The Little Horn is a clean boost pedal made by Vein-Tap.com, a small builder run by Ben, who signs himself "Head honcho here at Vein-Tap.com"1. It was launched on 11 November 2014, which the maker notes was its third anniversary, described at the time as one of its "tiny boxes of sinfully loud boost"2. A clean boost raises the level of the guitar signal without adding distortion of its own, which players use to push an amp or an overdrive harder, or simply to lift a solo above the mix.
Versions
The pedal has gone through revisions, and the differences between them matter if you are buying second hand3.
| Version | What the maker says about it |
|---|---|
| v1.0 | The original Little Horn, launched 11 November 201423 |
| v2.0 | Revised circuit with advanced power filtering and a crackle-less sweep; "even cleaner" than v1.043 |
The v2.0 came about, the maker says, after "having sold all of the v1.0 PCBs, and thought we'd use this opportunity to improve the pedal"3. The changes were aimed at noise and control feel: the v2.0 adds advanced power filtering and a crackle-less sweep, and Vein-Tap.com says "It's also even cleaner, with advanced power filtering and crackle-less sweep, in its new v2.0 configuration"4.
"the Little Horn v2.0 is probably the quietest, but easily the most powerful, clean boost pedal you can get your hands on"
What it does for your sound
Vein-Tap.com's own summary of the pedal is that "It's simple, it's inexpensive, it sounds massive"4. As a boost, its job is to add level rather than color, and the maker's emphasis on the v2.0 being cleaner and quieter reflects that: the filtering is there to keep the boosted signal free of power supply noise4.
A later v3.0 of the pedal also exists. See the Vein-Tap Little Horn Guitar Boost Pedal v3.0 page for that version.
Related pedals
Vein-Tap.com has built other pedals around the same small-box approach, including the Holy Roar, the Holy Driver and the Holy Ghost Fuzz and Boost Pedal, which pairs a fuzz with a boost stage2.
Videos
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Vein-Tap.com
David Bond
Questions
What is the Vein-Tap.com Little Horn?
The Little Horn is a clean boost pedal made by Vein-Tap.com. It was launched on 11 November 2014, the maker's third anniversary, and was later revised as the v2.0. A clean boost raises the level of the guitar signal without adding distortion of its own, and Vein-Tap.com describes the v2.0 as probably the quietest but easily the most powerful clean boost pedal you can get your hands on.
What changed in the Little Horn v2.0?
Vein-Tap.com brought out the v2.0 after selling all of the v1.0 circuit boards, and used the revision to improve the pedal. The v2.0 adds advanced power filtering and a crackle-less sweep, and the maker says it is also even cleaner than the original. The maker describes the pedal as simple, inexpensive, and massive sounding.
Sources (4)
- The Tone King Reviews the Little Horn Clean Boost, Vein-Tap.com, 2014-11-21
- The Little Horn Cometh, Vein-Tap.com, 2014-10-28
- The Little Horn Gets a v2.0 Upgrade, Vein-Tap.com, 2016-08-17
- Why Use a Clean Boost Guitar Pedal?, Vein-Tap.com, 2015-07-24
