The Abasi Concepts Pathos is a high-gain distortion pedal from Tosin Abasi, the guitarist of Animals as Leaders, built in conjunction with Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals12. Abasi Concepts describes it as designed to retain the feel of an American-style tube amp channel, with musically-tuned EQ shelves and a mid control alongside potent gain and level controls1. It carries a soft-touch footswitch, a battery connection and a 9v power jack, and includes a limited 5-year warranty1.
The maker positions it as a flexible gain stage rather than a single-purpose distortion box. In its own words, it is built to work as "several dirt boxes in one, be it a push to a driven amp, a full-on distortion channel in front of a clean amp, or a boost in front of a digital modeler"13.
Guitar World reported in October 2024 that the Pathos is now sold out4. The maker's product page still lists it at £141.001. Players looking for one new may find it only on the used market.
Smooth and Edge voicings in one distortion
The Pathos gets its range from a voicing switch, a lever in the middle of the pedal that selects between Smooth and Edge5. Abasi Concepts says the two voicings can be sculpted with a set of musically-tuned EQ shelves and a mid control, as well as potent gain and level controls1.
Delicious Audio's write-up described what each voicing does:
"The voicing switch allows you to choose between Smooth and Edge. The former gives you dynamics and harmonic detail, while the latter cuts straight through the mix with glorious clarity."6
In practice, Smooth is the setting for players who want a more dynamic, harmonically rich distortion, while Edge is voiced to sit forward in a band mix. Both voicings run from crunch up through controlled distortion and sustain, which is what lets the pedal cover ground from a light push to a full high-gain channel16.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of distortion, from crunch to full high gain16 |
| Level (Volume) | Sets output level; usable for a front-end tube boost or saturating a modeling amp16 |
| Bass, Mid, Treble | Musically-tuned EQ shelves and mid control; Delicious Audio describes a glassy top end, commanding midrange and hefty bass response16 |
| Voicing lever | Switches between Smooth and Edge voicings5 |
| Footswitch | Soft-touch footswitch, engaged and disengaged by relay true bypass1 |
The EQ was voiced with the help of Brian Wampler, and Delicious Audio credited it as central to the pedal's flexibility6. Abasi Concepts also hosts a set of Pathos tone examples on SoundCloud for players who want to hear the voicings before tracking one down1.
Designed by Tosin Abasi with Brian Wampler
Tosin Abasi engineered the Pathos with Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals, and it was crafted in the USA by Tosin Abasi in conjunction with Brian Wampler16. Abasi Concepts describes the pedal as "crafted in the USA by Tosin Abasi in conjunction with Brian Wampler"1, and the pedal is now sold out14.
The Wampler connection shows in the hardware as well as the circuit. The Pathos's layout is identical to many of Brian Wampler's own pedals56, and its EQ, with a glassy top-end, commanding midrange and a hefty bass response, was voiced with the help of Brian Wampler56. Guitar Pedal X later noted, when covering Abasi's follow-up Micro Aggressor compressor, that "his previous Pathos High Gain Distortion pedal was made by Wampler"7.
The pedal is built with what the maker calls high-grade components selected for their sound and response, and it carries a limited 5-year warranty1.
Power, switching and connections
The Pathos runs on either an internal battery or an external 9V supply, with both a battery connection and a 9V power jack on the pedal1. When disengaged, relay true-bypass switching keeps the pedal out of your signal path, which Abasi Concepts says does not affect your tone1. The soft-touch footswitch is rated by the maker to last for years1. Input and output jacks are top-mounted, which saves width on a pedalboard6.
How it fits on a board
Because the Volume and Gain controls are independent, the Pathos works in several places in a signal chain. Delicious Audio summarized the maker's guidance: the controls "expand your palette; all-out distortion, front-end tube boost or saturating a modelling amp"6. That covers three common setups:
- In front of an already-driven tube amp, as a push that adds saturation and sustain16
- Into a clean amp, as a full distortion channel voiced like an American-style tube amp16
- In front of a digital modeler, as a boost that drives the modeler's input16
For players comparing gain pedals, the Pathos sits between a straightforward overdrive and a fixed-voice distortion: it is a high-gain pedal, but the voicing switch and three-band EQ give it more range than a single-voice box, closer in spirit to having two related distortion circuits in one enclosure16.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Abasi Pathos true bypass?
Yes. The Pathos uses relay true-bypass switching, which Abasi Concepts says does not affect your tone when the pedal is disengaged. It is engaged with a soft-touch footswitch that the maker says will last for years.
Does the Pathos take a battery?
Yes. The pedal has both a battery connection and a 9V power jack, so it can run on an internal battery or an external 9V supply. No current draw figure has been published by the maker.
Who designed the Abasi Pathos?
The Pathos was designed by Tosin Abasi, guitarist of Animals as Leaders, in conjunction with Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals. It was the first pedal released under Abasi's own company, Abasi Concepts.
Where is the Abasi Pathos made?
The Pathos is made in the USA. Abasi Concepts describes it as crafted in the USA by Tosin Abasi in conjunction with Brian Wampler, and press coverage at launch noted the same.
What is the difference between the smooth and edge modes?
A lever on the pedal switches between the two voicings. According to Delicious Audio, Smooth gives dynamics and harmonic detail, while Edge cuts through the mix with clarity. Both range from crunch to controlled distortion and sustain.
Can the Pathos be used as a boost?
Yes. Abasi Concepts describes it as several dirt boxes in one: a push to a driven amp, a full-on distortion channel in front of a clean amp, or a boost in front of a digital modeler. The Volume and Gain controls support these uses.
Sources (7)
- Pathos Distortion, Abasi Concepts LLC
- Tosin Abasi's Pathos overdrive pedal is “several dirt boxes in one”, MusicRadar, 2018-11-15
- Animals as Leaders' Tosin Abasi Unveils New Pathos Pedal, Guitar World, 2018-11-14
- “A new level of sonic excellence, several years in the making”: Tosin Abasi has released his own compressor pedal that promises to fix common compression complaints, Guitar World, 2024-10-28
- Tosin Abasi announces the Abasi Pathos distortion pedal, gearnews.com, 2018-11-15
- Abasi Pathos High Gain Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2019-02-14
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-11-04
