The LPD Pedals Mach I Distortion is an amp-in-a-box distortion pedal, meaning a pedal designed to reproduce the gain character of a particular style of amplifier rather than a generic overdrive. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as "a preamp based on the Bogner/Boogie/KittyHawk style of gain that was popular in the late 80s and early 90s," the high-gain, mid-forward voice associated with those amp makers. It was announced in September 2022 as the latest pedal from a small builder that specializes in amp-in-a-box designs, alongside pedals like the Seventy4 Deluxe and Eighty7 Deluxe1.
Controls and features
The pedal carries four knobs and two toggles, plus one adjustment hidden inside1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Output level |
| Drive | Amount of gain |
| Treble | Treble EQ |
| Bass | Pre-clipping control that adds more gain to the lower frequencies as it is turned up |
| HDRM toggle | Two levels of headroom |
| Mids toggle | Two different mid frequency settings |
The Bass control works differently from a post-distortion bass knob: because it sits before the clipping stage, turning it up drives the lower frequencies harder into the gain circuit, thickening the low end rather than just adding bass on top1.
Inside the pedal there is a trimmer that sets the amount of midrange boost associated with the Mids toggle, so the two mid positions can be tailored to taste with a screwdriver rather than fixed at the factory1.
Sound
De Gregorio's write-up describes the pedal as "Thick and punchy with plenty of midrange to cut through a mix. Loads of harmonics and a feature set that allows tailoring" of the sound, with the headroom, mids and internal trimmer controls doing that tailoring1.
Power and bypass
The Mach I runs on 9 volts with center negative polarity, the BOSS-style standard shared by most pedal power supplies, and uses true bypass switching so the pedal stays out of the signal path when off1. Players comparing it with other high-gain amp-in-a-box pedals in LPD's range can also look at the Seventy4, the Supernode or the wider field of distortion pedals and preamp pedals.
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Questions
Is the LPD Pedals Mach I true bypass?
Yes. Delicious Audio reports the Mach I Distortion uses true bypass switching, so when the pedal is off your guitar's signal passes through without loading the front end of your amp or other pedals on the board.
What does the HDRM toggle do on the Mach I?
HDRM stands for headroom. According to Delicious Audio, the HDRM toggle controls two levels of headroom, letting you choose how much clean space the circuit leaves before the gain section compresses and clips.
What does the internal trimmer on the Mach I adjust?
The internal trimmer sets the amount of midrange boost associated with the Mids toggle, so you can dial in how much of a mid push the pedal adds once you have picked a mid frequency setting with the toggle.
What power does the LPD Mach I Distortion need?
The Mach I runs on 9 volts with center negative polarity, the same BOSS style supply used by most standard pedal power supplies.
How does the Bass knob work on the Mach I?
Delicious Audio describes the Bass control as pre-clipping, meaning it sits before the gain stage. As you turn it up, it adds more gain to the lower frequencies rather than simply boosting bass after the distortion.
Sources (1)
- New Pedal: LPD Pedals Mach I Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2022-09-30
