Pettyjohn Electronics Tilt

Limited edition version from 2025. Just different cosmetics.

The Pettyjohn Tilt is an ingenious Preamp/EQ pedal that can deliver up to 20dB of clean gain, but whose preamp section offers four different voices, each with its own color that can be tweaked in a unique way.

The Range knob is a rotary, four-position knob that selects the preamp’s sonic signature (the modes listed below, basically 4 EQ curves) and that interacts with the Tilt knob. The latter will boost one side of the audio spectrum of the selected EQ curve while simultaneously cutting on the opposite side of the spectrum as you turn the control clockwise. Everything will be flat at noon.

These are the four modes:

1. LOW FOCUS: A setting that highlights the bottom end of the guitar frequency spectrum, useful for baritone and bass guitars, but also “fatter” guitar tones, but electric or acoustic.
2. MODERN MIDS: This mode replicates the modern voiced Tilt curve lifted from the company’s CRUSH compressor. The use of modern WIMA caps delivers a clean, modern-sounding guitar tone.
3. VINTAGE MIDS: The Range Position 3 recreates the character of the company’s best-seller pedal Chime overdrive, employing the same vintage style Orange Drop capacitors for a tone with a touch of vintage vibe.
4. HIGH FOCUS: A treble booster mode that still manages to keep the tone’s warmth, useful for taming anything with too much bite or zip.

The Low Cut knob allows to roll off lows at a slope of 6dB per octave from 20Hz to 1kHz.

Through these four simple controls, the Pettyjohn Tilt opens up a remarkable range of tone-sculpting possibilities, without forgetting that the 20db of clean boost will bring into the sonic equation also amp break-up.