We are starting to see more and more small pedals that make a big impact on tone. With companies building pedals in really small profiles you usually become somewhat skeptical on what it can actually accomplish. I am a firm believer that good things can come in small packages, and The Prestige is one of the more beautiful things I’ve been able to put on my board, I think you might like it too.
Color is the name, awesomeness is the game
So what we normally look for in boosters is a transparent signal boost that can hit the front end of our amps harder, adding drive and making the speaker scream into the raging greatness we would expect. Now the truth be told, do we really want that volume boost to be transparent? Well theres lots of different kinds of boosters that intentionally add highs and mid’s but the The Prestige seems to add something beautiful to the signal. I’d compare it to a “smile EQ curve” that slightly boosts lows and highs in a tasteful and pleasant way. So its no wonder why it does amazing things to the guitar tone when engaged and we feel like its something we could always have on.
With a small inclosure and just one single knob, it measures 3.6″ x 1.5″ x 1″ which means its not gonna take up a lot of pedal real estate. JHS was kind enough to put the input and output on an offset so you can set it in-between two other pedals and not have to worry about the cables getting in the way with other pedals. It runs only on 9v power, but thats ok because most people are not doing the 9v battery thing anyways.
The Test Run
So when I open the box, JHS greeted me with the standard sicker and pick I love getting from them. Attention for detail is what they are about, and you can see it and feel it because the matte finish of the pedal is silky smooth, but thats just me. I should be more concerned with how it operates but details really captivate my attention. So I tried using it a few ways as they recommend. So as 1st in the chain, its a great buffer and signal booster. I love the tone it adds and its pretty addictive as when I disengage the pedal, I miss it all too soon. Using it to drive the rest of the pedals and the front end of the amp was also great. I tried setting everything up to my Duesenberg Starplayer Special which is a hot humbucker guitar, and then switched to my modded Fender telecaster. To compensate for the volume, I used to prestige’s single volume knob to get everything close again. This is great for when you switch guitars that have different outputs. I did also notice how much it helped my tone across long cables. Dialing it even hotter from the beginning of the signal chain didn’t add any extra noise or artifacts that sometimes can happen. It plays well with vintage amps as the way it would drive my vintage Silvertone Twin Twelve naturally without things getting weird.
Putting the prestige after my drive pedals was also great. Always on had that same magic effect I mentioned before and because it so quite, no extra noise was added. Using to boost my other drive pedals was probably where it made the most sense to me in my setup. Even to do a small boost made all my drive stages feel like they got upgraded to 2.0. I can see why on some of the new pedals like the Kilt, they would make this the booster of choice in the circuit. Using it to drive hard the amp was also a great trick for even the studio. I immediately fell in love with the tone and the character of this pedal.
The verdict
The Prestige is definitely a great pedal for the price at $129 new, its a “no hassle” booster that adds great color and tone into your guitar rig. The option to use it as a buffer is also impressive as it does clean up your tone. You can listen to audio demos here and get more information about The Prestige directly from JHS. Please comment your experiences and opinions down below if you have something to say about this pedal. Until next time!
2 Comments
I disagree. The Prestige, to me, colors my tone drastically…and the buffer only works when the booster is on. I tried the Prestige at the beginning and the end (which is where I bought it for) of my signal chain. At both positions it colored my sound not only more that I wanted or expected but certainly more than all the reviews on it, that I read before I bought it, said. I have an Xotic EP booster (no buffer) and it is way cleaner and gives a much more uncolored boost. I am disappointed with this pedal and I am returning it. I’ll probably get another EP pedal.
How did you set it up with the duesenberg and how with the tele?