Keeley Electronics rolls out 3 more killer combos in its 4-in-1 Series - the Blues Disorder, Angry Orange, and Super Rodent
Following in the wake of the very well received Noble Screamer (ODR-1 + TS808), and Muse Driver (AT / RK Modded BD-2), we now get 3 more in the same series - all at once.
The Blues Order covers Marshall Blues Breaker and Fulltone OCD voicings, the Angry Orange has EHX Civil War Muff and Boss DS-1 Distortion flavours, and the Super Rodent mixes up the Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive with ProCo Rat Distortion.
As before you get to mix or match the Tone Stack and Clipping Character of each circuit - delivering 4 complementary flavours from each pedal.
Robert and his team have obviously paired the most appropriate complementary profiles together - to ensure maximum impact and utility when mixing up the clipping character and tone stacks. The Noble Screamer is still on my acquisitions / wishlist, and I’ve still to formulate a final opinion on which of the new 3 I will be adding. The only one so far in the collection is the Muse Driver.
I love the simplicity of look and function here - and feel this whole approach makes these pedals very accessible. The $199 price point works better for Americans, than €249 in Europe or £215 in the UK. But you’re really getting two great circuits in one pedal - with a unique twist - which isn’t currently offered by anyone else - so overall the price point is actually still pretty decent in all territories.
Keeley Electronics have obviously hit upon a winning formula. Where I feel Boss had a head-start back in 2017 with its JHS JB-2 Angry Driver collaboration (JHS Angry Charlie + Boss BD-2 Blues Driver). In fact I did an article back in 2021 where I suggested that Boss do more of those collaborations - and I suggested a ’Super Screamer (TS808 + SD-1), And ’Big Distortion’ (EHX Triangle Big Muff + DS-1). The Angry Orange is obviously a twist on my suggestion! I guess Boss’s loss is Keeley’s gain here - albeit those pedal variants differ in quite notable ways - in particularly the ability of the Boss variant to play both voicings together - in series and parallel!
So I was kind of already on this Dual Series tip 3 years ago, I’m glad someone’s followed up on some of those suggestions in any case!
I already had a list of further circuits I felt would combine well - but will save that for a later article. I really happen to like this 4-in-1 Series - but also realise that I may not pick up on every one of these. It’s always nice to own the set - but there are other considerations at play here - and my own gain pedal reference library is already pretty vast - where I have multiple favourites within each of those genres already - which will certainly deliver more concentrated flavour that some of the Keeley ones - while as always - I’m open to be swayed.
For these 3 new varieties I own several individual pedals for each voicing - with my Rat style distortion collection in particular nearing 50 now, and having most of the different variants of Boss SD-1 and DS-1 - modded and otherwise!
I will of course be interested to see which of these pedals finds the most favour with players - which ones continue to hold sway, and which ones fade away!
As mentioned - they are $199 in the USA, €249 in Europe, and £215 in the UK - these are surely on their way to dealers already - I feel overall the series is going to do very well. The Muse Driver is a little bit of an exception to the rule though, and doesn’t fully fit the mould of 2 separate circuits - as its voicing options are based on Mods rather than 2 separate circuits for each of the others.
It would be interesting to hear how you feel about all of these - and if any here stand out as early favourites for you?
Individual details below :
Blues Disorder (Marshall Blues Breaker + Fulltone OCD) - $199 / €249 / £215
Controls - Tone, Tone Stack : BB / OC, Drive, Drive Character : BB / OC, Level.
By mixing and matching the Tone and Drive switches you get two hybrid sounds. With both switches up it’s a smooth, soft-clipping Bluesy Breaker. The BB side is a low gain, soft-clipping overdrive. With both switches down it’s a fuller sounding, hard-clipping OC Distortion. The clever design keeps the pedal a three knob overdrive with 4 unique sounds.
Switch easily between buffered or true-bypass; whichever sounds best in your rig. The Keeley Blues Disorder Overdrive and Distortion is designed and manufactured entirely by Keeley Electronics in their brand new aluminium enclosure.
Key Features :
- Compact Overdrive and Distortion Effects Pedal
- 2 classic distortion/overdrive circuits combined with swapable Tone Circuits in 1 pedal
- Offers 4 overdrive flavors - 2 familiar circuits and 2 brand-new amp-like overdrive and
distortion tones - Swap tone controls and/or distortion sections to create new sounds
- Create unique Hybrid Drive and Distortion by mixing the BB Overdrive’s and OC Distortion’s Clipping Sections and Tone Stacks
- Professionally Engineered Tone - sounds developed in the field and in the tone lab
- 100% analog circuit with all-analog signal path
- Switchable Tone control
- BB : a simple high-frequency filter with a more transparent sounding drive and response
- OC : active midrange boost and then the tone control rolls off high-frequency
- Switchable diode clipping
- BB : Soft diode clipping - for softly overdriven tube-amp-like tones
- OC : Hard diode clipping - for an edgier more aggressive tone
- Silent soft-touch switch with switchable Buffered or True Bypass Switching
- Made in Edmond, OK, USA
- Powered by a regular 9V DC PSU (centre -, 2.1 mm, 27 mA current draw)
Angry Orange (EHX Civil War Muff + Boss DS-1 Distortion) - $199 / €249 / £215
Controls - Tone, Tone Stack : MF / DS, Drive, Drive Character : MF / DS, Level.
Heavily saturate your guitar through either a legendary ‘78 Japanese Orange Distortion or a ‘91 Soviet Civil War Fuzz. Use the Angry Orange to make your own fuzzstortions with the hybrid modes, all with only three simple knobs.
This pedal can be True Bypass or Buffered Bypass, it only takes two seconds to switch between the modes. The Keeley Angry Orange is entirely manufactured at Keeley Electronics and is in their new aluminium enclosure.
Key Features :
- Compact Distortion and Fuzz Effects Pedal
- 2 classic Distortion/Fuzz circuits combined with 2 swapable Tone Circuits in 1 pedal
- Offers 4 Distortion and Fuzz flavors - 2 familiar circuits and 2 brand-new amp-like Distortion and Fuzz tones
- Create unique Hybrid Fuzz Distortions by mixing the MF Fuzz’ and DS Distortion’s Clipping Sections and Tone Controls
- Professionally Engineered Tone - sounds developed in the field and in the tone lab
- 100% analog circuit with all-analog signal path
- Switchable Tone control
- MF : Scooped sounding, passive tilt-style Tone Control
- DS : Differently voiced passive sounding tilt control
- Switchable diode clipping
- MF : Soft diode clipping - for an edgier more aggressive muffled fuzz tone
- DS : Hard diode clipping - for softly overdriven tube-amp-like tones
- Silent soft-touch switch with switchable Buffered or True Bypass Switching
- Made in Edmond, OK, USA
- Powered by a regular 9V DC PSU (centre -, 2.1 mm, 25 mA current draw)
Super Rodent (Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive + ProCo Rat Distortion) - $199 / €249 / £215
Controls - Tone, Tone Stack : SD / RT, Drive, Drive Character : SD / RT, Level.
You can play through the classic yellow ‘Japanese Super O-Drive’ or a ‘Rodentia Michigander’ distortion circuit, or even better, you can Frankenstein new monster tones with the two hybrid modes.
The creative design keeps the pedal a simple and space-saving three-knob distortion pedal with an amazing tone. It only takes two seconds to make the Super Rodent either buffered-bypass or true-bypass, whatever works best on your pedalboard. The Keeley Super Rodent Overdrive and Distortion is entirely designed and manufactured by Keeley Electronics in their new aluminium enclosure.
Key Features :
- Compact Overdrive and Distortion Effects Pedal
- 2 classic Distortion/Overdrive circuits combined with swapable Tone Circuits in 1
pedal - Offers 4 Overdrive and Distortion flavours - 2 familiar circuits and 2 brand-new amp-like Drive and Distortion tones
- Create unique Hybrid Distortions by mixing the SD Overdrive’s and RT Distortion’s Clipping Sections and Tone Controls
- 100% analog circuit with all-analog signal path
- Professionally Engineered Tone - sounds developed in the field and in the tone lab
- Switchable Tone control
- SD : Active Low-Pass Filter with more bass and treble frequencies available
- RT : Passive Tone control that rolls off high-frequencies
- Switchable diode clipping
- SD : Soft diode clipping - for softly overdriven tube-amp-like tones
- RT : Hard diode clipping - for an edgier more aggressive tone
- Silent soft-touch switch with switchable Buffered or True Bypass Switching
- Made in Edmond, OK, USA
- Powered by a regular 9V DC PSU (centre -, 2.1 mm, 26 mA current draw)
Demos
12 Degrees of Saturation 2023 Compact Edition
