The Spaceman Polaris is a medium-gain overdrive pedal with a filter section that does most of its tone shaping. Spaceman Effects describes it as "a dynamic medium-gain overdrive, with incredibly flexible tone-shaping capabilities," built around smooth, symmetrical clipping with a detailed texture and an optional 2-pole resonant filter that can be swept with an expression pedal1. The pedal stays reactive to your instrument and playing dynamics rather than compressing them away1.
The current version is part of Spaceman's Cadet Series, which the maker says brings its "signature sonic character to a wider audience through repeatable, SMD-based designs"1. It grew out of the earlier handmade Polaris Resonant Overdrive, which Delicious Audio covered in early 2021 as a hand-wired medium-gain overdrive with a 2-pole resonant filter controllable via expression pedal2.
A medium-gain overdrive with a resonant filter
The Polaris is voiced to sit in medium-gain territory rather than push into full distortion. Premier Guitar's reviewer put it plainly: "The Polaris doesn't stray much beyond medium-gain realms, and it's a better pedal for it," summing it up as "deep, growling overdrive with powerful filter-enabled tone-sculpting potential"3. The maker says the Drive control "goes from just a touch of harmonics to full-tilt, live-wire overdrive on the brink of distortion"1.
What sets it apart from a standard overdrive is the filter. Where most overdrives give you a single tone knob, the Polaris puts four of its six controls toward tonal adjustment2, with the Filter control described by the maker as "the star of the show"1. The 2-pole resonant mode can be swept from an expression pedal for filter sweeps, which Delicious Audio characterized as delivering "out-of-this-world overdrive tones"2.
The controls
The Cadet Polaris carries six controls: Level, Drive, Initial, Filter, a Bass toggle, and a Depth toggle4. Four of the six are purely for tonal adjustment2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets the output volume4 |
| Drive | Goes from a touch of harmonics to full-tilt overdrive on the brink of distortion1 |
| Filter | Sweeps the selected filter; the maker calls it "the star of the show"1 |
| Depth toggle | Selects the filter type: single-pole low pass, deeper 2-pole, or 2-pole resonant5 |
| Bass toggle | Three low-end options: bass cut, boost, or untouched1 |
| Initial | Blends in raw, pre-filtered overdrive tone to balance more extreme Filter settings1 |
The three filter modes give the pedal its range. The first Depth position is a standard single-pole low pass filter for trimming high-end content; the middle position is a deeper 2-pole filter, which Delicious Audio called "a deeper 2-pole filter for serious sculpting"; the last is the 2-pole resonant filter52. The Initial control is the counterweight: Premier Guitar's reviewer noted that "the initial knob enables blending of pre-filtered overdrive to create complex distortion pictures"3, so you can keep some unfiltered drive in the mix while the filter carves the rest.
Power and connections
The EXP jack is a 0-5V DC TRS connection with over-voltage and reverse-voltage protection, and it accepts a standard TRS expression pedal or expression device1. All three filter options are fully sweepable through it5, so a single expression pedal can drive filter sweeps in any Depth mode.
The Cadet Series and the handmade original
The original Polaris Resonant Overdrive was a handmade pedal: completely hand-soldered in Portland, Oregon, in a cast aluminum enclosure with a durable, engraved vinyl faceplate and a large jewel indicator light52. That version is shown in Silver, Light Blue, and Black colorways and is listed as sold out on the maker's page5. Premier Guitar reviewed a light blue edition at $349 as tested3, and Guitar.com listed it at £349 in 2021.
The handmade Polaris Resonant Overdrive is sold out at the maker's store5. The Cadet Series Polaris is the version in current production, and its $199 price is the maker's listed figure as of October 202614.
What reviewers said
Published coverage has been positive about the pedal's filter-driven flexibility. Premier Guitar's 2023 review called it a "deep, growling overdrive with powerful filter-enabled tone-sculpting potential" and praised the Initial knob's ability to blend pre-filtered drive into complex distortion textures3. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio wrote that the pedal "reacts to your instrument and dynamics for an interactive experience that's addicting"2.
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Questions
Is the Spaceman Polaris true bypass?
Yes. Spaceman Effects specifies true-bypass switching via a soft-click footswitch on the Polaris, so the pedal's circuit is out of the signal path when it is off. The handmade Polaris Resonant Overdrive used true-bypass switching with a mechanical footswitch as well.
What expression pedal works with the Spaceman Polaris?
The Polaris has an EXP jack that accepts a standard TRS expression pedal or expression device, and all three filter options are fully sweepable through it. The jack is a 0-5V DC TRS connection with over-voltage and reverse-voltage protection, so any ordinary TRS expression pedal should work.
What is the difference between the Polaris and the Polaris Cadet?
The Cadet Series Polaris is a machine-made version built on repeatable, SMD-based designs, with screen printed faceplates on raw metal enclosures, priced at $199. The original Polaris Resonant Overdrive was completely hand-soldered and handmade in Portland, Oregon, in a cast aluminum enclosure with an engraved vinyl faceplate and a large jewel indicator light.
Where is the Spaceman Polaris made?
The handmade Polaris Resonant Overdrive is completely hand-soldered and made in Portland, Oregon. The Cadet Series version brings Spaceman's designs to a wider audience through repeatable, SMD-based construction, which is machine-made rather than hand-soldered.
Sources (5)
- Polaris: Resonant Overdrive, Spaceman Effects
- Spaceman Polaris Resonant Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2021-01-04
- Quick Hit: Spaceman Polaris Review, Premier Guitar, 2019-11-15
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-10-30
- Polaris - Resonant Overdrive - Spaceman Effects, Spaceman Effects
