The Palmer Custom FX Solarist Green is a two-in-one fuzz and boost pedal: an A/B germanium and silicon Fuzz Face circuit paired with a Rangemaster treble boost. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reviewing it in November 2023, described it as a newer, simpler edition of the company's Solarist V2, built with the exact same core components but with one fewer germanium transistor, since it drops the V2's Q2 germanium/silicon option1.
What it does
The pedal puts two classic circuit formats in one box. The Fuzz Face side runs a silicon NTE123 transistor alongside a germanium GT404B, and the Rangemaster side uses a germanium 2N1308. Compared with the Solarist V2, the Green edition loses the Q2 germanium/silicon option, so it carries one less germanium transistor; Karlsson noted you lose a little granularity there1.
Like other Palmer Custom FX designs, the range includes pickup simulators built with top quality audio transformers, which allows those pedals to be placed anywhere in the signal chain. Karlsson found the Transformer Pickup Simulator works superbly in various positions on the board1.
Controls
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level |
| Input A | Input control for side A |
| Bias A | Bias for side A |
| Input B | Input control for side B |
| Bias B | Bias for side B |
| Fuzz / Gain | Fuzz or gain amount |
| Bass Level | Bass level |
| Mode A/B footswitch | Switches between sides A and B |
| Fuzz footswitch | Engages the fuzz |
Controls and footswitches as listed by Guitar Pedal X1.
How it compares
The Solarist range includes the V2 and the Solarist Green, both of which combine A/B germanium/silicon Fuzz Face circuits with a Rangemaster boost1. The Green is the simpler take: it uses Silicon NTE123 and Germanium GT404B transistors for the Fuzz Face and a Germanium 2N1308 for the Rangemaster, with one fewer Germanium transistor than the V2 since it drops the Q2 Ge/Si option1. Palmer Custom FX states it comes with the exact same core components as the V2, and lists it at $2291. On the reviewer's account, the Solarist Green sounds just as great as the V2 edition for the equivalent functions, at times sounding better than its pricier sibling1.
"the Solarist Green sounds just as great as the V2 edition - as it comes with the exact same core components. In fact at times I had it sounding better than its pricier more extended featured sibling"
Karlsson, who owns both the Solarist V2 and the Solarist Green editions, called both superb2.
Videos
Sasha Ivantic
Sources (2)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-11-28
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-06-13
