Josh Smith's Touch-Screen Signature Flat V Dual-Channel Overdrive Collaboration with Poly Effects - is All Killer and with a Twist!

Readers should know by now that I’m a huge fan of Blues Tone-Master Josh Smith - whose ear for tone is second to none. His Eventide Rotary / Lesslie Preset has long been a favourite of mins - as has his Signature Vemuram Myriad Hybrid Fuzz. I loved the Flat V concept right from first encounter on Instagram and immediately thought that this would become a major challenger for my favourite pedal of all time - vs the current incumbent - Chase Bliss’s Automatone Preamp MKII. That has a slightly more granular EQ, while there are more options on the Flat V - with 2 stackable Channels / Sides - and in a significantly more pedalboard-friendly enclosure.

Channel A is Transistor Based and focuses on the Clipping Diode Selection for that Channel - which covers Schottky, Germanium, Silicon and LED varieties. The only settings that apply for the A-Chanel are those 4 Diode options.

Channel B is a tube-like Cascading JFETs style circuit with Waveshape Modulation Blend - via Sine, Triangle, and Square-wave LFO Modulation, or Envelope Follower. All the other Parameters apart from the Diodes apply to this channel - where you assign B1 and B2 Presets - i.e. 2 different settings which you can then morph between / oscillate / modulate between. The Secondary SENSE and SPEED Param controls impact on how the Waves / Envelope Blend is applied. To get a sort of Tremolo / Vibrato you tap the Signature Ident to flip between 2 Sides / Presets of the B Channel - both need to be sufficiently different to get an audible oscillation - and you need to further adjust / refine the Resonance and Sensitivity Params to ensure a balanced output. All that is of course optional - but gives you some really cool and unusual outputs not really found elsewhere.

Touch Controls - Presets / Banks [Hold], Signature Ident : Toggle  B-Sides / Activate VU Mode / Activate Battery Mode / Save Preset [Hold], HPF / High Q, Volume / Sense. Gain / Speed, LPF / Low Q [Tap header to toggle btw Primary & Secondary Params], Diodes : Schottky / Germanium / Silicon / LED, Waveshape / Blend : Sine, Triangle, Square, Envelope Follower, A > B / B > A Channel Order, Footswitch A / Previous Preset [Hold], Footswitch B / Next Preset [Hold].

You then have 4 x 7-Segment Param Columns . Bars - each with Primary and Secondary Parameters. The primaries being High Pass Filter, Volume, Gain and Low Pass Filter, with the Secondaries as High Q Bandwidth Resonance, Sense / Sensitivity, Speed, and Low Q Bandwidth Resonance. You simply Tap the column base headers to toggle between Primary and Secondary Parameters.

The EQ is significantly unique as these are synth-style 24dB/octave 4 pole resonant analog filters versus your more typical Single, or Active or Passive 2 / 3-Band EQs.

The central Signature Ident is a key element here too, as you Single-Tap on that to switch between the 2 x B Side Presets (which you can modulate between) - i.e. where you’re applying the Parameters. A Double-Tap flips the screen to VU Mode - where the 7-Segment Columns become VU Input Meters - really cool! And then you Triple-Tap for the so called ’Battery’ or ’Battery Saving’ Mode - where the display only lights up when you’re touching it! The Signature Ident LED Colour indicated which Bank you are on.

You have 6 Banks of 6 Presets at your finger-tips - simply tap each number for Preset, and Tap-Hold Number for Bank. To save Preset you simply Press-Hold the Signature Ident, and at the same time Tap Number for Bank, and then Number of Preset you wish to Save to.

Finally we have Dual Footswitches which activate each of the A + B Sides - where the central A/B ’button’ can be tapped to flip series order. Holding the A Footswitch Scrolls Down a Preset, while holding the B Footswitch Scrolls up to Next Preset.

Those are pretty much all the essential details - I will share more when I get my hands on my unit. I pre-ordered one from Andertons (UK Poly Dealer) on Sunday Night - and it should be delivered on the day this article goes live!

This Josh Smith Flat V is a really innovative and great looking pedal - with instant visual appeal. And I feel it’s incredibly good value at $399 / £399 considering the Chase Bliss Automatone Preamp MKII currently retails for $749.

Poly has certainly delivered a very distinct modern looking and full-featured overdrive - I am so looking forward to getting my hand on this! Size-wise it looks pretty decent too - not much bigger than a BB-enclosure by the looks of it. There’s of course also Mini MIDI In and Out Jacks for those who need that!

Anyone else here as excited as me about this release?