Rise up.
Let your sustain soar.
$99
Rise up.
Let your sustain soar.
$99
Rise up. Let your sustain soar.
TINY BUT MIGHTY.
Pillbug delivers pure analog vintage-style compression, from gentle squeeze to soaring sustain—all packed into the smallest compressor pedal ever built. This pedal may be absurdly tiny, but it packs more than enough might to tailor your dynamics for any style or setup.
Pillbug delivers pure analog vintage-style compression, from gentle squeeze to soaring sustain—all packed into the smallest compressor pedal ever built. This pedal may be absurdly tiny, but it packs more than enough might to tailor your dynamics for any style or setup.
Video.
Way Small. Huge Sustain.
Classic Compression and Sustain, Just Way Smaller.
Inspired by two iconic compressor pedals—the 1974 Ross Compressor* and the 1981 Boss CS-2 Compressor/Sustainer*, Pillbug skillfully shapes your front-end tone with warm, smooth, and musical compression that thickens clean tones, adds depth to leads, and keeps chords articulate. This signature circuit delivers a wide range of dynamics control—everything from subtle squash to towering sustain. All stuffed into a comically small footprint.
Shape Your Dynamics With This One Simple Trick.
Pillbug utilizes a classic OTA (Operational Transconductance Amplifier) compressor circuit, delivering the hallmark pedal compression sounds widely heard in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Silky, organic compression, and a soft midrange warmth provide a natural feel that enhances clean tones and fattens leads, without losing your instrument’s personality. It’s like magic, but it’s actually science.
controls.
HONEY, WE SHRUNK THE PEDALS.
Ridiculous Is Kind of Our Thing.
Pillbug gives you versatile, classic compression in a package that’s nearly as small as a 9-volt battery. Yes, we’re aware that a compressor pedal this tiny is a bit ridiculous. But by challenging our notions of what an effects pedal is supposed to be, a new world of possibilities opened up that we never expected. Turns out, making it small also makes it pretty awesome.
Go Where No Compressor Pedal Has Gone Before.
No matter how little space you have, Pillbug’s exceptionally small size allows it to be placed anywhere. Pedalboard getting too crowded? No need to kick other pedals to the curb—Pillbug fits in the smallest open spaces in your rig. You can even place it on top of another pedal. Or if you’re feeling frisky, stick Pillbug right on your guitar or bass!
Is That a Pedalboard In Your Pocket, Or
Want more tiny pedal options? Don’t tell anyone, but we’re hard at work on other flavors of tiny pedals, as well as a pedalboard that fits in your pocket. Keep it under wraps!
Infrequently asked questions.
Why is it so small?
Why are other pedals so big?
No really, why is it so small?
We’re aware that an effects pedal this tiny is a bit ridiculous. It really did begin with the completely absurd question, “What if we made the world’s smallest pedal?” What started out as a lark quickly turned into an ambitious engineering exercise to see if it could be done.
Compressors are often “always-on” or “set-and-forget” utility pedals that lay the foundation of your tone—so it seemed like the perfect application for our tiny pedal platform. Why take up a ton of real estate for a device you rarely need to touch? By challenging our notions of what an effects pedal is supposed to be, a whole new world of possibilities opened up.
How do I connect to my rig? There’s only one jack?
Pillbug features one TRRS jack combining input, output, and power. Pillbug comes with a TRRS breakout cable for your connections. Blue is INPUT, red is OUTPUT, and black is POWER. Pro tip: If you’re using Pillbug on a Pedaltrain® pedalboard, you can easily hide the breakout cable and your connections under the board.
How do I turn it on?
The whole pedal is the switch. It’s hinged at the top. Press below the knobs to turn it on. Press again to turn it off. Yes you can press it with your foot, even if you step on the knobs.
How hard can I step on it?
Even though Pillbug is small, its switch mechanism has been tested to withstand up to 250 pounds of force. That said, we don’t refer to it as a “stomp” box. Don’t press the pedal with all of your weight—a light tap will do the trick.
Why doesn’t it have sides?
What’s included in the box?
Here’s what you get:
- Pillbug Compressor pedal
- TRRS breakout cable
- Quick start card
- Olinthus sticker
- Reusable metal container
- Recyclable/compostable packaging and shipping materials
Can you show me some boring specs?
Sure thing!
Design:
- Premium vintage-style analog compressor/sustainer utilizing top-shelf components
- Operational transconductance amplifier compression circuit inspired by iconic compressor pedals of the ’70s and ’80s
- Three intuitive sound sculpting controls for a wide range of compressed and sustained tones
- Absurdly small black anodized aluminum chassis
Ins / Outs:
- One top mounted TRRS combination jack
- Three connections available via included TRRS breakout cable:
- 1/4″ mono input
- 1/4″ mono output
- 9V power input
- Power requirements: maximum 9 volts DC center-negative, with a minimum of 50mA of current (power supply not included)
- Impedance:
- Input: 1MΩ
- Output: 1kΩ
Dimensions / Weight:
- Width: 30mm (1.2″), Length: 45mm (1.8″), Depth: 22mm (0.9″)
- Weight: 30g / 1.1oz
PHOTOS.
Eco-Friendly Packaging.
Garbage Out.
When you receive Pillbug, you will find the pedal nestled within a recyclable/compostable pulp insert, packed inside a reusable metal box. The pulp insert can be thrown in your recycling bin or compost, and this metal box can be easily repurposed for guitar picks, coins, or mind altering substances! Completely up to you.
Thanks.
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about our tiny compressor pedal. Olinthus is a small company just getting started out, and we’re delighted that you’re interested in what we’re up to!
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*All third-party product names are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Olinthus. These product names, descriptions and images are provided for the sole purpose of identifying the specific products that were studied during the Olinthus circuit design and sound design process. Ross® is a registered trademark of Ross Brazil Audibles LLC. Boss® is a registered trademark of Roland Corporation. Pedaltrain® is a registered trademark of Pro Stage Gear, LLC.
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