Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive

Fairfax is the first pedal in Strymon's new 100% analog series, designed as a complete "mini amp" rather than a simple overdrive. Directly inspired by early Class A circuits designed to be stacked with a second amp (notably the famous Garnet Herzog for Randy Bachman), it recreates a preamp + power amp + output transformer chain on a JFET circuit base, all internally powered at 40V to deliver the feel and dynamics of a real vintage amp pushed to its limits.

Physically, Fairfax adopts the new compact Strymon format with a very dense metal/aluminum chassis, a true bypass relay switch, and exemplary US manufacturing. Three main controls are included:
LEVEL (output volume), DRIVE (preamp saturation level), and SAG (power stage sag) are complemented by a mini BRIGHT switch that allows you to accentuate the treble curve (flat and bright response or smoothed high frequencies). The connections remain simple and effective: high-impedance JFET instrument input, low-impedance mono output, 9V center-negative phantom power supply with internal conversion to +/-40V for enormous headroom and very low noise, and finally, internal jumpers to define the state (on/bypass) at startup, useful for a pedalboard setup.

In terms of sound, Fairfax behaves like a true Class A amp in a pedalboard: with a low drive level, the response remains surprisingly flat, with a slight harmonic enrichment and a precise attack that serves as a high-quality clean boost, perfect for pushing a clean channel or sculpting an existing crunch. The pedal is impressively transparent and the dynamics are monstrous.
Increasing the drive level transforms the pedal into a dense overdrive, then a very amp-like saturation with a tight bass, a present midrange, and adjustable treble via the Bright switch, depending on whether you're looking for a darker, creamier sound or a more biting high end. The SAG control is the real game changer: at zero, the attack is tight, fast, and defined, ideal for rock rhythms, clean tones, or tight, modern sounds; increasing it increases compression, the bass starts to pump, and at its extreme, the circuit becomes unbalanced, offering fuzz/gated textures, notes that "crash" and become distorted, perfect for doom, dirty garage, or noise textures. The pedal handles boosts, fuzzes, octavers, and modulations without flinching, and works equally well with a clean amp, an amp already in breakup mode, or as the input to an IR simulator/cab or modeler.

In conclusion, Fairfax is aimed at guitarists who want to rediscover the full behavior of a small Class A amp pushed to the max, but in pedal format: indie/alt rock, garage, stoner, blues rock players or even producers looking for an “amp” texture to insert on a channel or at the recording.
Compared to a classic overdrive or the many more conventional "amp-in-a-box" pedals, the Fairfax stands out with its meticulously crafted, 100% analog architecture (preamp + power amp + transformer simulator + variable sag), its enormous gain range, the ability to go from a super-clean boost to a "hysterical" gated fuzz, and a very organic playing feel rarely achieved in this format. If you want a pedal that reacts exactly like an amp being abused, rather than just another drive, the Fairfax is exactly what you need!