Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m writing up a rundown of what pedals I’m using, and why.
Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021][2022][2023]
tl;dr
This year has only mostly been about tweed-tone pedals. There’s been some other gems sprinkled in there too, and some pedals that turned out to be fantastic surprises.
Some of this year’s pedals also helped me realise that I desperately needed to revoice my pedal platform presets. I think the results sound better; I hope you will too.
Looking forward to next year, I’m running out of new (to me) tweed-tone pedals to try. It’s quite a niche product segment.
I’ve Spent More Time With Signal Chains Than Individual Pedals
This year, there’s been a shift in how I spend time with my pedals. In the past, I’d constantly be swapping pedals on and off my little pedal board. For the past 12 months, I’ve had some pedals on the board for months at a time.
It all started with last year’s Christmas / birthday presents from Kristi: the BOSS BP-1W boost and Wampler Ratsbane. I think I had those pedals on the board together until around Easter time.
Then later in the year I got the LPD Pedals Dutch 24. I spent months (and many blog posts) exploring what that amazing pedal had to offer me – and how it challenged me to build a better signal chain around it. When the time comes to downsize my collection, this will be one of the very last pedals to go.
I Got To Try The Best 5e3 Tweed Tone Pedal There Is
It’s actually a 5B3 Tweed Deluxe tone. But still …
Yes, the DanDrive Tweedy 5B3 is eye-wateringly expensive – if you can find one for sale at all. It’s also the best 5e3-ish Tweed Deluxe tone to be had from any analogue pedal. There is no better.
I can say that with confidence because I have a real Tweed Deluxe amp sat right behind me to compare it against. The DanDrive Tweedy 5B3 delivers.
The only way to go better is to either go digital (ToneX / ToneX One with IK Multimedia’s astonishing Tweed Deluxe amp captures, or Universal Audio’s UAFX Woody amp simulator pedal), or get the real amp. And even then, I’m not sure they’re better, just different in their own way.
Other Tweed Tone Pedals Did Well Too (Well, Mostly …)
I picked up a few more tweed-tone pedals this year.
I remember the True North Pedals Tweed Drive far more fondly than my write-up suggests! It seems like a great choice for anyone who wants a generic tweed-tone sound (e.g. for a covers band). I’m looking forward to revisiting this pedal in 2025.
The JRAD Monkeyman Tweed Overdrive was a bit of a surprise. I didn’t even know it existed. I thought it was a great pedal though, and I think it’s a shame that it’s been discontinued (although that does seem to be the fate of most tweed-tone pedals).
Another great tweed-tone pedal was the LPD Pedals Fifty5 Tweed Overdrive. (Lawrence Petross seems like a really nice guy too; he was kind enough to reach out to me about my blog posts about his pedals.) I liked the versatility thanks to the two voicing switches. If you’re after a tweed-tone pedal to cover a lot of bases, I can happily recommend this.
I also had my first two boutique Japanese pedals: the One Control Blue Bee Mini OD 4K, and the Umbrella Company Hitchhike Drive. The Blue Bee is another BJFe design, a higher-gain Honey Bee Overdrive (HBOD for short) that I need to compare to the Uber Bee one day. And the Hitchhike Drive is a (seemingly?) rare amp-in-a-box pedal that I’d never heard off until 24 hours before one turned up on the local second-hand market!
And let’s not forget the IK Multimedia ToneX One. It ships with a fantastic 5e3 Tweed Deluxe amp capture included in the purchase price. I don’t think you can get a better Tweed Deluxe tone for less money; and I’m not sure you can get a better one at all at any price.
The only tweed-tone pedal that I was disappointed with was the Greer Amps Tomahawk Deluxe Overdrive. The example I had, through my signal chain, just didn’t match the pedal’s marketing nor the official demo video. But it wasn’t all bad. There were very useful low-gain tones to be had, and boosting it with the Lazy J Cruiser Deuce really brought it to life.
It Wasn’t All Tweed-Tone Pedals
I did pick up the MXR Custom Shop Duke of Tone (at last). I wanted one for sentimental reasons, but I will (at some point) investigate the differences between its distortion mode and the distortion mode on the Analogman King of Tone.
The Orange Getaway Driver turned out to be a great purchase, and not because it’s a great overdrive in its own right. That pedal helped me realise that my pedal platform presets needed a huge overhaul. This year would probably have gone very differently if I hadn’t bought one of these!
Another pedal that taught me a lot is the excellent Ritual Devices Grey Overdrive. The vast majority of boutique pedals shape the tone for you, and give you onboard controls so that you can find the sweet spot for your signal chain. The Grey Overdrive (largely) just adds dirt, and lets you shape the tone by running EQ before and/or after it. It’s definitely going into my #SecretWeapons locker!
And, at the end of the year, I picked up a Maxon OD-820 Overdrive Pro. I’ve had a clone of this pedal for many years, and found it to be an interesting choice for boosting other pedals. Problem with clones is that you never know how accurate they are. So I’m delighted to have the genuine pedal to explore with in 2025.
A Tale Of Two Klones
I also picked up two different Klon klones.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the JHS Notaklön has become the best-selling Klon klone ever made. It’s a brilliant concept (build your own pedal IKEA-style, so that you can’t screw up), and the whole experience makes for a great present to the dad rocker in your family. It’s been a huge hit for the company, and its fans all seem to think it’s the very best klone pedal out there. Having tried it, I’m just not one of them, sorry. On its own, I find it uninspiring, and compared to other klones, it lacked the tone that I’m used to.
I was far happier with the klone side of the Demonfx 83 Drive. Most Klon klones don’t do the classic clean-boost role well in my experience: they either don’t get the low-end right, and/or they’re missing the top-end sparkle from the Klon’s buffer circuit. The Demonfx 83 Drive is different (to my ears), but in a usable way. I’d pick this over the Notaklön (and several other mid-priced Klon klones) every time for what I do.
It’s also made me add the Nordvang 83 Drive to my bucket list of pedals that I want to try. If the Demonfx clone impresses me this much, I’m hoping that the original Nordvang pedal will be right up there as a top-tier choice for me.
I Made A Fool Of Myself Over The Rockbox Baby Blues
After a long search, I finally got a Rockbox Baby Blues overdrive pedal this year … and promptly was an idiot over it.
That aside, I found it to be a fascinating bluesbreaker-circuit pedal with its own sound – if a little hard to work with. It’s a pedal that has snuck back onto the board a few times since, just because I enjoy playing through it.
I’m looking forward to (eventually!) comparing it to other bluesbreaker-circuit pedals.
What Happened To Your 2024 Plans?
I’ve already mentioned that I did pick up the MXR Duke of Tone this year, as planned.
I have been keeping an eye out for second-hand UAFX Ruby and UAFX Dream 65 pedals. So far, though, I haven’t seen one at a price that I’d be willing to pay. These pedals are both extremely popular.
I have tried a lot less new (to me) pedals this year. The number would have been almost halved if it hadn’t been for those tweed-tone pedals turning up on the second-hand market. That trend should continue in 2025.
The one big thing I didn’t do was start to revisit the pedals I already have (unless you count the lesser-heard klones roundup post). Turns out that I while I was settled on my recording process, my virtual amp tones really needed improving.
Any Other Plans For 2025?
I’m still looking for more tweed-tone pedals. Problem is, I’m running out of pedals to look for. It’s an obscure drive pedal category, and the vast majority of pedals were made in small numbers by small boutique builders.
It isn’t helped by the continued drought in variety on the second-hand market. In my experience, the UK second-hand pedal market is now dominated by the same pedals that you can (or recently could) buy in UK stores. Ten years ago, that wasn’t the case.
The main thing I want to do in 2025 is to try a few of Origin Effects’ pedals, especially their new Deluxe55 tweed amp pedal!