Cincinnati-based KSR Amplification was founded in 2009 as a custom manufacturer. The company segued into standard production models in 2011 and has become known for behemoth tube heads like the Colossus and Orthos, which have won fans in the heavy-rock market with their searing high-gain lead channels and tight, thumping lows. Founder and proprietor Kyle Rhodes has now packed several of his most popular sounds into the Ceres 3-Channel Preamp to create a pedal that could become the cornerstone of many rock warriors’ favorite fly rig.
The first channel (Clean) is the most basic, offering controls for just level and tone. It can also be configured for simple buffered or true-bypass with no control functions. But it’s the second (Rhythm) and third (Lead) channels that will generate the most excitement, with their multitude of scorching guitar sounds. Both have five-knob, threes-witch control rows. The knobs govern gain, bass, middle, treble and level, while the switches include bright, a three-way feel switch (governing low-end tightness), and a three-way mode switch that determines gain characteristics (Ares crunch, Artemis/Gemini red mode, Colossus lead). There’s also an internal jumper to select an Ultra-Tight mode for use with potentially boomy power amps, and another for setting the brightness of the KSR logo, which lights up in use and changes color to indicate channel. The two foot switches include a Rhythm and Lead toggle and a bypass, and there’s a 1/8-inch TRS jack for remote switching. For power, the Ceres requires an external nine-volt DC supply of at least 200mA.
As with other such pedals hitting the market in recent years, the Ceres is intended to be connected to either a power amp, the FX loop return of a guitar amp, the front end of a clean guitar amp or the line-in of a cab-sim unit