REUSS SA01 Swiss Army Knife Reuss Musical Instruments

The Swiss Army Knife packs Reuss interpretations of the classic K**n and R*t circuits into a compact, handmade high-end pedal

For this two-in-one pedal, I took two of my own favourite circuits and gave them a personal twist, to create a versatile go-to tool, offering a great drive and distortion sound, covering the basic needs for most guitarists. All in a handmade, no compromises made, no expenses saved, true boutique pedal

The k**n overdrive is like a new standard, everybody offering a version. I needed to make it my own, to have something new to bring to the table. What I did with the Swiss Army Knife, was scrapping the high fidelity op-amp (chip) of the original overdrive circuit and replacing it with a really “bad” one (bad meaning good when it comes to dirt pedals).

The chip I have chosen for my K**n circuit features the same electronic properties as found in the legendary LM308 of a vintage RAT. This gives a less sterile, more organic and warm distortion texture. The sound is what you’d expect from a k**n – but with a slightly different flavour. Some would say better, but that’s obviously highly subjective. It’s a bit darker sounding and there’s a slightly higher noise floor, due to the ‘lo-fi’ opamp. (the chip sits in a socket, so that you can replace it with a TL072 for full K**n correctness – at your own risk). The clipping diodes are vintage new old stock USSR germaniums (like in an original K**n).

The R*t circuit of the Swiss Army Knife is pretty basic and vintage correct, featuring a vintage new old stock LM308 opamp. However, I added an internally switchable alternative clipping diode configuration. It’s pretty complex, utilising both LED, silicon and agermanium diodes. It sounds fantastic. Three dimensional. Organic. Big. Gutsy. Much more interesting than the ‘stock’ configuration. I ship the pedal with the switch in ‘Reuss’ mode. In all modesty, I think it’s superior.

Reuss Swiss Army Knife features and specifications:

• Two-in-one pedal featuring Reuss interpretations of the classic K**n and R*t circuits. LM308 IC in the r*t and vintage new old stock germanium diodes in the k**n
• Extremely high build quality. Completely handmade in the European Union. No compromises made. No expenses saved
  
• Vintage-style ’through hole’ construction
• Compact aluminium enclosure with an solid red powder coat finish and silvermetallic and white silk screen printing
• High quality Neutrik jacks, wired by hand
• Rugged upgrade quality footswitches (good for at least 30000 stomps)
• Runs on a standard ’Boss-style’ 9V DC guitar pedal power supply or a 9V battery
• Ships in a ‘reuss’ box and linen draw-string bag