Cornerstone Imperivm Dual Overdrive

The most legendary tonal combination in boutique overdrive — Dumble meets Tube Screamer — in one compact Italian-built pedal. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Cornerstone Imperivm takes center stage — the new successor to the beloved Gladio Double Preamp — running into the Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model, into the Benson Amps Monarch.

Cornerstone Music Gear is a family-owned operation run by husband and wife Emilio and Linda Massari in Italy. Emilio has a background in aerospace engineering — that precision carries through to every circuit. The Imperivm combines two Cornerstone pedals into one box: the Gladio SC (Dumble-inspired) on the right and the Antique (Tube Screamer-inspired) on the left, each with their own footswitch, and an Order switch that routes them in either direction.

The Gladio side is built around Emilio's interpretation of the Alexander Dumble amplifier circuit — the most sought-after and least-attainable amp sound in existence, associated with Robben Ford, SRV, and Eric Johnson. The Clean knob blends the dry signal with the overdriven tone, giving precise control over dynamics and clarity for a touch-sensitive overdrive that feels like a true extension of your fingers. A Comp switch adjusts compression character. Controls: Gain, Tone, Volume, Clean, Comp.

The Antique side is Cornerstone's refined take on the TS808 Tube Screamer, targeting the vocal, singing mid-forward drive of John Mayer's clean-to-crunch tone. The Presence knob shapes high frequencies after clipping — dial in extra edge and clarity to cut through the mix, or roll back for warmer vintage tones. A Mids switch toggles between the classic TS808 mid-hump and a cut setting for a more neutral voice. Controls: Gain, Tone, Presence, Volume, Mids, Comp.

Stack them in either order — Antique into Gladio (TS character driving the Dumble) or Gladio into Antique — and the stacking behavior is dramatically different depending on direction. The combination of mid-push from the Antique into the Gladio's compressed, harmonically rich voicing is the main event of this demo.

🎛️ Cornerstone Imperivm: https://www.cornerstonemusicgear.com/product/imperium2/
🎸 Giordano Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/_giordanoguitars_/
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

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🎸 Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model
🎛️ Cornerstone Imperivm | Gladio SC (Dumble) + Antique (TS808) | Stackable | Order Switch
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch