Strymon has unveiled the La Brea – an all-analog tape drive pedal that continues the legacy of one of its most beloved stompboxes.
The effects specialist’s digital Deco Tape Saturation and Double-Tracker quickly became a firm fan favorite when it was released 12 years ago. For many, the tape saturation side became a must-have tool – as an always-on tone thickener, switchable boost, or all-out overdrive.
Now the firm has dropped the La Brea – a next-gen pedal that singles out that tape saturation goodness in a new all-analog form, all while keeping one eye on expanding into unchartered territory.
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It is, in effect, a tape drive that replicates classic reel-to-reel mastering tapes that add fullness, rather than harshness, to the signal the more aggressively it is cranked.
Before he became an analog pedal engineer at Strymon, Josh Forbes read Strymon co-founder’s white paper on the story behind the Deco. He became fascinated with how he could mimic “true tape behavior in a fully analog design.”
After 10 years of research and putting vintage effects under the microscope, La Brea delivers plenty of saturation options with a simple interface design.
Handily, a three-position switch allows players to add in the high frequencies naturally lost as the saturation ramps up. The first mode is for injecting high frequencies exclusively. There is also Mid – for adding upper midrange frequencies – and a Flat mode.
It has more gain on tap than the Deco, too, and a fully discrete dry path serves up “two distinct personalities that players can use to craft personal sounds.”
In essence, the dry path always stays in phase with the saturated output, meaning players can add a little or a lot with no comb filtering or other artifacts. Alternatively, the discrete options can see La Brea doubling as a clean boost for more fatness.
The benefits don’t stop there, either, and it could breathe new life into existing gear.
“It’s a powerful tool that can help wake up dark humbuckers, add bite to older strings or make setting up a rig even easier,” Strymon says.
“It’s quickly become the favorite drive pedal for a bunch of people at the office”, Sytrymon’s marketing lead, Sean Halley, says. “The fact that it’s based on tape means that it never gets harsh, never gets strident, and mates really well with all different types of amplifiers.
“I’ve had one on my gigging board since the beginning of the year in disguise, so I’m excited to take the tape off and finally let people see what it is!”
La Brea is available now for $199, and adds a new chapter to the Deco’s fabled heritage.
See Strymon for more.
