Sabbra Cadabra

Tony Iommi arguably had the most influential tone in the history of electric guitar. Really, when you think of Black Sabbath, you immediately think of electric guitar. His early signature sound was the result of an always-on treble booster plugged into cranked Laney Supergroup amps. This approach to guitar is extremely rewarding and fun, but it has been lost in this day and age because, honestly, who can really get away with that stage volume anymore? Far and few between! We designed the Sabbra Cadabra to give players that sonic experience, recontextualized for today’s approach where players tend to use amps solely within their clean range at more mortal volume levels.

Controls:

Presence: Just like the Supergroup, the Sabbra Cadabra features a Presence control that dumps a varying amount of frequencies to ground. The result is a full-bodied master tone control that helps you sit in the mix right where you like.

Gain: Think of this as an analog to the Supergroup’s Gain control. Keep it low for some crunchy British-style chunk or crank it to get those tube-melting tones that Mr. Iommi is known for. Setting this above 3 o’clock definitely gets you into Dehumanizer territory.

Vol 4: Loud. This thing gets loud. Did I say loud?

Range: This control knob influences the front-end treble booster of the Sabbra. This circuit's design is derived from our Naga Viper, a system comprising three knobs: Boost, Heat, and Range. In the Sabbra, Boost and Heat settings are maximized, providing mastery over the Range, which acts as an input frequency selector. Frequency selection in treble boosters is achieved by channeling the signal through a small input capacitor that trims the low end. The Range control oscillates between two input capacitors—one small, one large—ensuring the Sabbra's drive side operates with the appropriate frequencies.

Power:

The Sabbra Cadabra requires at least 9VDC and up to 18VDC with a negative center. It draws a miserly 5mA, meaning you can run it with pretty much any supply fitting the above requirements. You can also use a 9V battery; just remember to unplug the input cable when you’re finished, or it will continue to use battery power. However, the modest current draw will let the battery last a good long time.