Sean Gibson | 7 years ago

When is a version 2 more than just a version 2? Leona v2 from Stephen Douglas Design retains all the original sounds from the original germanium drive pedal design but with added options from player feedback.

From Stephen Douglas Design:
"We listen to your feedback and constantly work to integrate them into our designs. We launched Leona in June of 2014 as a revision of our previous Germ Drive and sent about 500 out into the wild. We’ve done it again and are proud to introduce Leona V.2!

While features have been added, the original sounds of Leona V.1 and our Germ Drive are still there as well!

One of the main criticisms we received with Leona V.1 was that it was just too bright. While the added brightness worked for many rigs, it left a lot to be desired for others. We’ve added a new high cut knob to tame down the higher frequencies added throughout the gain stages.

Upon further experimentation on ways to tame the high end, we made a couple of capacitor changes. We’ve added 2 mini toggles to change between a .1 and .2 capacitor on the input and output caps. The input cap comes just before the first gain stage. The .1 cap leaves loosens the gain structure and adds some high end to the overall tone. The .2 cap tightens up the gain and reduces the high end. The same is true for the output cap, but with more drastic effects on the treble and bass response.

Some feedback we received related to the overall gain achieved through multiple rig types. In order to offer more versatility and move closer to our overall goal with Leona we’ve added a mini toggle with 3 diode selections. One is our standard 1N914 from Leona V.1. The second is true mosfet clipping. The mosfet has more overall volume, better cleanup and low gain settings. We are located close to NASA and frequently come across stock piles of their old parts. The last diode setting is a Motorola diode with no labeling other than the Motorola logo and “56C”. We cannot find datasheets, but whatever specs NASA requested has resulted in additional bass response and hold together really well at higher gain settings. They sound “out of this world” because they literally are!

The name Leona comes from a small town in Texas. It happens to be where my Grandparents were born and raised. I spent many hours in this small town of 181 people. It’s where I learned that with the basics you can achieve great things. For me Leona is always on. When you get down to the basics of my sound… It’s Leona.

Last but not least… you asked for a battery option over and over. You now have that option! OR 9VDC Center negative only (You cannot daisy chain this pedal. It requires isolated power only)

Controls are as follows from left to right:
Knobs:
Volume - Makes things louder or softer.
Tone - More bass, mids or treble.
High Cut - Cuts out some of the high pitch frequencies added within the gain stages.
Gain – More or less gain

Mini toggles:
Input switch - To the left utilizes a .1 cap to the right is a .2 cap. The .1 is the same cap used in Leona V.1. The gain structure is a bit looser and has a bit more treble on the top end. The .2 tightens things up before it hits the first gain stage. | Diode switch– To the left utilizes the Leona V.1 1N914 diodes. The middle introduces the new mosfet clipping. To the right are the NASA diodes. | Output switch– To the left utilizes a .1 cap to the right is a .2 cap. The .1 again is the same used in Leona V.1. There are very noticeable differences between these 2 settings including significant bass response and changes in gain structure."

https://www.stephendouglasdesign.com

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I rely on Rattlesnake Cables for my tone! Check them out at the link - https://www.rattlesnakecables.com

About me:
Sean at TheNoiseReel@gmail.com

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