Lemon & Ginger CE Preamp – BOSS CE-1 Preamp Tone

Brand new – handmade in Tokyo, Japan
Original-style A7136AP and 2SC900 components
Includes original box, manual and warranty

Product Description

The Lemon & Ginger CE Preamp extracts the analogue preamplifier section of the legendary BOSS CE-1 Chorus Ensemble and places its distinctive response in a compact, single-control pedal.

The original CE-1 is celebrated not only for its chorus and vibrato effects, but also for the character of its input stage. Players discovered that its preamp could add its own colour, weight and driven texture—even when modulation was not the main attraction.

Eigo Matsuo’s CE Preamp focuses entirely on this part of the vintage circuit. It is designed for players who want the response of the CE-1 preamp without carrying a valuable and increasingly expensive original chorus unit.

As the Gain control is increased, the pedal moves from subtle signal coloration and added presence into warm, harmonically rich preamp drive. It can be used as a tone enhancer, a boost into a tube amplifier or an expressive low-gain overdrive.

Authentic Dual-Voltage Operation

The preamp section of an original BOSS CE-1 operates from approximately ±13 volts.

Although the Lemon & Ginger CE Preamp accepts a standard 9V DC supply, the voltage is converted internally to approximately ±13V, allowing the circuit to operate under conditions similar to the original CE-1 preamplifier.

This internal bipolar supply is an important part of the design and gives the circuit more than the character of a generic 9V boost pedal.

Original-Style Components

The CE Preamp uses the same principal component types associated with the original CE-1 preamplifier:

• A7136AP integrated circuit
• 2SC900 transistor

These components help preserve the distinctive response and vintage character of the original circuit.

Low-Input-Impedance Character

Like the original BOSS CE-1, the CE Preamp has a low input impedance.

When connected directly after a passive guitar, this loads the pickups and can reduce high frequencies, producing a darker or more subdued sound. This behaviour is part of the original CE-1 circuit, but it may not suit every guitar or pedalboard.

To retain more brightness and clarity, place a buffered pedal before the CE Preamp:

Guitar → Buffer or buffered BOSS pedal → CE Preamp → Amplifier

A conventional BOSS compact pedal can provide the required buffering even when bypassed, provided that particular model uses BOSS-style buffered bypass.

For the darker, pickup-loading response of the original arrangement, connect the guitar directly to the CE Preamp. Both approaches are useful and provide different tonal results.

Suggested Uses

• Always-on preamp and tone enhancer
• Boost into a vintage tube amplifier
• Low-gain analogue overdrive
• Added colour before distortion or fuzz
• CE-1-style preamp texture without modulation
• Studio preamp for guitar, bass or keyboards
• Final tone-shaping stage before an amplifier

Control

• Gain: Adjusts the preamp level and amount of saturation

Lower settings add subtle CE-1-style colour and presence. Higher settings push the circuit into warmer, more pronounced preamp drive.

Power

• External 9V DC power supply
• Centre-negative / tip-negative polarity
• Internally converted to approximately ±13V
• A high-quality isolated supply is recommended
• Power supply is not included unless specifically stated

Included

• Lemon & Ginger CE Preamp
• Original box
• Manual
• Warranty card

Warranty

Lemon & Ginger offers free repair for qualifying operational defects within six months of purchase.

Both the pedal and its original warranty card must be presented to receive complimentary warranty service.

The customer is responsible for shipping costs unless an initial defect is reported within one week of receiving the pedal, in which case the builder also covers the applicable return shipping. Coverage remains subject to the builder’s warranty conditions and inspection.

Handmade in Tokyo

Every Lemon & Ginger pedal—from circuit design and construction to its individually painted enclosure—is created entirely by Eigo Matsuo in Tokyo.

Small variations in the handmade finish and printing are natural characteristics of the production process and make every pedal unique.

We at Fandango Guitars are proud to be Lemon & Ginger’s only official dealer outside Japan!

“From Tokyo to the world”

Eigo Matsuo – Lemon & Ginger

Fandango Guitars · Lugano, Switzerland

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