The Polyphemus Optical Compressor is a unique and versatile pedal that combines the best features of the original Philosopher’s Tone and its subsequent versions. Designed by Howard Davis, the mastermind behind the iconic EHX Memory Man, this compressor offers exceptional sustain and a blendable overdrive.

The original Philosopher’s Tone, released in 2009, gained popularity for its incredibly long sustain and vactrol-based compression. It also featured a diode-clipping overdrive that could be mixed with the clean compressed signal. Howard Davis, the designer of the Memory Man and Electric Mistress, created this pedal during his time at Electro-Harmonix.

Over time, the Philosopher’s Tone underwent several revisions and new editions. The first was the “Germanium Gold” edition, which had a gold enclosure and a single germanium diode replacing one of the silicon diodes in the clipping section. This edition was more of a marketing gimmick than a significant improvement.

Later, the circuit was simplified and split into two separate pedals: the Philosopher’s Rock, which focused on the overdrive component, and the Philosopher’s Bass, designed specifically for bass frequencies. These versions replaced the original Philosopher’s Tone.

The most recent iteration of the Philosopher’s Tone was released as a miniature pedal, still carrying the original name. This version included an onboard charge pump voltage doubler, eliminating the need for a separate 15V or 18V adapter. As of the release of the Polyphemus, this is the only version currently in production.

The Polyphemus Optical Compressor takes inspiration from all these versions, primarily based on the original Philosopher’s Tone with added modifications and tweaks. It incorporates features such as the charge pump, germanium diode, and improvements to the sustain control. This amalgamation of the best elements from previous versions makes the Polyphemus a truly innovative and versatile optical compressor.

Summary created by AI from the original source.