Video: Electronic Audio Experiments Releases the Long-Awaited Halberd Overdrive

Electronic Audio Experiments—the beloved boutique company behind the Dagger, Longsword, and other sharp effects—has been talking about the Halberd drive since 2018.

Founder John Snyder wrote on the brand's blog in September of last year:

"The new drive pedal is called Halberd. It is based around the same transistor gain block used in Sending’s preamplifier, but with some tweaks for more gain and tonal range. It’s somewhere between a console-style overdrive and a “transparent” overdrive, with some elements reminiscent of our µ Blaster boost. The latest prototype sounds fantastic, but we are using a special power supply design that needs some stress testing before it is market ready."

Well, today the Halberd has finally arrived. In its final form, it's "an obsessively tweaked transistor overdrive with a super clean 24V boost converter power supply for tons of dynamic range" Snyder says. "The best way I can describe the flavor is if Neil Young played guitar for Drive Like Jehu." It's available in three different chassis: Etched + Weathered, Rust, or Red.

In our video above, Andy Martin takes the new drive pedal for a spin.

Halberd, Rust chassis.

Halberd, Red chassis.

It's a medium-gain distortion "with the harmonic fullness and grind of a much higher-gain pedal," Snyder says. Its "character comes from a jumble of silicon and germanium transistors working in harmony."

Watch the full video above to hear it in action, and then order your Etched + Weathered, Rust, or Red Halberd—exclusively on Reverb—now.