Marchione-Malin D-Type Preamp — Your Dumble Tone, Anywhere You Go
The collaboration between Stephen Marchione and Mark Malin of Malin Amplification began with a shared conviction: players who have found the D-style tone should not have to leave it at home when the gig requires traveling light or playing through an unfamiliar backline. The D-Type Preamp is the answer, and it is one of the most seriously conceived boutique pedals ever made.
This is not an overdrive pedal. It is not a simulation or an emulation. It is the entire hand-wired point-to-point preamp, running at real amp plate voltages upwards of 200 volts DC, built into a compact enclosure by Mark Malin one unit at a time. No printed circuit boards. No transistors. No op-amps. Two 12AX7 tubes. The real thing, because anything less would miss the point entirely.
Mark Malin's background gives the D-Type a credibility that no typical pedal builder can claim. He performed electrical work on the Hubble Space Telescope and wired instruments for Space Shuttle missions, a resume that speaks for itself in terms of precision and the understanding that some applications simply do not tolerate compromise.
Run it in front of any amplifier, or plug directly into the effects loop return to completely replace the amp's preamp stage. Jazz and Rock voicing, Mid Boost, Bright switching, full EQ, and footswitchable clean and overdrive give players the complete D-style control set in a pedalboard-friendly enclosure. Runs on standard 120V AC.
Each D-Type is hand-built by Mark Malin at roughly one unit per month. A deposit reserves your build slot. Players who own one consistently describe it as the soul of their rig.