Cornerstone's new Antique V3 Dual Channel Classic Drive Screamer sits at the pinnacle of pedal design

The very first edition of the Antique materialised in 2016 - with that now familiar 4-knob topology of Tone, Presence, Volume, and Gain - that part hasn't really changed through this pedals' evolution. While at the start, we had a Mids toggle-switch - with which you could flatten the EQ Profile if you wished. The first edition was very much associated with that Stevie Ray Vaughan Texas Twang territory - so more adjacent to, and in the ballpark of the Ibanez TS808. For whatever reason I never got around to acquiring the V1, my first encounter was with the V2 Antique - which emerged 5 years later in 2021.

For the V2 model, we now had the extra 'Comp' toggle-switch - which beautifully lets to you temper that circuit's compression, for a more versatile state - which is a fixed / default option on the Kuro Custom Audio P.h.A. - but nicely optional on the V2 and V3 Antiques. The 'Comp' switch really comes into effect higher up the gain scale - as like for the Bixonic Expandora - you actually want some compression lower down the gain and volume scale, but ideally need to lessen it's impact higher up - to maintain note clarity - as you ride up the gain scale.

The V2 edition was more associated with the John Mayer sounds, more indicative of Ibanez TS10 territory - but the Antique is ever adjacent to the Tube Screamer format - and kind of straddles TS808. TS9 and TS10 flavours, while being its own thing really. The first two enclosure variants were similarly 'rusty' in their colourway, but not entirely identical in hue - I've brought them closer together in the visual - for a more 'harmonic' impact!

The 2024 V3 edition retains the handy 'Comp' switch introduced in 2021, but drops the 'Mids' option - as people generally weren't using that too much. Instead we get a second channel in effect - the 'Hot Mode' - which allows you to set an alternative volume, and additive gain level. By additive I mean it's a 'Hot' boost - which comes on top of the Gain set by the main dial, while as the Hot Volume - is a replacement value for the one set by the main Volume dial. The 'Hot Mode' is engaged by a secondary footswitch, and for those who don't like their footswitches too close together - you have the option of controlling that via a remote socket on the right side of the pedal - where you can add a micro fotoswilch with however long a cable that suits your preferences - to make it easy for you to kick in the Hot Mode on the fly.

There's obviously a little more going on with the V3 model, and hence the price increase to $299, my friend Steve Dennis stocks these in the UK at his FX Pedal Planet Webstore - where these go for £299.

I mentioned how much I loved the Cornerstone Nero, while the colourway and extra details on the Antique V3 lift that one even higher. The panel has the most amazing geometric raised ridge details - which together with back-lit shaped LED apertures, raised knob surrounds, and those finely detailed and elegant knobs - looks nothing short of spectacular.

It's most definitely one of the most attractive pedals to ever to hit the market in my opinion - and particularly in that striking surf green + white faceplate + champagne knobs configuration. There's an online configurator - where you can select between 6 enclosure colourways, 3 different facia plates, and 4 different hues of knobs - more of that below!

On the Cornerstone Music Gear Website / Webstore you can configure your own perfect Antique V3 pedal from a number of different colourway options.

6 x Base Enclosure Colours

1. Surf Green
2. White Capodimonte
3. Blue Acciaio
4. Espresso (Dark Brown)
5. Black Notte
6. Green Patina (Vibrant Green)

4 x Different Knob Hues

1. Champagne
2. Nickel Plated
3. Dark Gray
4. Jet Black

3 x Faceplate Variants

1. White
2. Black
3. 'Tortoise Shell' (Faux)

The configurator / specifier works fine for most variations, but it glitches out occasionally - like for instance if you try to select Tortoise Shell Faceplate on Surf Green enclosure. There's no additional charge for specifying your own variation - while for me - the core Surf Green + White Faceplate + Champagne Knobs is always going to be the superior option.

In my above visual I've set some of the most obvious combinations - there's examples of each knob variation in the 4 corners, and you see all the enclosure colourways, some in duplicate with different Faceplate variations - with the visual transitioning from lightest to darkest.

Obviously some of those combinations are more harmonious than others - while I've tried to select the most obvious ones that really work well together!

Controls - Tone, Presence, Volume, Gain, Comp Switch : Less / More, HOT MODE } Volume (replacement), Gain (additional Hot Boost!)

Note - EXT. SWITCH port on the right side of the pedal in order to separate out Hot Mode switching.

So how does the Antique V3 sound?

Actually - it's one of those pedals that sounds already magnificent with every knob dialled in at noon - and then things just get even better from there as you tweak those dials to your own preferences. Boss pioneered that a few decades ago now - and as I typically start off with every control in the middle position - I really love it when they follow that Boss model.

Like most, I have several Screamer types in my Reference Collection - I think have somewhere around 30 of these now in all sizes - Mini, Compact, Medium and Large - around 20 in compact enclosure - where the quality of the Screamer circuit really shows itself within my Clean Pedal Platform rig. There are so many that rather use this pedal type as a boost - where it accentuates the amp more than delivering its own flavour. In my rig the quality of the core signal is entirely exposed and revealed in the finest of details!

You might say I have enough screamers already, including the previous V2 model of the Antique, while I'm always happy to add a new variety - if it's wholly worthy of inclusion , and the Antique V3 most certainly is. Its breakup and output profile easily matches the quality and detail in its outward design. It also has excellent guitar volume knob gain cleanup - so you can mostly live on the Hot Mode Channel if you wish and just ride that volume control.

I always try to dial the pedal in for the maximum harmonics and most richly detailed of outputs. Where for the Antique V3 after a number of session I've settled on the following settings :

Preferred Settings - Tone @ 2 o'c, Presence @ 1 o'c, Volume @ Noon, Gain @ 10 o'c, Hot Volume @ 12:30 o'c, Hot Gain @ 2 o'c.

The entire experience of this pedal from start to finish has been wonderful throughout. And for someone who advocates for high quality and innovation - it's fantastic to see a pedal quite so well realized - even though it sits within a firmly ubiquitous category. But make no mistake - this Antique V3 is a marvel every which way! Hopefully I've done full justice to its prowess here!

The only one tiny change I would make here - is that in future editions I would make the Comp switch a 3-way affair so that you could have More Comp on the main lower gain settings, but have it Reduced for the higher gain Hot Mode settings - something like - Hot & Main / Less / Main Only! That's the only change I would make on this pretty much flawless pedal!

Both Phase 3 editions have been superb so far - I'm sure we'll start to see the new take on the larger pedal designs eventually. While Emilio has stated that he's not planning to do a Gladio SC in that format, at least not any time soon. I do expect that will happen eventually, while it will be really interesting to see what the 3rd in this series will be, and how Emilio and his designer will differentiate that one from the two exceptional models that have come before.

As mentioned - I was already pretty blown away by the Nero Dumble-Fuzz pedal, but the Antique V3 is somehow marvellously even better - at least from the design details perspective. The question is - will the 3rd pedal be able to up the ante further! Or is this Antique the peak of the V3 rollout?

Hopefully my journey with the 3rd variant will be a little smoother than what it was for the Nero and Antique V3 - for reasons way beyond my control I did not get to have those pedal in time to participate in either launch at the original time of launch - hopefully I can be fully on point for the next one!

Both the Nero and Antique V3 are widely available now - including some other colourway versions on Reverb.com - while most dealers have rightly chosen to stock the super-appealing core surf green model. The Nero is $269 / £269, and the Antique V3 is at $299 / £299 - available on the Cornerstone Webstore, and at FX Pedal Planet Store in the UK.

Needless to say - this pedal is highly recommended  - a lot of you will think you don't need yet another screamer - but this is such a smart take every which way - you really need this one too!