The Ages Five-State Overdrive Platinum Edition is an overdrive pedal from Walrus Audio, an Oklahoma maker whose pedals are built in the USA1. Its core idea is simple: instead of one fixed drive character, a five-position rotary knob selects five different internal gain and clipping combinations, and a dry knob blends your clean signal back in. Walrus Audio describes the range as running "from clean, sparkly and smooth gain to thick compressed overdrive"1.
The Platinum Edition is a version of the standard Ages Five-State Overdrive, finished in an olive green enclosure with white, cream and black ink, and artwork of a mythical three-trunked warrior elephant1. It is sold out at the maker as of late October 20261.
Five gain states, from smooth to thick and compressed
The mode knob is the heart of the pedal. Walrus Audio says it "offers the following gain states"1, and each state pairs a gain level with a specific clipping circuit:
| Mode | Gain level | Clipping | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Low | Symmetric silicon, soft | Compressed and smooth467 |
| II | Low | Symmetric LED, soft | Pushed, open, and sparkly6 |
| III | High | Symmetric silicon, soft | Increased saturation and tight1 |
| IV | High | Symmetric LED, soft | Saturated, punchy and big6 |
| V | High | Symmetric silicon, hard | Heavy compression, thick and chewy467 |
For a player, that means one pedal covers ground from a low-gain boost-ish edge to a heavily saturated, compressed drive. The low-gain modes use soft clipping, which rounds the waveform off gradually and tends to feel smoother; mode V switches to hard clipping, which cuts the wave more abruptly for a thicker, chewier character. Walrus Audio positions the Ages as "a massively versatile overdrive machine standing at the ready for any amp and pickup combination"1, and as a pedal that "can stand on its own and stack well with other drives"189.
Guitar World's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, found that range held up in practice, calling it2:
"Capable of low-level transparent boost through to hard-hitting saturation, the Ages offers a versatility that enables it"2
to work with a wide range of guitars and amps, and to stack with other drive pedals2.
The controls: mode knob and dry knob
Alongside the mode knob, the Ages carries a full control set. MusicRadar lists the controls as Volume, Dry, Gain, Bass, Treble, a Mode switch, and a Bypass footswitch5, so you can shape the low and high end as well as the drive amount.
The dry knob is the other half of the pedal's personality. Walrus Audio's pitch for it1012:
"Fine-tune each of these gain states with the dry knob for a near infinite supply of gain options."1
In practice it blends your untouched dry signal with the driven one, so a high-gain mode can keep its clarity and low-end definition, or a low-gain mode can be pushed harder while staying transparent. Guitar World's reviewer called the dry mix knob "a plus"2, and MusicRadar's review team called it "a nice touch"5.
Power and connections
The Ages runs on 9V DC, center negative, drawing 100mA minimum, and Walrus Audio does not include a power supply with it456. Input impedance is 1M ohms and output impedance is 10k ohms3.
Walrus Audio recommends an isolated power supply for all of its pedals and specifically does not recommend daisy chain supplies1. If you run a multi-pedal board on one shared supply, this pedal is a candidate for an isolated output.
Where it came from
What reviewers said
Published reviews were positive about the pedal's versatility. Guitar World's Trevor Curwen highlighted the range from transparent boost to hard saturation and the dry mix knob as a plus2. MusicRadar's review team likewise noted the dry mix knob as a nice touch, and pointed out that the power supply is sold separately5. MusicRadar listed the price at $199 / £179 at the time of its review5; Walrus Audio's own listing later showed $249.99, with blemished units at $212.493.
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Questions
Is the Walrus Audio Ages Platinum Edition true bypass?
Yes. Walrus Audio lists true bypass among the pedal's features, and it uses a bypass footswitch to switch the effect in and out. When the pedal is off, your dry signal passes through without the circuit coloring it.
What is the difference between the Ages modes?
The five-position mode knob selects five internal gain and clipping combinations. Modes I and II are low-gain, with silicon and LED soft clipping respectively; modes III, IV and V are high-gain, moving from tight saturation to heavy compression and a thick, chewy hard-clipped sound.
Is the Ages Platinum Edition still available?
No. Walrus Audio's product page for the Platinum Edition lists it as sold out, and the blemished version is sold out too. The pedal was priced at $249.99, with blemished units at $212.49, while they lasted.
Can I use a daisy chain power supply with the Walrus Ages?
Walrus Audio does not recommend daisy chain supplies for any of its pedals and recommends an isolated power supply instead. The Ages runs on 9V DC, center negative, drawing 100mA minimum, and no power supply is included with the pedal.
How big is the Walrus Audio Ages pedal?
The Ages measures 2.62 x 4.77 x 2.25 inches including the knobs, by Walrus Audio's own listing. That is roughly the footprint of a standard compact pedal, so it fits easily on most boards.
Sources (10)
- Ages Five-State Overdrive, Walrus Audio
- Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive review, Guitar World, 2020-08-24
- Ages Five-State Overdrive, Walrus Audio
- Ages Five-State Overdrive, Walrus Audio
- Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive review, MusicRadar, 2020-09-07
- Ages Five-State Overdrive, Craftsman Series, Walrus Audio
- Walrus Audio Ages Five-State Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2020-06-30
- Melee: Wall of Noise, Walrus Audio
- Lüm Texture Engine, Walrus Audio
- Ages Five-State Overdrive, Walrus Audio
