Kuro Custom Audio's Exegol is a Killer Live Wire of a Properly Amp-Like Model-T Style Preamp
My good friend Giulio Favaro has birthed another monster preamp here with superb amp-like dynamics and feel. He has previous form with his fantastic T120 Preamp - which I still consider to be the best Matamp-style preamp pedal out there.
Giulio’s preamps have the most amazing live feel - they really feel and sound like they could be tube amps - and they have enormous range onboard - in gain, EQ and volume. What’s more is that Giulio has specially crafted the Power Amp output stage socket which has its own circuit fully optimised and honed for amp inserts.
Controls : Master (Volume), Normal (Normal Channel 1 Gain), Brite (Brite Channel 2 Gain), Presence, Bass, Mid, Treble.
You will often hear the phrase amp-like misused or overly generously applied - while here it genuinely feels that this pedal is alive and that its response dynamics and feel are entirely like playing through a proper tube amp. The soundstage is powerful and open and can get really loud and grinding - just like the amp it is based on.
Note that this does not have a separate power amp stage section - like say the EAE Model feT does - while it still feels and sounds totally killer within my pedal platform setup. A number of 'amp-like' preamps can have a slightly artificial edge to them, and a certain difference to how they compress when driven high up the gain structure. While the Exegol to my ears and fingers seems entirely life-like and wholly realistic.
For those who have played the Chase Bliss Audio Automatone Preamp - there is a certain lively amp-like quality about that - while I would say it's even more noticeable / pronounced when playing through the Exegol.
I really cannot speak more highly of this preamp pedal - I'm genuinely excited and energised by its output every time I play it - it just handles like a high-horsepower sportscar with superior air-intake and fuel-injection - this is for sure a racing car of a preamp! It's really expressive and responsive with superb super-charged distortion texture.
I've employed a number of different settings / presets up and down the gain scale - depending on my mood, my current favourite settings that seem to have lingered a while now are : Master at Max, Normal at 4 o'c, Brite at 3 o'c, Presence and Mids at 2 o'c, Bass at 3 o'c, and Treble at 4 o'c.
These have been a long time coming - I think I've had mine for a good couple of months now. Where Giulio is of course the consumate perfectionist in everything he does - meaning that nothing gets released until it totally sounds and feels perfect. To my mind this is one of the very best takes on the Model-T format out there and it's well worth getting your hands on one of these.
They're available to buy right now on the Kuro Custom Audio Webstore for the very reasonable sum of €230 - I have a feeling there may be a rush on these when people find out how great they sound! You can also contact Giulio direct via the usual email - info@kurocustomaudio.com.
Demo
