Third Man Records PLASMA COIL 5-Year Anniversary Limited White Edition

Description

The Limited Edition

This white and silver limited edition of the Plasma Coil celebrates the 5-year anniversary of the cooperation between Jack White, Third Man Hardware, and Gamechanger Audio.

Featuring a white chassis and silver plates of photosensitive, anodized aluminum, the pedal stands out from the rest of Gamechanger Audio products. Each unit is numbered, and the total batch is limited to 400 units.

Priced at 399 USD in the US, 399 EUR in the EU, and 359 GBP in the UK, the product is available for purchase via Reverb.com, Third Man Records, and Gamechanger Audio. Reverb.com and Third Man Records stores sell odd serial numbers, whereas Gamechanger Audio sells units with even serial numbers.

The PLASMA Coil’s octave effects are created by a unique analog circuit designed specifically for driving a high-voltage transformer. The subharmonic modes add massive low end to higher notes, and the upper harmonic modes add fire and razorblades to riffs and low-tuned chords.

The PLASMA Coil is allegedly even grittier than the original PLASMA Pedal, and the added effects make it a very expressive distortion unit. In the words of PLASMA Coil users – it literally strips the paint off the walls.

At its heart is Gamechanger’s innovative High Voltage Distortion technology that expresses audio signal as a series of electrical discharges. Even though they’ve been printing the words: “High Voltage Rock’n’Roll” on t-shirts since 1973, PLASMA Distortion is the first commercial musical device that literally amplifies the audio signal to 3500 Volts. Plasma Coil takes High Voltage distortion to new heights by adding multiple Octave-style circuits, and an additional Effects footswitch that can be toggled as latching or momentary. The expected life of the xenon tube is 10,000 to 70,000 hours of active playing.

Simplified signal chain: Input -> EQ -> Octave/Effect -> Transformer to High Voltage -> Xenon Tube -> Antenna that picks up the electromagnetic vibrations surrounding the Tube -> Output

Main Features

• 2 EQ controls to boost or cut low and high frequencies;
• VOLTAGE knob – adjusts the amount of electrical current sent to the PLASMA Tube.
• EFFECTS knob allows you to select 1 of 6 different effect types:
  • Volume boost
  • 2 Subharmonic modes (Bitcrush-style octave down)
  • 1 Upper harmonic mode (Octafuzz-style octave up)
  • 2 Mixed modes (Upper and lower harmonics combined)
• Effects footswitch – engages the PLASMA COIL’s special effect circuit.
• Master VOLUME knob – cuts or boosts the output signal level.
• ON/OFF silent footswitch.
• Effects footswitch toggle on the back panel – configure effects footswitch as a latching ON/OFF switch or as a momentary switch.

Learn more about the PLASMA Coil here!
Download User’s Manual here

Natural Noise Gate

As soon as you stop playing the electrical discharge within the gas-filled tube is interrupted, and the pedal will not produce any output signal at all. It is eliminating all of the in-between noises created by the instrument’s pick-ups or by humming strings. This feature allows you to achieve extreme contrasts between individual notes.

Extremely Wide EQ

The PLASMA Coil loses the original dry input signal and creates a new signal from fluctuations in the electromagnetic field surrounding the gas-discharge tube. This allows for a very wide range of frequencies. Boost and cut the lows and highs with the dedicated knobs.

Unique Harmonic Saturation

PLASMA converts your instrument’s signal into a rapid series of electric discharges, which results in a large amount of non-linear harmonic saturation that causes extremely rich and responsive attacks, and brings out screeching sharp overtones and harmonics. These harmonic artifacts, produced as a by-product of the high voltage discharge are uncommon in traditional signal amplification, and therefore PLASMA Coil distortion is unlike anything you have heard before.