KHDK Electronics KHDK SGT D

The KHDK SGT D is a signature boost/preamp pedal for Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, built by KHDK Electronics and released in December 2020. It is a two-in-one pedal with a Boost section and an Amp section, and KHDK bills it as "a booster with amp-like sound"¹². It was designed to push amps hard into distortion by overloading the preamp, and Scott Ian wanted it as an all-in-one go-to pedal: something he could use as his amp tone on fly rigs, or plug in front of an overdriven amp to shape dynamic response, bass tightness and attack for palm-muting³.

The pedal is discontinued in practice: it was a limited edition launch design series of 250 pieces, it sold out at launch, and by 2022 Gearnews called it "the now long sold-out Sgt D pedal from 2020"⁴¹.

A boost and amp pedal in one box

The SGT D consists of two sections, Boost and Amp, each with its own footswitch. Both sections are independent of each other, so you can use the pedal to boost a different pedal or an overdriven amp, or run both sections together¹. Guitar World described the same arrangement: each section can be used independently or in parallel with the other³.

The two halves do different jobs:

• Boost section: works as a pre-distortion EQ control, with treble, bass and boost controls³. It is based on the TC Electronic Booster, Line Driver and Distortion setup Ian favored in the early '80s, which he used with Stormtroopers of Death⁶.
• Amp section: an original circuit developed with analog technology to emulate Scott Ian's Sgt D amp tones, with Volume and Gain controls and an onboard three-band EQ¹².

Gearnews summed up the intent: "The SGT D pedal is designed to push amps hard into distortion by overloading the preamp, giving you a shed load of gain"².

The controls and footswitches

Each side of the pedal has its own footswitch, so the Boost and Amp sections can be stomped on and off separately or stacked². The control layout splits across the two sections:

Because the Boost section sits ahead of the Amp section as a pre-distortion EQ, the bass and treble settings there shape how the gain stage reacts, which is what Ian wanted for tightening palm-muted riffs into an overdriven amp⁶³.

Scott Ian, the circuit and the limited run

The SGT D is a signature pedal for Anthrax's Scott Ian, and the name comes from his cigar-smoking alter-ego in Stormtroopers of Death, his mid-'80s crossover thrash project³. Development took a few prototypes and reworks before the pedal saw the light of day, with Ian closely involved throughout the process, as Guitar World reported³.

The Boost section's lineage is specific: KHDK says it "includes the circuit of an iconic booster pedal Scott used in the early days of Anthrax and S.O.D."¹, and MusicRadar identified that setup as the TC Electronic Booster, Line Driver and Distortion Ian ran in the early '80s⁶. The pedal also comes in an enclosure illustrated by Kurz Daniel³.

The run was small and it went fast:

• Limited edition launch design series, 250 pieces only¹
• Limited to 250 units worldwide⁶
• Priced $249 and available direct from KHDK Electronics at launch⁶
• Sold out at launch; described as long sold out by January 2022⁴

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