The XTS Shapecharger is a discrete transistor circuit capable of a wide variety of boost types. It consists of two independent FET boost sections; one for full-bodied, transparent gain and the other for focused, mid-range control. Because of the valve-like characteristics of these boost circuits, the Shapecharger has a vacuum tube quality that makes your guitar sound sweeter while still being faithful to reproduce all the nuances of your particular instrument.

 

The primary gain circuit is a full-range boost very similar to our Pegasus Boost. It is a simple circuit that provides clean gain, but can also breakup beautifully under higher gain settings when driven hard. While full-range gain is great in many circumstances, it is sometimes necessary, particularly when driving pedals and amps already breaking up, to remove some bass frequencies from your boosted signal, making sure your sound stays tight and controlled. The Shapecharger's RANGE control sculpts your signals low end with a shelving, high-pass circuit. Small amounts of RANGE tightens up a tubby amp, and turning the GAIN and RANGE up gives great, treble-boosted tones. 

 

The secondary gain circuit is a mid-boost with a sweepable mid frequency. The mid-boost comes before the primary gain circuit and is capable of overdriving it and any amp or pedal that comes after. The mid-boost and its parametric control are a discrete transistor design, simple, but very powerful in application. With mid-frequency control, you can boost low-mid frequencies for throaty fullness or high-mid frequencies to add classic guitar cut. At extreme settings, cocked-wah tones are available.

 

The Shapecharger also introduces our S.M.R.T. Switch. When you put your Shapecharger into S.M.R.T. Switch mode, you can turn the primary gain circuit on and off by itself, and then add the mid-boost circuit to it for solos or additional gain tones. This dual function mode makes the Shapecharger two pedals in one and is great for players with compact rigs and anyone looking for a variety of gain-stage options for their guitar rig.