NAMM 2017: Mad Professor captures sought-after vintage amp tone with Big Tweedy Drive pedal

The Mad Prof's latest offering should satisfy your need for Tweed.

NAMM 2017: If you're seeking the answer to American tweed tone in pedal form, you should look to Finland, apparently, as Mad Professor launches its Big Tweedy Drive.

Based on Fender's high-power tweed Twins, made in the late-'50s and used by the likes of Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa and Rory Gallagher, the Big Tweedy Drive promises the snarl, saturation and touch-responsiveness of those original amps.

Four controls - volume, drive, tone and presence - tweak the pedal, which offers "world-class tone that fits beautifully into a surprisingly broad range of genres", according to MP.

The Big Tweedy Drive is available in March 2017, with RRPs likely to be confirmed with the pedal's launch at NAMM. More details are up at Mad Professor.

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.