Diamond Pedals
From Montreal, Canada
Innovating Sonic Excellence
It’s back! The legend that is Diamond Pedals gets resurrected to once again inspire the pedal world.
Originally founded by Michael Knappe in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 2003 Diamond Pedals had a goal to create devices that improve the sound quality of the modern guitar player, while maintaining familiar product usability. In 2005, a new era of innovation in the pedal industry was ushered in. That was the year that Diamond introduced their now legendary Compressor and the game-changing Memory Lane; the world-first all analog tap-tempo Delay.
The next few years saw many innovative Diamond designs being brought to the market and many now beloved industry staples would leave the brand’s workbenches. However, in 2020 and right in the midst of the global pandemic, Diamond Pedals was sadly forced to shut down their operations.
Seeking to assist their fellow Canadian brand, SolidGoldFX mastermind Greg Djerrahian reached out to see if he could help out, whether that be assisting with manufacturing, producing parts or other elements of pedal production as they wanted to do whatever it could to “keep this pedal institution alive.” One thing led to another and SolidGoldFX ended up acquiring the Diamond Pedals brand and designs in 2021. After two long years of endless research, development and tinkering with Diamond’s original and long admired pedal circuits, Greg and his team have launched 5 new devices, all building on the original designs of Diamond’s most iconic flagship pedals.
Reborn, Diamond Pedals will continue the development of sonically excellent and inspiringly innovative effects, with all design and manufacturing now happening in their fully equipped facility located in Montreal, Canada.
The first line of Diamond re-releases includes the venerable MEMORY LANE STM32 – digital Bucket Brigade Delay (dBBD), their legendary Compressors resurrected as COMP/EQ and BASS COMP/EQ, the reimagined BOOST/EQ adding in an overdrive, the DRIVE, which revives the original J-Drive, as well as the TREMOLO, all faithfully re-created, expanded with new features and circuit upgrades and made ready for the modern era. Diamond has since re-released a their most requested and sought-after pedal – the VIBRATO, their coveted octave fuzz F-OCTAVE, the 6-Stage JFET phaser PHASE – as well as their textural delay pedal DARK CLOUD.
Latest Diamond Pedals News
PHASE
Inspired by the original Diamond PSH-1 from 2008, the Diamond Phase is a return to the smooth, musical phasing that helped define the Diamond sound, with updated features and a compact footprint for today’s pedalboards.
Built around a fully analogue signal path and six carefully selected and matched JFETs, the Diamond Phase delivers rich, organic modulation. A selectable 2-, 4-, or 6 stage architecture, an enhanced feedback circuit, and thoughtful performance features makes the Diamond Phase a staple on any pedalboard.
The Diamond Phase is designed to be intuitive and expressive. Every control interacts musically, allowing you to shape movement, depth, and character without losing clarity or definition. Whether used as a subtle, always-on enhancer or as a featured modulation effect, the Diamond Phase responds naturally to your playing and your signal chain.
MEMORY LANE STM32
Blending analog companding, anti-aliasing|reconstruction filters with a bucket brigade style delay line, we have immaculately captured the ethereal essence of the original big-box Memory Lane using Diamond’s innovative digital Bucket Brigade Delay technology (dBBD) and a modern STM32 chip. Basically what we’re saying is, you get all the goodness of the original Memory Lane in a smaller footprint, over double the delay time, extended frequency response, higher SNR, and at a fraction of the current draw.
This innovative progression of the Memory Lane STM32 is defined by 4 distinct delay lines to offer modern or vintage sounds.
The Memory Lane Jr. circuit reincarnated. Our original compander equipped dBBD delay line delivering up to 2400ms of lush, modulated repeats.
The Memory Lane’s original fixed sampling rate delay line has been augmented with a new warm delay mode offering vintage BBD style variable sampling rate, warmer repeats and a 2400ms maximum delay time for gorgeous ambient delays as well as a new vintage mode designed to capture the magic of analog BBD delay pedals.
For the modern pedal-user’s needs. Space saving design, without any loss of quality. Features include top mounted jacks, Burr-Brown equipped buffered bypass with optional trails, tap tempo with subdivisions, AutoDiv, Doubler, momentary or latching modulation and more.
COMP/EQ
There isn’t a compressor that’s more sought after than the Diamond yellow box. This next-gen COMP/EQ maintains the classic circuit architecture while increasing range and functionality. The new EQ section allows you to sculpt your tone in the same box that squashes it (that’s a good thing).
Furthermore, the new Attack switch allows you to go from the signature ultra-snappy Diamond comp style all the way to softer transparent compression.
What a buzzword “compression” is. But as soon as you slap one into your chain, you can never go back. Applicable in almost every situation, compression is the glue that keeps your tone tight and in the pocket.
Rather than mess with perfection, the Diamond Comp/EQ augments the original yellow box design with a new Mids boost/cut control, Attack switch, custom spec’d, US made opto-isolators and modern, quiet switching.
While the original Diamond Compressor was a formidable pedal, we can confidently say that this next-generation is the best version of the Diamond Compressor yet.
F-OCTAVE
Originally launched in 2017, the F-Octave returns to the Diamond lineup with its signature high-gain silicon fuzz, crafted in tribute to the legendary Foxx Tone Machine of the 70s. The F-Octave picks up the fuzz legacy delivering raw, expressive tones with a character all its own.
At its heart F-Octave is a finely tuned, discrete analog fuzz circuit designed for rich harmonic content and dynamic response. The layout is simple and intuitive, staying true to the spirit of classic stompboxes, but with added flexibility to shape your sound.
Engage the octave mode to unlock searing, upper-register harmonics that cut through any mix with vintage attitude and synth-like texture. Switch it off, and you’re greeted with a warm, fat fuzz – full of woolly midrange and smooth compression, perfect for leads, chords, or riff-driven grooves.
The F-Octave plays beautifully with both guitar and bass, making it a versatile tool whether you’re chasing stoner rock saturation, garage grit, or classic psych tones. Roll your volume back and explore everything from sputtery breakup to thick sustain. Crank it, and it howls.
This is fuzz the way it used to be: bold, unpredictable, and endlessly fun. Plug in, switch on the octave, and rediscover why fuzz never went out of style.
BOOST/EQ
The concept for Diamond Pedals’ Boost/EQ began in the early 2000s, with a request for a ‘compression-less’ version of the famed Diamond Compressor – combining a clean boost circuit with the Compressor’s Tilt EQ.
Nearly 20 years after the resulting original pedal’s launch, we’ve re-imagined this idea on the same platform as the Comp/EQ. Introducing the next-generation Diamond Boost/EQ. This versatile, low-noise pedal delivers a punchy, dynamic sound that’s ideal for any set-up.
Taking the lively, high-fidelity gain stages of the Comp/EQ, the Boost/EQ offers plenty of punch while maintaining clarity and transparency. While the Tilt and Mid controls give you complete freedom to sculpt your tone. Need more sparkle? Dial it in with the Tilt knob. Looking for a midrange boost to cut through your solos? The Mid control has you covered. Want to make your Marshall tone a bit more Fender-esque? It’s all possible with Diamond’s Boost/EQ.
In addition, the Boost/EQ features a second mode that provides a low-gain overdrive – transparent, yet full of character. This makes the Boost/EQ the ultimate Swiss Army knife for your pedalboard, combining clean boost, tone shaping and overdrive, into one powerful and versatile pedal.
The Boost/EO offers 2 distinct modes of operation. The first is a clean boost mode designed to increase the output of your signal enabling you to beef-up low-output pickups, drive tube amps and dirt pedals for increased sustain and saturation or simply have your solos jump out in the mix.
Set to the OD mode, the gain structure of the pedal is modified and soft clipping diodes are added to the circuit. This provides smooth, transparent, musical distortion that ranges from just a touch of hair and harmonic overtones, to a nice low to mid gain overdrive.
Depending on where your Boost/EO is placed in your signal chain, it will either deliver an increase in volume or distortion/saturation. Place it at the end of your pedal chain or in an amp’s series FX loop for a volume boost. Put it in front of your drives and fuzzes for more gain and distortion.
Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud is an innovative delay pedal that represents the pinnacle of hybrid analog-digital design. Drawing on Diamond’s rich heritage in crafting exceptional analog effects, the Dark Cloud merges classic tone with cutting edge technology to deliver a unique delay experience.
At the heart of the Dark Cloud is Diamond’s revolutionary Digital Bucket Brigade Delay (dBBD) technology, which seamlessly blends the organic warmth of analog companding with the precise control of an embedded digital system. This unique architecture allows the Dark Cloud to deliver three distinct and creative delay modes (Tape, Harmonic and Reverse), each meticulously crafted to provide a wide range of sonic possibilities.
Where analog warmth meets digital precision, the Dark Cloud redefines delay effects to create a pedal like no other.
The Dark Cloud holds special significance as the final project conceived by the original Diamond team before their closure. What began as a modest attempt to repurpose older designs evolved into a masterful blend of the company’s most beloved delay algorithms, combined with an entirely new Reverse Delay setting.
As a result, the Dark Cloud is essentially a “greatest hits” of Diamond’s delay technology, refined into one powerful pedal that pushes the boundaries of what delay effects can achieve.
VIBRATO
The original Diamond VIBRATO was conceived in late 2006 with a simple yet ambitious idea: crafting an analog, true-pitch Vibrato pedal, built around the revered MN3007 bucket brigade chip and promptly became one of the world’s most coveted and sought-after Vibrato pedals.
Now, nearly two decades later, the new Diamond VIBRATO is not only back – it’s better than ever. This latest and greatest version of the VIBRATO incorporates decades-worth of end-user feedback, better tech, maximum efficiency, modern features, a meticulous redesign for enhanced player experience and the signature Diamond quality that made the orignal pedal so great.
This reinvented and coveted classic is now available in an updated, compact package, plus the first run of 800 pedals is equipped with NOS Panasonic MN3007 BBDs.
Don’t let the size cause you to underestimate the power packed within. We’ve managed to stuff all the VIBRATO’s analog audio path, Compandor and BBD Delay circuits in pedalboard-friendly sized enclosure. By using dual stacked PCB’s, we’ve not only optimized space but also enhanced the isolation of the audio path from the power and switching circuits. Add top jacks, soft-touch True Bypass switching, and standardized negative-center 9-18 V DC input with polarity and over-voltage protection for a bulletproof pedal ready for any gig.
Tremolo
Tremolo has been a staple effect since the 60’s. Now it’s time to welcome it to the 21st century. Don’t let your preconceptions fool you, this is not your average trem.
The new Diamond Tremolo takes what it means to be a tremolo and pushes it well beyond the limits. We started with 11 rhythm control positions, and 3 different modes, but then decided to introduce a secondary tremolo circuit based around a FET that provides a sharp edge, completely killed, tremolo effect. With the way this circuit chops your signal, we’ve coined it the CHOPPER. With all of this, the updated Diamond Tremolo will be your go-to tone warping machine
Tremolos are the kind of pedal that once you turn it on, you never go back.
The Diamond Tremolo offers both warm, natural vintage amp-style optical tremolo with sine, shark tooth and square waveforms as well as a precise FET Chopper with momentary Dicer function. But like we said above, we’ve introduced the effect to the modern world by way of creating 3 distinct modes that introduce entirely new feature sets and in turn ways of operating the pedal
Small but mighty. Loaded yet user friendly. The Tremolo offers Tap Tempo with subdivisions, 11 position Rhythm control, Insta-Chop, momentary or latching speed Doubler, and more.
DRIVE
Soaked to the bone in legendary Diamond DNA, the new generation Diamond DRIVE is built on a foundation of signature drive and EQ soundblocks.
Distilling the most desirable and functional elements from the almighty J-Drive, Blaze, and Fireburst pedals, the Diamond Drive combines a warm and wide-ranging overdrive built around a Premium Sound Burr-Brown Op-amp with a dual band, post-gain active EQ.
The new Diamond Drive was designed to nail the most demanding sessions. The Warm toggle will tame an overly bright amp or give your tone just the right amount of cream, while the wide-ranging Bass, Treble, and Drive controls will deliver anything from a touch of hair to amp-sizzling overdrive. Sculpt your driven tones to perfection.
BASS COMP/EQ
There’s something truly magical about finding the compression sweet-spot on bass. Enter the Diamond BASS COMP/EQ. This bad-boy will go on your board, and never come off. This next-gen compressor maintains the classic circuit architecture while increasing range and functionality.
The new EQ section allows you to sculpt your tone in the same box that squashes it (that’s a good thing). Furthermore, the tilt switch allows you select the fulcrum frequency of the Tilt EQ for sculpting those all-important mids.
Rather than mess with perfection, the Diamond Comp/EQ augments the original bass-tuned yellow box design with a new Mids boost/cut control, 3-position Tilt Frequency switch, custom spec’d, US made opto-isolators and modern, quiet switching.
While the original Diamond Compressor was a formidable pedal, we can confidently say that this next-generation is the best version of the Diamond Compressor yet.
Combining silky smooth, natural optical compression with our signature hi-fi inspired, centre-detent active tilt EQ and Mid boost/cut control, the Comp/EQ is a mastering solution for your effects chain….one you might never turn off.
Audio Distribution Group is proud to be the exclusive UK and European distributor for Diamond Pedals.