Orange Sustainer Pedal (Made in UK)

Question: what happens when a messageboard finds a photograph of a long-discontinued piece of gear and goes crazy for it, and then a hand-drawn schematic diagram for the same unit, complete with teacup ring marks and yellowing edges, scribbled-out Biro and wobbly writing, is unearthed after an online call-out for help about what’s inside? Answer: the Orange Sustain pedal is what happens, brought back from the dead to breathe everlasting life into guitar tones once again.

Acting like an overdrive for your clean tone, the Orange Sustain pedal smooths, regulates and evens out your guitar sound, making the soft parts louder and the loud parts softer to create a more consistent volume. It can boost volume without scuffing purity, offer a more chiming tone that takes the edge off each note’s attack, and create long-lasting warm tones that allow expressive hammer-on fingerings and the kind of sine wave-like internote smoothness that will make people wonder what instrument you’re playing.

Sticking as close as possible, sonically, to the exhumed original, the 2022 update offers a smoother bloom thanks to its differential side-chain, as well as an LED that switches from blue to purple when the gain reduction is kicking in. Thanks to an Internet treasure hunt, this is a classic piece retooled for modern times.