Electro Harmonix C9

From the B9 to the C9: the "Organ Machine" that expands the playground

Following the legacy of the B9, the C9 Organ Machine adopts the same philosophy: achieving credible organ sounds from your instrument without changing your technique or adding a pickup. While the B9 targeted an initial range of "organ" textures, the C9 opens a new chapter, more oriented towards electric organs, vintage keyboards, and iconic colors inspired by classic genres (prog, vintage rock, ambient soundscapes, combo organs, tape-like textures).

The result: a pedal designed for those who want to thicken an arrangement, create organ doubles, or even replace a keyboard on certain parts, all while retaining the feel of guitar playing.

A pedal for creative guitarists, from home studio to stage

The C9 is aimed both at musicians discovering effects and at seasoned guitarists seeking an instant sonic signature. In blues and classic rock, it delivers warm and expressive organ pads. In prog and '70s rock, it offers dense "drawbars" textures with Leslie-type modulation. In ambient and pop, the airier presets allow for creating pads and backgrounds that fill the space without saturating the mix.

On stage, the handling is ultra-fast: choose a preset, adjust the Dry/Organ blend, then tailor MOD and CLICK to the song. In the studio, the dual output becomes formidable for recording a clean dry track while capturing the processed organ, or for processing each signal differently during mixing.

Controls, presets, and routing: simple on the surface, deep in use

The C9 features a 9-position rotary selector and four potentiometers: DRY (volume of the direct signal in the Organ output), ORGAN (effect volume), MOD (modulation speed, can be disabled by setting to zero), and CLICK (percussion and preset-specific parameters). Depending on the chosen sound, modulation can take on chorus or vibrato colors, and the CLICK control can act as an organ "key click," brightness, harmonic adjustment, attack or sustain control, or even an independent level on some presets.

Regarding connectivity, the pedal has a 6.35mm Jack input, a Dry output (buffered input signal, available even when the effect is off), and an Organ output that sends the mix determined by the DRY and ORGAN settings. This routing allows either ultra-simple wiring (Organ output to amp) or more advanced setups (split: Dry to a "guitar" chain, Organ to a "keyboard" chain, dedicated amp, or console).

The footswitch activates a buffered bypass with status LED: perfect for maintaining a clear and stable signal on pedalboards, especially if you use the Dry output as a constant line.

The sound

The C9 stands out with a very immediate "keyboard instrument" feel: chords become rich harmonic blocks, single notes take on an organ character with percussion and movement, and the Dry/Organ blend allows precise control over the guitar's presence in the final sound. It excels at creating layers: a hint of organ under a riff to thicken it, or conversely a dominant organ to mask pick attack and achieve a more "keyboard" texture.

Each preset has its personality: Tone Wheel targets tonewheel-style organs with rotary cabinet movement, Prog and Lord Purple lean towards massive rock-oriented registers, Compact recalls 60's transistor organs, Mello Flutes evokes a very musical "tape" breathiness, and Telstar brings a more singular color, between retro organ and vintage electronic keyboard. The CLICK control then becomes your best ally to refine the "signature": sharper attack, longer sustain, adjusted brightness, or enhanced harmonics.

Technical specifications

Effects	Synthesizer	Type	sector
Technology	Digital	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Brown

Pedal type	vintage organ/keyboard (generation and emulation from input signal)	Input	6.35mm Jack
Circuit	digital	Outputs	Dry (buffered direct signal), Organ (Dry/effect mix) via 6.35mm Jack
Bypass	buffered	Power input	DC
9 presets	Tone Wheel, Prog, Compact, Shimmer, Lord Purple, Mello Flutes, Blimp, Press Tone, Telstar	Input impedance	1 MOhm
Potentiometers	Dry (direct signal volume in Organ output), Organ (effect volume), MOD (modulation speed, disable at zero), CLICK (percussion and preset-dependent parameters)	Output impedance	500 ohms
Rotary selector	Preset (1 to 9)	Required power	9 V DC (center negative)
Footswitch	Bypass	Consumption	100 mA
Indicator	LED status