Poly Effects and Josh Smith release Flat V overdrive pedal
March 1, 2023 · 2 sources
The Poly Effects Flat V reached the market in early 2023, according to That Pedal Show, which described it as a collaboration between Josh Smith and Poly Effects12. The show covered the pedal in an episode published March 10, 202312.
The show said Smith wanted an overdrive to cover all his gain needs, including MIDI switchability12. In the episode, the hosts described the pedal as having two sides: side A selects the clipping diodes, and side B is a preamp side built around JFETs2. They said side A offers four diodes, described as Schottky, germanium, silicon and LED, with different forward voltages and characters, and that the JFETs stand in for cascaded valves and can be stacked in either direction2. They also described low and high pass filters with adjustable cutoff points and resonance, and a built-in oscillator that can be attached to those functions2.
According to the hosts, the pedal holds six banks of six presets, and tapping the signature button within a preset gives access to two sets of controls2. They said Smith's preset one replaces a pedal he previously used2. One host said of the interface, "I'd need a week with it before it started to make sense"2.
"Josh wanted an overdrive pedal to cover all his gain needs, including MIDI switchability."
The episode placed the Flat V alongside the Chase Bliss Audio Automatone MkII Preamp and the Kernom Ridge, which the hosts called "three do-it-all analogue overdrives with MIDI control to boot"12. They compared the three by ear and did not declare a winner2. No price or US availability details were given12.