Plumes

Plumes is an analog overdrive pedal based on a familiar tube-style overdrive circuit. It swaps the usual 4558 chip and BJT buffers for JFET operational amplifiers and raises the input impedance to about 10 megaohms. The 9V supply is converted internally to plus and minus 9V, which gives the op-amp extra headroom. The stated aims are lower noise, better signal integrity and more high-end chime.

Level and Gain set output volume and drive amount. The Tone control has been reworked to stay useful across its whole range, with bass toward the left, mids in the centre and treble to the right. A three-way toggle selects the clipping: symmetrical LED clipping for more crunch and compression, no clipping for a clean op-amp boost, or asymmetrical silicon diode clipping for a more transparent, looser feel with warmer lows and lower output.

Switching is relay-based true bypass with Flexi-Switch, so the footswitch works both as a latching switch and as a momentary one. Because the relay needs power, the pedal passes no signal without it. It runs from a standard 9V DC supply with a 2.1mm negative-center barrel.