Legendary SSS Tone from an Even Slimmer Stomp
Players like SRV, Eric Johnson, and John Mayer have been singing the praises of a rare 100-watt 6L6 blues machine that achieved legendary status in the mid-1980s. And whether you're looking for a taste of Texas sweet tea or a return to gravity, the Vertex Steel String Clean Drive MkII — now 33% slimmer and with an added trick up its sleeve — faithfully captures that "SSS" magic (that's "Sparkle, Shaping, and Saturation") in an even pedalboard-friendlier stomp.
The Steel String MkII is dead-simple in its operation yet matchless in its rootsy mojo. With gain settings below 1:00, the Steel String Clean Drive MkII makes an incredibly versatile clean boost, with a Filter control to dial in how much of that D-style midrange shaping your instrument demands. Above 1:00, the Steel String Clean Drive MkII begins to sweeten your signal with vine-ripened drive characteristics matured in the California sun. Wide open, this pedal virtually breathes fire, with enough juicy gain to take you from Flavor Town well into Brown County. Optional 18-volt operation (adapter not included) nets you buckets of increased headroom — perfect for studio tracking or pairing this pedal with a vintage amp. All the while, true bypass operation preserves your dry signal whenever you don't have the Steel String MkII engaged, which, if you're anything like Sweetwater's testers, is pretty much a nonissue, since you'll never want to turn this thing off. The Vertex Steel String MkII is assembled in California and comes in a rugged brushed metal housing with an authentic D-style Level knob.
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What's new in the MkII?
- Slimmer, lighter profile — Analog enthusiasts rejoice! The Vertex Steel String MkII manages to pack all the vibey analog tone of the original into a slimmer, sleeker stomp — a reduction in size of roughly 33%. That means you can fit even more D-style goodness onto your overloaded pedalboard systems.
- Voicing toggle — One added feature the MkII brings to the table is the Jazz/Rock toggle. This helps thicken up cleans and tighten up overdrive tones to supply an even wider range of SSS voicings.
A Jazz/Rock voicing toggle gives the slimmer Steel String MkII even greater versatility than its predecessor.Vertex Steel String Clean Drive MkII Pedal Features:
- SSS tone from a single-wide stomp
- Inspiring touch sensitivity, warmth, and sparkle
- Based on model #001 of an original run of legendary 6L6 blues machines
- 33% slimmer and lighter than the original!
- New Jazz/Rock toggle thickens up cleans and tightens up drive tones
- Versatile Gain and Level controls make this a capable clean boost or full-on overdrive
- Filter control dials in doses of that D-style mids shaping
- Rugged brushed metal housing
- Authentic D-style Level knob
- Optional 18-volt operation (adapter not included) nets extra headroom
- True bypass switching preserves your signal between uses
- Assembled in California
