The Alexander Pedals Princess Clang Royal Overdrive is a limited-edition overdrive pedal announced in October 2015. The maker describes it as "a magnificent, versatile drive pedal that covers distortion, overdrive and clean boost territory", putting it in the same broad family as overdrive pedals, distortion pedals and boost pedals. It was limited to only 31 units worldwide and sold at $199 street1.
This was a limited run of 31 units, available exclusively from the Alexander Pedals webstore, one pedal per day each day in October 2015. It is long gone from regular sale.
Overdrive, distortion and clean boost in one pedal
The Royal Overdrive is a modified upgrade of a circuit with a history: the Princess Clang's lineage can be traced to the year 2002. The original Princess Clang was a British-voiced overdrive with a single tone control and a "Brilliance" switch. For the Royal version, Alexander Pedals expanded the tonal controls: "We've since added a two-band tone stack and a distinct active midrange Contour control"1.
The controls: Level, Drive, Bass, Treble and Contour
The pedal has five knobs on its top panel:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets the output level1 |
| Drive | Sets the amount of drive1 |
| Bass | Two-band tone stack, low end1 |
| Treble | Two-band tone stack, high end1 |
| Contour | Active midrange control to help sculpt your drive tone1 |
The Bass and Treble knobs are the added two-band tone stack, replacing the single tone control of the original. The Contour knob goes further, acting on the midrange, the part of the signal an overdrive pushes hardest1.
Bypass and power
The pedal uses true bypass switching with a latching relay and a soft-touch footswitch, and runs on 9 volts with a standard DC input, so it fits a normal pedalboard power setup1.
Charity
Alexander Pedals donated a portion of the proceeds from each Princess Clang to the Pink Fund, a charity that provides short-term aid to breast cancer patients1.
Videos
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Questions
How many Princess Clang Royal Overdrive pedals were made?
The Princess Clang Royal Overdrive was limited to only 31 units worldwide. Alexander Pedals sold them exclusively through its own webstore, offering one pedal per day each day in October 2015, so the run lasted only as long as the month's daily allotment.
Is the Princess Clang Royal Overdrive true bypass?
Yes. According to the announcement, the pedal uses true bypass switching built around a latching relay and a soft-touch footswitch, a design that keeps the pedal out of the signal path when it is off.
What does the Contour knob do?
The Contour knob is a distinct active midrange control. Where the Bass and Treble knobs shape the lows and highs, the Contour lets you sculpt the midrange of your drive tone, which is where an overdrive sits in a mix.
What is the difference between the Royal Overdrive and the original Princess Clang?
The original Princess Clang was a British-voiced overdrive with a single tone control and a Brilliance switch. The Royal Overdrive is a modified upgrade of that circuit, adding a two-band tone stack (Bass and Treble) and the active midrange Contour control.
What voltage does the Princess Clang Royal Overdrive use?
The pedal runs on 9 volts with a standard DC input, so it works with a typical pedalboard power supply.
Where did the Princess Clang Royal Overdrive proceeds go?
Alexander Pedals donated a portion of the proceeds from each Princess Clang to the Pink Fund, a charity that provides short-term aid to breast cancer patients.
Sources (1)
- Alexander Pedals Launches Princess Clang Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2015-10-05
