Mad Professor Super Black Boost - Overdrive

A Tribute to Blackface and a "Mad Professor" Evolution

The Fender Blackface amps from 1963 to 1968 set a standard: a wide, bright, and precise clean sound, scooped mids just right, and a break-up character that appears when pushing the amp... often at volumes not suitable for home or some stages. The Mad Professor Super Black captures this DNA in pedal format by reproducing the signal architecture of a Blackface amp, transforming your rig into a '60s machine without relying on volume. Going beyond a simple preamp emulation, Mad Professor integrates its iconic Sweet Honey Overdrive to recreate the feel of a boost/drive placed in front of a vintage amp.

Who It's For and When the Super Black Excels

The Super Black is aimed at guitarists who want the feel of a vintage American amp at their fingertips: crisp attacks, breathing chords, and progressive saturation that follows your picking hand. In blues, rock, country, pop, funk, or indie, it becomes an ideal sonic foundation for building a pedalboard, especially if you like to play with guitar volume and pick dynamics.

In the studio, it simplifies access to a recorded "clean" sound without having to crank a combo. Live, it serves as an additional channel : you keep your amp relatively neutral and switch from a bright clean to thick break-up, then to a more driven overdrive via the Sweet Honey section. And if your amp colors too much, plug the Super Black into the return jack of the effects loop: you bypass the preamp and enjoy a more "Blackface" and consistent character from one backline to another.

Two Channels, Full Controls, and Well-Thought Voicings

The heart of the Super Black is its Blackface preamp with full EQ: Bass, Middle, and Treble to sculpt the texture, plus a Presence control at the output to adjust brightness and openness in a mix. The Gain and Volume controls let you find the ideal balance between headroom, break-up, and stronger saturation while keeping the final level under control.

The two mini-switches add a real "amp" feel: the Bass Cut switch tightens the low end (useful with humbuckers, lower tunings, or to avoid a "muddy" effect in a dense mix), and the Compression switch adjusts the power stage-style compression sensation, from more dynamic to smoother.

Finally, the integrated Sweet Honey Overdrive has its own on/off and Drive and Volume controls. You can use it alone as a transparent, touch-sensitive overdrive or activate it as a boost in front of the Blackface side to thicken the tone, increase sustain, and get a more singing overdrive perfectly tuned to the "black panel" character.

The Sound

The Super Black aims for a sparkling and punchy clear signature, with great note separation and controllable brightness via the Presence. The break-up is progressive and very "amp-like": the harder you play, the more it bites, and when you ease off, the sound cleans up without gating effects. Pushing the gain yields an amp-style overdrive with natural compression (adjustable via the dedicated switch) that highlights bends and adds body to riffs.

This pedal loves nuance: it rewards clean playing but can become a true rock machine when combining the Blackface channel and the Sweet Honey. The result is a high-end sonic foundation capable of going from premium clean to thick crunch while remaining clear in a crowded pedalboard.

Technical specifications

Effects	Boost, Overdrive	Type	sector
Technology	Analog	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Black
EQ	3 channels

EAN	6430033091432	Input impedance	400 kOhm
Output Presence	Presence	Output impedance	1.5 kOhm
Blackface section	Gain, Volume	Dimensions	120 x 94 x 53 mm
Sweet Honey section	Drive, Volume	Weight	440 g
Footswitches	Blackface activation/bypass and Sweet Honey activation/bypass	Required voltage	9V DC (9V battery type 6F22 or DC adapter, center negative)
Input	6.35mm Jack (instrument)	Voltage range	8V to 16V DC (some units from serial number 1001 accept up to 18V DC for more headroom)
Output	6.35mm Jack	Consumption	27 mA at 9V DC
Power supply	DC connector 2.1 mm, center negative