2004 Pete Cornish Custom Design SS-2 / G-2 / P-2 Multi-Effects Unit w/ Anvil Road Case

This custom-built Pete Cornish unit is in excellent shape for a piece that's been around for over 20 years. The enclosure is clean all around — all labels, serial markings, and yellow letter decals are fully intact and legible, the color-coded knobs are clean with no cracks or fading, and the footswitches feel solid. There's minor surface dust and very light handling marks on the enclosure, but nothing that reads as real wear. All four footswitch toggles are present and intact. The back panel is clean, with the IEC inlet, power switch, voltage selector, fuse holder, and all jacks in good order. The voltage selector is currently set to 115V for North American use.

Comes with the original Anvil road case, which shows the kind of cosmetic wear you'd expect from a working flight case — scuffs and surface marks on the metal latches and handle hardware, with some light wear on the case exterior. The foam interior is clean and holds the unit securely. The case does its job.

No modifications — this unit is as Pete Cornish originally built it.

Pete Cornish has been building custom effects systems and hand-wired pedals in the UK since the early 1970s, and his client list reads like a backstage pass to the last fifty years of rock and roll — David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Brian May, Paul McCartney, Andy Summers, Lou Reed, Tony Iommi, Mark Knopfler, and Noel Gallagher, among others. Cornish is widely credited as a pioneer of the integrated pedalboard concept, and his effects circuits are designed from scratch with a singular focus on professional touring reliability, noise rejection, and tonal transparency. Every unit is hand-built, wired, and tested by Pete and Lynda Cornish in the UK. Wait times for new orders have historically stretched from several months to years.

This particular unit, serial number 0566, was custom ordered and built in October 2004. It houses three of Cornish's most sought-after drive circuits in a single self-powered enclosure — the SS-2, G-2, and P-2 — each with independent footswitch activation and dedicated Volume, Tone, and Sustain controls. A fourth footswitch, labeled "M," sits at the far left of the unit with no associated control knobs. Having all three circuits together in one custom housing — with integrated power supply, buffered signal routing, and a proper Anvil road case — is something you simply don't come across. These units were built to order for specific customers, and they rarely change hands.

The three circuits cover a wide range of drive character. The SS-2 is Cornish's Soft Sustain overdrive, known for its responsiveness to picking dynamics and guitar volume changes, delivering everything from subtle amp-like breakup through rhythmic crunch to a bluesy lead tone. The G-2 is a four-stage overdriven discrete transistor Class A circuit with additional Germanium components, voiced to deliver that classic cranked Marshall sound associated with 1970s British rock. It sits higher on the gain spectrum than the SS-2, with a warm, rounded character and strong harmonic content. The P-2 is the highest-gain circuit of the three — a fat, searing fuzz/distortion famously used by David Gilmour and Paul McCartney, and recipient of a Guitar Player Magazine Editor's Pick Award. The P-2 is known for exceptional chord definition even at high gain settings, smooth sustain, and a full, bright sound that cuts through a band mix.

Each circuit incorporates Cornish's proprietary High Impedance, Unity Gain, Class A buffer preamp with RFI rejection, ensuring signal integrity and eliminating radio frequency interference — a critical feature for professional stage use and long cable runs. The buffers remain active even in bypass mode, preventing signal degradation and ghost distortion.

The original customer paid $3,000 for this unit in 2004. Individual Cornish standalone pedals currently sell for $700–$1,500+ USD on the used market when you can find them. A custom three-circuit unit like this, in this condition, with its original Anvil case, is genuinely rare.

Specs:

Builder: Pete Cornish Custom Design
Serial Number: 0566
Date of Build: October 2004
Origin: United Kingdom (hand-built)
Effect Circuit 1: SS-2 — Soft Sustain Overdrive
Effect Circuit 2: G-2 — Germanium Overdrive / Distortion (Class A, four-stage discrete transistor with Germanium components)
Effect Circuit 3: P-2 — High-Gain Fuzz / Distortion
Controls (per circuit): Volume, Tone, Sustain
Footswitches: 4 — S (SS-2), G (G-2), P (P-2), M (fourth function — no associated control knobs)
Connectivity: Input (1/4"), Output (1/4"), AUX (1/4"), LED Dim (pot)
Power: Integrated — IEC mains inlet, T500mA fuse, power switch, voltage selector (currently set to 115V)
Enclosure: Custom black steel enclosure with ventilated base plate
Case: Anvil road case (included)