Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone 2 Compressor with added Grit

30 Jan by Jef |

5,0 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone 2 Compressor · Source: Pigtronix

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The Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone 2 compressor pedal adds new features to the popular circuit, including an independent footswitch for the Grit section.

Philosopher’s Tone 2

Pigtronix has revealed the Philosopher’s Tone 2 compressor pedal during NAMM 2024. This new incarnation of the original design now incorporates an independent footswitch for the Grit section. Guitarists can also choose between the silicon for more bite or germanium for a smoother tone via the Voice switch.

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Grit

The pedal now features the overdrive circuit first heard in the limited-edition Gold version which Pigtronix states they have refined. This germanium distortion offers what they describe as a smooth top end and a rich midrange response. Pigtronix has then matched the original characteristics of the optical sustainer driving it.

It sounds pretty musical in the official demo videos, so could be one to try out this year if you need some compression in your rig.

Blend

Next up, is the Blend control, which offers players the ability to mix their uncompressed signal into the affected path. This enables clarity and the attack to stay in place. This technique is often used in recording studios, etc

The rest of the pedal controls consist of Volume for overall output, Treble for fine-tuning the top-end with a 6dB boost or cut at 2kHz, and Sustain. The pedal also has LED indicators for when the compression is active and the Grit stages.

Headroom

The new Philosopher’s Tone 2 pedal is powered by an 18V supply and this offers greater internal headroom to help maintain your guitar signal without clipping. It also comes with top-mounted jacks so will play nicely on cramped pedalboard setups.

Overall, this looks and sounds like a great update to this circuit for 2024.

MSRP – USD 199