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Great Eastern FX Releases the Small Speaker Overdrive

Great Eastern FX Releases the Small Speaker Overdrive

Great Eastern FX Co. launches their first stompbox, featuring dynamic drive sounds and all-original discrete transistor circuit.


The Small Speaker Overdrive, which offers organic, amp-like breakup, outstanding volume knob clean-up and a unique sonic signature, intended to allow guitar to really cut through the mix. The Small Speaker Overdrive is the first pedal from newcomers Great Eastern FX Co. It features an all-original discrete transistor circuit, this unique overdrive sets its sights on Fenderā€™s iconic student-model valve combo or, more specifically, that magical thing that happens when you put a microphone in front of its eight-inch speaker.

Bolstered by a mic and mixing desk, these little amps deliver sweet, dynamic drive at lower volumes. The small speaker naturally rolls off low end and emphasizes upper-mids, putting the guitar exactly where it wants to be in the mix. Itā€™s a technique thatā€™s been used on countless recordings, by the likes of Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Joe Walsh, Billy Gibbons and Mike Campbell.

The stated aim of the Small Speaker Overdrive is to capture the sound and feel of plugging into a small, Class-A combo in the studio, imparting the same flattering frequency response and expressive, dynamic overdrive to whatever amp youā€™re plugged into, big or small. The pedal, which is built by hand in the UK, features standard Gain and Level knobs, plus a pair of unconventional EQ controls ā€“ a High boost/cut and a Low boost. Designed to sit at the start of the signal chain, it promises a response to picking dynamics and volume knob adjustment more akin to a vintage fuzz pedal than a conventional overdrive.

Ben Smith demos the Small Speaker Overdrive from Great Eastern FX Co.

The Small Speaker Overdrive is available to order now from www.greateasternfx.com.

Hereā€™s how 21 killer players from the past year of Rig Rundownsā€”including Justin Chancellor, Zakk Wylde, MonoNeon, Carmen Vandenberg, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, and Grace Bowersā€”use stomps to take their sounds outside the box.


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