Strymon Unveils Fairfax Drive Pedal: A 100% Analog Class A Output Stage Amp-in-a-Box
Strymon Fairfax: 100% Analog Class A Drive Pedal. Recreate the legendary Garnet Herzog amp tone with JFETs, high-voltage headroom, and dynamic, tube-like Sag control.
Guitarists seeking the elusive, dynamic feel of a cranked vintage tube amp in a pedalboard-friendly enclosure can finally rejoice. Pedal pioneers Strymon have launched the Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive Pedal, the first offering in their new "Series A" line of pure analog effects. Billed not as a distortion unit, but as a complete miniature amplifier, the Fairfax is set to redefine the high-end drive market with its hyper-realistic tube-like response and organic sustain.
The Analog Heart of Classic Rock Sustain
The Strymon Fairfax is a high-voltage, 100% analog drive pedal engineered to capture the critical behavior of a Class A tube amplifier's output stage. Its inspiration comes from a little-known, yet historically significant, device: the original Garnet Amplifiers Herzog, designed for Randy Bachman of The Guess Who in 1965.
Bachman's quest for a "cello-like sustain" for his electric guitar led to Gar Gilles developing the Herzog—a small tube amp with an integrated speaker load that could safely drive a larger amp's input without catching fire (a common, and often disastrous, method at the time). The Herzog circuit is the source of the sustaining, classic lead tone on songs like "American Woman."
Strymon's engineers successfully recreated the complex original circuit—including the 12AX7 and 6V6 tube stages—using specialized JFETs and an ingenious, custom analog circuit that precisely emulates the characteristics of a tube amp’s output transformer. This crucial detail provides the pedal with its authentic harmonic saturation and tube-like "feel."
“Fairfax delivers the real-deal performance of the original unit, without the need for a 250V tube power supply.”
Dynamic Sag and High Headroom for Amp-Like Feel
To ensure genuine amp performance, the Fairfax utilizes a transformer-based power supply that converts the standard 9VDC input to a robust 40V operating voltage internally. This high headroom is key to the pedal's wide tonal range and dynamic, natural response.
A standout feature is the variable Sag circuit. This proprietary design dynamically varies the amount of available current to the JFET-based preamp and power amp sections, mimicking the critical voltage sag found in tube amps.
- Low Sag settings provide a mild, solid-state rectifier-like feel.
- Max Sag settings can push the JFETs to unbias, resulting in spitting, chortling, and gated artifacts, akin to a controlled fuzz or a dying tube amp.
The pedal's versatility is immense. At lower Drive settings, the Fairfax acts as a sweet, harmonic boost, gently pushing your amp. At higher settings, it delivers compressed, angular, and aggressive gain, making it a powerful tool for nearly any setup, including pedal loop switchers and amp modelers.
Key Features and Specifications
The Fairfax drive pedal includes essential, intuitive controls:
| Control | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | Preamp Gain | Determines the amount of saturation, from clean boost to aggressive drive. |
| Level | Output Volume | Sets the total output signal sent to the amplifier. |
| Sag | Variable Compression | Fine-tunes the dynamic, tube-rectifier-like compression and artifacts. |
| Bright Switch | High-Frequency Contour | 'On' for full treble response; 'Off' for a smoother, attenuated high-frequency response. |
Technical Specs Highlight:
- Circuit: 100% Analogue, Class A Output Stage
- Internal Voltage: 40V (converted from 9VDC external power)
- Bypass: True Bypass (Electromechanical relay switching)
- S/N Ratio: 114dB typical
Introducing 'Series A' Analog Pedals
The Fairfax marks the debut of Strymon’s Series A line, a new venture dedicated to pure analog pedals. While Strymon is renowned for its cutting-edge DSP effects, the Series A is designed to showcase the company's strong analog engineering team, focusing on designs that offer a departure from traditional Strymon offerings by minimizing the use of MIDI, USB, and presets.
Price & Availability
The Strymon Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive Pedal is available now at authorized dealers.
Available at Andertons, priced £199.99
Available at Sweetwater, priced $199
Available at Thomann, priced €229
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