The Fulcrum is a simple, two knob preamp that offers a wide range of gain and EQ control.
This week on Guitars For Idiots I’m going to bring your attention to a new pedal builder, Heuristic Industries. The company is about to launch off the ground, and sent me this Fulcrum Preamp pedal prototype to check out. Preamp pedals are sort of hit or miss for me, sometimes they wow me, but other times I’m just like, why not stick with my Gus Drive (a DOD 250-style circuit)?
However, I had a lot of fun with the Fulcrum, specifically because of the gain range that lets it go from more of a subtle boost to a full on cranked amp. And the Fulcrum possesses a pretty unique gain tone compared to other two knob preamps. It’s not quite as crisp as a 250, and because it has an EQ knob instead of a volume knob, you can bring a lot of bass in to fatten up your tone.
Truth be told, I’m not sure I’d use the Fulcrum on my studio/home board. But I can see it slotting in at the backend of my band board, replacing the treble boost pedal I was using. I would probably get a lot of function out of it as either an always on pedal to add sparkle to my Catalyst amp, or it could be my boost for solos on top of any of the gain pedals. I’ll have to experiment, but I’m interested in actually keeping this around and using that EQ knob to round out my board. It might even beat out the Gus Drive, but don’t worry, that will just get re-housed on my studio board where I have a more diverse EQ capacity on the amp and other drives around it.
So far, Heuristic Industries said they expect them to be priced around $120 USD, though obviously that could change. Some more info on the website, and maybe even some Fulcrum pedals, will also be up soon so check back for updates. Overall, it’s a fun and useful first pedal, but I’m really keen to see if they branch out and go a bit crazier after this. It’s functional, useful, but maybe a tad uninspiring in a crowded pedal market for some people. But, the Fulcrum to seem to stack rather nicely with my other drive pedals, so that’s a plus!
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