The Electro-Harmonix Nano Series Soul Preacher is a compressor/sustainer pedal, one of the compact boxes in the company's Nano series. Its compression circuit levels the sound and compresses the dynamics enough to punch up the mids and fatten the overall tone without over-compressing the high-end response, according to Vintage Guitar's December 2007 review1.
Controls
The Soul Preacher keeps things simple: two knobs and a toggle.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Output level |
| Sustain | Adjusts the amount of compression |
| Attack toggle | Three-way switch setting the attack as fast, medium or slow |
Vintage Guitar's review describes the Level and Sustain controls as adjusting the amount of compression, with the three-way Attack toggle setting fast, medium or slow1.
What reviewers found
Vintage Guitar's reviewer tried the pedal with different guitar and amp setups and reported two distinct uses. With a Gadow/Roadhouse setup, "the Soul Preacher produced an excellent 'squashed' chicken pickin' sound with the Sustain set at 3 o'clock and the Attack set to fast"1. With an Ibanez/Koch setup, Sustain at 10 o'clock, Volume about halfway and the Attack set to slow, the pedal in front of the amp gave a fatter overdrive tone with more sustain, especially with full chords, that did not kill all the dynamics1.
The reviewer's overall verdict on the Nano series pair covered both the sound and the build: "The Electro-Harmonix Nano Series LPB-1 and the Soul Preacher offer excellent, professional-grade sounds and U.S.A. build quality at import prices"1.
Where it sits in the Nano series and in EHX's compressor range
The Nano series gathered seven of Electro-Harmonix's older designs, including the Nano Clone chorus, Nano Small Stone phase shifter, Dr Q envelope filter and Bass Balls, alongside the LPB-1 Linear Power Booster, Metal Muff and Muff Overdrive, plus two other boxes: the Switch Blade a/b box and the Soul Preacher compressor/sustainer1. The Nano Soul Preacher is distinct from later compressor pedals in the same maker's range, such as the Tone Corset, the Platform and the Pico Platform, which arrived years after the Nano series review.
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Questions
What does the Attack switch on the Soul Preacher do?
It is a three-way toggle that sets how quickly the compression responds, with fast, medium and slow positions. Vintage Guitar's reviewer found the fast setting with the Sustain knob at 3 o'clock produced an excellent squashed chicken pickin' sound, while the slow setting worked well in front of an overdriven amp for a fatter tone with more sustain.
What did the Soul Preacher cost?
Vintage Guitar's December 2007 review listed the Soul Preacher at $130.90 in US dollars. For comparison, the Nano series LPB-1 booster was listed at $52 in the same review.
What is the Electro-Harmonix Soul Preacher used for?
It is a compressor/sustainer. Its compression circuit levels the sound and compresses dynamics enough to punch up the mids and fatten the overall tone without over-compressing the high end, according to Vintage Guitar's review. Players use it for even, sustained clean tones or to fatten overdrive.
Is the Soul Preacher made in the USA?
Vintage Guitar's review of the Nano series LPB-1 and Soul Preacher described them as offering U.S.A. build quality at import prices, so the reviewer characterized the pedals as US-built.
Sources (1)
- Electro-Harmonix Nano Series LPB-1 and Soul Preacher, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2010-03-10
