The Citadel is a preamp-style overdrive inspired by the timeless sounds of British amplifiers from the 1960s and 1970s. It delivers warm piano-like cleans, bright articulate crunch, and sizzling lead tones with an authentic amp feel. Rather than copying a single circuit, Electronic Audio Experiments combined their favorite characteristics from an entire generation of amplifiers and added their own sparkly midrange focus.

Citadel emulates both the preamp and power amp sections of a tube amp, giving you touch-sensitive dynamics and a full-bodied drive that responds beautifully to boosts, drives, and fuzzes placed in front. It works equally well as a conventional overdrive into a clean amp or as the centerpiece of an ampless rig with cab simulation or IRs.

• Type: Preamp-style overdrive pedal

• Circuit: Emulates preamp and power amp sections for realistic amp response

• Controls:

  • Bright Gain – Adds chime and sparkle, fully muted at zero

  • Normal Gain – Adds dark, full-bodied thickness, fully muted at zero

  • Bass / Midrange / Treble – FMV-style tone stack with subtle mid scoop, most effective at clean to medium gain

  • Master – High-headroom output volume

• Bypass: Relay switching with true bypass

• Input Impedance: 500 kΩ at 1 kHz

• Output Impedance: 1 kΩ at 1 kHz

• Power: 9V DC center-negative, 65 mA current draw, regulated and isolated supply recommended (no battery operation)