The Vox Satchurator is an analog distortion pedal and the first of Joe Satriani's new line of Vox pedals, announced in March 2008 and available that summer12. Vox describes it as a high gain, low noise design providing vintage through modern distortion sounds, and it was designed under the complete supervision of Satriani and Vox team members12. MusicRadar's Simon Bradley called it "the perfect mix between vintage and ultra-modern distortion stompboxes"3.
What it does to your sound
The Satchurator is built around high gain with low noise, covering everything from vintage-flavored distortion to modern high gain2. Its signature feature is a second footswitch: Premier Guitar describes "a More gain boost switch that enables two footswitchable distortion sounds in one pedal"1. In the MusicRadar announcement, Satriani described "an additional footswitch called Just More, which is, as the name would indicate, an additional gain boost that adds a dynamic sweep to the sound"4. In practice that means you can set one rhythm gain level and kick into a hotter lead sound without touching the knobs.
The pedal also cleans up with the guitar. Vox's press release says the dynamic circuit is highly responsive to rolling off the guitar's volume and preserves the guitar's high end when the volume is rolled off2.
Controls and layout
The pedal keeps things simple, with cream chicken-head knobs1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of distortion1 |
| Tone | Shapes the treble character1 |
| Volume | Sets output level1 |
| More footswitch | Additional gain boost, giving two footswitchable distortion sounds in one pedal14 |
Power
Power comes from an easily accessed standard nine-volt battery, or an optional PSU, according to MusicRadar's review3. No unusual voltage or current requirements are associated with the pedal in the reviews.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's Simon Bradley gave the pedal a positive verdict: "It sounds great; the perfect mix between vintage and ultra-modern distortion stompboxes"3. He also noted that "the demand for Joe Satriani signature gear is stronger than ever"3.
A Premier Guitar reviewer, Gary Lenn, was similarly taken with the gain character: "It's really fat. I call it 'meat.' It's really quiet too. It's actually better than the Ultra channel on the JSX"5. He also found that "the pedal sounded richer and more articulate using single coil pickups"5.
Where it sits in Vox's pedal range
The Satchurator launched Vox's Satriani signature line in 2008, and the company has since built a broad range of distortion and drive pedals, from the Vox Distortion Booster V2 and Vox V830 Distortion Booster to Nutube-based designs like the Vox Copperhead Drive and Vox Mystic Edge in the Valvenergy series. For a wider look at the category, see the site's guide to Distortion Pedals312.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
Guitar World
Premier Guitar
Questions
Does the Vox Satchurator run on a battery?
Yes. According to MusicRadar's review, power comes from an easily accessed standard nine-volt battery, or an optional power supply. That makes it straightforward to run on a one-spot style supply or a battery, with no unusual voltage or adapter requirements mentioned in the reviews.
What does the More switch do on the Satchurator?
The More footswitch is an additional gain boost. Premier Guitar describes it as a More gain boost switch that enables two footswitchable distortion sounds in one pedal, and in the MusicRadar announcement Joe Satriani described the Just More footswitch as an additional gain boost that adds a dynamic sweep to the sound.
Is the Vox Satchurator analog?
Yes. Vox's press release introducing the pedal describes it as the VOX Satchurator analog distortion pedal, and Premier Guitar's product page likewise calls it an analog distortion pedal.
Is the Vox Satchurator Joe Satriani's signature pedal?
Yes. The Satchurator was the first pedal in Joe Satriani's new line of Vox pedals, designed under the complete supervision of Satriani and Vox team members, and MusicRadar notes that demand for Joe Satriani signature gear has remained strong.
Does the Satchurator respond to the guitar's volume knob?
Yes. Vox's press release says the pedal has a dynamic circuit that is highly responsive to rolling off the guitar's volume and preserves the guitar's high end when the volume is rolled off, so cleaning up with the volume knob works as it does with many classic drive circuits.
Sources (5)
- Joe Satriani Talks About the Vox Satchurator, Premier Guitar, 2009-06-30
- Joe Satriani VOX Distortion Unveiled, Premier Guitar, 2008-03-20
- Vox Satchurator review, MusicRadar, 2008-10-03
- Musikmesse 08: Vox and Joe Satriani announce The Satchurator distortion pedal, MusicRadar, 2008-03-13
- Vox Joe Satriani Pedal Review: Time Machine & More, Premier Guitar, 2009-07-01
