Welcome to our comprehensive guide to the best Tweed-Style Overdrives and Fender in a Box Pedals. If you are researching drive pedals inspired by other amps, you may want to also take a look at our articles on the best Plexi-Style pedals, best Dumble-style drives and Vox-in-a-box overdrives. Other similar stompboxes can be found in our overdrive category.
The list in this article was updated on July 1st, 2022.
What’s the “Tweed Sound”?
“Tweed” is a term used to refer to a series of amp+speaker combos made by Fender originally between 1948 and 1960, and including a dozen different models. They are among the most popular amps ever made, and over the decades, countless heroes of rock n’ roll -from Neil Young to B.B. King to Robbie Robertson to Keith Richards to Jeff Tweedy- have chosen Fender Tweed amps as their weapon of choice.
The problem with pinpointing exactly what a Fender tweed sounds like is that each model is from slightly to considerably different from the others, varying in size, circuit layouts, wattage, and so on.
The smaller tweed amps like the 5e3 and Champ are known for their sagging, fizzy break up – the sound of the amp compressing and pushing the tubes and speaker to their limits. The larger ones like the high-powered Fender Twin and Bassman produce incredibly loud cleans, but their breakup also has legendary status. Many point to the Fender Bassman as the greatest amp of all time, as its design inspired the Marshal JTM45, which is itself probably the most famous amp ever.
Check out Rhett Shull’s video on “the Tweed sound” for a more in-depth attempt at pinpointing this sound.
Click for a video about the sound of the various Fender Tweed amps.
To some, the breakup associated with “the Tweed sound” may at first sound brittle, fuzzy, and jagged – but in live situations and on the record, it works, and it’s a tone hard to beat, at least according to hordes of guitarists who adopted it.
Best Tweed-Style Overdrives & Fender in a Box Pedals
Although most of the amps in the Tweed line sold remarkably well, only a few ended up becoming true classics, and the pedals in this article tend to replicate those ones: the ’59 Fender Bassman, and the smaller 5e3 Deluxe.
In the list below you’ll find what we think are the best Tweed-style pedals currently in production.
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1. UAFX Woodrow
$399 | Click title for video. Buy it new on zZounds Sweetwater or Thomann, look for deals on eBay or Reverb.
A fully-featured, digital, stereo emulation of the classic ’50s 1 x 12-inch combo Fender Tweed amp, recreating that line’s warm tube-style breakup tones. It also has three different boost types (a stock one and two based on classic pairings with the preamps of the echoplex and KORG SDD-3000), plus mic emulation, cabinet simulation (3 types), and presets. The Room knob adds early-reflection reverb, while Bluetooth connectivity allows connection to an app that allows in-depth tweaking of all settings, uploading different cabinet emulations, and even applying Dynamic Room Modeling technology to the reverb.
The UAFX line has also a similar take on the Fender Deluxe, the UAFX Dream ’65, not a Tweed but definitely a Fender-in-a-box.
2. Way Huge Red Llama MkIII
$149 | Click title for video. Buy it new on zZounds, Sweetwater or Thomann, look for deals on eBay or Reverb.
The original was the first pedal released by the Californian company in 1992, a mid-gain, crunchy, Tweed-style drive that found a solid fan base after it ended up becoming Tom Petty’s go-to overdrive. After being discontinued for more than a decade, the company resurrected it in 2012 (for its 20th anniversary) with an added tone control. 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of this now iconic pedal, with a MkIII reissue that scales down the size to fit in the company’s “Smalls” series, without losing any of the original Tweed-style touch sensitivity – but doing without the tone control of the larger Red Llama MkII.
3. Catalinbread Formula 55
$189 | Click title for video. Buy it new on zZounds, Sweetwater or Thomann, look for deals on eBay or Reverb.
A pedal reproduction of the preamp section of the Tweed Deluxe. The tone stack and volume controls are part for part replications of the original amp circuit. A lo/hi switch kicks the pedal into hot-rodded high-gain territory.
4. Origin Effects Deluxe55
$339 | Click title for video. Buy it new on zZounds, Sweetwater, or Reverb.
For this Deluxe 55 pedal recreation, the English company recreated the original amp’s valve signal path in miniature, using carefully crafted transistor-based circuitry – yes it’s 100% analog. Through the deep set of controls, the Deluxe55 can simulate 6V6 power amp overdrive, valve rectifier sag, ragged phase inverter distortion, and the warm and gritty tone of the Tweed Deluxe’s preamp – letting you switch between two tubes emulations (12AY7 and 12AX7) for a slight variation in response.
A “Post EQ” section consisting of a knob and a 3-way switch (flat in the center) lets you further sculpt your tone or compensate for pickup tonal variations.
5. Bearfoot FX Honey Bee
An incredibly popular hand-made pedal originally built in collaboration with circuit designer Björn Juhl (now working with One Control), the Honey Bee is a tonally and dynamically transparent overdrive that is said to behave exactly like an amp – the builder’s notes mention an unspecified small Tweed amp, but also a Supro combo amp. It works well stacked with other dirt boxes and it’s available in several different versions, including one with an extra boost. The latest main version adds a Nature knob for tone, and other variations by the same builder (like the Honey Beest and the Bumble Bee) provide slightly different flavors. There’s also a One Control Honey Bee by BFJ with the original 3-knob circuit, but not hand-built.
6. True North Tweed Drive
$179 | Click title for video. Check for availability on Reverb.
A boutique tweed pedal made in Canada with a massive gain range, allowing for everything from clean boost to classic amp-style fuzz. A diode switch enables LED clipping for a more intense fuzz that reacts to guitar volume roll-off. A fat switch restores lower frequencies that may be missing from single coil guitars. There’s also a Tweed Deluxe version of this pedal with an added boost circuit (costing $289).
7. Catalinbread Formula 51
$179 | Click title for video. Buy it new on Sweetwater or Thomann, look for deals on eBay or Reverb.
An incredibly popular hand-made pedal originally built in collaboration with circuit designer Björn Juhl (now working with One Control), the Honey Bee is a tonally and dynamically transparent overdrive that is said to behave exactly like an amp – the builder’s notes mention an unspecified small Tweed amp, but also a Supro combo amp. It works well stacked with other dirt boxes and it’s available in several different versions, including one with an extra boost. The latest main version adds a Nature knob for tone, and other variations by the same builder (like the Honey Beest and the Bumble Bee) provide slightly different flavors. There’s also a One Control Honey Bee by BFJ with the original 3-knob circuit, but not hand-built.
8. Catalinbread Formula 5F6
$149 | Click title for video. Buy it new on Sweetwater or Thomann, look for deals on eBay or Reverb.
This is in all likelihood the best-selling boutique tweed-style pedal ever made, BUT it’s not voiced after a ’57 Deluxe, which is the most commonly cloned Tweed tone, and therefore has less competition. It’s a Bassman in a box with the classic Fender tone stack and lots of gain on tap even at low output levels. Using JFETS in place of tubes, the Formula 5F6 offers the classic layout of the Bassman circuitry, in a compact pedal format.
9. Joyo American Sound
$40 | Click title for video. Buy it on Amazon.
The build might not be the finest in this list, but at under $40, this pedal sells like candy and gets 4.5 stars out of 5 on both Amazon and Reverb. An amp-in-a-box pedal with a large gain range, the Joyo American Sound emulates a classic ’57 5e3 Deluxe. Voice control allows precise midrange contour and 3-band EQ gives wide tonal shaping possibilities.
10. ZVEX ’59 Sound
Created from tweaking a ZVEX Box of Rock to sound more Fender-y, the ’59 Sound aims to capture the magic of a ’59 Fender Bassman. With high headroom and touch-sensitive gain, its circuit reacts to dynamics like a worn-in vintage amp, and features a handy boost with a separate footswitch. It’s also available in a vertical version.
11. Crazy Tube Circuits Falcon
Hailing from Greece, this pedal combines two classic Fender circuits in one stompbox: a 5e3 Deluxe and a ’61 brown panel Princeton. Using JFETs, the circuitry painstakingly copies the layouts of the original amps. Hitting the front of the Falcon with more level will change the way it reacts and create more amp-like compression.
12. Mooer 006 US Classic Deluxe
This is an impressive dual-channel Tweed preamp mini-pedal (for under $100!) that packs a lot into its tiny case. Independent volume, gain, and 3-band EQ controls for each channel. It even comes with a switchable IR cab emulation!
13. Greer Amps Tomahawk
From amp expert Nick Greer, a “second-stage” overdrive with a noticeably “tweedy” EQ curve. Running at 9 volts, the Tomahawk will compress like a vintage Tweed; at 18 volts will have increased headroom and less sag.
14. Mad Professor Big Tweedy Drive
Based on the High Powered Twin, a high-watt amp known for producing sparkly cleans and clear low end even at high volume levels. The Drive knob allows you to achieve lower-watt breakup tones, as if outfitting the Twin with a master volume knob.
15. Volta Black Tweed
$169 | Click title for video. Check for availability on Reverb.
Handmade in Italy, this pedal gives you both a Tweed and a Blackface voicing, selectable through a toggle switch. The three EQ controls interact with “Crank” control for unique saturation shaping options, while the “Old Tubes / New Tubes” switch changes the amount of headroom and EQ curve. There is also a Volta Black Tweed Plus that gives you both channels in parallel with extra features.
16. Foxgear Tweed 55
An actual amp-in-a-box, this pedal can power any cabinet thanks to its 55w MA @40hm out (therefore, don’t place any pedals after it!). It mimics the behavior and harmonic content of a Tweed amp and features a finely tuned 3-band EQ section and two gain knobs that allow a wide range of harmonically rich tones from clean to overdriven with plenty of headroom. Placing your favorite dirt box before it will open up your palette of sound even further.
17. LPD Pedals Fifty5
In this tweed-style drive the three classic Level, Drive and Tone controls are integrated by two toggle switches that deliver a few tonal variations. The Voice switch adds extra low end for a “fatter” sound in the up position, while HDRM switch adds more headroom to the circuit, raising the internal level threshold where the signal starts breaking up.
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Best Discontinued Tweed-Style Pedals
Several builders had a go at the Tweed-style overdrive pedal since the turn of the millennium, and some now-discontinued circuits still enjoy attention in the used market. We gathered them in the interactive gallery below. As you can see, some of these pedals sell for a small fortune!
