GREER AMPS
SPECIAL REQUEST
REVIEW BY SAM HILL
STREET PRICE $145.99
There are some things that
I just downright love: A
pulled pork burrito. Calvin
and Hobbes. Puppies, and
dogs in general. Pedals
with one knob. I could
wax poetic about the first
three things mentioned,
but Tone Report is about
guitar stuff, so I’ll spare
you my thoughts on
cuisine, thought provoking,
philosophical comic strips,
and the cutest and most fun
animal companions known
to man. I will, however,
share my feelings about
the Greer Special Request
“D-Style” FET preamp
pedal. When I opened the
box it shipped in, I was
delighted to see the golden
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GEAR REVIEW
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box with a single knob.
Another thing that stuck out
was the phrase “D-Style.” I
will give you a full disclosure
and tell you that I do not
own a “D” amplifier, nor
have I ever played one. I
have been led to believe
that if I did, I would sound
like a symphony of rugged
angels, have the strength
of Hercules, and possess
the grace of the lovechild
between a unicorn and a
swan. But I digress. The
Special Request circuit is
based around the FET input
of a D-style amplifier, and
features internal voltage
doubling, meaning you
can use a nine-volt power
supply, but the pedal will
Greer Amps Special Request
run at 18 volts, adding extra
headroom and clarity.
The first thing I did was
run this pedal straight into
my amplifier. On lower
settings it added warmth
and presence, but not a
dramatic altering of my
tone. On higher settings,
there was a slight amount
of grit present with the
aforementioned qualities.
The trick to pedals like this
one is knowing what they
are and what they aren’t.
This isn’t meant to be an
overdrive pedal or a clean
boost. It accentuates certain
frequencies and adds a
particular sweetness to
dirt boxes or dirty amps.
I ran this pedal after my