Hitchhike Drive
Tweed amp preamp with 3-way amp selector (Deluxe/Bassman/Twin), Saturate dynamic filter, and 2N5088 transistor.
The Hitchhike Drive from Tokyo's Umbrella Company is an overdrive/preamp emulating three classic American tweed amplifiers: Tweed Deluxe (rich tone), '59 Bassman (bass-forward), and '60s Twin (headroom and tight response). A 3-way toggle selects between amp modes, each capturing distinct tonal characteristics of these vintage circuits.
The gain section uses a 2N5088 silicon transistor, and six controls shape the tone: Volume, Gain, Bass, Treble, plus Saturate and Amp Type toggles. The unique Saturate switch activates a Dynamic Filter applying mild compression to high frequencies only, creating more amp-like responsiveness. The gain cleans up naturally when you reduce your guitar volume, mimicking tube amp behavior.
True bypass with relay switching keeps your signal clean when off. Drawing 25mA from 9V DC center-negative power, the pedal runs from preamp boost through mild crunch to full top-boosted crunch. Japanese craftsmanship with discrete analog circuits and carefully selected transistors gives it vintage character in a compact, pedal-board-friendly format.
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