The Mu-Tron TubeTron is an op-amp based overdrive pedal from Musitronics that doubles as a boost. Musitronics describes it as an overdrive effect "which can be used as a transparent 'clean boost' or as a 'tube screamer on steroids'"1. Despite the name, there are no tubes inside: the circuit is built around op-amps, and the "tube" in the name points at what it does to a tube amplifier rather than what is in the box.
The maker positions the TubeTron as a treble boost, overdrive and gain pedal in one, with a Treble Boost clean drive mode for pushing an amplifier. It is designed to push the tubes on traditionally clean amps such as Fender blackface types, and Musitronics says it can also push a Marshall into hyperdrive or beef up the front end of solid-state amplifiers or mixing consoles2. It was announced as available in the Mu-Tron store on August 5, 2021, alongside the Ripper envelope filter1, at a list price of $189.00 USD1.
A clean boost or a pushed overdrive
The TubeTron covers ground from two familiar kinds of pedal at once. With the drive backed off it works as a transparent clean boost, raising the level of your signal without coloring it, the kind of use that makes a clean amp break up on its own. Turn the drive up and it becomes a full overdrive, which Musitronics characterizes, in its own words, as a "tube screamer on steroids"1. That comparison places it in the same family as classic mid-focused overdrives such as the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, but with more range on tap.
The maker also lists a Treble Boost function, a clean drive mode intended to push an amplifier, in the spirit of the treble boosters players have long used in front of British-style amps1. Where a distortion or fuzz pedal generates most of its own character, the TubeTron is built around interacting with the amp: Musitronics says it is designed to push the tubes on traditionally clean amps such as Fender blackface types, and that it can push a Marshall into hyperdrive or beef up the front end of solid-state amplifiers or mixing consoles2.
The controls: Drive, Level, Treble and Middle
The TubeTron has four knobs, and Musitronics describes what each one does on its product page1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Sets the amount of overdrive, from transparent clean boost to full drive |
| Level | Controls overall output level of signal |
| Treble | Controls the brightness and presence of signal |
| Middle | Controls low and mid-range EQ simultaneously |
The Middle control is the unusual one. Rather than a simple cut-only tone knob, Musitronics describes it as a single-knob, parametric mid-control3, and the Middle knob is stated to control the low and mid-range EQ simultaneously1. In practice that means one knob shifts a band of frequencies rather than just trimming them, which lets you pull the midrange forward for a solo or thin the low end for a tighter rhythm sound.
The opto-mod tone stack
What sits behind those controls is the part Musitronics highlights most. The TubeTron uses the company's patented opto-mod technology to create what the maker calls a "push-pull" type of parametric tone stack1. Opto-mod is the same family of light-based circuitry Mu-Tron is known for from its envelope filters, where a light source and a light-sensitive element control the signal path instead of a switch or a potentiometer alone.
"The TUBETRON utilizes Mu-Tron's patented opto-mod technology to create a 'push-pull' type of parametric tone stack."
For a player, the practical difference is in how the tone controls behave. A conventional passive tone stack can only cut frequencies, and boosting one range usually costs you something elsewhere. A parametric, push-pull arrangement can raise and lower a selected band, which is what allows the single Middle knob to act as a parametric mid-control3 rather than a simple roll-off. It is the feature that separates the TubeTron's EQ from the fixed bass-and-treble shelving found on most overdrive pedals.
Power, size and other details
The TubeTron runs on 9V DC in what Musitronics calls a rugged Mu-Tron enclosure1. It connects through a standard 1/4" input jack and 1/4" output jack1, and carries a 1 Year Limited Warranty1.
The maker's product page gives two different sets of size and weight figures, one in the product description and one in the specification table, and they disagree. The description lists dimensions of 4.75" x 2.5" x 2.25" and a weight of 1 lb, while the table lists 5 x 5 x 4 in and 1 oz1. The smaller figures are the more plausible for a four-knob pedal, but both come from the same page, so treat the published specifications as inconsistent.
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Questions
Is the Mu-Tron TubeTron a tube pedal?
No. Despite the name, the TubeTron is an op-amp based overdrive, not a tube circuit. Musitronics describes it as an op-amp based overdrive effect that can serve as a transparent clean boost or as a tube screamer on steroids. The name refers to what it does to a tube amplifier's front end rather than to tubes inside the pedal.
What power supply does the Mu-Tron TubeTron need?
The TubeTron runs on 9V DC, housed in what Musitronics calls a rugged Mu-Tron enclosure. The maker's product page lists 9V DC as the power requirement. No current draw or polarity figure is published, so a standard 9V DC supply is the stated requirement.
Is the Mu-Tron TubeTron made in the USA?
Yes. Musitronics states on its product page that the TubeTron is made in the USA. The pedal also carries a 1 Year Limited Warranty from the maker.
When did Mu-Tron release the TubeTron?
Musitronics announced in its summer news update of August 5, 2021 that the Tubetron overdrive, along with the Ripper envelope filter, was available then in its store.
Sources (3)
- TubeTron, Musitronics Mu-Tron
- TubeTron, Musitronics Mu-Tron
- Mu-Tron Summer News Update 2021, Musitronics Mu-Tron, 2021-08-05
