Hailing from Japan, the Ovaltone Forty5 is a mini Plexi-style drive we stumbled upon at NAMM 2022. Its low to mid-gain overdrive tone is inspired by the sound of the Marchall JTM45.
It has controls for Volume and Drive, responds well to dynamics and can take a hotter input when preceded by a boost.
Here’s the video of it we shot directly at NAMM! We added it to our article about the Best Plexi-style distortion pedals.
Ovaltone Forty5, Builder’s Notes
Forty5 DRIVE GEAR is a mini size drive pedal inspired by the rock sound of yesteryear.
Although it has a simple 2-knob configuration of DRIVE and VOLUME, not only the amount of distortion but also the character changes depending on the position of the DRIVE knob, so you can set it to a “good feeling” without being particularly conscious of it.
The depth of distortion is low gain to middle gain, and in the blue area around turning to the left, the edge stands up as you squeeze it, and in the red area turning to the right, you can get a sense of gain just before the juicy and hot high gain.
The ability to turn down the volume on the guitar side and accept the large input of the booster is also excellent.
It will be a mini size series following WARM GEAR. It is manufactured at Ovaltone Kobo by the same manufacturing method as other models, and the amount of work is reduced by simplifying the exterior and control without degrading the sound, and the price is lower than the main lineup.
