The Ohms Pedals Stolen Horse is a distortion pedal built around an original circuit, announced in May 2023. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as "a LOUD distortion pedal" whose gain circuit "was designed to produce amp-like tones from clean to heavily distorted," using "an original circuit based on multi-stage opamp clipping with plenty of tweakability."1
Circuit and sound
The Stolen Horse takes an approach that sets it apart from the many diode-clipping distortion pedals on the market. As the builder put it: "Using multi stage opamp clipping, no diode clipping at all."1 Instead of clipping diodes, the gain comes from several opamp stages pushed into distortion, which the builder says was designed to give amp-like tones across the full range from clean to heavily distorted.1
Two design choices support that headroom-heavy character. The pedal uses bipolar power rails, which the builder says gives twice the headroom, and it is described as loud.1
Despite the name and graphics, the builder is explicit that the Stolen Horse is "NOT a Klon clone (as some may have assumed from the name/graphics combo)" and has nothing in common with a Klon.1
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Hi and Lo | Baxandall-style treble and bass filters, the basis of the EQ section1 |
| M toggle | Three-position Mid switch, part of the flexible EQ section1 |
| S toggle | Selects the saturation mode1 |
The EQ section is built on Hi and Lo baxandall filters plus the three-position Mid switch, giving broad tonal shaping rather than a single tone knob.1
Saturation modes: the S toggle
The S toggle selects between two saturation modes:
- 1 dot mode: produces "a more open distortion that cleans up well," the choice for players who want the pedal to respond to guitar volume.1
- 2 dots mode: adds a buffer in the feedback loop of the second gain stage, "delivering a fuzzier sound that's a lot heavier and almost gated, with and extra mid-frequency push."1
The builder notes of the second position: "This position adds a buffer in the feedback loop of the second gain stage which I've never seen done."1 Players who want that heavier, gated character elsewhere on a board might also look at fuzz pedals, though here it is a switchable mode rather than a separate circuit.
Videos
Fuzzed Drones
Dirty Demos
Questions
Is the Ohms Pedals Stolen Horse a Klon clone?
No. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, who announced the pedal, states plainly that it is not a Klon clone, though he notes some players may have assumed so from the name and graphics combination. The circuit is an original design, built around multi-stage opamp clipping rather than the diode-based approach associated with that famous pedal, and the builder says it has nothing in common with a Klon.
Does the Stolen Horse use diode clipping?
No. The gain circuit uses multi-stage opamp clipping with no diode clipping at all, according to the builder. This is the approach behind the pedal's amp-like tones, which run from clean to heavily distorted, and the pedal is described as notably loud, using bipolar power rails for twice the headroom.
What does the S toggle do on the Stolen Horse?
The S toggle selects the saturation mode. One dot mode produces a more open distortion that cleans up well with the guitar's volume. Two dots mode adds a buffer in the feedback loop of the second gain stage, delivering a fuzzier, heavier, almost gated sound with an extra push in the mid frequencies.
What does the Mid switch on the Stolen Horse do?
The M toggle is a three-position Mid switch, part of a flexible EQ section built around Hi and Lo baxandall filters. Baxandall-style controls give broad, musical shaping of the treble and bass, and the three-position Mid switch lets you set where the mids sit within that.
Sources (1)
- New Pedal: Ohms Pedals Stolen Horse, Delicious Audio, 2023-05-05