Budget tweed pedal?

chadd

New member
I've really become hooked on the tweed channel of my Mesa Roadster and was wondering if there was a decent tweed pedal on the market that could be found for a lot less than the Les Lius or Tweed '57. I'd like to have something on my board that I could use with my HRD to get similar tones.
Thanks
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

See if you can find a Way Huge Red Llama or Kaden Flamingo Fuzz. (Both clones of the original Way Huge)
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

I use a Joyo Sweet Baby for my tweedy sounds. I really like it, and you can't beat the price.
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

While I really like JOYO's Sweet Baby, it doesn't sound 'tweedy' to my ear. JOYO's American Sound is very inexpensive and definitely does the tweed thing....it's <$40 too, but can be a bit noisy (hiss). Then again the tweed circuit itself can be a bit noisy as well.

In Europe, it's marketed by Harley Benton and it sounds like this.
Get them in the US @ Amazon.

Beyond that, the Boss FBM-1 is about the least expensive one I can think of.
 
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Re: Budget tweed pedal?

having owned a les lius and the other tweed clone thing lovepedal call the "high power tweed twin" and a plethora of other vintage sounding boutique overdrives as well as building a few of my own, i can pretty safely say that none of them sound like a 5e3 or any other tweed amp. That is not to say they don't sound good, just that they sound like an overdrive pedal running into whatever amp you are using at the time, rather than magically transforming your amp into something that it is not. Pedals sound like pedals, our amps sound like our amps. Our imagination really fills in the gaps and the rest is just packaging.
What this means in the real world is that you can get just as good a result using a regular tube screamer or super overdrive and a bit of imagination. So the good news is that there are a bazillion cheap options that can sound really great.
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

I really like my Movall Hornet. It's great for surf sounds. Although, like a lot of small pedals, it's good to put either some white paint or whiteout on the knobs, in the little notches, to make them more visible.

 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

i agree with gibby175, ive tried the tweed pedals from a few manufacturers and none of them really come close to a 5e3, 5e7 or 5f6. if you find a pedal you like with your amp, then use it. ive never heard the tweed mode on the mesa roadster so have no idea how it stacks up to a real fender tweed tone, i can only comment on what the amps sound like vs pedals.
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

I have the Joyo American pedal

straight into a powered speaker with eyes closed it has a
Fendery tone no doubt

there I said it
whewww! I feel better
you?
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

The TWEED mode of Channel One in my Mark V is a favorite of mine too. To my ear, the Wampler didn't come close. I'd like to try a Tech 21 Blonde pedal for that tone. And you might have some luck with some of the low-gain Marshall-In-A-Box pedals. Early Marshall circuits were allegedly based on the Tweed Bassman.

And if you find a pedal that works for you, be sure to let me know.

Bill
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

yes the first marshalls were very very similar to the 5f6 bassmans. they sound different for a variety of reasons but the transformers, tubes and speakers had a lot do to with it. something that is supposed to get a jtm45 tone might be similar to a tweed tone. i still say you wont find a real tweed sound in a pedal but, again, i havent played the tweed setting on a mesa in forever so cant recommend how to get that tone
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

And if you find a pedal that works for you, be sure to let me know.

Bill
I was hoping to skip the expense and time of trying a bunch of stuff, but it looks like that's what I'm stuck with at this point. Oh well, life could be worse.
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

I was hoping to skip the expense and time of trying a bunch of stuff, but it looks like that's what I'm stuck with at this point. Oh well, life could be worse.
Yeah, consensus is nearly impossible to find on internet forums such as these. Opinions vary with taste and application. At least, there are suggestions on ones to try. YouTube videos are helpful, but not the final answer either. Nothing beats a trial. Good Luck!
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

I starting playing around with pedals that I haven't used in a while and my old Zen clone does a decent job for the tones I was looking to cover. It does the gritty, yet articulate thing really well.
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

You can get a used Catalinbread Formula Five for under $100. I have a Chicago Stompbox Red Llama that is tweedish. Great pedal and company.
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

The Joyo American Sound is hard to beat. I listened to a lot of sound clips comparing the real thing with the Joyo before I bought it and it was hard to tell a difference. I'm trying the Clear Glass at the moment and it is extremely small and sounds the same as the American Sound, but only has one tone knob instead of the 3 eq of the bigger American Sound.
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

If the Joyo is more or less a clone of the Tech 21 Blonde pedal, then it is worth considering. The Blonde sounds amazing into a clean channel or direct to a PA.
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

As someone who wouldn't know a tweed sound from a Pro Deluxe Twin Blues Reverb Junior, I was easily amused with the Boss Bassman pedal. It even stacks well with overdrives and such.
 
Re: Budget tweed pedal?

I had a Les Lius for a while. I did a side by side comparison with the Tweed baseman amp into a power station and then using the LL to get the distortion. Sounded identical.
 
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