Brand New Strymon Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive

Unlike many units we associate with gain and overdrive, Fairfax isn’t really a distortion pedal. Instead, it’s a complete miniature amplifier in 100% analog form, based upon a little-known device from the 60’s that powered a number of classic rock anthems. 

The sound and feel is extremely tube-like, with added harmonics and saturation coming from a clever circuit that emulates the critical behavior of a tube amp’s output transformer. It’s a drive pedal that feels completely natural to play, retains the natural sound of your guitar, and glues notes together in a truly organic way.

Fairfax was inspired by the original Garnet Amplifiers Herzog unit designed for Randy Bachman in 1965. Bachman wanted the sustain of a cello for his electric guitar, so he started running the speaker output of a small combo amplifier into the input of another larger amplifier while chasing that sound.

Unfortunately that scenario has a tendency to blow up the combo amplifier (sometimes in dramatic fashion!), so Bachman enlisted Gar Gilles to design a device that would behave in a similar way but not actually catch fire. Gar’s design ended up being a small tube amp based around a 12ax7 and 6v6 tube, with a built-in speaker load so that it wouldn’t blow up. The result is the classic sustaining lead sound from songs like “American Woman” by The GuessWho.