From its form factor, the Origin Effects Deluxe55 looks like it should belong to the company’s Halcyon series of overdrives, a line of pedals dedicated to perfecting the sound of classic overdrive such as the Tube Screamer, the Klon Centaur and the Marshall Blues Breaker.
Alas, the Deluxe 55 doesn’t recreate the tone of a pedal, but the one of an amp, the beloved Tweed line from Fender, and although the set of controls is similar, the sophisticated “adaptive circuitry” system is in all likelihood the missing link to insert this stompbox in the Halcyon series.
What’s special about this device’s circuitry is something else: the company recreated the original amp’s valve signal path in miniature, using carefully crafted transistor-based circuitry – yes it’s 100% analog, and entirely built in England.
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 (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.
Check out how it sounds in the videos below. We added the Deluxe55 to our comprehensive article about the best Tweed-style overdrive pedals.
