The Horrothia Effects Triage Deluxe is a preamp and overdrive pedal in an analog stompbox format, hand built one by one in Falmouth, United Kingdom1. Its circuit is a FET preamp followed by an overdrive stage made from hand picked transistors that form a discrete opamp, with no chip ICs in the signal path1. The FET front end offers a high impedance input that RockBoard's PedalPedia says retains signal integrity and high frequency content1.
It sits in the same territory as pedals that blur the line between a high-class overdrive and a tone-shaping preamp, and Guitar.com's reviewer noted the Origin Effects RevivalDrive Compact and the Crazy Tube Circuits Crossfire as alternatives there2. Horrothia positions it as a High-Headroom Mid-Gain Preamp, distinct from its sibling the Teeth MKII X, a Low-Gain Overdrive3.
A FET preamp into a discrete-opamp overdrive
The heart of the pedal is a FET preamp feeding an overdrive stage built from hand picked transistors arranged as a discrete opamp1. This continues the approach of the original Horrothia Triage, an all-transistor, ground-up Horrothia design in which a JFET preamp, followed by an internal clean-level trimmer, fed a transistor-based discrete opamp clipping stage4. Delicious Audio described that earlier circuit as a JFET preamp feeding an overdrive with transistor-based discrete opamp clipping, making the Triage both a front-end preamp and an overdrive5.
The original Triage was itself born from a rib of the company's low-gain overdrive, Teeth, sharing some circuit and tonal similarities with it5. The Deluxe is a ground-up, blank-sheet design fed from the experience of developing the Teeth, Teeth Mk2, the Lutz fuzz and the original Triage1.
Pedal of the Day found the original Triage flexible in use: it works as a front-end preamp or an overdrive, suits bass and acoustic as well as electric guitar, and can be dialed right down to brighten vintage pickups or pushed into a compressed, crunchy overdrive6.
The controls
The Triage Deluxe carries six controls: Clip Off/Clip On, Headroom (6V to 16V), Input HPF (20Hz to 1kHz), Gain, Breath and Output3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Clip switch | Off for a clean boost; on for a low gain overdrive1 |
| Headroom | Sets the voltage in the second gain stage between 6V and 16V; turning it up reduces drive and compression2 |
| Input HPF | Rolls off the low end from 20Hz up to 1kHz3 |
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive2 |
| Breath | High frequency control, reworked since the original Triage to cover a more defined spectrum that keeps its character without becoming woolly or boomy1 |
| Output | Sets the level2 |
The Headroom control is the unusual one. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as controlling the voltage headroom of the pedal: set high, it sets the pedal up as a great clean boost, while lowering it brings out what RockBoard's PedalPedia calls the gritty characteristics of a small tube amp1. Guitar.com's reviewer, Richard Purvis, explained the mechanism: the headroom sets the voltage in the second gain stage between 6V and 16V, so turning it up actually reduces the drive and compression2.
The Input HPF lets a player thin the bottom end. Purvis found it allows shifting the emphasis to the midrange, Tube Screamer style, with total control over just how lean the low end gets2. With clipping off, the filter at minimum and the headroom at maximum, he found the pedal can produce something very close to total transparency2.
Triage versus Triage Deluxe
The Triage Deluxe upgrades the original three-knob Triage from 20227 and has replaced it in the Horrothia line-up2. The original had three knobs plus a MID PEAK voicing switch on the overdrive stage: off, it was a full range boost; on, it added a distinct, carefully chosen mid-bump4. Its HF balance control cut or boosted the high frequencies, and dialed to full it acted, in the maker's words, like a hot knife through a band mix4. The Deluxe replaces that voicing scheme with the six-control layout above, including the reworked Breath control1.
The Germanium Diodes Edition
Horrothia also offers a Triage Deluxe High-Headroom Transistor Preamp Germanium Diodes Edition, a further version in the Triage line7. The standard Triage Deluxe behind it is an analog stompbox pedal1, and RockBoard's PedalPedia describes its headroom control in terms of what happens as it comes down: "lower it and you start to get the gritty characteristics of a small tube amp"1.
Power
The pedal runs on 18V DC with a center negative plug and draws 39mA1. Purvis noted it sounds great on 9V but needs 18V to show its full power, and counted that power requirement among his criticisms alongside its many rivals, some of them cheaper2.
The 18V DC requirement means a standard 9V pedalboard supply will not run the pedal at its full headroom. Plan for an 18V output on your power supply.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's Richard Purvis, reviewing the Triage Deluxe in January 2026, praised classic tones at a wide range of gain levels, unconventional controls that bring what he called supreme flexibility, and exceptional build quality2. He also noted it has enough gain on tap to replace a Timmy or an ODR-12.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, covering the January 2026 upgrade of Horrothia's two flagship pedals, called it a very worthy upgrade of the original Triage3:
"This is a very worthy upgrade of that and a pedal that I will seek to land as a priority."3
Of the Germanium Diodes Edition, he wrote:
"I've long been a fan of Gemanium-accented overdrives - and this is another great one of that ilk."7
Where it is made and sold
Like all Horrothia effects pedals, the Triage Deluxe is hand built, one by one, in the seaside town of Falmouth in the United Kingdom1. Both the Triage Deluxe and the Teeth MKII X are available through Horrothia's Reverb.com store3.
Videos
Horrothia Effects
The Pedal Picassos
The Pedal Picassos
Questions
What is the difference between the Triage and the Triage Deluxe?
The Triage Deluxe upgrades the original three-knob Triage, which had a MID PEAK voicing switch and an HF balance control. The Deluxe adds a Headroom control that sets the second gain stage's voltage between 6V and 16V, an Input HPF for the low end, a reworked Breath high-frequency control, and a Clip on/off switch. It has replaced the original in the Horrothia line-up.
What is the Triage Deluxe Germanium Diodes Edition?
A version of the Triage Deluxe with a FET-based preamp and germanium clipping diodes. It began as a three-unit limited run, with units one and two pre-sold, and was then converted to a general release sold through the Horrothia Reverb.com store. Guitar Pedal X called it another great Germanium-accented overdrive.
How much current does the Triage Deluxe draw?
The maker lists the current draw at 39mA. It runs on 18V DC with a center negative plug, and Guitar.com's reviewer found it sounds great on 9V but needs the full 18V to show its complete power.
Where is the Horrothia Triage Deluxe made?
Like all Horrothia effects pedals, the Triage Deluxe is hand built one by one in Falmouth, a seaside town in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is sold through the maker's Reverb.com store.
Sources (7)
- Triage Deluxe by Horrothia Effects, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Horrothia Effects Triage Deluxe review, Guitar.com, 2026-01-05
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-01-12
- Triage by Horrothia Effects, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Horrothia Triage Preamp, Delicious Audio, 2023-08-02
- Horrothia FX Triage Discrete Transistor Pre-Amplifier, Pedal of the Day, 2023-01-30
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-02-04
