Jackson Audio releases Golden Boy Guitar Pedal with MIDI
Jackson Audio has just released the new Golden Boy guitar pedal that also supports MIDI functionality along with quite a few innovative features. It is based on the Bluesbreaker/King of the Tone circuit that leads to transparent & open sound. Along with MIDI control support, the new Jackson Audio Golden Boy guitar pedal features flexible overdrive with 4 clipping presets, a separate MOSFET boost circuit with 4 boost presets, a 3 Band EQ, & an innovative gain adjustment functionality.
Jackson Audio Golden Boy Guitar Pedal Features
Flexible Overdrive
To engage the overdrive on the Golden Boy, just tap the “Overdrive” footswitch and you’re good to go. But there’s more to it. You can toggle between 4 different overdrive presets for different clipping options.
The 4 different presets on the new Golden Boy guitar pedal include:
Overdrive Preset | LED Color | Effect | Mechanism |
---|---|---|---|
Preset 1 | Green | Classic drive like Tube Screamer | Two symmetrical silicon diodes |
Preset 2 | Magenta | Asymmetric Clipping | Three asymmetric silicon diodes |
Preset 3 | Blue | Symmetrical Clipping like King of Tones | Four symmetric silicon diodes |
Preset 4 | Amber | Symmetrical Clipping like vintage Marshall | Two RED LED’s |
To toggle between different overdrive presets, just press and hold the Overdrive footswitch for more than 1 second. Doing so will enable the programming mode on the Golden Boy and the LED will start flashing. After that, tap the Overdrive footswitch to toggle between the 4 presets. Once you’re done, press and hold the Overdrive footswitch again to get out of the program mode.
Flexible Boost
The new Jackson Audio Golden Boy features the same type of MOSFET boost circuit available in their famous PRISM Preamp pedal. This Boost circuit is completely independent of the Drive circuit. As a benefit, you get more sound possibilities than just overdrive.
Just like Overdrive, Golden Boy offers 4 preset options in the Boost circuitry as well.
Boost Preset | EQ Effect |
---|---|
Preset 1 | Bright Boost |
Preset 2 | Mid Boost |
Preset 3 | Tailored Boost |
Preset 4 | Full Range |
In addition, Golden Boy also allows you to switch between two different MOSFET boost options via an internal jumper. These two MOSFET boost options include:
- STND BOOST – Jackson Audio’s exclusive version of the MOSFET boost featuring the same audio tone without noise.
- ALT BOOST – Modified version of the MOSFET boost that offers slightly more gain & crackles when you turn the knob.
Gain Cycle
A unique feature in the new Golden Boy guitar pedal is the ability to adjust Gain in an innovative way which Jackson Audio calls Gain Cycle. By pressing both footswitches simultaneously, you can adjust the gain of the pedal in 25% increments until you reach 100%. Once you reach 100%, the gain cycle will start from 25% again.
Note that 100% in the Gain Cycle means the Golden Boy will only output 100% of what the Gain knob is outputting & not more than that. The pedal also dims/brightens the output of the Drive LED according to the percentage of the gain applied through footswitches.
MIDI Control Support
Along with analog operations, the new Golden Boy guitar pedal from Jackson Audio also features digital programming via MIDI. The support for MIDI allows users to gain control over clipping, gain cycle, & boost EQ options along with ON/OFF of the overdrive and boost circuits.
Additionally, you can also change the MIDI channel configuration of the Golden Boy by pressing and holding the Drive footswitch while powering on the pedal. After that, simply press the Boost footswitch to increment the MIDI channel number on the Golden Boy.
Jackson Audio Golden Boy Guitar Pedal Price and Availability
The latest Golden Boy guitar pedal is available to order at a price of $299 USD.
Jackson Audio Golden Boy Specifications
Jackson Audio Golden Boy | |
---|---|
Input Impedance | 1M |
Output Impedance | 100k |
Power Supply | DC |
Voltage Input | 9V (Max) |
Polarity | Center Negative |
Max. Current Consumption | 100mA |
MIDI Support | Yes |
Dimensions | 2.7” x 4.875″ |
Price | $299 USD |
Check out the similar Strymon Compadre guitar pedal that also offers support for MIDI.