THORPYFX
THE RIVALS
There’s no other specific Selmer-emulating pedal,
although you could get an amp: a vintage Treble-
N-Bass 50 or the modern US-made Balthazar Film
Noir 50 tribute to it. Pedal-wise, Origin Effects’
RevivalDrive (£495) can deliver a wide range of
vintage amp flavours via a set of controls to zero
in on intricate detail.
Options for specific Brit 1960s amp sounds include
the UAFX Ruby (£355, see page 102), which may just
be the most accurate emulation of an AC30 we’ve
heard to date. And for something more obscure, the
Aclam Dr Robert (£299) does a great emulation of
a Vox UL730 heard on mid-60s Beatles recordings.
The RevivalDrive
from Origin E ects
o ers up a spectrum
of vintage amp tones
31
SEPTEMBER 2022 GU ITARIST
I
t may not enjoy the same kudos as an AC30, Plexi or HiWatt DR103, but
the Selmer TruVoice Treble-N-Bass 50 was another fine British valve amp
from the 1960s. This was the amp of choice of original Pink Floyd guitarist
Syd Barrett, and can be heard on the opening notes of Interstellar Overdrive
from the band’s 1967 debut album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. Roll on 55
years from that album and Lee Harris, guitarist with Nick Mason’s Saucerful of
Secrets band, wanted to recreate the exact tones and looked to Adrian Thorpe
for help – the result is the Scarlet Tunic Analog Amp Emulator.
The pedal is designed to integrate into your rig and give you those Selmer
tones through your own amp. It has Master output and Gain knobs plus three
knobs for tonal shading – Bass, Presence and Treble. To complement those is
an array of three-way toggle switches that adjust various aspects of the tone:
the Deep switch changes the bass characteristics, the Bright switch offers
three different variations on the high-end, and the Sens switch alters the gain
character, like having three different levels of input attenuation.
With so many controls all interacting there are plenty of sonics to explore,
but the first impression is of a real sizzly top-end and a nicely percussive attack
to the notes, offering chime-y definition when you dial in a clean sound or a
bit of early break-up. And the pedal will actually cover from those tones up
to full-on throaty raunch. It delivers particularly potent sound with all the
switches in the down position, and if you crank up the gain there’s an edge to
it that’s simultaneously fuzzy and glassy. There’s great dynamics and clean-up
characteristics, and the pedal reacts brilliantly to a treble booster in front of it –
just as a vintage Brit amp should…
Verdict
If you’re looking for that Selmer sound or want to recreate early Floyd, then
ThorpyFX’s latest pedal nails it. What’s more, it’ll get you into AC30 and
HiWatt territory, too – just give that influential Presence knob a whirl to
dial it in. This may be named an amp emulator, but think of it as an overdrive
with a unique character. Gnarly and sparkly, it could offer an alternative yet
complementary flavouring to your amp tone.
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Olly Curtis
One man’s quest for early Pink Floyd sound resulted in this
stompbox emulation of a long-forgotten 1960s British amp
Saucerful Of Syd
FIRST PLAY
THORPYFX SCARLET TUNIC
FIRST PLAY
THORPYFX
SCARLET TUNIC
PRICE: £264
ORIGIN: UK
TYPE: Analog Amp Emulator pedal
FEATURES: True Bypass, internal
voltage jump to 18V, internal
transformer
CONTROLS: Master, Presence,
Gain, Bass, Treble, Deep switch,
Bright switch, Sens switch,
Bypass footswitch
CONNECTIONS: Standard input,
standard output
POWER: 9V DC adaptor
(not supplied) 30mA
DIMENSIONS: 106 (w) x 130 (d)
x 54mm (h)
ThorpyFX
www.thorpyfx.com
9
PROS Solid build quality;
welcome revival of a vintage amp;
comprehensive control array
CONS Silver legending on a silver
background is hard to read
1. The Deep and Bright
switches alter the bass
and treble content of the
sound – centre position
o ers the most neutral
sound, up is the next level,
while down o ers the
most bass and treble
2. Thorpy says this Sens
switch is like having Hi
and Lo inputs on an amp
– centre o ers the least
gain, up is intermediate,
and down is the gainiest
3. Use the Presence knob
to tweak the upper-mids
for a real in uence on the
overall sonic character
GIT489.rev_thorpy.indd 31GIT489.rev_thorpy.indd 31 27/07/2022 13:3927/07/2022 13:39