KSR Amps KSR Vesta

The KSR Vesta is a three-channel preamp pedal from KSR Amps, voiced around what the maker calls "a couple of your favorite amps of the 80s and 90s." It packs Clean, Rhythm and Lead channels into a stompbox, with two footswitches to move between them, and is designed to feed the effects loop return of an amplifier head or a power amp rather than a normal pedal input¹.

KSR describes the high-gain voice in concrete terms:

The pedal is listed at $399.99 for the standard version as of October 2026¹.

A three-channel preamp in an 80s and 90s high-gain voice

The Vesta's Rhythm and Lead channels are built on 80s and 90s high-gain amp designs, aimed at what KSR calls "a classic Crunch tone suitable for rock and blues, along with a familiar 90s high-gain sound"²³⁴. The Clean channel is a different story: KSR states plainly that "the Clean channel is identical to the Ceres'," making the Vesta a natural companion to the KSR Ceres for players who already know that pedal's clean side¹.

The gain controls in all channels run the same range from clean to saturated signals, and KSR says they operate "as close as possible to the full size KSR amps," so the pedal behaves like a condensed version of the company's amplifier preamp sections rather than a repackaged overdrive⁵.

KSR describes the Vesta's voicing as "smooth, chunky, thick, and more low-mid focused," noting that it "takes boosts just like your favorite vintage high-gain amps" and "responds incredibly well to the guitar's volume control"⁶. The company says the circuit is based on "a couple of your favorite amps of the 80s and 90s," with a classic Crunch tone suited to rock and blues alongside a familiar 90s high-gain sound⁷⁸³.

The controls

Each channel carries its own set of knobs, and the toggles shape the character of the gain stages⁶.

Per Delicious Audio's writeup, the channels "feature an identical set of knob controls for Gain, Bass, Mids, Treble and Level," plus toggles for Brightness, Feel and Mode, with master Level and Tone controls on top⁶. The Clean Bypass mode enables the top row of Tone and Volume knobs that access the Clean channel⁹⁴.

The Bright switch deserves a note for players coming from amp-style pedals: because it behaves like the bright capacitor on a Gain pot, its effect is strongest at low Gain settings and barely noticeable with the gain wide open, the same way a bright cap works on a real amplifier¹.

Power and connections

The Vesta runs on a 9V DC center negative input drawing at most 200 mA, and KSR notes this is accessible via the high-current output of a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power or a similar supply¹. No power supply is included with the pedal¹.

All jacks are top mounted, which keeps the pedalboard footprint tight. From right to left on the top edge: the external control input, Guitar Input, 9V DC input, and Output to amp¹.

The Control port is a 3.5mm (1/8") TRS jack that allows control of the pedal's channels and future expansion, using momentary contact closure relays with a 1/8" to 1/4" TRS cable or adapter¹. That gives switching-savvy players a way to change channels remotely rather than tapping the footswitches.

KSR is explicit about where the pedal sits in a signal chain:

Used that way, the Vesta replaces the host amp's preamp section entirely, and its three channels become the amp's channels. The same guidance appears on the Ceres product page, so it applies across KSR's preamp pedal line¹⁰.

Finishes and editions

The Vesta has been offered in a rotating cast of finishes, many of them one-offs sold through KSR's site⁷⁴³:

• Standard: listed at $399.99, with finish options including Cosmic Clear Knobs, Sparkle Lime Green Black Knobs and Standard¹⁹
• Vampiric Sparkle: a sold Deal of the Week finish, described as "blood red with enough sparkle to make Edward Cullen jealous," listed at $450.00 from an original $500.00³
• Sky and Sea: a sold, archived finish variant⁴
• Yellow Sparkle: a sold, archived Deal of the Week finish²
• Purple/Blue Fade: $425.00, down from $450.00, and Slime Splatter: $450.00, down from $500.00⁴
• Acid Etched Vesta: $399.00, down from an original $475.00¹
• Mystery Vesta: one-off enclosures where KSR picks the color, sold at a discount⁵

KSR also lists the Vesta with a price range of $399.00 to $449.00 depending on finish⁸.

Where it is made

The Vesta is built by KSR Amps, which lists it as a 3ch Preamp Pedal with top mounted jacks for easy integration into an existing pedalboard¹. The standard version is priced at $399.99².

Circuit lineage

The independent Guitar FX Layouts blog traced a related circuit in 2022, noting that a Vesta Fire distortion design "comes from the same series as it's distortion brother," a slightly more obscure design in the family¹¹. That places the Vesta name within a broader series of KSR-derived circuits rather than a single standalone schematic.

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