My Cusack Music Project 34 Selenium Rectifier Pre/Drive has landed - courtesy of Guitar FX Direct

Thanks first to Ross from Cusack Music and Simon from Guitar FX Direct for helping to make this happen. This is a super limited release and I’m truly fortunate to be able to get my hands on one. I explained in the launch article how I had acquired pedals direct from Cusack Music in the past, while post Brexit complexities mean that they are among a number of American builders who don’t ship direct to the UK any more. Just as well then that we have Simon’s Guitar FX Direct as the UK Dealer for this brand. Limited editions are always complicated affairs, and usually only sold direct from the builder - but Simon was able to secure a few for the UK. Those all went pretty much immediately, and of course included mine.

Controls - Level, Gain, Tone, Low-End Contour : More / Neutral / Most.

I started off with all dials and switches in the middle, and powered on from there. First trying the 3 different Low-End Contours : More / Neutral / Most. As you switch that Up, and then Down - you get progressively more low-end, but also it acts as a harmonics multiplier - delivering a most richly textured harmonic overdrive voicing with that switch in the down position. It’s cleverly labelled Contour - as it changes a few things about each of those essentially 3 voicings.

The Project 34 has decent output levels, while I could have done with a touch more volume. I tend to have Level @ Max, Gain @ Noon, and Tone on @ c 3 o’c for this pedal - those settings deliver the most optimal harmonic texture for me. If you crank up the gain - the distortion becomes darker, denser and more compressed - which is why the mid point sounds the best for my rig.

There’s decent range on those dials - while there is a degree of interactivity between them too - so you typically need to tweak the 3 knobs in tandem. You also get great amp-like dynamics here - including natural compression, and guitar volume cleanup. The pedal seems to play well with others too. I’m definitely filing this under the ’Harmonic Overdrive’ category as that’s what its richly complex texture seems to suggest on first encounter.

I thought I recognised a sort of Vox AC-30 character in some of the demos - while that is a relatively subtle association in my rig - definitely a hint of that, but very much its own thing really - with plenty of bite and crunch!

In general this is great sounding distinctly-voiced and versatile richly textured harmonic overdrive. I’m very glad that I have one of these in the reference collection, and on the board!

Here I would normally post links to source - which actually I will do even though the UK allocation is already sold, and the USA inventory may well be all gone by the time you come across this article. The Project 34’s were £259 @ Guitar FX Direct, and as of writing are still available for order from the Cusack Music Webstore - @ $240 - surely not many of those left as the SR1 Selenium Rectifier was only made between 1930 and 1960 - and there are scant to be found anywhere nowadays!