The Veri-Tone Azzurro is a tube preamp pedal from Veri-Tone, an Italian pedal builder who unveiled it in December 2020. It is a circuit that does boost and overdrive, with an extra boost activated through a separate footswitch, and it is built around a real, miniaturized dual triode tube that was initially developed for use in early fighter jets1. For a player, that puts it in the same family as other preamp pedals, sitting between boost and overdrive rather than being strictly one or the other.
What it does to your sound
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes the Azzurro as giving a tone "that true tube warmth," and says that as the gain knob is turned higher, the pedal produces "an overdrive tone that is rich in even-order harmonics," which he describes as suited to rhythm playing1. The gain knob is the main drive control: raising it increases the overdrive1.
The extra boost footswitch changes the character further. As De Gregorio puts it1:
"The Boost switch brings yet another nuance as it drives the tube harder, bringing some odd-order harmonics to the mix in"
In practice, that means the main circuit covers warm rhythm tones, and the boost pushes the tube harder for a lead sound that cuts through the mix1.
Where it came from
Veri-Tone designed the Azzurro around a specific set of classic tones. Delicious Audio reports that it "was heavily inspired by Eric Clapton's 'Beano' tone as well as The Beatles' rooftop concert" tone, and describes the pedal as Veri-Tone's attempt to recreate that sound1.
What reviewers said
The pedal drew an early positive reaction from a video demonstrator. Delicious Audio notes that "Ryan at Demos In The Dark picked it up and is raving about it in the video below"1.
Videos
Demos In The Dark
Edge of Breakup 🎥 Guitars, Pickups, Amps & Pedals
Ed Pettersen
Questions
Does the Veri-Tone Azzurro use a real vacuum tube?
Yes. According to Delicious Audio, the Azzurro employs a real, miniaturized dual triode tube that was initially developed for use in early fighter jets. That tube is at the heart of the preamp circuit, and the Boost switch drives it harder to bring odd-order harmonics into the sound for a lead tone that cuts through a mix.
What does the boost footswitch do on the Azzurro?
The Azzurro has a separate footswitch that activates an extra boost on top of the main preamp circuit. Delicious Audio describes the Boost switch as driving the tube harder, bringing odd-order harmonics into the mix for a lead sound that cuts through, so it works as an instant solo lift while the main circuit handles rhythm tones.
What tones inspired the Veri-Tone Azzurro?
Delicious Audio reports that the Azzurro was heavily inspired by Eric Clapton's 'Beano' tone, from the 1966 Blues Breakers album, as well as the tone from The Beatles' rooftop concert. The Italian builder Veri-Tone unveiled the pedal as an attempt to recreate that sound in a pedal format.
Is the Azzurro a boost or an overdrive?
Both. Delicious Audio describes it as a tube preamp circuit that does boost and overdrive, with an extra boost on a separate footswitch. At lower settings it gives what the maker calls true tube warmth, and as the gain knob is turned higher it produces an overdrive tone rich in even-order harmonics, suited to rhythm playing.
Sources (1)
- Veri-Tone Azzurro Tube Preamp, Delicious Audio, 2020-12-10