Crazy Tube Circuits launches Stardust V3 amp-in-a-box overdrive

November 1, 2022 · 3 sources

Crazy Tube Circuits has debuted the Stardust V3, the third iteration of its amp-in-a-box overdrive pedal, Guitar World reported on November 7, 2022. The pedal is intended to capture late-'60s, Fender-style tones¹.

The Stardust V3 is an all-analog circuit with discrete gain stages built around MOSFET transistors, according to a Premier Guitar announcement². A three-way mini-toggle to the right of the tone control selects between BSM, VLX and DLX voicings¹. Crazy Tube Circuits describes BSM as voiced after a blackface amp head that was primarily targeted for bass guitar players but got famous for electric guitar classic rock tones, VLX as voiced after a chimey 2x10" combo, and DLX as voiced after one of the most popular low wattage 1x12" combo amps². Premier Guitar's review identifies the three as the Bassman, Vibrolux Reverb and Deluxe Reverb³.

Controls are gain, volume and tone³. The footswitch is a soft-click true bypass on a relay². An internal voltage doubler takes the 9V DC input up to 18V for increased headroom and output, and Premier Guitar notes the pedal should not be used with a supply of more than 9V DC, which Crazy Tube states in the product literature but does not indicate on the enclosure³. Input, output and power connections are now on the top panel¹. Crazy Tube says the output volume and headroom allow the pedal to be used as a preamp going straight into a power amp or audio interface when combined with a separate speaker simulation device².

The price is given as 199 USD²; Guitar World put it at around $199¹. Premier Guitar's review calls the pedal a useful low-gain overdrive in the right applications and says the responsiveness to volume, tone and touch dynamics is excellent, adding that it works its magic best when set for subtle tone and gain transformations³.