setting of the Boost
knob, the Boost circuit
provides up to 25db of
signal enhancement. It’s
worth pointing out that the
Palladium’s Boost circuit
takes “inspiration” from
Seymour Duncan’s 805
Overdrive. Seymour Duncan
hasn’t clarified to what
extent the Palladium’s boost
was inspired by the 805
Overdrive—my guess is very
and directly—but whatever
its origins, the thing sounds
good to my ears. The
Boost circuit adds enough
extra crunch to take the
Palladium’s already-powerful
distortion to another level.
Because I wasn’t playing
with a band while testing
the unit, I didn’t find much
need for the Boost. In
another situation, however,
I’d appreciate the extra
edge it could give me.
of equalization knobs.
Perhaps the most useful
of these are the Mid Level
and Frequency knobs
which connect to a semiparametric equalization
circuit. Dialing in or drawing
down a problem frequency
is no problem. The Mid
Level knob can sweep from
255 Hz to 1.1 kHz, and the
Mid Level knob will increase
or decrease the chosen
frequency by 12 db. Lower
still, the Bass knob adds or
cuts 15 db in the 100 Hz
region, while up around 2.7
kHz, the Treble knob can
add or cut 13 db. Finally,
the Presence knob gives the
user a chance to boost or
cut 13 db from the 5.2 kHz
area. What all of this means
is that the Palladium is wellequipped to boost or cut
frequencies from 100 Hz to
5.2 kHz.
The Palladium also
offers a greater range of
equalization than does the
tone-sculpting-friendly 805
Overdrive, whose trio of
EQ knobs expanded the
pedal’s tonal palette. In
addition to the Palladium’s
distortion knob duo, the
pedal features a quintet
Seymour Duncan aimed to
re-create the sound and
handling of an overdriven
tube amp and it seems
that in the Palladium, the
company has succeeded.
If the company has done
nothing else, it has provided
musicians with a fantasticsounding, highly-versatile
overdrive pedal which is
sure to please the ears
of listeners and tone
hounds alike.
WHAT WE LIKE
A high degree of control
over the distortion levels
and over the equalization
of the signal; a semiparametric equalization
circuit; fantastic, wideranging distortion.
CONCERNS
The Gain and Resonance
labels are a bit misleading,
because both knobs
ultimately control gain
levels.
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