Spaceman Saturn VI adds Tone knob to Saturn V boost

November 28, 2022 · 3 sources

On Nov. 28, 2022, Delicious Audio published an article on the Spaceman Effects Spaceman Saturn VI, a harmonic boost and low-gain overdrive from Spaceman Effects of Portland, Oregon, that updates the Saturn V released in 2012¹. The article reproduced the builder's notes for the pedal¹.

The Saturn VI keeps the Saturn V's Boost and Drive controls and adds a Tone knob for the high frequencies¹. Spaceman's notes say Boost alone gives 18dB of harmonic gain, the Drive control adds harmonic distortion and output level, and both controls at maximum yield 35dB of boost¹. The notes describe the drive texture as a mix of odd and even harmonics, with the Boost side focused on subtle even-order harmonics and the Drive side adding odd-order harmonics¹. Spaceman says the pedal keeps bass frequencies "fully present, tight and controlled" and responds to playing dynamics¹.

The VI is hand wired and built in Portland, Oregon, with true-bypass relay switching on a soft-touch footswitch, a cast-aluminum enclosure, an engraved vinyl faceplate and a red jewel indicator light, per the notes¹. Delicious Audio's article gives no price or availability for the Saturn VI¹.

The Saturn V's own page lists a price of $229.00 to $299.00 and marks the pedal sold out². A Guitar Pedal X article from September 2019 said Spaceman had made a Saturn VI Standard Edition always available at $179, in an unpainted steel enclosure with plastic knobs, alongside painted limited runs of Black (80 units), Red (55 units) and White (44 units) with machined aluminum knobs³. That article describes the VI as an evolution of the 2012 Saturn V with an added Tone control³.