Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Drums Week 25
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Guitar Amps
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Artist news
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Santana on Beck
  • Friday, I'm in Love
  • Knopfler's 4-note secret
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Peavey Decade pedal review
Guitar Pedals "If you're seeking a polished, smooth, modern distortion, this is most definitely not the stomp box for you": Peavey Decade preamp pedal review
IK Multimedia Tonex One Brown Sound Anthology Limited Edition: these special run mini pedals offer the Tonex One in red, yellow and white, each presenting a specific era of EVH's classic tone.
Guitars “The anthology fully captures an artist’s tonal journey as he changed rock guitar forever”: Eddie Van Halen’s holy grail tone from a Tonex One mini pedal? IK Multimedia unveils the Brown Sound Anthology
Boss PX-1 Plugout FX: the white compact series pedal has blue knobs, digital display, and is a platform for 16 digitally modelled Boss effects, one of which is available at a time.
Guitars A compact series stompbox you can turn into any one of 16 classic Boss effects? Meet the Plugout FX
EarthQuaker Devices Rancho de la Luna Dirt Transmitter
Guitar Pedals “Simply a killer fuzz pedal”: EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter – Rancho de la Luna Ltd Ed review
API
Plugins Our pick of the very best VCA compressor software emulation plugins for any music project
Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo: the metallic gray box has cream dials, an LED that lights up blue and/or red, and is photographed here against a wooden background.
Guitar Pedals “A perfect melding of vintage sound with modern practicality”: Strymon EC-1 review
JHS PEDALS
Guitar Pedals "He's not using a guitar amp. He's using a Tascam 424": JHS Pedals puts a Portastudio in a pedal to help you recreate Mk.gee's "elastic, lo-fi tones"
Catalinbread Proto Club Triton Pitch Echo
Guitars “The Tritone was universally loved by the crew but the vibes clashed with the palette of the Soft Focus Deluxe”: Catalinbread is selling off its prototype guitar pedals, and the first is a “B-side” pitch echo from its smash-hit shoegaze stompbox
Mad Professor Simble MKII
Guitars Mad Professor's refreshed D-style overdrive pedal is here – with improved clarity and dynamics
Cornerstone Imperium V2: the 2-in-1 overdrive has been revised with four separate input/output jacks and has an all-new look.
Guitars Cornerstone’s revamped Imperium V2 is a Dumble x TS-style stompbox that really is a 2-in-1 overdrive
Atlas DSP - Your Final Steps
Plugins Atlas DSP, Your Last Steps Review
Neural DSP Nano Cortex
Guitar Pedals "The 2.0 firmware update has expanded its multi-effects versatility significantly": Neural DSP Nano Cortex review
An Earthquaker Devices Easy Listening headphone amp on a desk
Guitar Pedals “With no smartphone app, no IR loader, and just a single knob for control, it does away with all the distractions”: Earthquaker Devices Easy Listening review
Hotone Pulze Mini
Guitar Amps "The clean and medium-gain sound is where it truly flexes its sonic muscles": Hotone Pulze Mini Bluetooth Amplifier review
EarthQuaker Devices Easy Listening Analog Amp Simulator: the compact single-knob pedal can be used as a headphones amp or on your pedalboard as a preamp whose signal can be sent direct to desk or DAW.
Guitars EarthQuaker Devices launches headphones amp mini-pedal that you can use to record with
  1. Guitars
  2. Guitar Pedals

Six of the best 'amp in a box' pedals

News
By Guitarist ( Guitarist ) published 24 February 2015

Pedals that deserve a Tolex finish

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Catalinbread Wiio

Catalinbread Wiio

The stack of pedals designed to sound like classic amps has grown ever higher. Here's our pick of pedals that deserve a Tolex finish...

#1: Catalinabread Wiio

Capturing the brutal delivery of a 70s Hiwatt in a pedal seems like a tall order, but this pedal’s huge sound will come as a surprise.

It sounds best through an amp that can deliver some guts, too, of course – just don’t go expecting any sort of compressed, easy ride. Imagine being punched in the face with notes and enjoying it: you like that, don’t you?

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion

Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion

This is based on a multi-stage valve amp, albeit using JFET transistors instead of valves.

There’s a multi- position ‘pre-gain’ switch to take you from cleans through to full-on saturation, plus powerful three-band EQ and an additional boost section with its own gain and master controls. Use it in front of an amp, or direct to a mixer thanks to the balanced XLR out with cabinet emulation.

4 out of 5

Read our full Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion review

BUY: Electro-Harmonix EHX Tortion currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music | DV247
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Wampler Slostortion

Wampler Slostortion

There are plenty of Fender and Marshall amp-emulating pedals out there, so how about the sound of the fabled Soldano SLO100 into your own amp, with a separate clean boost section to boot?

It delivers edge and girth aplenty to go from classic-rock rhythms to huge, soaring leads. If 60s/70s rock tones are too classic for you, and metal’s too modern, you’ll like this a lot.

BUY: Wampler Slostortion currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Boss FBM-1

Boss FBM-1

Unlike all the other pedals on this page, this one uses digital technology to derive its sounds, based on a ’59 Fender Bassman (there’s also a ’65 Deluxe Reverb model).

It does a decent job of making any amp sound like the fabled tweed amp at home/ practice volumes, but is outshone by quality analogue pedals through high-end amps at gig volumes.

BUY: Boss FBM-1 currently available from:
UK: Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Randall RG13

Randall RG13

With a one-watt output stage, you could say that this pedal is an amp. It’s certainly a preamp: three independent channels covering clean to full-on gain tones, plus a switchable loop section.

You can connect direct to a guitar amp, and/or send a speaker- simulated signal straight to a live or recording desk. As with most Randall amps, hard rock and metal are well served by the RG13.

BUY: Randall RG13 currently available from:
UK: Thomann | DV247

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Empress Effects Multidrive

Empress Effects Multidrive

Big ambition here with the promise of three different ‘amps’ used together in parallel.

You can have any combination of vintage overdrive, classic fuzz and the three-mode distortion section, plus three-band EQ and high/lo-pass filter options.

It’s all-analogue, with germanium diodes, FET distortion and LED clipping playing their parts in shaping the tones. Serious flexibility.

4.5 out of 5

Read our full Empress Effects Multidrive review

BUY: Empress Effects Multidrive currently available from:
UK: Thomann

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Guitarist
Guitarist
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones
Digital: http://bit.ly/GuitaristiOS
If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

The magazine for serious players image
The magazine for serious players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Peavey Decade pedal review
"If you're seeking a polished, smooth, modern distortion, this is most definitely not the stomp box for you": Peavey Decade preamp pedal review
IK Multimedia Tonex One Brown Sound Anthology Limited Edition: these special run mini pedals offer the Tonex One in red, yellow and white, each presenting a specific era of EVH's classic tone.
“The anthology fully captures an artist’s tonal journey as he changed rock guitar forever”: Eddie Van Halen’s holy grail tone from a Tonex One mini pedal? IK Multimedia unveils the Brown Sound Anthology
Boss PX-1 Plugout FX: the white compact series pedal has blue knobs, digital display, and is a platform for 16 digitally modelled Boss effects, one of which is available at a time.
A compact series stompbox you can turn into any one of 16 classic Boss effects? Meet the Plugout FX
EarthQuaker Devices Rancho de la Luna Dirt Transmitter
“Simply a killer fuzz pedal”: EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter – Rancho de la Luna Ltd Ed review
API
Our pick of the very best VCA compressor software emulation plugins for any music project
Strymon EC-1 Single Head dTape Echo: the metallic gray box has cream dials, an LED that lights up blue and/or red, and is photographed here against a wooden background.
“A perfect melding of vintage sound with modern practicality”: Strymon EC-1 review
Latest in Guitar Pedals
Boss PX-1 Plugout FX: the white compact series pedal has blue knobs, digital display, and is a platform for 16 digitally modelled Boss effects, one of which is available at a time.
A compact series stompbox you can turn into any one of 16 classic Boss effects? Meet the Plugout FX
Third Man Hardware x Black Mountain Roto-Echo: the roller wheel equipped delay pedal is a compact and performance-friendly stompbox that's available in black or limited edition white. Jack White has used it onstage and in the studio during the sessions for No Name.
Jack White’s Third Man teams up with Black Mountain for the Roto-Echo, a delay controllable by foot
Chase Bliss Lost + Found: the new compact offering from the boutique stompbox company is the brand's first multi-effects, and comes in a cool green enclosure with a range of dip-switches for more tweakability.
Chase Bliss invites you to rummage around the Lost + Found – a compact multi-FX pedal with 12 modes
JHS PEDALS
"He's not using a guitar amp. He's using a Tascam 424": JHS Pedals puts a Portastudio in a pedal to help you recreate Mk.gee's "elastic, lo-fi tones"
An Earthquaker Devices Easy Listening headphone amp on a desk
“With no smartphone app, no IR loader, and just a single knob for control, it does away with all the distractions”: Earthquaker Devices Easy Listening review
Peavey Decade pedal review
"If you're seeking a polished, smooth, modern distortion, this is most definitely not the stomp box for you": Peavey Decade preamp pedal review
Latest in News
Sebastian Bach performs on Day 1 of the Heavy Montreal festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau on August 6, 2016 in Montreal, Canada
“I could kick 'em right in the balls”: Ex-Skid Row man goes on a rant about Youtube armchair critics
Composer John Williams
“I never liked film music very much”: World famous film composer makes startling admission
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Here are the best Labor Day sales for musicians from across the internet
Josh Freese performs onstage with The Vandals during day 1 of Warped Tour at Shoreline Waterfront on July 26, 2025
“It wasn’t music that I really resonated with”: Josh Freese lifts the lid on his exit from the Foo Fighters
Zak Starkey and Axl Rose composite
“C’mon bro... It could generate $2M for teen cancer”: Zak Starkey pleads with Axl Rose to give the go-ahead for charity cover of Bolan classic
Don Felder plays his iconic white Gibson doubleneck electric guitar onstage. Note the double jack: that mod is crucial when playing Hotel California, which he surely is in this picture.
Don Felder on why he had to mod his white Gibson doubleneck to play the Eagles’ biggest hit – and how he got the idea from Chet Atkins

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...