What it is
The Bad Serranos is an overdrive pedal with a clear, warm, full-bodied voice. It’s a nod to the classics, subtly drawing from time-tested designs. Four knobs, laid out two by two, give you the capability to tailor the overdrive effect to your musical preference.
Controls
Names as printed on the enclosure. Loud and rage are the top row, bright and dark the bottom row.
| On the pedal | Position | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| .loud | top left | Sets the output volume of the pedal. Clockwise is louder. |
| .rage | top right | Regulates the intensity of the overdrive. Clockwise increases the rage, for a more distorted sound; counter-clockwise gives a cleaner tone. |
| .bright | bottom left | Changes the high-frequency content of the output. Clockwise is more treble. |
| .dark | bottom right | Alters the low-frequency content of the output. Clockwise is more bass. |
| Footswitch | bottom | Turns the effect on and off. True bypass: with the effect off, your signal passes straight through the pedal untouched. |
Note that bright and dark are two separate controls rather than one tone knob: bright works on the high-frequency (treble) content of the output, dark on the low-frequency (bass) content.
Hooking it up
- The jacks are marked on the enclosure: .in on the right, .out on the left. Guitar into .in, .out to your amp or to the next pedal.
- Power: 9V DC, 2.1 mm barrel plug, center negative. It’s the same adapter that runs every other Spicy Pedals pedal.
- Make sure the supply can deliver at least 100 mA.
- Do not use a supply with a higher voltage rating. That can damage the pedal.
Getting the most out of it
- A good place to start: rage low, bright and dark both in the middle, then bring loud up until the pedal is level with your bypassed sound. Set that first and the rest of the tuning is honest, because you’re not just hearing “louder is better”.
- For a light, always-on drive: rage around a quarter, dark a touch up, bright to taste. It thickens the amp without covering it.
- For the dirtier side: turn rage up and pull loud back down to keep the level in check. Then re-check bright and dark, because a setting that sat right at low gain rarely sits right at high gain.
- Playing through a bright amp or with single-coils, back off bright before you reach for dark. It’s the cleanest way to take the edge off.
Specifications
| Type | Overdrive |
| Controls | .loud, .rage, .bright, .dark, one footswitch |
| Switching | True bypass |
| Power | 9V DC, 2.1 mm barrel, center negative |
| Power supply required | At least 100 mA available |
| Build | Individually assembled by hand in Dallas, Texas, personally by Rolf |
Current draw: not yet measured on this unit, so no figure is published for it here. As a practical guide, analogue overdrives of this kind draw very little — they are among the most frugal things you can put on a pedalboard — so any standard 9 V DC supply rated 100 mA or more has ample headroom for it, on its own or shared with the rest of your board. Treat that as guidance rather than a measurement of your pedal: what this one actually pulls depends on its LED, on the components fitted and on how the unit is built. What does have to be exact is the voltage — 9 V DC, center negative, and never higher.
Care
- When the pedal isn’t in use, disconnect it from the power supply. It extends the life of the components inside.
- Keep it away from dust and moisture, and away from extreme temperatures.
- Check the jacks and knobs now and then and tighten anything that’s worked loose.
Warranty and support
The Bad Serranos comes with a 5-year warranty to the original buyer, covering manufacturing defects.
If something isn’t right with your pedal, get in touch. Spicy Pedals is a one-man shop, so the person who answers is the person who built your pedal.
Individually assembled by hand in Dallas, Texas, personally by Rolf.