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MorningStar Custom Pedals SDD3000 Preamp
The Korg SDD-3000 rack delay unit has received cult status from U2 connoisseurs for those seeking The Edge’s tone. Although it is simply one of the myriad of factors in obtaining his sound (fun fact: surprisingly the Herdim pick, yes, pick, is one of the largest factors), the SDD-3000’s preamp circuit has become an object of discussion amongst many recently. While the DTS Audio Research & Technology SDD-3KP is only available in small batches at a time and the Psionic Audio Triad is more than just a preamp clone (which may or may not entice purists), James of MorningStar has entered the market with his own take on the revered preamp of U2 fame.
Personal note: The unavailability of the DTS and the functions that I did not need from the Triad motivated me to seek James to get my hands on the circuit. Also, the DTS and Triad were going for USD$250 and USD$325 respectively exclusive of international shipping which I factored into my decision-making process. Having liked the circuit so much, he made another one for himself. Eventually, he made it a permanent addition to his array of effects available.
Construction/Features:
Like the original, the MorningStar Custom Pedals SDD3000 Preamp uses high quality JRC4558D (surprise surprise!) and TL072 chips. The said pedal is powder coated in cream (other finishes, like the red and blue demo units at Ebenex are available as custom orders) and features a pleasantly bright red LED. It also features a high quality 3pdt switch that is true bypass (which is of concern to many).
The pre-amplifier can run at 9V or even 18V for increased headroom. The input and output jacks are conveniently located near the bottom third of the enclosure instead of in the middle like most other pedals; I find that my patch cables do not intrude other pedals of mine on the pedalboard simply because the jacks are near the bottom.
On top of that, each pedal is handwired instead of using cheaper, mass-produced etched PCBs.
Rating: 85%
Ease of Use:
Unlike the original version and the DTS take on the circuit, the MorningStar pedal does not have fixed sliders/notches for attenuation (eg. -20dB, +4dB, -30dB as some examples; The Edge is believed to have used a -10dB In and +4dB Out), the pedal has pots to allow for the whole sweep of attenuation for greater versatility. The pedal has 3 knobs: Input Attenuator, Output Attenuator and Level. The Input Attenuator cuts the amount of volume going into the preamp stage while the Output Attenuator lowers the amount of volume after the preamp stage. These controls allow you to starve or slam the preamp level while keeping a tab on overall output with the Level knob (which is, as you might guess, a master volume).
While in theory you understand what the knobs do, it is actually a little unconventional to the average knob-twister; changing the values is not as straight forward as turning ordinary gain and tone knobs. I found myself getting various EQ structures at different attenuating settings which needs a bit of getting used to. However with more time on the circuit, I managed to eventually understand the relationship between the dials and the overall tone I was getting. Nevertheless, it is quite hard to get a bad tone out of this box.
Rating: 78%
Tone:
The SDD3000 Preamp is not just a boost pedal, it is a fantastic tone enhancer as well. While the mids and bass are subtly enhanced at various tweaks of the attenuation levels, the main magic happens in the top-end department of the EQ. You get this added presence that adds much complexity and depth to your overall tone. With a 335 it adds this bell-like chime, with a Jaguar it adds that jangle in the mids and the treble, with a Strat you get more harmonic content in the upper frequencies and the list goes on. Basically, this is a pedal you’d much rather have on than off.
This pedal also has plenty of volume on tap to function as a boost pedal. In fact at most settings, 9 o’clock on the Level knob is already much louder than unity. Its clean boost capabilities ensure that your tone remains flat and transparent since that added shimmer is only slightly perceived if you pay special attention to your tone. Any added compression you get from cranking the pedal is most likely due to your amplifier rather than the pedal itself.
While its function is similar to some other pedals in the market, I find it to be the cream of the crop. For example, the Boss EH-2 enhancer gives that chime but having it post-dirt creates this starved, cocked-wah sound that is disappointing. The RetroSonic FA-1 Boost compensates your mids with the treble knob up due to the Baxandall tonestack while the Xotic EP Booster cannot achieve unity gain with the V1 (it can in the V2 but loses the Bass Boost option which people like; moreover the internal dipswitches is a bit of a pain to access). The SDD3000 is functional and sounds good both pre- and post-dirt.
Tone test equipment:
Guitars: Gibson SG Standard, Fender ’62 Reissue Jaguar, Edwards E-SA 125 LTS, MJT ’66 Stratocaster
Amplifiers: Vox NT15 Night Train with (V112NT cabinet), Randall RG100SC, Fender Blues Junior Humboldt Edition, Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, Fender modded Blues Junior III (at the shop)
Pedals: T-Rex Engineering Mudhoney II, Boss SD-1 (MIJ), Retrosonic Boost, z.Vex Fuzz Factory, Morley Mini Wah-Volume, TC Electronics Nova Repeater, Line 6 M5 (Cave reverb only) [all powered by a DC10; all isolated], Lovepedal Eternity Fuse
Rating: 90%
Conclusion:
Overall, the MorningStar Custom Pedals SDD3000 Preamp is a faithful reproduction of the coveted circuit made famous by The Edge. The added warmth and top-end sparkle makes it an always-on pedal while the amount of clean boost on tap makes it more than just a tone enhancer. This is one of those pedals that succumb to the proverbial cliché such as “lifting a blanket off the amplifier” and other technical jargons such as “shimmer”. I love what it does to my base tone so much that it is not on my pedalboard, but UNDER it since it is always on. With no SDD-3000 competitive recreations available (DTS SDD-3KP is USD$250 and Psionic Audio Triad is USD$325 without shipping), the SDD3000 Preamp by MorningStar Custom Pedals is both affordable and accessible (it is also more pedalboard-friendly!). If you want an always-on pedal that brings greater depth to your base tone, or if you are looking for a clean boost, this would be your ultimate solution.
Overall Rating:
88%
Likes:
Fantastic tone enhancer; added jangle and bell-like tone
Power options between 9V and 18V available
Great footprint
Plenty of volume makes it a viable clean booster
High-quality knobs that is latched on via a small screw
Different finishing options and customizing options via Custom Orders
Hand-wired with love =)
Dislikes:
Not pick-up-and-play with the knobs (though hard to get a bad tone off it)
Power inlet might be a snug fit for pancake-head patch cable users [EDIT: Future batches will have top-mounted power inlets]
Worthy Contenders:
DTS Audio Research & Technology SDD-3KP
Psionic Audio Triad
Xotic EP-Booster
RetroSonic Boost
DTS Audio Research & Technology FA-2
SolidGoldFX Nitro Boost
DingoTone HZD Boost
Availability: Ebenex
Price: MSRP SGD$170
DISCLAIMER:
Prices subjected to change
Current retail promotion price at $150
This is a review based on personal opinion using a variety of personal rigs; your experience with the item depends on your own equipment
The Korg SDD-3000 rack delay unit has received cult status from U2 connoisseurs for those seeking The Edge’s tone. Although it is simply one of the myriad of factors in obtaining his sound (fun fact: surprisingly the Herdim pick, yes, pick, is one of the largest factors), the SDD-3000’s preamp circuit has become an object of discussion amongst many recently. While the DTS Audio Research & Technology SDD-3KP is only available in small batches at a time and the Psionic Audio Triad is more than just a preamp clone (which may or may not entice purists), James of MorningStar has entered the market with his own take on the revered preamp of U2 fame.
Personal note: The unavailability of the DTS and the functions that I did not need from the Triad motivated me to seek James to get my hands on the circuit. Also, the DTS and Triad were going for USD$250 and USD$325 respectively exclusive of international shipping which I factored into my decision-making process. Having liked the circuit so much, he made another one for himself. Eventually, he made it a permanent addition to his array of effects available.
Construction/Features:
Like the original, the MorningStar Custom Pedals SDD3000 Preamp uses high quality JRC4558D (surprise surprise!) and TL072 chips. The said pedal is powder coated in cream (other finishes, like the red and blue demo units at Ebenex are available as custom orders) and features a pleasantly bright red LED. It also features a high quality 3pdt switch that is true bypass (which is of concern to many).
The pre-amplifier can run at 9V or even 18V for increased headroom. The input and output jacks are conveniently located near the bottom third of the enclosure instead of in the middle like most other pedals; I find that my patch cables do not intrude other pedals of mine on the pedalboard simply because the jacks are near the bottom.
On top of that, each pedal is handwired instead of using cheaper, mass-produced etched PCBs.
Rating: 85%
Ease of Use:
Unlike the original version and the DTS take on the circuit, the MorningStar pedal does not have fixed sliders/notches for attenuation (eg. -20dB, +4dB, -30dB as some examples; The Edge is believed to have used a -10dB In and +4dB Out), the pedal has pots to allow for the whole sweep of attenuation for greater versatility. The pedal has 3 knobs: Input Attenuator, Output Attenuator and Level. The Input Attenuator cuts the amount of volume going into the preamp stage while the Output Attenuator lowers the amount of volume after the preamp stage. These controls allow you to starve or slam the preamp level while keeping a tab on overall output with the Level knob (which is, as you might guess, a master volume).
While in theory you understand what the knobs do, it is actually a little unconventional to the average knob-twister; changing the values is not as straight forward as turning ordinary gain and tone knobs. I found myself getting various EQ structures at different attenuating settings which needs a bit of getting used to. However with more time on the circuit, I managed to eventually understand the relationship between the dials and the overall tone I was getting. Nevertheless, it is quite hard to get a bad tone out of this box.
Rating: 78%
Tone:
The SDD3000 Preamp is not just a boost pedal, it is a fantastic tone enhancer as well. While the mids and bass are subtly enhanced at various tweaks of the attenuation levels, the main magic happens in the top-end department of the EQ. You get this added presence that adds much complexity and depth to your overall tone. With a 335 it adds this bell-like chime, with a Jaguar it adds that jangle in the mids and the treble, with a Strat you get more harmonic content in the upper frequencies and the list goes on. Basically, this is a pedal you’d much rather have on than off.
This pedal also has plenty of volume on tap to function as a boost pedal. In fact at most settings, 9 o’clock on the Level knob is already much louder than unity. Its clean boost capabilities ensure that your tone remains flat and transparent since that added shimmer is only slightly perceived if you pay special attention to your tone. Any added compression you get from cranking the pedal is most likely due to your amplifier rather than the pedal itself.
While its function is similar to some other pedals in the market, I find it to be the cream of the crop. For example, the Boss EH-2 enhancer gives that chime but having it post-dirt creates this starved, cocked-wah sound that is disappointing. The RetroSonic FA-1 Boost compensates your mids with the treble knob up due to the Baxandall tonestack while the Xotic EP Booster cannot achieve unity gain with the V1 (it can in the V2 but loses the Bass Boost option which people like; moreover the internal dipswitches is a bit of a pain to access). The SDD3000 is functional and sounds good both pre- and post-dirt.
Tone test equipment:
Guitars: Gibson SG Standard, Fender ’62 Reissue Jaguar, Edwards E-SA 125 LTS, MJT ’66 Stratocaster
Amplifiers: Vox NT15 Night Train with (V112NT cabinet), Randall RG100SC, Fender Blues Junior Humboldt Edition, Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, Fender modded Blues Junior III (at the shop)
Pedals: T-Rex Engineering Mudhoney II, Boss SD-1 (MIJ), Retrosonic Boost, z.Vex Fuzz Factory, Morley Mini Wah-Volume, TC Electronics Nova Repeater, Line 6 M5 (Cave reverb only) [all powered by a DC10; all isolated], Lovepedal Eternity Fuse
Rating: 90%
Conclusion:
Overall, the MorningStar Custom Pedals SDD3000 Preamp is a faithful reproduction of the coveted circuit made famous by The Edge. The added warmth and top-end sparkle makes it an always-on pedal while the amount of clean boost on tap makes it more than just a tone enhancer. This is one of those pedals that succumb to the proverbial cliché such as “lifting a blanket off the amplifier” and other technical jargons such as “shimmer”. I love what it does to my base tone so much that it is not on my pedalboard, but UNDER it since it is always on. With no SDD-3000 competitive recreations available (DTS SDD-3KP is USD$250 and Psionic Audio Triad is USD$325 without shipping), the SDD3000 Preamp by MorningStar Custom Pedals is both affordable and accessible (it is also more pedalboard-friendly!). If you want an always-on pedal that brings greater depth to your base tone, or if you are looking for a clean boost, this would be your ultimate solution.
Overall Rating:
88%
Likes:
Fantastic tone enhancer; added jangle and bell-like tone
Power options between 9V and 18V available
Great footprint
Plenty of volume makes it a viable clean booster
High-quality knobs that is latched on via a small screw
Different finishing options and customizing options via Custom Orders
Hand-wired with love =)
Dislikes:
Not pick-up-and-play with the knobs (though hard to get a bad tone off it)
Power inlet might be a snug fit for pancake-head patch cable users [EDIT: Future batches will have top-mounted power inlets]
Worthy Contenders:
DTS Audio Research & Technology SDD-3KP
Psionic Audio Triad
Xotic EP-Booster
RetroSonic Boost
DTS Audio Research & Technology FA-2
SolidGoldFX Nitro Boost
DingoTone HZD Boost
Availability: Ebenex
Price: MSRP SGD$170
DISCLAIMER:
Prices subjected to change
Current retail promotion price at $150
This is a review based on personal opinion using a variety of personal rigs; your experience with the item depends on your own equipment
