So, why do we call this pedal the Dark Triad? Two reasons. The first is the pedal’s three-band EQ. Independent Bass, Mid and Treble controls allow you to dial in the perfect EQ balance for your tone. The second reason is the Dark Triad’s three-position clipping switch. This switch allows you to choose between traditional silicon clipping diodes found on the original Guv’nor, Rat style clipping LEDs, and a wholly new Clean setting in the centre which removes the clipping section entirely. Read further to understand what this means…
Three Band EQ
The ability to boost or attenuate the Bass, Mid, and Treble individually is a tone chaser’s dream. It makes for an incredibly versatile pedal, and brilliantly unique tones. It allows you to scoop out the mids and turn your amp into an 80s thrash metal beast – or, crank the mids, and push through a band mix in a really commanding way. If your treble is just a little too harsh, wind it back for a smooth, pleasing, warm tone. If you want a rattling, wasp-in-a-bottle, broken amp special effect, crank the treble and take the bass and mids out completely. Or, if the lower end of your tone is causing your speakers to sound loose and flabby, tighten it up by knocking back the bass. Strat or Tele player? Crank the bass to select between your trademark bright, snappy clean and a smooth, bold, commanding overdrive with the click of a footswitch. The Dark Triad Overdrive Distortion pedal can do it all.
3 Way Clipping Diode Switch
Diode clipping sections are a large part of what adds the dirt to a distortion pedal’s circuit. Many different pedals sound the way they do because of their clipping sections. The original Guv’nor pedal, the circuit of which the Dark Triad has evolved from, had symmetrical silicone diodes, and that was the only option. The Dark Triad adds one more diode to this circuit, allowing for a more open, tube-like asymmetrical clipping section on the left side of the switch.
Push this switch to the right, and you’ll hear the slightly louder, slightly less hairy sound of symmetrical LEDs in the clipping section. Proco’s Rat distortion pedal uses LEDs in a similar way to this setting on the Dark Triad. Still dirty, still beautiful, but tastefully different to the traditional silicone of the original circuit.
More than this, you can put the clipping switch in the centre position to occlude the clipping diode section entirely. While still dirty, the Dark Triad becomes louder and the overdrive character becomes a little tamer in this position. This allows you to have a much wider sweep of the Drive control in the lower gain stages, and is ideal if you need your overdrive pedal to also function as a clean boost from time to time.