TWA announces SH9 Scott Henderson signature distortion pedal

April 29, 2022 · 2 sources

TWA announced the SH9, its first signature model and its first collaboration with Susumu Tamura, the designer of the Tube Screamer, on April 29, 2022¹². The pedal is a signature distortion for Scott Henderson¹².

TWA says Tamura took the SD-9 circuit architecture he invented in 1981 and reworked it to Henderson's performance standards¹. The original SD-9 reached the market in 1981². TWA lists the SH9's changes as improved bass and lower midrange response, increased girth on high-register notes, increased output level, a JRC4558 op-amp and true bypass switching¹. TWA says Tamura shifted the Tone control's center frequency into the lows and lower-mids, and that the pedal runs on 9 or 18 volts, with 18 volts giving more headroom, less compression and an alternate drive signature¹. Henderson uses it at 9 volts, according to TWA¹.

The SH9 is housed in a die-cast zinc chassis with a metallic purple powder coating chosen by Henderson, and is made in the USA¹. It comes with two faceplate screens: one with the SH9 logo in the lime-green of the original SD-9, the other all-white with a replication of Henderson's signature¹. TWA lists ALPS potentiometers, Marushin jacks, KOA/Speer resistors and WIMA, Nichicon and Kemet capacitors among the parts¹.

Guitar World reported a US retail price of $300, a first production run of 100 pedals arriving around June and a second batch due in July². TWA says the pedal, like all its pedals, is made in a limited batch of 50 to 100 and that it cannot predict when or if a next batch will be made¹.

Guitar World reported that the pedal began under the Maxon Custom Shop range, which TWA owner Godlyke conceived and distributed in the US, and that Maxon ended its relationship with Godlyke the previous summer².