Lauren Audio Mustang
A revisit that was overdue. The Lauren Audio Mustang has earned its reputation as one of the most coveted indie-built preamp pedals available — and my production process has come a long way since the first demo. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Lauren Audio Mustang Neve 1073 Preamp Pedal takes center stage — paired with the Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model into the Benson Amps Monarch.
The Neve 1073 is one of the most studied, imitated, and beloved preamp circuits ever built. Designed by Rupert Neve in 1970, it defined the warm, punchy, three-dimensional character of countless classic records. Lauren Audio's James faithfully recreated that circuit in pedal form — and then went further, adding more gain than the original unit is capable of producing along with a variable negative feedback control that puts the harmonic content and breakup entirely in the player's hands.
The Mustang is a Class-A overdrive based on the Neve 1073, supercharged with a modified gain control and variable negative feedback that lets the player control harmonic content and breakup, allowing for a soaring, searing overdrive typically unattainable by its studio brethren. It runs at an internal 24V like the classic Neve rack unit, for incredible headroom and dynamic depth.
Neve 1073-spec BC109C transistors and polystyrene filtering capacitors define the circuit character. A JFET front end provides high-impedance guitar input. The Sensitivity control handles most of the gain and input level — the primary tone-shaping parameter. The Feedback knob controls the variable negative feedback loop: maxed out, you get the most harmonic content, the most breakup, and the closest thing to a fuzz a studio preamp circuit can produce. Rolled back, you get a smooth, pristine preamp character with the warmth and punch of the original console channel strip.
The range covered in this demo — from glassy preamp at 9 o'clock Gain all the way to max Gain and Feedback searing into the Benson Monarch — is genuinely extraordinary.
Pre-order: https://www.lauren.audio/product/mustang-pre-order-1
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🎸 Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model | Handmade by Nicolas Giordano in Italy
🎛️ Lauren Audio Mustang | Neve 1073 Class-A Preamp | 24V Internal | BC109C | Variable Feedback
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
