The Crazy Tube Circuits Stardust V3 is an overdrive pedal designed to capture the sound and response of three distinct maxed out and ready to sing blackface amplifier models, according to the maker's product page. It is an all-analog design with discrete gain stages featuring MOSFET transistors, and it sits in the same family of amp-voiced drives as other overdrive pedals in the Overdrive Pedals category. Premier Guitar's review traces the inspiration to three different black-panel Fenders from the '60s: the Bassman, the Vibrolux Reverb, and the Deluxe Reverb1.
What it does to your sound
Crazy Tube Circuits describes the Stardust V3 as providing juicy overdrive tones with great note separation that clean up to that sparkly sound that we all love and heard in recordings of the past. The stated playing approach is simple: set gain and tone on the pedal and control everything from your guitar, which makes the guitar's volume knob the main gain control in practice2.
The maker also points to loads of output volume and enhanced headroom, provided by 18V DC boosted internally from an external 9V DC power supply, so that the pedal can also be used as a preamp or booster2. That puts it in territory shared with dedicated Boost Pedals and Preamp Pedals when run at low gain.
Premier Guitar's reviewer came away with a similar picture of a pedal that works at the low-gain end1:
"Whether I paired the Stardust V3 with humbuckers, single-coils, and tweed- or Vox-style amps, it was a tasty tone enhancer and a useful low-gain overdrive pedal in the right applications."
The controls and the BSM/VLX/DLX voicing switch
The front panel is deliberately small: gain and tone knobs, plus a three-way voicing toggle. As Premier Guitar's review puts it, "a 3-way toggle selects between BSM/VLX/DLX voicing"1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive; the maker's approach is to set gain and tone and control everything from the guitar2 |
| Tone | Sets the pedal's treble character alongside gain2 |
| BSM/VLX/DLX toggle | Selects one of three blackface amplifier voicings via the onboard toggle switch2 |
The three toggle positions correspond to the three amplifiers the pedal is voiced after12:
- BSM: one of the three blackface voicings selected by the toggle; Premier Guitar identifies the amp behind the pedal's inspirations as the Bassman among the three black-panel Fenders from the '60s21
- VLX: voiced after a chimey 2x10" combo offering the perfect amount of controllable crunch, per the maker; the Vibrolux Reverb is the matching black-panel Fender in Premier Guitar's account21
- DLX: voiced after one of the most popular low wattage 1x12" combo amps that have found their way in countless recording studios and clubs around the world, per the maker; Premier Guitar pairs this with the Deluxe Reverb23
An earlier version of the pedal, the Crazy Tube Circuits Blackface Stardust V2, preceded the V3 covered here.
Power, bypass and board fit
The Stardust V3 runs from an external 9V DC power supply and boosts that internally to 18V DC for extra headroom, so it does not need an 18V output from your brick2. Bypass is soft click true bypass via a high-quality relay, and the top mounted jacks help the pedal sit compactly on a board2.
Price and availability
Premier Guitar's November 2022 news item on the V3 listed a street price of 199 Euro / 199 USD3. The maker's own product page currently lists the pedal at 199.00 EUR, with availability given as ships in 5 to 6 days2. A B-Stock version is offered on the maker's store at a sale price of 159.00 EUR4.
Videos
CrazyTubeCircuits
R.J. Ronquillo
Shawn Tubbs
Questions
Can the Stardust V3 be used as a clean boost?
Yes. Crazy Tube Circuits says the pedal has loads of output volume and enhanced headroom, provided by 18V DC boosted internally from an external 9V DC supply, so that it can also be used as a preamp or booster. Premier Guitar's reviewer called it a tasty tone enhancer and a useful low-gain overdrive in the right applications.
Which Fender amps is the Stardust based on?
Premier Guitar's review says the all-analog Stardust V3 takes its inspiration from three black-panel Fenders from the 1960s: the Bassman, the Vibrolux Reverb and the Deluxe Reverb. The maker describes the pedal as capturing the sound and response of three distinct maxed out blackface amplifiers.
Is the Crazy Tube Circuits Stardust true bypass?
Yes. According to the maker's product page, the Stardust V3 uses soft click true bypass via a high-quality relay.
What does the Stardust V3 cost in the US?
Premier Guitar's 2022 news item listed a street price of 199 USD in the United States (and 199 Euro in the EU). The maker's own page currently lists the pedal at 199.00 EUR, with a B-Stock version offered at a sale price of 159.00 EUR.
Does the Stardust clean up with the guitar volume knob?
The maker says the pedal provides juicy overdrive tones with great note separation that clean up to that sparkly sound heard in recordings of the past, and describes the approach as setting gain and tone on the pedal and controlling everything from your guitar.
Sources (4)
- Crazy Tube Circuits Stardust V3 Review, Premier Guitar, 2023-09-01
- Stardust v3, Crazy Tube Circuits
- Crazy Tube Circuits Announces Stardust V3, Premier Guitar, 2022-11-04
- Stardust V3 (B-Stock), Crazy Tube Circuits
