If variety is the spice of life, then distortion and overdrive pedals are certainly the spiciest category of effects pedals.
The variety of new distortion and overdrive pedals introduced each year far outnumbers that of any other stompbox category and perhaps even all the other categories combined, although most new overdrive and distortion pedals are usually variations on previous themes that offer little that is truly new.
However, Keeley Electronics’ recently introduced 4-in-1 series pedals do indeed offer something guitarists haven’t really seen before. Combining two distinct effects in a single box, Keeley’s 4-in-1 pedals feature switches that allow users to mix and match the tone and drive sections of each effect to provide four different character and textural personalities.
We took a look at the Angry Orange distortion/fuzz, Blues Disorder overdrive/distortion and Super Rodent overdrive/distortion. Keeley also offers the 4-in-1 Noble Screamer overdrive/boost.
The 4-in-1 pedals all share identical configurations with Tone, Level and Drive knobs, Tone and Drive setting mini toggle switches on the top panel and mono ¼-inch input and output jacks on the rear panel. Each pedal can only be powered via 9-18 VDC center negative power jack (no battery operation).
In addition to providing standard effect on/off functions, the footswitch can also toggle between buffered and true bypass operation by holding down the footswitch for two seconds. The LED (which tastefully matches each pedal’s orange, blue, yellow or green color scheme) will then blink twice for true bypass or three times for buffered output.
Keeley built a good chunk of its foundation in the early days by modifying classic pedals, hence modded classic circuits form the crux of Keeley’s 4-in-1 effects.
The Angry Orange combines a “78 Japanese Orange Distortion” (Boss DS-1) with a “91 Soviet Civil War Fuzz” (Sovtek “Civil War” Big Muff); the Blues Disorder provides a “Bluesy Breaker” (Marshall Blues Breaker) and “OC Distortion” (Fulltone OCD) combo; and the Super Rodent delivers “classic yellow Japanese Super O-Drive” (Boss SD-1) and “Rodentia Michigander” (ProCo Rat) circuits.
While Keeley’s 4-in-1 pedals essentially combine two distinct drive effects in one box, they operate like a single standalone effect as only one tone and one drive section can be engaged at once. The key here is the ability to combine or instantly modify the tone and drive characteristics as one pleases.
If aggro styles of music (metal, punk, grunge, etc.) are your jam, the Angry Orange is the way to go as “subtle” does not exist in this pedal’s vocabulary.
The MF and DS tone settings both scoop midrange frequencies, with the DS setting providing more midrange body and less dramatically boosted treble and bass while the MF tone setting is scoop city.
The MF drive setting has more “bacon fry” sizzle while the DS drive setting delivers a distinct DS-1 growl. Both settings are great for heavy rhythms and riffs.
The Blues Disorder provides a compelling combination of overdrive and light distortion tones. The BB tone setting offers a subtle midrange hump and preserves a solid chunk of the guitar’s natural character while the BB drive setting pumps up the output with a nice amount of grit and grind.
The OC settings are more dramatic and aggressive, with the tone setting significantly boosting mids and treble with a notable upper mid peak and the drive setting clipping the signal into mild compression and adding layers of harmonically rich shimmer with solid string attack definition.
The Super Rodent’s SD tone setting is a classic metal match made in heaven when paired with a Marshall
The Super Rodent’s midrange boost in both the RT and SD settings makes it a monster for blazing lead and solo tones that bite through the mix. The RT tone setting works particularly well for adding body to a Fender black- or silver-face amp’s tone, while the SD tone setting is a classic metal match made in heaven when paired with a Marshall.
Both drive settings can get very aggressive at the Drive knob’s upper range, with the RT setting delivering smooth compression while the SD setting sounds more organic and dynamic.
The four different drive/tone combinations make each pedal surprisingly versatile, providing a satisfyingly wide variety of tones and textures to explore. Even better, the control layout is so simple that guitarists can switch to different settings as they see fit in seconds in between songs.
Specs
- PRICE: $199
- TYPE: 4-in-1 overdrive and distortion pedals
- CONTROLS: Tone, Level and Drive
- SWITCHES: Mini toggles for tone stacking or gain selection (pedal dependent), plus on/off footswitch with choice of true bypass or buffered/silent bypass
- JACKS: Input, output, 9-18 VDC center negative power jack (no battery operation)
- CONTACT: Keeley Electronics
