Stage One

Description

The Stage One is a pure class-A transistor-based gain stage that provides the characteristics and saturation of the input section of a valve amplifier.

Designed specifically to add harmonic richness and liveliness in the same way a triode does, the Stage One is the hard-to-find “extra bit” that a clean tone needs to shine, and a crunch tone to become the lead. Extends the inherent character of your tone, without excessively colouring it.

The gain knob provides between 12 and 30 dB of amplification, varying as well the frequency response to produce an increased treble boost as the gain is raised, just as a valve-based gain stage does.

The two toggle switches are not simply an EQ to tweak the bass (thick / tight) and treble (normal / bright), but actually alter the amplification capabilities, which shapes the response of the complete stage. This means that the transient characteristics and overtones produced change, and so will the interaction with your amp (or the next effect in your signal chain).

The Stage One is true bypass and built around a carefully designed single board with four layers that eliminates all internal wiring and provides double shielding to reduce noise and preserve signal integrity. The Stage One has been engineered using only discrete components of the highest quality, with special attention to ruggedness and thermal stability, to insure that its great tone is preserved for many years. Each unit is assembled by hand and acoustically and electronically tested.

The Stage One runs on a 9V battery or with an external power supply (in the range of 9V to 27 V for different dynamics and harmonic content).

Download the user manual and technical specifications here: stonewall_stage_one_user_manual_v1

The technology behind Stage One (white paper)

If you’re interested in learning more about the technology behind Stage One, take a look at this white paper, where the process of true analog modelling is explained in further detail.