Electronic Audio Experiment Longsword

The Electronic Audio Experiments Longsword is yet another contender in the endless void of op-amp based drive pedals—familiar but with some novel twists. Cascaded gain stages allow for the full range from clean boost to massive distortion, all without sacrificing tonal flexibility. The equalizer combines bass and treble shelving filters with an active, frequency-selectable midrange boost/cut control. This lets the user sculpt a diverse array of tones and carve out a niche in even the most dense of mixes. The Longsword has a broad frequency response which makes it work equally well with guitar, baritone, and bass.

Electrical Specifications

Bypass: Relay switching with true bypass

Input impedance @ 1 Khz: 500kΩ

Output impedance @ 1 Khz: 1kΩ

Power: 9V DC, 2.1 mm center negative barrel. The current draw is 95 mA.

We recommend a regulated, isolated power supply rated for 100 mA minimum. The PSU input is protected against reverse polarity and over-voltage up to 24V. Our pedals do not accept batteries.

Controls

• Level: output volume

• Drive: go from light grit to heavy overdrive

• Low/High: James/Baxandall tone stack (shelving filters)

• Mid: active midrange boost/cut

• Shift: selects frequency controlled by Mid pot

• Diode: selects between clipping diodes, to alter dynamics and headroom

  • Up: MOSFET clipping, medium compression

  • Center: no diodes, minimal compression

  • Down: Silicon diode clipping, maximum compression

• Boost (Footswitch): engages a front end mid boost

• Boost (Knob): adds up to 20dB of gain when the Boost is engaged

Changelog

• V4.6 (updated June 2026, serial #3253)

  • Added intelligent momentary/latching behavior to footswitches

  • Reduced switch pop when engaging Boost circuit

• V4.5 (January 2021, serials #362-3252)

• • - New mechanical format (changed enclosure shape, knob spacing, jacks, etc)
    - Added power supply over-voltage shutdown circuit and ESD protection
    - Increased Low/High control crossover frequency by approximately 500Hz to reduce interactivity of High and Mid controls

  • V4
    - New 6-knob layout
    - Surface mount PCB
    - Boost knob moved to exterior
    - Soft-touch relay bypass switching

  • V3
    - Added 9V to 18V (+/-9V bipolar) power supply for increased headroom
    - Gain 1/2 setting replaced with Boost mode

  • V2.1
    - Eliminated Range toggle, fixed at optimal intermediate setting

  • V2
    - Added diode clipping switch
    - Added “Gain 1/2” switch to access 2nd preset, accessible via internal trimpot

  • V1
    - Initial release

  Finish Variants

  • Standard: black sparkle with white print