Sunnaudio Announces the Nucleus NU-1

October 13, 2020 · 6 sources

Sunnaudio, based in Belmont, CA, announced the Nucleus NU-1, an all-original analog preamp pedal that the maker describes as a "Dual Boost Preamp Distortion." The NU-1 is a compact two-channel preamp with two switchable gain channels, Hi Gain and Lo Gain, each with an independent level control, so a player can set a solo level to jump above the mix or match a lower-gain part to a high-gain tone¹². Guitar World described it as an all-analog integrative preamp and overdrive promising "harmonically rich saturated sounds"³.

The two channels cover a wide range. The Hi channel goes from rich clean tones to fully saturated grind, with the HI gain boost putting out up to 60dB of gain, while the Lo channel goes from crystal clear tones to a nice overdriven breakup¹. Gearnews reported that the pedal's dynamic analog circuit should work well with electric, acoustic, or even bass guitars, and that it can handle both passive and active acoustic guitar pickups⁴.

Key features as announced:

• Two footswitches: Hi/Lo Gain channel switching and True Bypass¹
• One shared Gain knob, with each channel's knob lit by an LED showing which channel is selected¹
• Independent level control per channel⁵
• TRS balanced output¹
• Internal input impedance switch for optimum matching⁶
• Power from a 7.5V to 12V external DC adapter or a 9V battery¹
• Fits in a standard Hammond-sized space on a pedalboard¹

The pedal was designed by Sunny Wai, lead engineer for Sunnaudio, and senior product developer Marc Games¹. Each pedal is built to order⁴, and the launch edition came with oversized footswitch covers in red, blue and green³.

The Nucleus NU-1 listed for $285 MSRP¹, with Guitar World reporting an introductory price of $265³. Guitar.com reported the pedal as available at sunnaudio.com⁵.

Players quoted in the announcement included Jude Gold, host of the No Guitar Is Safe podcast and lead guitarist of Jefferson Starship, who said¹:

Bassist Pete Canton added¹: