FOUNDRY Series
Our Signature Studio-Grade Boutique Guitar Pedals
Prologue
FOUNDRY Series is our hold-nothing-back signature studio-grade pedal line that takes “boutique pedal experience” to the next level. Unlike CORE pedals which are designed each as an isolated “tone island”, the FOUNDRY series is designed as a synergistic tonal system. They are intended to be used in conjunction with each other (and other pedals), so stacking together unlocks new levels of pedal interplay and sonic dimension. ​
While all Pettyjohn pedals feature a careful selection of audiophile componentry, only FOUNDRY offers our hold-nothing-back approach in engineering. Each Foundry pedal includes sonic performance to the n-th degree, often having more in common with high end studio rack gear designs then other pedals. We offer things unique in the pedal world, such as our proprietary Pettyjohn 36v dual-rail, inverting charge pump power supply, which allows us to power 990 style discrete op amps, previously unavailable in the pedal format.
FOUNDRY pedals offer extended tonal controls and even secret internal switches to deeply refine your tone machine to fit your preferences. In true boutique pedal form, FOUNDRY also offers a wider array of tonal, clipping and op amp mods all packaged in our nearly indestructible, custom built mild-steel enclosures.
The Foundry Series is Discontinued
as of January 1st, 2022
A Synergistic Tonal System
FOUNDRY is a unique synergistic tonal system designed to incrementally enhance the tone as you stack multiple pedals together.
Most guitar pedals, especially drive pedals, are designed as a “tonal island” to be used in isolation. As a result, it often is unknown how they will perform stacking with other pedals. Often pedals sound great by themselves but buckle when you stack them with another gain stage. Every feature in each FOUNDRY pedal is designed with stacking in mind, creating a better experience and making the pedals much easier to dial in.
Design features like super-high headroom 36-volt power, dedicated In and Out buffers, active Level control for no tone loss and passive 6dB/Oct HPF and LPFs allow for stacking with unparalleled results.
FOUNDRY takes the approach that stacking pedals should incrementally add shades of color and gain. As such we intentionally tempered gain ranges and tonal controls to gently shape your tone as the signal moves through your chain.
The general idea when using FOUNDRY Series is to place the LIFT preamp on the front of your pedal chain, then stacking your overdrives from lowest to highest gain, starting with the CHIME, to IRON, to GOLD. Next, throw in your favorite time-based pedals (reverbs, delays, and modulation), and try ending your chain with a LIFT or SHIFT, depending on your needs.
Ultra-High Headroom
FOUNDRY Series pedals feature Pettyjohn’s proprietary dual-rail inverting charge-pump power supply.
This little gem is a major upgrade from our CORE Series already high quality charge pump and is a sophisticated dual-rail DC to DC converting internal power supply. Our charge pump provides an incredible +/-18v of internal power, for a total of 36v, and all from a standard regulated 9v power adapter (200mA). That's 4X the headroom of most standard guitar pedals.
Higher headroom empowers a pedal's op amps to operate at their theoretical maximum, providing the cleanest, least distorted signal possible. By doing so, tone can be dialed in further down the circuit providing unprecedented control when you want to push a signal into overdrive, distortion and fuzz.
We took the pains of engineering our own proprietary charge pump to power FOUNDRY’s dual discrete 990 op amp mods, pushing FOUNDRY into true studio-grade territory.
Studio Grade Op Amps
FOUNDRY Series utilizes the highest grade componentry available, including top-shelf operational amplifiers (op amps).
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Op amps are the active components in the circuit, similar to tubes or transistors, which are the key components doing the actual ‘work’ in the circuit. Cheap, lower quality op amps often have high distortion and noise characteristics resulting in signal degradation and tone coloration.
To minimize uncontrollable tone coloring Pettyjohn uses top-shelf Burr-Brown op amps in our stock model FOUNDRY pedals to control the input and output buffer stages.
​The FOUNDRY Series, however, takes it one step further by offering the ability to use a dual discrete 990 style op amp in the dedicated buffers, protecting each stage from external interface and delivering the cleanest possible signal path.
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The result of the 990 discrete op amp is often described as a more natural, clean, and open sound with better note separation, pick articulation, and micro-dynamics. It's standard definition vs high definition.
Sparkling Mild Steel Enclosure
FOUNDRY Series features our nearly indestructible custom mild steel enclosure forged in the USA. Refined over six years, our latest rendition features a soft slopped front stomp panel protecting the main top control panel.
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Taking cold-rolled sheets of mild steel, each box is meticulously bent into shape, forming top and bottom plates that slide perfectly together, secured by recessed bottom screws.
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The FOUNDRY enclosure measures 2.75”W x 4.75”L and 2.5”H and are finished with high-quality sparkling powder coating.
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Dial your tone with clearly labeled knobs, switches and mini-pots, select between a wide array of custom mods and you're ready for a studio-grade boutique pedal experience that is uniquely you.
