Continuum Cleans to Holy Grail Leads — This Pedal’s Got It All
When it comes to Mayer-style compressed clean and lead tones, the Vertex Effects Steel String Supreme — based on serial #001 of a legendary six-figure tube amp — is the only tone shaper you’ll need in your arsenal. Whether you’re front-ending a stage amp with the SSS’s expanded all-analog preamp, feeding a little Texas sugar into your modeling device, or even running straight into a cab IR, this pedal is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Just like the amp it’s named after, the Steel String Supreme is characterized by a fat, clean, compressed sound that absolutely marinates signals in tubelike harmonics as you ramp up the gain. The Supreme’s active EQ and Bright/Deep + Rock/Jazz switches add new tone-shaping capabilities to this latest addition to the Steel String family. From subtle fattening and clean compression to full-on overdrive, the Vertex Effects Steel String Supreme is the next best thing to having a real-deal SSS in your rig.
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Based on the original SSS
Players like SRV, Eric Johnson, and John Mayer have all sung the praises of a rare 100-watt 6L6 blues machine that achieved legendary status in the mid-1980s. And whether it’s a sip of that Texas tonal flood or a return to gravity you’re searching for, the Vertex Steel String Supreme — successor to the Steel String MkII and packing 500% more tone-shaping potential — faithfully captures that “SSS” (that’s “Sparkle, Squish, and Saturation”) magic in a pedalboard-friendly stomp.
D-style sweetening and saturation
With gain settings below 1:00, the Steel String Supreme makes a highly versatile fat boost, with an active EQ section to dial in that D-style midrange shaping your instrument demands. Above 1:00, the Steel String Supreme sweetens your signal with vine-ripened drive characteristics matured in the California sun. Wide open, this pedal packs enough juicy gain to take you well into overdrive territory. All the while, true bypass operation preserves your dry signal whenever you don’t have the Steel String Supreme engaged — although, if you’re anything like Sweetwater guitarists, it’s pretty much a nonissue, since you’ll never want to turn this thing off. The Vertex Effects Steel String Supreme is assembled in California and comes in a rugged metal housing with authentic D-style labels.
Vertex Steel String Supreme Pedal Features:
- Based on model #001 of an original run of legendary 6L6 blues machines
- A true amp in a box — sounds great even straight into a cab IR
- Inspiring touch sensitivity, warmth, and sparkle
- Versatile Gain and Level controls make this a capable clean boost or full-on overdrive
- Active EQ, Bright/Deep switch, and Rock/Jazz switch supply plenty of tone-shaping potential
- Rugged metal housing
- Authentic D-style labels
- True bypass switching preserves your signal between uses
- Assembled in California
