Category: Tweed Tone

“Tweed tone” is the sound of 50s Fender amps (Champ, Deluxe, Twin, Bassman), modern amps based on these circuits, and the pedals that chase the tone of these iconic amps.

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New Arrivals: July 2021

This month has been a very special month. A couple of purchases I’ve been working towards unexpectedly all came together at the same time. And then I learned that you really do need to be careful what you wish for!

The second-hand market remains pretty flat. I did miss out on one of my bucket-list pedals though. It’s going to take me a while before I stop kicking myself over that one. I managed to pickup another great BJFe-designed pedal instead, so it wasn’t all bad 🙂

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Second Bite: NABLA Custom Black Tweed Overdrive Pedal

This photo shows my Marshall DSL20HR amp head on a shelf, and my pedal board on a second shelf below. The Marshall DSL20HR is on the clean channel, and the controls can be seen as follows: * reverb: off * resonance: about 8 o'clock * presence: about 12 noon * bass: just below 10 o'clock * mids: about 10:30 * treble: about 1:30 * volume: about 10 o'clock * gain: about 11 o'clock On the pedal board, we can see three pedals: the NABLA Custom Black Tweed, the MXR Sugar Drive, and the JRAD Archer Ikon.
My rig for exploring the Black Tweed, second time around.

First time around, the NABLA Custom Black Tweed overdrive pedal just fell a little bit short of what I was hoping for. While I loved the feel of playing the pedal (honestly, it’s like playing an amp), I struggled with the EQ controls and the lack of top-end presence in the overall tone.

That was last year. Six months or so later, do I still feel the same?

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