The RST Custom Effects Magic 6 Preamp is a preamp pedal that aims to put the character of 1960s Blackface Fender amps on a pedalboard. It uses JFET technology to give a player's tone what Pedal of the Day's reviewer called "that special Blackface sparkle in an instant," with a smooth, warm, tube-type feel. The maker designed it to bring those tones to solid state amps, which lack tube stages of their own, and the reviewer also found it worked well into tube amps1.
What it does to your sound
The Magic 6 is built around the tone of Blackface Fender amps from the 1960s. Pedal of the Day's Mike B. wrote that "Those amps made in the 1960's have a character and tone not easily reproduced, by amp or pedal," and described the Magic 6 as RST Custom Effects' attempt to reproduce some of those coveted tones in solid state amps1.
The pedal sits in the boost and overdrive territory: at lower settings it works as a slightly driven boost, and as the Gain control comes up it moves through warm overdrive toward a light-fuzz character when cranked. Players comparing this kind of range with other circuits can see how it sits between boost pedals and overdrive pedals1.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the drive level, from a slightly driven boost tone, through warm overdrive sounds, to an almost light-fuzz tone when cranked1 |
| Volume | Sets the pedal's level against the bypassed signal; once set, the reviewer found you can pretty much leave it alone1 |
How it was received
Pedal of the Day's reviewer tried the Magic 6 through several tube amps and reported that "it sounded incredible," praising its ease of use and tones1. In a later review of another RST Custom Effects pedal, the same site looked back at the Magic 6, writing that they "were extremely impressed by what it" could do2.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
VoxPathfinder15R
RSTcustomeffects
Questions
What is the RST Custom Effects Magic 6 Preamp based on?
The Magic 6 takes its character from 1960s Blackface Fender amps. Pedal of the Day's review noted that those amps have a character and tone not easily reproduced by amp or pedal, and described the Magic 6 as giving a player's tone that special Blackface sparkle in an instant, with a smooth, warm, tube-type feel.
Does the Magic 6 work with solid state amps?
Yes. RST Custom Effects designed the Magic 6 specifically to reproduce some of the coveted Blackface tones in solid state amps, giving them a tube-type feel. The same review also found it sounded incredible when tried through several tube amps, so it is not limited to one kind of amplifier.
Does the Magic 6 use JFETs?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review describes the Magic 6 as using JFET technology, the transistor approach many preamp and overdrive designs use to imitate the soft clipping and feel of tube stages.
How much gain does the Magic 6 have?
The Gain control has a wide range. Pedal of the Day described it as going from a slightly driven boost tone, to warm overdrive sounds, to an almost light-fuzz kind of tone when cranked, so it covers boost and overdrive territory on one knob.
Sources (2)
- RST Custom Effects Magic 6 Preamp, Pedal of the Day, 2016-01-09
- RST Custom Effects Queasy Seaman Vibrato, Pedal of the Day (pedal-of-the-day.com), 2016-01-21