Blackface-style Preamp Pedal

[marnold]

I love my Jet City's crunchy and distorted tones but sometimes wish it had more clean headroom. Rather than look for a new amph, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a preamp predal that I could put into the effects return. I got the idea from That Pedal Show a few weeks back. I'd like something that has Blackface-style tones. They used a Kingsley Maiden which sounded cool, but $315 is a little rich for my blood. I thought of the Tech 21 Blonde character series pedal too. Any other suggestions?

[piebaldpython]

Catalinbread has some pedals that can function as a preamp or amp simulator of sorts. You might want to check them out.

[Robert]

You can try a cheap boost pedal, like Mooer Pure Boost for 54 dollars.

[marnold]

PBP: Took me a while to figure out how their website organizes things. Any way, they have a couple that are Tweed inspired but not Blackface, unfortunately.

Robert: I do have my DVM-made "Thesis 96" which is a BYOC OD2 with some mods. Maybe I'll try that and see how it sounds. Free solutions are always the best.

[marnold]

Tried the OD2. Didn't work well. The boost side sounded muddy. The overdrive side always had some level of clipping, even with the gain all the way down.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

[piebaldpython]

Try Joyo Pedals. Very inexpensive. Maybe this one????
https://www.cheaperpedals.com/collections/amp-sims/products/joyo-american-sound-jf-14-pedal

This one says Fender Blackface:
https://www.cheaperpedals.com/collections/amp-sims/products/joyo-ironman-jf-307-clean-glass-fender-amp-sim

The above BF-ish pedal is from the Joyo Ironman series. I have some of the Ironman pedals. They are extremely small......and really, really good.

[Robert]

I think you are better off getting another amp for clean... :)

A solid state / modeling amp would work great for that and they are cheap!

[piebaldpython]

I think you are better off getting another amp for clean... :)

A solid state / modeling amp would work great for that and they are cheap!

Boss Katana or the Blackstar ID-TVP series. Both are excellent amps with great cleans. For that matter, depending on the amp sim you select, the Fender Mustang III has a great clean too.

[piebaldpython]

Wampler has a pedal for Blackface:

https://reverb.com/item/7492762-wampler-pedals-black-65

[duhvoodooman]

I agree with the "try a different amp" suggestion. Once the "dirt" is in the signal, running it through a "clean" boost does little or no good. It's called a clean boost because it doesn't appreciably alter the character of the incoming signal (unless it also contains an EQ section of some sort) and doesn't add signal distortion. So dirt in, dirt out.

I've read great things about the Boss Katana line of amps, and they are very reasonably priced. The 50W 1x12 combo (https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Kata50) is just $219, which isn't much more than most good pedals cost....and less than some!

[piebaldpython]

I've read great things about the Boss Katana line of amps, and they are very reasonably priced. The 50W 1x12 combo (https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Kata50) is just $219, which isn't much more than most good pedals cost....and less than some!

Serious Jonesing for the Katana 100 head that just happens to have a 5" speaker.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KataHead

[marnold]

I agree with the "try a different amp" suggestion. Once the "dirt" is in the signal, running it through a "clean" boost does little or no good. It's called a clean boost because it doesn't appreciably alter the character of the incoming signal (unless it also contains an EQ section of some sort) and doesn't add signal distortion. So dirt in, dirt out.

That's why I was going to run it into the return of the effects loop. It would bypass the amphs obviously gainy preamp and into a power amp that is notoriously clean.


I've read great things about the Boss Katana line of amps, and they are very reasonably priced. The 50W 1x12 combo (https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Kata50) is just $219, which isn't much more than most good pedals cost....and less than some!

When I first saw those, I kind of rolled my eyes. From everything I've read, my initial reaction was dead wrong.

Of course, my #1 goal now is to get myself into playing regularly again. It's been awhile.

[duhvoodooman]

That's why I was going to run it into the return of the effects loop. It would bypass the amphs obviously gainy preamp and into a power amp that is notoriously clean.
Ah, I misunderstood you then. You're talking about bypassing the amp's preamp section completely and going guitar --> clean boost pedal --> amp power stage. I thought you were talking about running the preamp output into the pedal and then back into the power stage, thinking that the pedal could "clean up" the signal. As long as the pedal has whatever tone-shaping controls that you need and enough output to drive the power stage, that should work. I still think that a different amp would offer you greater flexibility and control, but that's your call.

[duhvoodooman]

Hey, here's a blackface "amp-in-a-box" pedal you might like and it certainly won't break the bank. See video review below. You can find them on Amazon.com for a little over $30 including shipping. For example:

https://www.amazon.com/JF-14-American-Effects-Amplifier-Simulation/dp/B007L0CH8K/ref=sr_1_2


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5STIAYot5ws

[duhvoodooman]

Follow-up post to the Joyo American Sound post preceding:

Looking at this series of Joyo pedals, I saw two that interested me--the British Sound (http://www.joyoaudio.com/en/product/show_108.html) (Marshall type) and the AC Tone (http://www.joyoaudio.com/en/product/show_111.html). And since they were both priced only a tad over $30, I grabbed one of each off Amazon. In a nutshell, the British Sound is quite good and the AC Tone is VERY good, IMO. Between the 3-band EQ, drive, and voice controls, there are a tone of tones in this box, from clean to filthy. Very sturdy feeling pedal, too, not flimsy at all. And for the price, it's an amazing value. I didn't think that the British Sound had quite the range of tones that the AC Tone does, but "opinions vary", as they say.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0223/5501/products/jf-13_2_1024x1024.png?v=1374993961 https://i1.wp.com/overstockguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/joyo-JF-16-Main1.jpg

[tjcurtin1]

Vood - did you use these pedals as sansamps or did you run them through an amp?

[duhvoodooman]

I've run the AC Tone in my pedal chain and also directly into the effects loop return of my HRD. With the latter, it was hard to keep the volume down to a reasonable level, but it sounded quite good. Keep in mind I play at home in a relatively small room, so it doesn't take much for the output to get uncomfortably loud. Haven't tried it through a DI box rather than an amp yet, but may try that at my church some time.

I really like how the pedal sounds with the drive around 11 - 12 o'clock and the voice around 3 o'clock, run through my BYOC Tweed Royal set to a low/clean output level. Just a really juicy, rich tone, even at very reasonable volumes.

[tjcurtin1]

Ugh! May have to try one...;)

[piebaldpython]

Vood - did you use these pedals as sansamps or did you run them through an amp?

TJ....you can run the Joyo Amp sim pedals either directly into the amp or use it as a "preamp" into a power amp configuration. I belong to another website and some steel players like to run the Joyo or Tech 21 Sansamps right into a power amp. Joyos are very well built, good quality pedals.

[marnold]

Does the Joyo have an speaker sim built in too?

[piebaldpython]

Not that I know of.

[duhvoodooman]

Does the Joyo have an speaker sim built in too?

I have seen the function of the "Voice" control described exactly that way, but I don't know that to be true.

[JustinLevitt]

Definitely agree with everyone that suggested the Joyo American Sound pedal. I own all of the Joyo preamps in the range and use them very regulalrly. You can use them directly into a PA system or straight into your DAW. I like 'em for those two reasons in particular. But I know a few guitarists that use it as a regular stompbox or as a "second channel" for your amp. For the price you pay, it's incredibly hard to justify even buying the Tech 21 version. With the American sound you can get anything from Tweed sounds to Blackface.

I actually compiled a full Joyo clone list if you want to read about these pedals further: http://guitarpickzone.com/joyo-clone-list/