Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker review: “You don’t need to be an AC/DC geek to be thunderstruck by the range of hard-rocking tones on offer here”
£235/€279/$295, crazytubecircuits.com
If you’ve ever watched old footage of Angus Young bouncing across the stage with his SG, you might have noticed that he never trips up his bandmates with a gigantic snaking cable. That’s because, as far back as the late 70s, he was using the wireless Schaffer-Vega Diversity System. While modern wireless units are prized for their transparent nature, the Diversity certainly added its own tonal colour to proceedings – but to Angus’ mind this was no bad thing. In fact, he liked what the wireless unit did to his signal so much, he started using it in the studio as well.
READ MORE: The Gear Used By Angus Young and Malcolm Young on AC/DC’s Back In Black
So you can see what Crazy Tube Circuits’ designers were thinking when they set out to create the ultimate drive pedal for AC/DC fans: fiery Marshall amp tones are one thing, but why not include the Schaffer-Vega bit as well? Thus, the Heatseeker overdrive and preamp/enhancer.
Image: Adam Gasson
Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker – what is it?
CTC has been going big on dual gain pedals of late, and this one follows the usual template, with drive on the left footswitch and the boosty business on the right; you can run the latter into the former, or use each on its own, and there’s an effects loop for any other pedals you might want to put between the two.
Key to the overdrive part of the deal is a three-way toggle switch for choosing between Marshall JTM45, Super Lead and Master Volume sounds. You also get a three-way tonestack along with presence, preamp volume (gain) and output level, plus a ‘wall of sound’ switch that can be engaged to “increase the soundstage” – whatever that might mean.
All these tonal toys mean the left side of the pedal is more than slightly crowded – manipulating those little toggles is like performing keyhole surgery on a squirrel – but over on the right we find just two controls: boost level (up to 15dB) and a larger second knob to “enhance dynamic response and harmonics”. Hmm, intriguing.
It’s all JFET-based, and the circuit is boosted internally to 27v for a more amp-like feel. So I guess this is literally high-voltage rock’n’roll?
Image: Adam Gasson
Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker – what does it sound like?
Every time you add something to this pedal it sounds bigger, brighter and better – but it would be a mistake to overlook the simple charms of the mid-gain JTM45 tone with all the knobs at halfway. It’s rich, smooth and tight, and a strong starting point for any journey into Plexi-land.
The tone controls are solid, and the presence knob works at least as well as it does on the average Marshall amp, but it’s the two toggles that really bring this unit to life. The three amp types sound markedly different in terms of top-end friskiness and saturation, but are all equally good – and a flick of the switch to engage the wall of sound adds depth and ‘bigness’ in a way that makes it hard to turn off again.
Hit the other footswitch and you soon know you’re not dealing with a standard boost circuit. It’s bright and peppy, but somehow more integrated into the tone than an all-out treble booster. There’s also some extra compression in there, which just adds to the sense of excitement.
It’s ironic, though, that the biggest knob on the pedal is the one that has the least effect. I had some real “Is this thing working?” moments with the enhance dial, which is so subtle that you might well wonder why they bothered. And of course, if they hadn’t bothered, that would have opened up some much-needed room for the overdrive controls…
Image: Adam Gasson
Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker – should I buy it?
I’m wary of enhancers in principle. If your tone is so flat and lifeless without one, doesn’t that mean you have a more fundamental problem to fix? So let’s focus on the left side of the pedal – this is a fine Marshall-voiced overdrive with a lot of really useful tone-adjusting features, and the enhancer is just one of them: a powerfully biting boost that’s best reserved for solos. Think of it that way around and the Heatseeker looks like an excellent option for those about to rock.
Image: Adam Gasson
Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker alternatives
Our galaxy is home to billions and billions of Marshall-emulating overdrive pedals, many of them with a built-in boost. Another Greek-made option is the Tsakalis AudioWorks Room #40 (€240), and I’m a big fan of the DryBell Engine (€340). But if it’s just the sound of that old wireless system you’re after, try the SoloDallas Schaffer Replica Classic (€269).
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
