Signature Mateus Asato OD with Replaceable Distortion Circuit
Chock-full of rapid-fire double stops, nimble single-string passages, intricate chord slides, and lightning-fast hybrid picking, Mateus Asato’s virtuosic, jazz-inflected excursions have made him a modern guitar hero. Mateus prefers to play clean most of the time, so when he kicks in the grit, he demands the utmost clarity, precision, and articulation. The Jackson Audio Asabi, Mateus Asato’s signature overdrive/distortion pedal, is voiced just how he likes it: with independent overdrive and distortion sections. The distortion is built around a Modern High-gain circuit, which produces the sound of a classic British-style high-gain amp. The overdrive was inspired by a popular transparent-sounding drive with incredible touch sensitivity. Four clipping modes yield a gamut of tones, from slightly cooked to fully saturated, while Jackson Audio’s innovative Gain Cycle feature gives you four scalable maximum gain settings. The distortion side’s active 3-band EQ makes tone sculpting easy, and you can also use the overdrive for situations that call for extra grit and sustain. To top it off, you can change the character of the Asabi’s distortion circuit by swapping it with one of Jackson Audio’s optional analog plug-ins (sold separately). The Asabi also includes a MIDI input, enabling you to take intuitive command over its clipping modes and Gain Cycle feature.
Related Videos: Asabi Mateus Asato Signature Overdrive/Distortion Pedal
Four clipping diode presets for ultimate flexibility
For the Asabi, Jackson Audio pulled out all the stops to empower guitarists with a massive range of overdrive tones, starting with four selectable clipping diode presets. Indicated by color on Asabi’s Drive LED, the clipping modes include a “classic screamer” setting with two symmetrical silicon diodes (green), a chewy asymmetrical clipping mode with three silicon diodes (magenta), a focused and direct 4-diode symmetrical clipping mode (blue), and a vintage British-style amp overdrive with a wide-open sound (amber). Additionally, the Asabi presents four boost presets: bright boost, mid boost, tailored boost, and full range. Jackson Audio has made selecting presets on the pedal extremely intuitive, and it’s even easier when connected to a MIDI controller. To top it off, all clipping options include automatic level matching — something that guitarists here at Sweetwater wholeheartedly appreciate.
Powerful frequency-sculpting active EQ
Sometimes overlooked by guitarists, an equalizer can be the difference between a good guitar tone and a stellar guitar tone. The Jackson Audio Asabi’s distortion side contains an active 3-band EQ section that offers serious sonic sweetening. The Asabi’s overdrive side includes the classic Volume/Tone/Drive combo for fine-tuning your dirty boost. Thanks to Asabi’s comprehensive tone-shaping capabilities, you can subtly enhance your tone or completely restructure it. Additionally, Asabi’s EQ can be a lifesaver that will allow you to compensate when you’re playing through a poor-sounding amp or performing in a bad-sounding room.
Innovative Gain Cycle feature
Asabi’s Gain Cycle mode is a standout feature not found on other distortion pedals. Essentially, it splits the maximum gain into four equal parts, which allows you to ramp up your crunch tones to fit the shifting dynamics of a performance. Start out with a light distortion, then get progressively heavier and heavier until you reach maximum saturation. Then, push the distortion further into clipping with the Asabi’s super-transparent overdrive for a slow-burning lead tone that’s guaranteed to turn heads.
Replaceable distortion circuit offers maximum customization
Every guitarist has their own individual tonal recipe. Old-school metal players typically run a TS-style overdrive into a dimed British stack. Others, like Mateus Asato, prefer something more transparent. Players with an aggressive edge often opt for a gnarly, rodent-infused sound. There are also those who like to front load their rig with an array of dirt boxes, which enables them to toggle between different textures and stack the pedals for über-high-gain cacophony. To accommodate the potential for an endless variety of tonal preferences, Jackson Audio outfitted the Asabi with a replaceable distortion circuit via analog plug-ins. This enables you to swap out this stompbox’s included Modern High-gain distortion without having to buy a new pedal. And since Jackson Audio is developing new plug-ins at an impressive rate, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for sonic exploration. Thanks to the Asabi’s ultra-flexible design, discovering (and attaining) your signature tone has never been easier.
Note: While the Asabi’s analog plug-ins are user swappable, installation requires that you disassemble the pedal, remove a preinstalled 18-pin module, and replace it with the new module. If you’re uncomfortable with installing electronic components (such as your computer’s RAM), we advise you to let Sweetwater handle it. Call your Sales Engineer for more information.
Jackson Audio Asabi Mateus Asato Signature Overdrive/Distortion Pedal Features:
- Designed in collaboration with modern guitar hero Mateus Asato
- Dual distortion and overdrive pedal for serious tone chasers
- Distortion side inspired by a classic British high-gain tube amp
- Overdrive side is based on a circuit known for transparency and touch sensitivity
- 4 selectable clipping diode presets
- Active 3-band EQ for flexible tone shaping
- Innovative Gain Cycle mode with 4 scalable distortion settings
- Replaceable analog plug-ins for changing the distortion’s tonal character (Modern High-gain plug-in included; others sold separately)
- MIDI input for controlling parameters via an external footswitch
- Rugged and compact brushed stainless steel enclosure
