This pedal was pre-ordered with 2 weeks of waiting time.
Features of this preamp pedal https://driftwoodamps.com/purplenightmare-tubepreamppedal/
This preamp pedal is the preamp section of Burn Channel from Purple Nightmare amp head.
Gain – Treble – Mid – Bass controls
Low/High gain switch
Built-in T/S Overdrive with Gain – Tone – Volume controls
Master section with Master – Rumble –Sharp controls
3-way Sizzle switch
2 watt MOSFET power amp for practice
4-cable connection method ready
12V DC 1,5A input Internal charge pump 250V plate voltage
Two 12AX7 high grade selected Illuminated Driftwood window
External switch input for bypass and T/S
One of the Driftwood amp key features is built-in Tube Screamer (T/S) overdrive circuit to boost the preamp for tone shaping - tight and chuggy metal sound ! It is also switchable which means you could switch the booster on/off together with the preamp or switch the booster on/off separately (SEP) alone. The purple color backlight for two 12AX7 preamp tubes and artwork of the brand is adorable.
Hand build in Germany from the best parts you can get.
The design of built-in 2watt MOSFET power amp for practicing reminds me a lot of my previously owned ENGL "Tube Toner" preamp pedal and Hughes & Kettner "Metal Master" half rack tube preamp in 90'S
Don't be fooled by the small wattage of MOSFET power amp of Driftwood Purple Nightmare tube preamp pedal,
I am barely able to turn the master volume over 9 o'clock at home and I believe it could compete with a drummer while the master volume setting was passing 12 o'clock.
I heard Driftwood Purple Nightmare tube preamp pedals didn't come with any adapter in early days.
My unit comes with Harley Benton branded 12VDC 2A (center negative) wall plug power adapter.
It has GS or “Geprüfte Sicherheit” (tested safety) mark from TÜV SÜD.
How does Driftwood Purple Nightmare tube preamp pedal sound ?
I would say it has the best sounding among my preamp pedals collection even better than my KSR Ceres.
To my pair of deaf ears, the voicing of Driftwood Purple Nightmare preamp pedals is inherited from rich lower-mid of Bogner Uberschall, the musical tone quality from Mesa/Boogie and the tightness and aggressiveness of Peavey/EVH 5150.
The Rumble/Shape tone controls plus Sizzle Switch (my favorite) making this tube preamp pedal sounds extremely versatile. I could easily deal in any genres of great metal tone regardless of when it was connected with any power amp section of my tube amps or plugged into any cabinets that I own with its built-in 2watt MOSFET power amp. It could even sound good if directly going into the clean channel of my tube amp but treble and mid controls need to be tuned super low in order to get rid of excessive highs just like other preamp pedals. And "4-cable method ready" design of this preamp pedal transforms any of my tube amps to sound like a Driftwood Purple Nightmare.
The €666 list price tag of Driftwood Purple Nightmare tube preamp pedal might scare off some people that interested with this preamp pedal. Trust me, it worths every cent in terms of sound and build quality.
Order at here: PurpleNightmare TubePreampPedal - Driftwood Amps
A part of my preamp pedals collection -
A short demo video of my Driftwood Purple Nightmare tube preamp pedal
