Project overview:

Inspired by the Abasi Pathos, a high touch-sensitive overdrive/distortion pedal designed to appeal to the needs of versatile guitarists everywhere. This PCB feature two distinct drive flavors and a 3-band EQ that gives you the tonal control needed to fit into any mix.

Prepare yourself to get tons of drive effects with a single board; with the Djentleman, everything is possible: 

Want some crunchy attack? Got it. 

Need some fantastic sustain? Go for it. 

Craving full-blown distortion? Djentleman is there for you!

Introduction

The Pathos is the first design to emerge from the collaboration between Tosin Abasi, acclaimed guitarist of Animals as Leaders, and pedal guru Brian Wampler. The result? A pedal that performs so well that it may be the only overdrive your pedalboard will need.  

Djentleman is the perfect pedal for those who demand both detail and dynamism. Its high-gain overdrive/distortion circuitry provides the killer tone you need for any performance, while its various controls let you sculpt your sound to perfection. Whether you’re playing on stage or in the studio, Djentleman will give you the edge you need to rock out like a true champion!

With a straightforward set of controls: bass, mid, treble, volume, and gain knobs and a mini-toggle switch for “smooth” or “edge” voicings, Djentleman can accomplish lots of great stuff.  

The first thing you will notice is that its dynamic range can get genuinely impressive in certain settings. Just for fun, try this: get your guitar volume knob in the lowest reaches of its output, and notice how you can still reach clear arpeggiated, open-voiced, triad figures. Impressive. 

It also has no problem dealing with complex harmonies from modern jazz. Such harmonic structures are often full of intricate dissonances, and many amps and pedals can obscure such details. The Djentleman, however, easily handles and communicates these sonorities. This pedal will inspire you to explore more chord shapes that usually wouldn’t work in high-gain environments.

Maximum gain is excellent for muted, single-note riffs. The setting can even work well for intricate chords. Complex chords display pleasingly whether you brushed across the strings one at a time or struck the whole chord with force. 

Don’t be fooled by the term overdrive; this board can go above and beyond. It’s time to build the perfect pedal for the modern gentleman.

Controls

Potentiometers

• Bass
• Mids
• Treble
• Gain
• Volume

Switches

• Voicing

For any technical questions regarding this build, don’t forget to check out our Facebook Group and our forum at Free Stomp Boxes.

Djentleman – Building Docs

Djentleman – Drilling template