StrongArm classic FX collection

StrongArm is a tribute to the legendary small-box effects designed by Dan Armstrong in the 1970s. These weren’t just pedals; they were secret weapons that plugged directly into the guitar jack, shaping the sound of The Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, Mark Knopfler, and huge 70s rock/funk records.

We have meticulously analyzed the original schematics—recreating the diode clipping, JFET saturation, and specific EQ curves—and packed all 8 iconic modules into a single, easy-to-use Rack Extension.

With StrongArm, you don’t need a pedalboard of confusing knobs. Select your Mode, turn the Main Macro Knob, and dial in the perfect vintage tone instantly. From the wall-of-sound fuzz of the Blue Clipper to the squashed funk of the Orange Squeezer, it’s all here.



The gritty soul of the 1970s, now in your Reason Rack. 

StrongArm | Vintage FX Collection

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A Brief History

In the early 1970s, guitar innovator Dan Armstrong created a line of small, colorful effects modules. Unlike floor pedals, these tiny boxes plugged directly into the guitar’s output jack. They were simple (often having only an On/Off switch) but sounded massive. Because they interacted directly with the guitar’s pickups and volume pot, they had a unique, organic response that defined the “Direct-to-Amp” sound of the era. StrongArm captures this raw, unfiltered character.

CONTROLS

MODE: Switch between the 8 FX original Circuits

DISTORTION:

- BLUE CUTTER: A thick, high-gain silicon fuzz/distortion. The grandfather of the “Distortion+” sound.
- GREEN STINGER: A nasty, analog octave-up ring modulator. Creates chaotic metallic tones and “sputtering” decays.

COMPRESSION:

- CITRUS SQUEEZE: The classic vintage JFET compressor. Warm, squashy, with a signature “pop” on the attack.
- CITRUS CRUSH: A modern modification of the Squeezer. Transparent, punchy, and cleaner with a slower attack.

BOOST & EQ

- RED ROVER: A powerful signal booster. Adds grit and pushes amps into overdrive.
- VIOLET PEAK: A “Presence” enhancer. Boosts specific mid-high frequencies for a nasal, wiry tone.
- AMBER HUMP: A “Body” enhancer. Adds a resonant bass peak. Essential for bass guitar or thin pickups.
- DARK KEEPER: A mid-scoop filter. Cuts 1kHz for a glassy, “hifi” clean tone or modern metal rhythm.

MAIN KNOB: This single large knob controls the most critical parameter for the selected mode. The label changes automatically:

• SUSTAIN (Blue Clipper): Adjusts input gain/fuzz intensity (+30 to +60 dB).
• DRIVE (Green Ringer): Adjusts sensitivity to trigger the octave effect (+15 to +30 dB).
• SQUEEZE (Orange Squeezer): Lowers the threshold for more compression (-10 to -40 dB).
• COMPRESS (Orange Crusher): Threshold for transparent sustain (-15 to -50 dB).
• BOOST (Red Ranger): Output volume boost to drive the next device (0 to +15 dB).
• PEAK (Purple Peaker): Intensity of the High-Mid EQ boost (0 to +12 dB).
• HUMP (Yellow Humper): Intensity of the Bass resonance boost (0 to +10 dB).
• SCOOP (Black Reaper): Depth of the mid-frequency cut (0 to -15 dB).

MIX: Parallel blend. 0% is Dry signal, 100% is Wet signal. (Default: 100%).
LEVEL: Master Output Trim. Use this to balance the volume, as some modes (like Blue Clipper) add significant gain.
DRY & WET: Quick mute buttons for the dry or processed signal path.
FX/BYP: FX On / Bypass switch for the effect. Variation of effect bypass with fade in and fade out, that excludes loud peaks when you enable or disable the effect

POPULAR TRICKS:

1. The “Sultans” Tone
   Select Orange Squeezer. Set the SQUEEZE knob to about 60%. Play a Stratocaster on the bridge/middle pickup. This gives you that snappy, compressed pluck heard on classic Dire Straits records.

2. The “Octave Solo”
   Select Green Ringer. Switch to your guitar’s Neck Pickup and roll your guitar’s tone knob down to 0. Play high up on the fretboard (12th fret and above). The octave up will sing clearly.

3. The “Brian May” Booster
   Stack two StrongArm units!

Unit 1: Set to Red Ranger. Turn BOOST to 75%.
Unit 2: Set to Blue Clipper. Turn SUSTAIN to 50%.
The Ranger pushes the Clipper into a rich, singing lead tone.

1. The “Instant Doom” Bass
   Select Yellow Humper. Crank the HUMP knob to 100%. This adds massive low-end weight to bass guitars without muddying up the sub-frequencies.

HOW TO USE:

1. Insert StrongArm as an insert effect on your Audio Track or Mix Channel.
2. Gain Staging: These effects react to input volume! Ensure your guitar signal is healthy (hitting around -12dB on the meters) before entering the plugin.
3. Select Mode: Choose the desired color.
4. Dial the Macro: Turn the big knob until it sounds good.
   • Tip: For Compressors (Orange), start at 0 and turn up until you hear the volume dip, then adjust Level.
   • Tip: For Boosters (Red/Purple/Yellow), turning the knob up will make the signal louder. Reduce the Level knob to match volume.
5. Automate: Right-click the Main Knob and automate it in the Reason sequencer to change tone intensity during a song.