Hey folks. Today we are releasing a new pedal called The Bard. This pedal is an interpretation the Music Man™ HD130 amp, a cult classic known for pristine cleans and trashy overdrive. We streamlined our favorite parts into a versatile new overdrive pedal. If you want to read more about it or order one, check out the product page here (as well as the manual, which has lots of useful details). You can also order though our dealers!
This one is definitely an offbeat passion project. I think the HD130 (and its smaller sibling, the HD65) might be some of the most underrated vintage amps. These Leo Fender designs were one of the first solid state/tube hybrid amps, featuring a solid state preamp and a tube power section. They were produced from the mid 70s until the mid 80s, when Music Man folded and was sold to Ernie Ball. While they didn’t achieve much popularity at the time, they’ve since developed a cult following for their unique sound. Not to mention, they were built like tanks! In terms of watts per dollar, they’re among the best deals on the used market for a loud pedal platform. And I’m not the only one who thinks so—while they’ve never been popular enough for a reissue, I’ve seen them at countless small clubs and DIY shows.
Those of you who have been following us for a long time might remember the open source HD130 project we posted some years ago. I designed it after I traded away an HD130 and immediately found myself missing its particular tonality. To be fair, I traded it for my Traynor YBA-1, which was totally worth it. But I definitely miss the HD130 too! I adapted its preamp into a pedal circuit as a pretty straightforward copy, which was easy to do because the original preamp is all op amps. (Also, as far as I know, nobody else has bothered to adapt this one.) That sparked some interest, so Brad built and sold them through Nerd Knuckle Effects for a while. We ultimately decided it’d be nice to officially roll it into the EAE line. While adapting it into our 4 knob/1 toggle format, I decided to more intentionally tweak the design to make it sound better in front of an amp. That part actually took a while! Too much polish didn’t feel right, not enough made it too mid scooped or piercing with certain guitar rigs. I think we struck a great balance.
Also, I’m not going to lie: having the idea for the name and artwork was half the reason we wanted to move forward with this project. I asked Zach if he could make a parody of the Music Man logo with a couple of medieval minstrels, and he absolutely nailed it. (Speaking of, does anybody use pedals on a lute?)
Anyway, for those of you who are still interested in the original open source version, we’ll be properly releasing it back next month—along with a bunch of other updates on the DIY side of things, which has been somewhat neglected as of late. I am cleaning up the schematic repository, fixing/verifying some old DIY projects, and, most importantly, we have a queue of new PCBs to release. More on that later.
Some of you might be thinking really, another drive pedal? Honestly, I just love the different flavors and nuances of drive pedals, and I always will. I love designing them and I love making them. I think each one brings something different to the table for different players, rigs, and genres of music. For all the different kinds of drives we make, the Bard occupies a niche all of its own in our lineup. That being said… we have some exciting and very different new stuff cooking! I look forward to sharing it with you when the time comes.
Thanks all for reading and we hope you enjoy The Bard!
-John & co.