Prehistoric Dog
Sunn Beta Lead/Bass Preamp Distortion
From the Workbench at Berserker Electronics:
The Prehistoric Dog — Beta Blood Runs Deep
The Prehistoric Dog is not a polite pedal. It doesn’t do “transparent.” It doesn’t try to blend in. What it does is snarl, growl, and rip through whatever clean tone you thought you had.
This is a full-throated clone of the Sunn Beta Lead and Beta Bass preamp circuit, right down to the way it hits your amp like a hammer. I built it with a high-voltage internal charge pump, so it runs at proper rail voltage like the original, giving you the same headroom, the same punch, and the same glassy aggression the Beta is known for. It’s not just a distortion box, it’s a legit preamp. Run it into the front of a clean amp, a power amp, or even straight into an interface. It’ll hold its own.
Whether you’re chasing YOB, Red Fang, or just that uniquely solid-state roar that no tube amp can really fake, the Prehistoric Dog is here to deliver. Tight lows, cutting mids, fizzy grind on top, but all tunable with the same weirdly powerful EQ voicing of the original Beta.
Both Lead and Bass versions are baked into this design, so it works just as well with guitars, basses, baritones, or whatever else you’ve got that needs to get loud and weird.
I didn’t design this one. I just resurrected it, made it pedalboard friendly, and gave it a name worthy of the beast inside.
-- James Millican
Builder, Berserker Electronics
Power requirements: 9V DC, 150mA
Free Shipping in US/CA. International Shipping calculated at checkout.
Featured in Guitar Thrills Magazine - October 2024
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REVERB USER REVIEWS
Honestly I feel like I could record a whole album running this directly into my interface. I want this EQ circuit on every piece of gear I own.
Blew my expectations completely out of the water. Pretty much the perfect all purpose distortion/preamp, apart from being a near perfect recreation of the historically important Beta preamp circuit. Absolutely stellar pedal.
Opened the well-packed box, plugged into the fx send / return loop and there it is: that Sunn Beta amp sound in lead and bass flavours. Fantastic work, James! Quality, sound and feel you'd usually only find in much more expensive pedals. Recommended 10/10.
6 stars, not 5. Played a beta lead for many years until it blew up. Twice. Have other setups that are cool and all, but not the same. This is the real deal. The crunch, the cleanup, the big fatty fat low end, all of it. So glad you guys make this, as betas are stupid expensive and somewhat combustible. Very happy.
Super fast shipping. This pedal absolutely KILLS on bass!!! I own over twenty different distortion and fuzz pedals (including many top rated high end pedals) and as far as I'm concerned this is either the leader of the pack or maybe tied for first place for bass dirt. Build quality is superb as well. Can't say enough good things about Berserker Electronics or this pedal. I'm not wowed by pedals all that often but I couldn't put my bass down once I turned the Prehistoric Dog on. Love it!
I can’t say enough things about this transaction. James has been awesome with correspondence and very fast shipping. The fit and finish is outstanding, you can tell he takes great pride in his work. The Prehistoric Dog can doom, metal or get weird. Buy one and have fun.
Fantastic seller. I had a question about power requirements and James from Berserker quickly set me straight. My order was exceptionally well-packaged and arrived in excellent condition. The pedal itself is, as its name implies, feral. From dull thunder to full-throated roar, the Prehistoric Dog is a wild beast on bass guitar and a simple 1x15 amp. Put your favorite Rat/Rat Clone in front of it and you'll be ripped to shreds.