Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker

The Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker is a dual overdrive pedal that puts three classic British tube amps and a vintage wireless-system preamp in one box. The drive side models three Marshall amplifiers, selectable on a three-way switch, while the boost side recreates the preamp and dynamic expansion circuit of the Schaffer-Vega Diversity System, a mid-'70s wireless system that Crazy Tube Circuits calls "the secret recipe to major rock star guitar rigs"¹. It is the fourth pedal in the maker's twin-footswitch series, following the Crossfire, Unobtanium and Hi Power².

MusicRadar framed what it goes after this way:

The Heatseeker is the fourth in Crazy Tube Circuits' twin-footswitch series, following the Crossfire, Unobtanium and Hi-Power². Its three-way mode switch moves between three different Marshall models: a JTM45, a 1959 Super Lead, and a late-'70s JMP 2203 Master Volume model, the same as a JCM800, in increasing order of gain². The 45 mode covers sweet cleans and dynamic, crunch rhythms; SL delivers what Andertons calls "super iconic lead" sounds; and MV moves into the '70s era of master volume controls with more saturation³.

The whole circuit is analog, built on JFETs rather than tubes or digital modeling, and it runs internally at 27 volts for extra headroom¹⁴.

The three amp modes

The drive side is an amp-in-a-box with a three-way mode switch. In increasing order of gain, the modes are²:

Guitar.com's Richard Purvis found the three settings genuinely distinct: "The three amp types sound markedly different in terms of top-end friskiness and saturation, but are all equally good"⁴. He described the mid-gain JTM45 tone with all knobs at halfway as "rich, smooth and tight, and a strong starting point for any journey into Plexi-land"⁴.

The controls

The Heatseeker carries a full amp-style control set. MusicRadar describes the core of it: "Dial in your drive sound via the Master and Volume knobs," alongside "controls for bass, middle and treble"³. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen found the interplay of those two gain controls does the heavy lifting: the juxtaposition of Volume and Master "runs the gamut from glassy cleans through the various levels of break-up and crunch, to the distorted roar associated with a Marshall stack at full pelt"².

The boost side has its own control, the Enhance knob, which governs the Dynamic Expansion circuit. Crazy Tube Circuits says it works on the guitar tone's dynamic response, that around 10 o'clock is a good starting point, and that maxed out it can revive dull sounds¹. Curwen found its effect is subtle: it "works on dynamic and harmonic components to offer a certain enrichment to the sound, which you can dial in to taste"².

The last control is a toggle switch activating the Wall of Sound circuit, which boosts the output, in MusicRadar's words, "adding thundering lows and dense high mids"³. Guitar.com's reviewer went further: "a flick of the switch to engage the wall of sound adds depth and 'bigness' in a way that makes it hard to turn off again"⁴.

Boost and drive: two circuits, two footswitches

The pedal has two dedicated on/off footswitches, one per circuit, so the boost and drive sections can be used independently or stacked on top of each other⁵. The Schaffer-Vega-style circuit sits first in the routing order⁵, and the boost side delivers up to 15dB of clean boost, which Curwen called "plenty for an extra-switchable element to the amp sounds for lead breaks"².

Guitar.com's Purvis characterized the boost's voice as its own thing rather than a treble booster clone: "It's bright and peppy, but somehow more integrated into the tone than an all-out treble booster. There's also some extra" compression⁴.

As with all of Crazy Tube Circuits' dual drive pedals, a passive effects loop between the two sections lets you connect other pedals in between them¹.

Power: 9V in, 27V inside

The Heatseeker runs on a 9V DC adaptor, drawing 115mA, and boosts that internally to 27 volts to feed the JFET circuit¹².

Where it came from and where it is made

Crazy Tube Circuits is a Greek effects maker, and Guitar World lists the Heatseeker's origin as Greece². The pedal continues a line of work the company began with its Unobtanium pedals and carried on with the Hi Power, recreating vintage circuits in pedal form⁵. Guitar World notes it is the fourth in the twin-footswitch series after the Crossfire, Unobtanium and Hi-Power².

What reviewers said

Reviewers found plenty of range in the three modes. Guitar World's reviewer noted that the Juxtaposition of the Volume and Master knobs "runs the gamut from glassy cleans through the various levels of break-up and crunch, to the distorted roar associated with a Marshall stack at full pelt"². Guitar.com's reviewer found the mid-gain JTM45 tone with all the knobs at halfway "rich, smooth and tight, and a strong starting point for any journey into Plexi-land"⁴, and recommended the 45 mode "for all your sweet cleans and dynamic, crunch rhythms," the SL mode for "super iconic lead" sounds, and the MV mode for its move into the '70s master-volume era with more saturation³.

Price and availability

Guitar World lists the Heatseeker at $279 / £235 / €279². The maker's own store has shown it at €279.00 originally and €232.00 as a sale price⁶, and lists availability as shipping in 5 to 6 days¹.

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