REUSS / SA-01 Swiss Army Knife

The SA-01 Swiss Army Knife is a distortion pedal that combines the legendary drive pedal ""Centaur"" and the still-beloved distortion pedal ""RAT"" in a single body.

■Overdrive/Distortion
■Klon Centaur/RAT circuits condensed into one body
■Controls
・OD section: DRIVE, TONE, LEVEL
・DS section: DRIVE, TONE, LEVEL
■Power supply: 9V battery or DC9V center negative adapter

-Manufacturer's introduction-
■A 2-in-1 pedal that integrates the Klon Centaur and RAT circuits.

The SA-01 Swiss Army Knife is a noteworthy handmade guitar pedal that integrates the KLON/CENTAUR overdrive and the RAT distortion circuit into a compact body.

The high design ability and outstanding sound sense of Anders Reuss, who is highly regarded mainly in Europe, combines the circuit configuration of CENTAUR, the best overdrive in history, and RAT, which is synonymous with distortion sound, in a combination that brings out the best of each other's characteristics. Of course, Reuss' ""meaningful arrangements"" have been added throughout, and it is also possible to switch between clipping diode arrangements (germanium/silicon/LED).

The highly refined aesthetics unique to ""REUSS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS"", which is designed and manufactured without any compromise, with thorough attention to detail in every part, are conveyed.

The ""SA-01 Swiss Army Knife"" is a musical tool that can be adapted to any guitar style.

■ Upgrade the Klon/Centaur overdrive circuit to provide great drive!

The legendary guitar pedal ""KLON/CENTAUR"" is the best overdrive that everyone recognizes. REUSS adds some new approaches while cherishing the circuit design of KLON/CENTAUR and the subtle nuances of its tone. Reuss replaced the pair of op-amps with low slew rate op-amps that have excellent high frequency amplification. These are op-amps with LM308 characteristics, which are also used in the RAT, but with a more asymmetric clipping characteristic.

There is much discussion about the germanium clipping diodes in the KLON/CENTAUR circuit, but for this unit, we chose a different type of vintage NOS germanium. By placing a 1970s American ITT brand germanium diode and a Russian germanium diode with different clipping thresholds, we created an asymmetric clipping character and obtained a more powerful and distinctive sound.

In addition, the internal circuit of this unit has a dedicated switch (NORMAL/MOD) for the overdrive section, which allows you to add another Russian germanium diode to the circuit. This halves the clipping threshold, allowing you to tune to slightly increase the amount of distortion.

The overdrive section of the SA-01 Swiss Army Knife covers the sounds expected of the KLON/CENTAUR, while adding a more organic and warm sound flavor.

■Reuss's own mode has been added to the vintage RAT distortion circuit!
The SA-01 Swiss Army Knife's distortion section is faithful to the basic vintage RAT circuit, using the NOS LM308 op-amp, but is designed to allow alternative clipping diode combinations to be switched with a switch on the circuit.

The sound obtained by complexly mixing a total of six diodes (LED, silicon, germanium) has a three-dimensional, large sound image and can create an even more organic sound. This is a more open and all-purpose sound that could not be obtained with conventional configurations.

The switch is set to this ""REUSS mode (MOD)"" when shipped. Setting it to ""NORMAL mode"" reproduces the sound of the vintage RAT.

■Specifications and Features
・A 2-in-1 pedal with KLON CENTAUR and vintage RAT circuits, with added modifications unique to REUSS
・The KLON circuit uses a REUSS updated op-amp and a different type of vintage NOS germanium
・The KLON circuit allows you to switch between different combinations of American-made germanium and Russian-made germanium using a switch on the board
・The RAT circuit uses an LM308 IC
・The RAT circuit allows you to switch between combinations of six diodes (LED, silicon, germanium) using a switch on the board
・All handmade, with strict tuning and thorough quality control
・Powered by a 9V (center negative) AC adapter or a 9V battery