1985 Preamp

The 1985 Preamp is a full-range preamp and clean boost pedal, designed as a transparent gain stage rather than a traditional overdrive.
It prioritizes clarity, dynamics, and signal integrity, without aiming to produce noticeable distortion.

Unlike a classic overdrive pedal, the 1985 is not designed for saturation. It functions primarily as a level and signal-conditioning tool, offering a wide and balanced frequency response.

Musical intent & use cases

The 1985 Preamp is designed to work equally well with guitar and bass, thanks to its extended full-range response.
Across most of its control range, it operates as a clean boost, allowing the player to raise level, reinforce attack, or push an amplifier and other pedals.

At extreme settings, a very slight saturation may appear, resulting from the natural behavior of the circuit rather than an intentional overdrive stage.
This remains subtle and serves mainly to add a touch of density and feel under the fingers, without audible coloration.

The pedal can be placed before other effects to drive them harder, or after to manage overall output level and balance within the signal chain.

Who this pedal is for

The 1985 Preamp is intended for musicians looking for a simple, clean, and effective preamp, focused on level control and dynamics rather than distortion.
It is particularly well suited to guitarists and bassists who want to structure their gain staging, reinforce their signal, or use an always-on preamp.

This is not a drive pedal, but a utility and musical tool, designed to optimize an existing setup.

Closing note

The 1985 Preamp is a full-range clean preamp and boost, built to provide control, transparency, and dynamics through a deliberately minimal and effective design.