The Pusher is a clean boost pedal from Danish maker LunaStone, introduced in October 2016. It gives an independent +15 dB level boost, enough to push a tube amp into natural overdrive or simply lift a solo above the band12. Where other boosters just make you louder, LunaStone says The Pusher takes a more refined approach, "enhancing and focusing the tonal spectrum where your guitar lives"1.
What it does to your sound
A clean boost pedal does one job: raise the level of your signal without adding distortion of its own. The Pusher offers 15 dB of clean boost78, which is enough for two common uses. As an "angel," in LunaStone's demo phrasing, it lifts your solos above the band; as "the devil that smashes the input of your favorite OD pedal or amp," it drives whatever comes after it into new levels of saturation1. Feeding a hot signal into a tube amp or an overdrive pedal makes it work harder, so the boost becomes a gain control for the rest of your rig.
LunaStone describes the result in the maker's own words:
"Turn it on and instantly hear your tone stand out with renewed clarity, definition and punch..."
In a demo jam posted by the maker, The Pusher was set to 3 o'clock, described as adding "a healthy boost, a touch of compression and sweet tonal goodness" to a Stratocaster9.
How it works and how it is controlled
Grøntved says he arrived at "a very simple design, that to my ears sounds better than any of the clean boosters I had compared" during development1. The circuit builds on the same methodical testing and listening sessions he used to develop LunaStone's TrueOverDrive circuit2. A single level control sets the amount of boost, and the pedal has a tiny footprint for crowded pedalboards1.
LunaStone's own tester, Martin Klaja, called it simply:
"It's a one-purpose, no-nonsense pedal"
Power and bypass
The Pusher runs on a standard 9V DC center negative adapter, which is not included, and draws only 2mA, so it places almost no demand on a pedalboard power supply1.
There is no battery option; LunaStone lists the battery type as none1. The pedal needs a 9V DC center negative supply, and the adapter is not included with purchase.
True bypass switching means the pedal's circuit is out of the signal path when it is off, so, in the maker's words, "your core tone never gets corrupted"1. Guitar Interactive Magazine also noted the True Bypass design in its launch coverage8.
Where it came from
LunaStone announced The Pusher on October 11, 2016 as its clean boost pedal41. It shipped from October 2016, with Europe getting the pedal first and US availability following in November 2016811. At launch it carried a US$99 MAP price in the United States, £85 ERP in the UK and €99 ERP in the EU2; MusicRadar reported the same figures, noting US availability in Q4 201612.
The pedal's history has three stages, according to Grøntved: an original hand-wired design, a second production version, and the slightly modified current version1. The designer pulled the second production version from the product line, a decision he described as possibly foolish from a business standpoint but right from a guitar player's standpoint, because it did not deliver the tone of his original1.
What replaced it
In June 2018, LunaStone launched the Boost 18 and discontinued The Pusher at the same time56. The Boost 18 raises the clean boost from 15 dB to 18 dB while keeping the same footprint and tone, in the maker's description58. Guitar.com called the Boost 18 "an upgrade to its Pusher pedal"6, and GearNews noted that The Pusher "had 15 dB of gain, so this new one goes slightly further"13.
| The Pusher | Boost 18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Clean boost | 15 dB7 | 18 dB8 |
| Launched | October 20164 | June 20185 |
| Status | Original discontinued 20181; slightly modified version now offered1 | Current5 |
Videos
LunaStone Guitar Pedals
Martin Klaja's Guitarchannel
LunaStone Guitar Pedals
Questions
Is the LunaStone Pusher discontinued?
The original Pusher was discontinued in June 2018 when LunaStone launched the Boost 18, its 18 dB successor. However, LunaStone's current product page describes a slightly modified version of The Pusher that is again part of the line, after the designer pulled an earlier second production version because he felt it did not deliver the original's tone.
What replaced the LunaStone Pusher?
The LunaStone Boost 18, launched in June 2018. It raises the clean boost from The Pusher's 15 dB to 18 dB while keeping the same small footprint and, in the maker's words, the same tone. Guitar.com described the Boost 18 as an upgrade to the Pusher pedal.
Is the LunaStone Pusher true bypass?
Yes. LunaStone specifies True Bypass switching, so the pedal's core tone is not affected when it is switched off. Guitar Interactive Magazine also noted the True Bypass design when the pedal was announced.
Does the LunaStone Pusher take a battery?
No. LunaStone lists the battery type as none, so the pedal runs only on a standard 9V DC center negative adapter, which is not included. Current draw is just 2mA, so it is easy on a pedalboard power supply.
Who designed the LunaStone Pusher?
Steen Grøntved, LunaStone's founder and head engineer. He developed the pedal through methodical testing and listening sessions comparing clean boosters, the same approach he used to develop the company's TrueOverDrive circuit.
Sources (13)
- The Pusher, LunaStone
- LunaStone Unveils the Pusher Boost Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2016-10-11
- NEW PRODUCT, LunaStone, 2016-10-11
- LunaStone's The Pusher Boost Now Available in the US, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2016-11-01
- Boost 18, LunaStone, 2018-06-01
- LunaStone releases “clean but flavorful” boost pedal, Guitar.com, 2018-06-04
- Boost 18, LunaStone
- LunaStone Pushes the Envelope with New Boost Pedal, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2016-10-18
- The Pusher Jam, LunaStone, 2016-10-12
- Pushing the Pusher to the Max, LunaStone, 2017-11-16
- The Pusher, LunaStone, 2016-11-01
- LunaStone delivers "pharmaceutical-grade clean goodness" with The Pusher Boost effects pedal, MusicRadar, 2016-10-12
- LunaStone Boost 18: Punching above its weight?, gearnews.com, 2018-06-07
