$375 direct

KNOBS Germanium Gain, Plexi Gain, Volume

SOUNDS Sporting vintage NOS Valvo OC141 germanium transistors, the hand-built Black Mamba is touted as being Jacques Charbit’s “masterpiece,” and it may well be. Despite the fact that its three unlabeled controls—Plexi Gain, Germanium Gain, and Volume—behave eccentrically, dial in the right combinations and you’ll get everything from a slightly dirty overdrive to classic Marshall-like crunchiness to massively wooly fuzz with tons of sustain and bottom end (which is retained even at low volume levels). The Black Mamba is surprisingly responsive to playing dynamics, and also relatively quiet considering the crazy amount of gain it is capable of. It also may be the loudest box of the bunch.

WHO’S IT FOR? The adventurous player who craves quirky pedals capable of producing familiar and unfamiliar sounds.

CONTACT jacquespedals.com

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