Electronic Audio Experiments The Bard Preamp/Drive Pedal | No Limit Guitar Co, Idaho Falls
The Electronic Audio Experiments Bard is a lovingly crafted homage to the Music Man HD130 — a cult classic amplifier from the 1970s and '80s that combined a solid-state preamp with a tube power amp, producing tones that were wildly underappreciated in their era. The Bard distills the HD130's most distinctive qualities — pristine cleans, trashy overdrive, and wide frequency response — into a compact, pedalboard-ready drive pedal. Available now at No Limit Guitar Co in Idaho Falls, this is a boutique effects pedal for players who appreciate the road less traveled.
Product Overview
The Bard's circuit architecture takes its cues from classic 1960s American amplifier design, reimagined with op amps standing in for tubes. The result is a clean tone that is clear and sparkly, with a gentle passive midrange dip courtesy of the tone stack — familiar enough to feel natural, but with a character distinctly its own. As Drive increases, the pedal moves through touch-sensitive medium-gain territory before arriving at higher gain settings where the op amps distort in a way that is, by design, unapologetically not "tube-like." That quality is part of the point.
What makes the Bard especially interactive is the placement of its passive tone stack before the primary gain stage. This means your Low and High control settings don't just shape your final tone — they actively influence the texture of the distortion itself. Pushing the Low control adds a fuzzier, more saturated low-end character, while higher High settings sharpen the drive and increase gain in the upper frequency range. The Bright/Normal switch further refines the treble contouring at low-to-medium drive levels, adding a glassy edge that smooths out as gain increases.
With its wide frequency response and highly interactive controls, the Bard is equally suited to guitar and bass. Whether you're after sparkling cleans with a hint of preamp color, angular mid-gain crunch, or full-tilt op amp saturation, this pedal navigates the full spectrum with confidence. No Limit Guitar Co in Idaho Falls is proud to carry Electronic Audio Experiments' distinctly creative lineup of boutique effects pedals.
Ideal For
- Guitar players who want a drive pedal that sounds genuinely different from the standard "tube-like" overdrive crowd
- Bass players seeking a wide-frequency-response preamp and overdrive in a compact, pedalboard-friendly format
- Fans of vintage American amplifier character — particularly Music Man, early solid-state, and op amp-based tones
- Players who love interactive, pre-gain EQ shaping to sculpt overdrive texture rather than just the final sound
- Boutique pedal enthusiasts in Idaho Falls and beyond looking for a thoughtfully engineered, limited-production drive pedal
Key Features
Pre-Gain Passive Tone Stack The Low and High controls are positioned before the primary gain stage, meaning EQ choices directly shape the character of the distortion — not just the output tone. This creates a highly expressive and interactive playing experience that rewards experimentation.
Op Amp Gain Architecture Inspired by classic 1960s American amplifier circuits, the Bard uses op amps in place of tubes to produce its distinctive overdrive. At high Drive settings, the resulting distortion is intentionally not "tube-like" — raw, angular, and full of personality, just like the original HD130.
Bright/Normal Switch At lower Drive settings, the Bright switch adds a glassy treble contouring that sharpens the attack and character of the overdrive. Its influence becomes increasingly subtle as Drive increases, offering meaningfully different voicings across the gain range.
Wide Frequency Response The Bard's broad frequency range makes it just as effective on bass as it is on guitar — a direct nod to the Music Man HD130's original versatility and one of the pedal's most practical real-world advantages.
True Bypass with Relay Switching Relay-based true bypass ensures your dry signal is completely unaffected when the pedal is disengaged, preserving your tone integrity across any signal chain.
What's Included
- Electronic Audio Experiments The Bard Preamp/Drive Pedal
- Downloadable owner's manual
- Manufacturer warranty
- Note: No battery operation — requires 9V DC regulated, isolated power supply (100mA minimum, not included). Use of an incorrect power supply may cause permanent damage.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 121mm x 66mm x 40mm |
| Bypass | Relay switching, true bypass |
| Input Impedance | 200kΩ @ 1kHz |
| Output Impedance | <5kΩ @ 1kHz |
| Power | 9V DC, 2.1mm center negative barrel |
| Current Draw | 60mA |
| Recommended PSU | Regulated, isolated, 100mA minimum |
| Battery | Not supported |
| Controls | Level, Drive, Low, High, Bright/Normal switch |
| Low EQ Range | ~15dB below 300Hz (passive) |
| High EQ Range | ~15dB between 1kHz–4kHz (passive) |
| EQ Position | Pre-gain (before primary gain stage) |
| Current Version | V1 (January 2024) |
Get Your Hands on The Bard Today
Stop by No Limit Guitar Co in Idaho Falls to try The Bard in person — our staff are passionate about boutique effects and ready to help you find the right pedal for your sound. Prefer to shop online? Contact us to check availability and get The Bard headed your way. For players who want something genuinely different, this is a drive pedal worth seeking out.
