The Free Fall Diver Twelve is a Japanese distortion pedal built on the Rat Distortion circuit and taken beyond it. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, who reviewed the pedal, calls it "an extended Rat Distortion", believed to date from 2014, which matches up to the availability of Free Fall Diver pedals in general1. Where a standard Rat gives you Distortion, Filter and Volume, the Twelve adds a second clipping switch and a Low Cut mini-knob, so it reaches into overdrive, boost and fuzz territory as well.
Controls
The pedal keeps the familiar Rat-style layout and adds a fourth control on top of it1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Distortion | The main gain control, as on a Rat1 |
| Filter | Hi-cut tone control1 |
| Volume | Output level1 |
| Low Cut (mini-knob) | Added fourth control, trimming low end1 |
The Low Cut arrives as what Karlsson calls "a handy 4th Low Cut Mini-Knob", sitting alongside Volume, Filter and Distortion1. With the Filter working as a hi-cut and the Low Cut as its low-end counterpart, the pedal gives two axes of tone shaping where the standard Rat gives one.
The two clipping switches
The extension over the Rat comes from two clipping switches:
- Clip 1: Symmetrical Silicon, Asymmetrical Silicon or LED1
- Clip 2: a 3-way toggle for Distortion / Booster = No Clipping / Overdrive1
Between the two switches and the Low Cut knob, Karlsson found the pedal "really take this pedal into untypical extended Rat Territory - and deliver a wide array of Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz tones"1. That puts its range across distortion, overdrive and fuzz styles from one box, with the clipping choices doing much of the work.
Availability and price
This is not a pedal you can walk into a shop and buy. Karlsson reported that "there's no Free Fall Diver Pedal to be found anywhere as per my last search during the writing of this article"1. His own example, serial number #004, was bought on Ebay for around $290, which he noted translated to around £228, and he paid around £60 in import and customs fees on top of that1. Anyone hunting one should expect a second-hand hunt and import costs if it ships from Japan.
The Twelve is believed to date from 2014, and Free Fall Diver pedals in general are very short supply. Serial numbers are visible on the lower inside edge of the pedal, as on the reviewer's #004 unit1.
What reviewers said
Karlsson's verdict on Guitar Pedal X was strongly positive: "This Free Fall Diver Twelve excels in several areas - with the top Clip 1 options consistently great - and the lower Clip 2 Booster mode delivering the best textures", making it in his view an excellent distortion pedal delivering more than the average Rat overall1.
Videos
Free Fall Diver
Astronauts高田馬場
Questions
What is the Free Fall Diver Twelve?
The Free Fall Diver Twelve is a Japanese distortion pedal built on the Rat Distortion circuit and extended beyond it. It adds a second clipping switch and a Low Cut mini-knob to the usual Volume, Filter and Distortion controls, letting it cover overdrive, distortion and fuzz tones that Guitar Pedal X's reviewer described as untypical extended Rat territory. It is believed to date from 2014 and is very hard to find.
What does the Low Cut knob do on the Free Fall Diver Twelve?
The Low Cut is a fourth control, added as a mini-knob on top of the standard Rat-style Volume, Filter and Distortion layout. Where the Filter knob works as a hi-cut, the Low Cut knob trims low end, giving the player a second tone-shaping control to tighten or thin out the pedal's overdrive, distortion and fuzz voices.
How many Free Fall Diver pedals were made?
The exact production count is not documented, but supply was very short. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reviewing serial number #004 of the Twelve, noted that no Free Fall Diver pedal could be found anywhere in his last search while writing the article, so the pedals rarely come up for sale.
How much did the Free Fall Diver Twelve cost?
There was no ordinary retail price. When the reviewer bought his example on Ebay, the price tag was around $290, which he noted translated to around £228, plus around £60 in import and customs fees on top.
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-05-28