Pigtronix Philosopher King is a compressor, sustainer, distortion and polyphonic amplitude synthesizer. The Philosopher King takes our award-winning Philosopher's Tone design even further, adding a full set of ADSR controls including swell, fade, hold level, speed range, one-shot mode, selectable auto reset, CV i/o and expression pedals for swell and fade times.

With the Swell and Fade functions switched off, the Philosopher King provides transparent optical compression with endless sustain on tap. Adjustable compression, sustain and treble controls allow the musician to tailor the nature of the effect to meet the needs of the material at hand. From a subtle dash of added punch to massive, over-the-top howling sustain, the Philosopher King delivers clean, powerful optical compression. The grit control blends in a layer of sweet harmonic distortion that plays nice with other gain pedals as well as amplifier-generated tube distortion.

The Philosopher King's Swell function provides a pick triggered volume swell effect. The volume swell can be reset at any moment by muting or held open by continuous playing. This "slow gear" type effect is smooth and controllable with variable timing from extremely fast to very slow. The Fade function creates pulsating tremolo and stutter effects on its own as well as undulating amplitude modulation when used in conjunction with the Swell. The Philosopher King is a modern analog masterpiece, unmatched in its ability to re-shape the essential nature of any sound source.

• Optical Compressor with Outrageous Sustain
• Synthesizer Style ADSR for Guitar
• POLYPHONIC (works with chords)
• Pick Triggered Volume Swell
• One Shot Mode & Auto Reset
• Grit control for smooth Distortion
• 2K Treble Cut / Boost
• Expression Pedals for Swell and Fade Times
• Trigger Input for External Rhythm Source
• True Bypass
• Pigtronix 18VDC adapter included
• Circuit Design by Howard Davis
• Sound Design by David Koltai
• Chassis Size = 7.4" x 4.6" x 1.5"