The Crazy Tube Circuits Black Magic MKII is a versatile distortion pedal that combines American and British style high gain amp sounds, covering gain from low overdrive and crunchy sounds to fully saturated gain with huge amounts of sustain1. It sits in the distortion family, and its enclosure carries Pop Art graphics that Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described as "bound to attract a lot of attention"1.
What it does
The pedal uses JFET cascaded gain stages to emulate the response of a high gain tube amp, which is how it aims to deliver amp-like touch response in a pedal format1. That makes it a candidate for players who want a high gain voice from a pedalboard rather than from an amp channel, whether into a clean amp or as a gain stage in front of an already driven one.
Controls
The Black Magic MKII gives the player two ways to shape the tone and a second footswitch for gain on demand1:
- A three band EQ section for tailoring the pedal's sound
- A Presence knob, which together with the EQ lets the player fit the pedal "to any ear, need and/or amp"1
- A separate Boost footswitch to take things to the next level, with the boost amount controlled through a separate volume boost control1
The separate boost switch means the pedal can work as two gain stages in one box: the main distortion sound for rhythm, and the boost for solos or sections that need more push, without a second pedal on the board1.
Where it sits in the range
The Black Magic MKII is one of several gain pedals in the Crazy Tube Circuits line. The maker describes it as "a very versatile distortion pedal", and it carries a separate Boost footswitch for taking things further, with the boost amount set through a separate volume boost control1. A three band EQ section and a Presence knob let players tailor the pedal's sound to their ear, needs and amp1, which is worth bearing in mind when comparing it with the maker's overdrive pedals at the low-to-medium gain end.
Videos
Pete Thorn
CrazyTubeCircuits
Rabea Massaad
Sources (1)
- Crazy Tubes Circuits Black Magic MKII Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2021-06-01
