Pete Cornish 3Q-1

The Pete Cornish 3Q-1 is a clean boost pedal with a three band active EQ, introduced by Pete Cornish as new for 2016¹. It sits in the maker's Gray Series: a variable gain linear boost feeding bass, middle and treble controls whose frequencies were chosen specifically to suit guitars, with each band able to cut or boost around a neutral 12 o'clock point¹. Pete Cornish describes it as a Tone and Volume Boost, and states it is not a variant of any existing product but a completely new and original design¹.

Each unit is hand built, wired and tested by Pete, Lynda and Mingus Cornish in the UK, housed in a rugged die-cast box¹. On the maker's Gray Series price list dated 31 March 2026 it is listed at 465.11 GBP excluding VAT, or 558.13 GBP including VAT².

What it does to your sound

The first stage of the 3Q-1 is a variable gain linear boost with a flat frequency response, with a gain range of 0 to +20 dB, which Pete Cornish notes is ten times the input signal¹. Because the boost stage is linear and flat, it raises the level without adding clipping or coloration of its own, which is what separates it from an overdrive or distortion pedal. The EQ that follows lets you reshape the boosted signal around that clean lift.

The three EQ bands work at frequencies chosen for guitar, and each can be cut or boosted from its neutral 12 o'clock position¹:

With Gain and Volume both at 100% and the EQ bands at their neutral 50% positions, the overall boost is +20 dB³. Maximum signal output with Volume at 100% is +10dBm, 2.5V RMS, or 6V peak to peak¹.

The controls

The 3Q-1 has five controls: Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble and a Master Volume¹³.

• Gain: sets the amount of clean boost from the first stage, up to +20 dB¹
• Bass, Middle, Treble: cut or boost each band around the 12 o'clock neutral point¹
• Master Volume: an output level control, included, as the maker puts it, "to allow for perfect matching between bypassed and boosted/EQ'd signal level"³

That Master Volume is the practical difference from a plain boost pedal: you can dial in EQ and gain, then match the bypassed level so switching the pedal on changes your tone and drive into the amp rather than just your volume³.

The pedal is switched by a heavy duty all-metal footswitch with a Hi-Brite LED, and measures 171 x 121 x 55 mm¹.

Powering it

The 3Q-1 runs from a 9V DC adapter or an internal 9V battery¹³.

• Adapter: noise free, fully stabilised at 9V DC, capable of supplying 20mA, on a 5.5/2.1mm coax connector with the center pin negative³
• Battery: internal 9V DC battery, MN 1604 recommended¹

Pete Cornish recommends isolated ground power supplies, naming the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus or an equivalent type as an example, and does not recommend daisy chaining. If only a single unit is being powered, a BOSS PSA series adapter is recommended¹³. Remove the battery when storing the pedal or when using a 9V DC supply, as an unused battery may leak and cause damage¹.

Bypass and buffering

The 3Q-1 is not true bypass. Its input is fully buffered using Pete Cornish's LD-1 Class A unity gain line driver with an RF filter, and that buffer is also active in bypass mode¹. For a player running long cables or a large pedalboard, that always-on buffer is the point of the design: the signal driving the chain stays consistent whether the pedal is engaged or not.

Warranty

The 3Q-1 carries a two year warranty from date of purchase, covering repairs of original manufacturing faults. The warranty is voided if the guarantee labels are damaged or removed, and it is not transferable¹.

Questions