Hudson Electronics Broadcast AP-II

The Hudson Electronics Broadcast AP-II is a dual preamplifier pedal designed in conjunction with guitarist Ariel Posen, whose signature pedal it is¹². It carries two independent, differently-voiced preamp circuits which each add their own subtle color, placed in series with separate footswitches so each channel can be engaged or bypassed on its own¹³⁴. Both circuits can produce extended saturation covering medium-gain overdrive terrain, and beyond when cascaded into each other³.

The pedal sits in a long line of Broadcast versions: the original Ariel Posen signature Broadcast-AP arrived in 2019, and before that there had been a 24-volt version and a dual-footswitch version of the standard Broadcast². The AP-II, released in December 2023, is the update that turns the single-channel AP into the two-channel pedal sold today³.

Two preamps in one: silicon with transformer, germanium without

The two channels are the heart of the pedal, and they are voiced differently on purpose¹⁴³.

• Channel one (gray knobs): silicon-based, fitted with a silicon transistor and an OEP transformer. Hudson says it brings the smooth, darker tone of the original Broadcast-AP, the same character that made the Broadcast name¹³.
• Channel two (red knobs): removes the transformer and replaces the silicon with a germanium transistor, which Hudson says results in a brighter, more aggressive tone¹³.

The silicon channel's lineage goes back to the original Broadcast-AP of 2019, which used a pair of selected silicon transistors in place of the germanium transistor of the standard Broadcast, in conjunction with an OEP transformer, and was built on the same class-A discrete, transformer-coupled circuit designed to saturate like vintage recording and broadcast consoles⁵³⁶. The AP-II keeps that recipe for channel one and adds the germanium, transformerless channel two as the new voice¹³.

Guitar.com's reviewer, Josh Gardner, found real character in both sides. On the silicon side, he wrote⁷²¹:

Of the germanium side he found a dirt that is no less transparent but more aggressive and bratty, with an added punch of treble that brightens humbuckers and P-90s well, reaching full fuzz territory with the gain all the way up².

The controls and the send/return loop

Each preamp section has its own DRIVE control, and each channel has an independent footswitch to engage or bypass it¹⁴.

Between the two sections sits a send/return loop, the big functional change over the original single-channel AP¹:

• SEND: sends out the signal from the silicon section to another pedal; Hudson notes this can also be thought of as the output of the silicon section¹.
• RETURN: receives the signal back into the pedal; this can also be thought of as the input of the germanium section¹.

Because the two channels run in series, a player can patch another effect between them, so the silicon channel can push, say, a delay or another drive before the germanium channel adds its color. On the original Broadcast-AP the controls were simpler: Level and Gain Trim knobs plus a low-cut switch for activating a high-pass filter, with the low-cut control later becoming a simple on/off toggle⁸⁶.

Power: 9V to 24V, 50mA

The AP-II runs on a regulated supply between 9V DC and 24V DC, through a 2.1mm negative-center barrel plug¹. MusicRadar reports a maximum current draw of 50mA⁴.

What reviewers said

Guitar.com's review in February 2024 rated the AP-II 9 out of 10, calling it pricey but versatile²⁷:

The same reviewer found the price reflected in an absolutely rock-solid build inside and out, and described it as the second version of the tweaked Broadcast created by UK engineer Michael Hudson in partnership with Posen². Guitar.com's best-overdrive buying guide also named the AP-II its best dual overdrive⁷.

The pedal has drawn demo attention too: That Pedal Show featured the Broadcast AP-II in its "Where does distortion become fuzz?" episode, from 33:58⁹.

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