Strymon Fairfax Overdrive Preamp

The Strymon Fairfax is not a traditional distortion pedal but a fully analogue amp style drive designed to capture the response, dynamics, and feel of a small vintage valve amplifier. Inspired by a little known 1960s circuit most famously associated with the Garnet Herzog unit, Fairfax delivers natural saturation, harmonic richness, and a highly responsive playing feel that closely mirrors a real tube amp.

Instead of digital processing, Fairfax employs a carefully engineered analogue design that recreates a tube preamp, Class A power section, and the tonal behaviour of an output transformer, all condensed into a compact pedal format. A variable Sag control further enhances the amp like character, allowing anything from gentle compression to gated, fuzz adjacent textures at higher settings. Internally, a transformer based power supply boosts the standard 9V input to 40V, providing the headroom and dynamic range required for authentic amp response.

A dedicated Bright switch controls the high frequency contour of the pedal. In the Off position, the top end is slightly rolled off for a smoother, more rounded response. Switching Bright On retains the full high frequency content, resulting in a clearer, more open sound with added treble presence.

At lower gain settings, Fairfax works as a harmonically rich boost that preserves the natural voice of the guitar while adding warmth and cohesion. Higher gain settings introduce thicker saturation and sustain, making it suitable for both edge of breakup tones and fully driven sounds. As part of Strymon’s Series A line, Fairfax is intentionally free from digital features, focusing entirely on analogue tone and feel.

Key features

• Fully analogue amp style drive circuit

• Inspired by 1960s Herzog and Champ style designs

• Transformer based internal voltage boost to 40V

• Variable Sag control for compression and gated textures

• Bright switch for high frequency contour shaping

• Wide gain range from clean boost to saturated drive

• Part of Strymon’s Series A analogue pedal line