Lichtlaerm Audio The King in Yellow Guitar Effect

The King in Yellow — Parallel Blending Overdrive

Lichtlaerm Audio The King in Yellow is a TS-style overdrive pedal that takes the classic green-box circuit and adds a parallel blending loop, an active 4-band EQ, and three selectable clipping modes. This model is built for guitarists who want Tube Screamer midrange cut and saturation with deeper tone-shaping and creative routing. Hand-built in Germany to order, it ships with Smart Relay true-bypass switching.

What Sets This Pedal Apart

The defining feature is the parallel FX loop with Blend knob and Polarity switch, which routes any external pedal — Klon-style boost, Blues Breaker breakup, an HM2, or a delay — in parallel with the gain stage. An internal charge pump raises the operating voltage internally, delivering three times the output volume of a standard TS while keeping the noise floor exceptionally low.

Control Layout and EQ

Nine top-panel controls cover drive level, four EQ bands, clipping mode, parallel mix, and phase. Active 4-band EQ is voiced specifically for this circuit so each band interacts cleanly with the saturation stage rather than fighting it.

• Controls: Level, Gain, Low, Low-Mid, Hi-Mid, High, Clip, Blend, Polarity Switch — full drive and tone control from a single stompbox
• EQ Range: ±16 dB cut/boost per band, non-interactive, constant-Q — predictable cuts and boosts that don't overlap when stacked
• Players can choose between Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, and LED clipping modes for varied dynamics.

I/O, Routing, and Power

Standard 6.3 mm TS jacks handle the main signal path while dedicated Send and Return jacks feed the parallel loop. The Polarity switch keeps wet and dry signals phase-correct whether the loop is mixed back in or routed to a second amp for stereo setups.

• Inputs: 6.3 mm TS jack, Return — main instrument input plus parallel loop return
• Outputs: 6.3 mm TS jack, Send — main output plus parallel loop send
• Power: 9 VDC center-negative, PSU not included — standard pedalboard power with internal charge pump for headroom
• Bypass: True bypass via Smart Relay switching — silent switching when the pedal is disengaged

Build and Dimensions

The compact enclosure fits standard pedalboards and is hand-built to order in Germany, with a 14–21 day production window before shipping.

• Dimensions: 121.9 × 66 × 39.6 mm — compact stompbox footprint that fits most pedalboards
• Each unit is hand-built to order in Germany as part of a small-batch process with a 14–21 day wait.