The Missing Link Audio (aka, MLA) Germanium Eliminator V2 is an overdrive pedal built around germanium diode clipping. It is a germanium-enhanced version of the classic Eliminator overdrive, and according to Delicious Audio it is a germanium take on the op-amp Eliminator, voiced after the tone of ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons12. If you are weighing it against other gain pedals, it sits in the overdrive family rather than with fuzz pedals or distortion pedals, though its range reaches from clean boost to full saturation.
What it does
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes the pedal's range broadly: "With its high input impedance and three controls, this overdrive can do anything from boost to hot overdrive to complete tube-like saturation"2. That puts it in territory shared with boost pedals at the low end of its gain range and with hotter overdrives at the top.
The germanium clipping is what separates it from the original. "The Germanium diodes add a slightly different character from the original," De Gregorio writes2. The pedal uses "a pair of carefully chosen premium dual opamps for the best tonal balance possible"2.
The Billy Gibbons connection
Both Eliminator pedals are voiced after the tone of "the bearded band's guitarist Billy Gibbons," according to Delicious Audio2. De Gregorio adds the reasoning behind the design target: "Gibbons is known for his fuzz pedal use in developing his most sought after tone from the 70's and 80's and now the Elim..."2. In other words, the pedal aims at Gibbons' gain tones from that era rather than being a signature pedal he is documented as using.
Controls
The Germanium Eliminator V2 has three controls2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Adjusts from below unity gain to a significant boost2 |
| Gain | Adjusts the gain "from sweet and sassy to gnarly"2 |
| Tone | "Pans from fat and thick chewy guitar"2 |
The Volume control's ability to run below unity gain as well as well above it makes the pedal usable as a set-and-forget level trim or as a loud push into the front of an amp2.
How it compares
Against the op-amp Eliminator, the V2 keeps the same three-control layout and the same Gibbons-inspired voicing but swaps the clipping to germanium diodes, which De Gregorio says changes the character relative to the original2. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes the Germanium Eliminator as "a Germanium-enhanced version of the classic Eliminator overdrive"1. For a player deciding between the two, the choice comes down to that clipping character; the rest of the design is shared.
Questions
What kind of diodes does the MLA Germanium Eliminator V2 use?
It uses germanium diode clipping. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio notes that the Germanium diodes add a slightly different character from the original Eliminator, which is the main point of the V2 circuit.
Is the Germanium Eliminator V2 meant to sound like Billy Gibbons?
Yes. According to Delicious Audio, both Eliminator pedals are voiced after the tone of ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, who is known for using fuzz pedals in developing his most sought after tones from the 1970s and 1980s.
How is the Germanium Eliminator V2 different from the op-amp Eliminator?
The Germanium Eliminator V2 is a germanium version of the op-amp Eliminator. It swaps in germanium diode clipping, which Delicious Audio says adds a slightly different character from the original, while keeping the same three-control layout and the same Billy Gibbons voicing.
Does the Germanium Eliminator V2 have high input impedance?
Yes. Delicious Audio describes the pedal as having high input impedance, and notes that with its three controls it can do anything from boost to hot overdrive to complete tube-like saturation.
Sources (2)
- Germanium Eliminator by Missing Link Audio, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- MLA Pedals Germanium Eliminator V2, Delicious Audio, 2023-02-23