OVERDRIVE- HAGERMAN Rectivator ...real tube, expensive & disappointing? NEITHER!!!

HAGERMAN REACTIVATOR OD

$180.00 USD

Many builders like to call their OD a preamp which is not incorrect but misleading 

or at the least confusing. This however I find is really more preamp than stomp OD.

Would you like a gourmet tone of one of the old Fender tube amps??  You can buy 

a modest cheaper version, set it clean and add this pedal. Total heaven!!!

The layout is level, gain, bass and treble. It comes in a heavy duty Hammond flanged enclosure.

The tube is a 12au7. It has more headroom than a 12ax7 that is a more typical preamp tube but it  breaks up with smooth & sweeter distortion. The other good news it is not rare, hard to get or stupidly pricey.

The reason most tube OD's fail is that tubes by nature are difficult to voice. They use passive controls that can only cut. In other words full open is the sound really have. If that sound is not already stellar than don't buy it. Yes you can darken tone but it is all about a bit of tweaking.

CONCLUSION

There are some minor lint picks one can make. Many will find the flanges on the enclosure annoying. They do not add much to the footprint size. If you use it as an always on you could easily attach rubber feet to them so it can straddle the handle of you amp in a useful and safe place. The box is the cheapest heavy duty box on the market and has proven itself over literally decades. Others are double or more the price and not better.

Bottom line there is not any other tube OD that is in this league that is not double or more the price.

In short, it's killer, it's cheap and has zero competition. One of the best value for money tube OD's on the planet.