Origin Effects MAGMA57: Rich vibrato and classic drive tones at a premium price
Origin Effects MAGMA57 attempts to capture the Magnatone 200 amp tone in a pedal · Source: Origin Effects
Origin Effects’ new MAGMA57 pedal attempts to capture the tone of a certain classic amp by simulating its famous vibrato and drive characteristics. It’s modelled on a highly sought-after American guitar amplifier with no master volume and is based around the RevivalDRIVE circuit, adjusted to sound like a specific amplifier released all the way back in 1957.
MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive
We’re sure you can guess which amp the Origin Effects MAGMA57 pedal recreates. And it’s a pretty daunting task. Three models were released in 1957, all were equipped with a vibrato and the largest version was in stereo. Just tackling amps of that pedigree is no mean feat. If they get it right, it will make a lot of players very happy. It is such a great amp tone – and that vibrato is to die for!
Origin Effects MAGMA57 pedal · Source: Origin Effects
Classic Vibe
On to the controls. Origin has included a dedicated Vibe switch that activates the vibrato portion of the effect. It also turns the MAGMA57’s jewel light white, and sets it to pulse in time with the selected vibrato speed. Speed and Vibrato each have dedicated controls.
MAGMA57 Blend Control · Source: Origin Effects
An interesting feature is the three-way blend switch. You can mix the wet and dry signals to achieve almost Uni-Vibe-style phasing, or you can blend them 180 degrees out of phase to give a chorus type effect. The central position gives you a fully wet signal controlled via the main Speed and Vibrato knobs. The Speed control has three multiplication settings, so you have a pretty wide range of control on this side of the pedal. You can use an external footswitch with the MAGMA57 to give you a tap tempo function, letting you pulse in time to the beat.
Origin Effects MAGMA57 pedal an all analogue circuit · Source: Origin Effects
Drive
OK, so the Vibe section has me drooling already. I’m a sucker for vintage flavour vibrato! But we’re done yet; here comes the Drive section. This is based on the RevivalDRIVE, with an updated circuit for the clean and overdriven sounds you would associate with vintage amps modelled here.
Origin’s designers have configured the pedal in an interesting way, with a preamp section plus a post-drive EQ. The main controls along the top of the pedal are Output, Tone and Drive. But then you also get a post-drive EQ control right in the middle. the bottom. This consists of a three position switch labelled P/AMP, EQ1, EQ2. This is paired with an ADJ dial to adjust the chosen setting to suit the setup you are using. For example, you might be putting the pedal in front of an amp or straight into a audio interface, requiring you to adjust the overall output to suit.
The new MAGMA57 sounds pretty damn sweet in the official demo video. It has a lovely, syrupy vibrato and the drive section is smooth. I’m hooked already. I think the price is pretty high, but it is such a great tone and you know the build quality will be bomb-proof and so it will probably be worth the premium price tag.
RRP – GBP 385 / USD 459
More Information
Video
https://youtu.be/MyVYq5C9yw0
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