging in your pedal turn it on and off a few times to equalize the voltages between your guitar, other pedals, your amp, and the SHO. Otherwise you may hear a “POP!” when you turn on your SHO during a gig. If you adjust the boost level, you may hear a “POP!” when switching too. It goes away after a few switches.

WARNING: The very high input impedance of this pedal can cause strange reactions (sometimes mildly pleasant and/or arousing) when used with a vintage ‘junk’ (read ‘cool’) guitar. The solution is to simply lower the ‘crackle okay’ gain knob a little or leave the guitar volume wide open. Any problems will only occur at the highest gain settings with an unusual guitar.

Specifications

Uses one 9V battery (preferably alkaline, but the unit is shipped with a carbon-zinc battery.) The low current operation of this pedal’s circuit will give you extraordinarily long battery life. Current draw is approximately 2mA. A DC power jack (standard Boss configuration with center negative) is provided on the side of the pedal. Use a high- quality 9V adaptor for all high-gain effects!