Final head-to-head rundown and personal ranking of favourite settings and pedals in the Keeley 4-in-1 Series
So I’ve obviously covered each of these pedals individually and in real depth - so please refer to the earlier articles if you need more details. The purpose of this exercise is to pick out my favourite/s from the series - which is really about comparing those 4 pedals head-to head across my 2 favourite settings for each - pitting one against the other - back and forth - until we have a preferences.
Note - that if you want to skip all the preamble - you can just scroll down to the bottom ...
Keeley Electronics 4-in-1 Series #4 : Angry Orange - EHX '91 Civil War Muff x Boss '78 DS-1 Distortion
And so we’re onto the 4th and final variant in the current 4-in-1 series - there are of course some custom shop editions out there too which I may review in due time, while for now the roundup is complete, and my next article on this subject will be a comparative overview of all 4 - where I put my favourite combinations in order of overall preference, and select my pick of the bunch for the series!
For this latest dual circuit confection - I’m very used to the sound of Civil War Muffs - ...
Keeley Electronics 4-in-1 Series #3 : Super Rodent - Boss SD-1 x ProCo Rat
I already teased this review in my recent Compact Rat Distortions rundown - where I stated that I much preferred the Alternative Rat setting - with the SD-1 Tone Stack. Often the distinction can be fairly subtle, but overall the SD + RT output profile is more punchy and articulate.
That said - that Rat setting is only my 3rd favourite voicing here overall - where the big surprise for me is the RT Tone Stack with the SD Clipping. That turns out to be a little like the TS808 with the ODR-1 ...
Keeley Electronics 4-in-1 Series #2 : Blues Disorder - Marshall BluesBreaker x Fulltone OCD
And so the second (for me) in the Keeley 4-in-1 Series, combines the Tone Stacks and Drive Clipping from the Marshall BluesBreaker Overdrive, and Fulltone OCD Drive / Distortion. The colour accent and knobs here are a fetching hue of blue - otherwise identical looking to the previously reviewed Noble Screamer.
The BluesBreaker side as such has a High Frequency Filter Tone Stack, and Soft Drive Clipping, while the OCD has an Active Midrange Boost with High Frequency Roll-Off, and a Hard ...
Keeley Electronics 4-in-1 Series #1 : Noble Screamer : Nobels ODR-1 x Ibanez TS808
The Noble Screamer was the first of the 4-in-1 series - which was launched in September of last year. Featuring a beautifully crafted, custom gently-sloping wedge-shape enclosure with complementary colour-coded milled and anodised aluminium knobs. The look and feel here is truly top-shelf and there is a superb smooth tactile high quality feel to the finish. To my mind this is a fantastic execution of a great concept, and distinct from Boss’s double circuit approach - a la JB-2 Angry Driver, and...
