The Wampler Pinnacle is a high-gain distortion pedal aimed squarely at the Van Halen "brown sound". Premier Guitar called it one of the more aggressive-sounding distortions in the Wampler line, and described it as designed to cover light to heavier overdrive, with its heart in dishing out the famous Van Halen "brown sound"1. Delicious Audio put it the same way: "the Pinnacle is a high-gain distortion producing that \"brown sound\" linked to the tone of Van Halen"2.
What it does
The Pinnacle sits in the distortion part of the Wampler range, alongside pedals like the Wampler Dracarys and the Wampler Sovereign. The current version is the Pinnacle Deluxe v2, which Wampler describes as "the v2 of our biggest selling distortion pedal, the Pinnacle Deluxe"3.
The circuit has lived on inside the Wampler line as well: Wampler says Channel 2 of its Gearbox pedal is a modified Pinnacle distortion with a three band EQ and noise gate, where "the three band EQ lets you dial in your soaring lead tone while the unique noise gate keeps the clarity on point"4. MusicRadar, covering the Gearbox, noted its "3-band EQ offering an amp-like control over your sound"5.
Controls
The Pinnacle relies on two separate EQ controls, dubbed Tone and Contour, to shape its overall sound1. The Pinnacle Deluxe, as reviewed by Vintage Guitar in June 2013, carried:
- Gain, Tone, Contour and Volume controls
- A Vintage/Modern toggle that selects between two very distinct gain structures
- A footswitch boost
- A Contour control that varies the voicing and tone emphasis, from darker and distinctly midrange to a judiciously scooped tone in Vintage mode6
Premier Guitar's reviewer found the Tone and Contour controls "extremely sensitive and powerful, almost to the point of going overboard", and advised conservative EQ settings as a result1.
What reviewers said
Vintage Guitar's 2013 review of the Pinnacle Deluxe weighed the pedal against its stated goal directly: "Does the Pinnacle Deluxe nail Eddie's brown sound? It's close." The reviewer added that more than that, it is a great-sounding distortion with considerable flexibility in overall sound and brown-sound accuracy6.
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Questions
What is the Wampler Pinnacle designed to sound like?
Premier Guitar described the Pinnacle as a pedal designed to cover light to heavier overdrive, with its heart in dishing out the famous Van Halen brown sound. Vintage Guitar said the Pinnacle Deluxe was intended to re-create Eddie Van Halen's brown sound from the classic era of Van Halen, and judged it close.
What is the difference between the Pinnacle and the Pinnacle Deluxe v2?
The Pinnacle Deluxe v2 is the current version of the pedal, which Wampler calls the v2 of its biggest selling distortion pedal. The original Pinnacle Distortion and the Pinnacle Deluxe were earlier versions reviewed by Premier Guitar and Vintage Guitar respectively.
Sources (6)
- Wampler Super Plextortion & Pinnacle Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2010-04-02
- Wampler Gearbox Andy Wood Signature Overdrive/Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2021-05-13
- Pinnacle Deluxe v2, Wampler Pedals, 2026-08-18
- The Fearbox, Wampler Pedals, 2026-05-27
- Wampler releases the Andy Wood Gearbox Signature Overdrive, MusicRadar, 2021-05-07
- Wampler Effects Pedals, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2016-08-10
