The Sitek Freya is a signature overdrive and boost pedal built by the Polish pedal company Sitek with YouTube guitarist Joss Allen. It combines two drive circuits in one enclosure: a low-to-mid-gain overdrive and a transparent, high headroom boost, each with its own footswitch, so the two sections can be used separately or together. Sitek named the pedal after the Viking goddess of beauty and war, mirroring what the company calls its "captivating and powerful" personality1.
Two circuits, two footswitches
The Freya stacks a low-to-mid-gain overdrive and a clean boost in one box, and each circuit has its own footswitch. That arrangement lets a player use the overdrive alone, the boost alone, or both at once, for example kicking in a level lift on top of the drive for a solo1.
The boost side provides up to 12 dB of perfectly clean boost. Sitek describes it as transparent with high headroom, the kind of boost used to push the front end of an already dirty amp channel without coloring the tone1.
Three clipping voices
The overdrive section has a three-way switch that selects one of three clipping voices. The three settings give1:
- a smooth, bluesy breakup sound
- an open and more focused boost to push the front end of an already dirty amp channel
- a mid-rich lead tone1
A three-way clipping switch on an overdrive is a way of changing how the circuit distorts the signal, from softer to firmer clipping, without adding extra knobs. For a player, it means one pedal can cover rhythm breakup and a lead voice. If you want to hear how this kind of circuit sits among others, the Overdrive Pedals type page covers the field, and the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison looks at two classic low-to-mid-gain drives.
Bypass and switching
The Freya is true bypass, so the signal passes through untouched when the pedal is off. It uses high quality DeMont Smooth-Click footswitches, one for each section1.
Price and availability
Sitek announced the Freya in July 2020 with an RRP of GBP 190, EUR 210, or USD 2401. Gearnews's reviewer summed it up as a versatile pedal for the money1.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Sitek Freya true bypass?
Yes. Gearnews reports that the Freya is true bypass, so when the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes through without the overdrive or boost circuitry loading it down. The pedal uses high quality DeMont Smooth-Click footswitches for its two sections.
How much clean boost does the Freya give?
The boost section provides up to 12 dB of perfectly clean boost, according to Gearnews. Sitek describes it as a transparent, high headroom boost, which suits pushing the front end of an already dirty amp channel without changing the pedal's or the amp's core tone.
How much does the Sitek Freya cost in the US?
The Freya carried a US RRP of USD 240 when it was announced in July 2020. Gearnews also listed the price as GBP 190 in the UK and EUR 210 in the EU.
Who is Joss Allen?
Joss Allen is a YouTube guitarist, described by Gearnews as a YouTube star, who worked with the Polish pedal company Sitek on the Freya signature Overdrive/Booster. He announced the partnership over YouTube with a demo of the Freya's sounds.
Can the overdrive and boost run at the same time on the Freya?
Yes. The Freya combines two drive circuits, a low-to-mid-gain overdrive and a transparent high headroom boost, and each has its own footswitch, so you can run either section alone or both together.
Sources (1)
- Sitek Joss Allen Freya signature Overdrive/Booster: Love and war in one pedal, gearnews.com, 2020-07-27
