NAMM 2019: Electro-Harmonix debuts the Flatiron Fuzz, Nano Battalion
A RAT2-inspired unit and a bass preamp/overdrive.
Alongside the release of the Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi, Electro-Harmonix has announced two other dirt boxes: the Flatiron Fuzz and the Nano Battalion. The former takes after the iconic RAT2 pedal while the latter is a bass preamp/OD with a few tricks up its sleeve.
Flatiron Fuzz
The Flatiron Fuzz is EHX’s take on the iconic RAT2 distortion pedal. It’s a pedalboard-friendly op-amp-powered fuzz/distortion unit that boasts vintage appointments, including a late-70s style drive circuit and symmetrical hard clipping.
In terms of sound, the Flatiron shines in both low- and high-gain settings. The former dials in mild distortion, while the latter delivers thick, saturated drive tones.
Control-wise, the pedal retains a simple three-knob layout comprising “Volume”, “Drive” and “Filter” controls. The latter functions as a low-pass filter that can be configured for a specific cut-off frequency. This allows you to dial in the desired amount of high end.
Listen to the pedal here:
Retails for $72.70.
Nano Battalion
The Nano Battalion is an analogue bass preamp/OD pedal. Designed with the popular MOSFET drive circuit, this compact unit can serve up a wide range of grinding bass tones.
A standout feature of the Nano Battalion is the inclusion of a three-band EQ with three EQ positions for added customisability. The EQ controls are as follows:
- “Treble”: Boosts or cuts above 1kH
- “Bass”: Boosts or cuts below 200Hz
- “Mids” switch: Selects between a nine dB boost or 500Hz cut
The three-way “EQ Position” switch, however, allows you to dictate where the EQ is applied:
- “Distortion” mode:
- Places EQ after the distorted signal
- Shapes distortion tone while preserving clean sound
- “Input” mode:
- Places EQ before entire signal path
- Shapes both clean and distorted sound
- “Dry” mode:
- EQ shapes clean signal while distortion is preserved
Apart from the above, the pedal also features “Volume”, “Drive”, “Blend” and “Tone” controls.
Check it out in action here:
Retails for $117.50. More information at ehx.com.
*Updated to include demo of Flatiron Fuzz pedal.