The Silver Spurs is a distortion pedal from Thorn Soundlabs, listed at $1891. It sits in the maker's Freq series, and its stated aim is classic British amp sound, which Guitar World's reviewer Trevor Curwen found it delivers, "spitting out aggressive raunch and heavier saturation"1. For a player, it is a dirt pedal that goes beyond the usual gain-and-tone arrangement: instead of a single tone knob it carries a full EQ-style control set plus gain-shaping controls not usually found on a distortion pedal1.
Controls
The pedal's control set is what sets it apart from most distortion pedals. Alongside Gain and Volume it offers Damping and Headroom, two gain-related controls, and a four-band EQ with Presence1.
| Control | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Gain | Amount of distortion |
| Damping | Gain-shaping control |
| Headroom | Gain-shaping control |
| Volume | Output level |
| Bass, Mid, Treble | Three-band EQ |
| Presence | Top-end lift |
| Bypass footswitch | Engages and bypasses the effect |
The exact function of each knob beyond the standard Gain and Volume is not described in detail in the review; the control names themselves are the maker's, as listed by Guitar World1.
What reviewers said
Guitar World's Trevor Curwen reviewed the Silver Spurs as part of a round-up of the Freq series in 2026. On tone, his verdict was that "the aim here is classic British amp sound, which the pedal does with aplomb, spitting out aggressive raunch and heavier saturation"1.
On flexibility, he grouped it with its series stablemate: "The Bad Cash and Silver Spurs have a solid flexibility with tonal shaping options that set them apart from many other dirt pedals"1. That tonal-shaping flexibility, driven by the Damping and Headroom controls and the four-band EQ, is the pedal's distinguishing feature as a reviewer saw it1.
Videos
Thorn Soundlabs and Valentin Hansel
Mad Steex
Brett Kingman and Thorn Soundlabs
Sources (1)
- Thorn Soundlabs Flex Series pedals review, Guitar World, 2026-08-29
