Backless and Backless+
Feedback Suppressors

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Playing harmonica through a cupped microphone sounds great but often if you want to turn things up to cut through the mix you can run into howling feedback. The Backless and Backless+ feedback suppressors are practical and cost effective solutions to that problem.
The Backless feedback suppressors are based on a circuit that we found in a series of vintage solid stage PA amps from the 1960s. When transistors started to replace tubes, power levels started going up and with those power levels going up so did the chance of encountering feedback. To eliminate that feedback, the maker of Kustom amps in Chanute, Kansas came up with an clever adjustable filter for their high powered PA amps. We've taken that circuit and adapted it the pedal format. Essentially it's a tunable notch filter with a side circuit that allows some critical mid-high frequencies to pass, keeping the natural tone of your playing.
The regular Backless is a single band filter for high impedance microphones, like the Green Bullet. That filter is active in the range of the frequency spectrum most likely to experience feedback. Turn up your amp and mic to the point where feedback starts, activate the Backless and just dial it in to where the howling stops.
Like professional sound enforcement feedback suppressors, the Backless+ has three switchable bands of filtration. Additionally, to address feedback when you aren't playing, so you don't have to keep turning down the volume control on your mic between solos or songs the Backless+ also incorporates a Decimator noise suppression circuit from ISP Technologies. Unlike conventional noise gates, the Decimator circuit accurately tracks the signal for a much more natural tone, sustain, and decay. The filter and noise suppressor circuits can be operated independently, with true bypass wiring.
To make the Backless+ a complete feedback solution for harmonica players and vocalists, in addition to the standard high Z input it also has both 1/4" and XLR inputs for low impedence mics like the SM57 and SM58, using a high quality Neutrik matching transformer.
Both the Backless and Backless+ are assembled in the Motor City, U.S.A. using domestic and imported components. Target pricing: Backless - $125 plus S&H Backless+ - $250 plus S&H

For more information, drop us an email.

The Electric Harmonica Company
Motor City, U.S.A.